T-Minus Four Hours

Tomorrow is the first of April. Do you know what that means?

That means that at midnight tonight - just over four hours from now - Script Frenzy (also known as "Screnzy") begins. 100 pages of script (in my case, screenplay), 30 days. Can it be done?

The answer is yes. Yes it can. But I'll spare you the details of last year's six-day screenplay and three-week second screenplay, with over 200 pages of script written by April 24th. Instead, I'll tell you about this year.

This year, I'm not writing about spies (*gasp*), nor am I writing a fantasy/science fiction (*more gasp*). Instead, I'm writing something sort of spy-ish but not really. Teenage assassins....yeah, okay, it's pretty spy-like. But not really...right?

I'm determined to write something that my friends and I can actually film this summer. It won't be anything professional, I'm sure, but it'll be the best we can do with our limited cast, crew, and production equipment.

Last April, I fell in love with Courier New. Since then I've gone back to Times New Roman, but I'm really looking forward to going back to Courier. Dialogue tags, sluglines, and dear screenwriting font, how I have missed thee!

...*ahem.* Sorry about that.

Have you noticed that I'm really excited about Screnzy? If not, you may want to get your literacy checked, because I've kind of been blabbering on about it, but anyway. If you are not familiar with Script Frenzy, I suggest you check out the website and join the fun!

Off to work on my lit review some more before the big deadline and mentor meeting tomorrow! Farewell for now, interwebs.

Love,
Bex

Heist Society

Note to self: If you have a good book, you should probably give it to your mother until your homework is done, because otherwise, the homework will not get done.

I read (and fell in love with) Ally Carter's newest book, HEIST SOCIETY, this afternoon. The writing style is quite different from her (equally awesome) Gallagher Girls series; it's in third person, not first, and while the Gallagher Girls audience would certainly appreciate it just as much, I feel like it's aimed at and appeals to a wider and maybe a little bit older audience.

HEIST SOCIETY follows the story of Katarina "Kat" Bishop, a fifteen-year-old girl who comes from a family of thieves. She's been helping her dad with heists for as long as she can remember, but now, Kat is walking away from a life of crime. She's conned her way into one of the country's best boarding schools, and she's done with thievery. At least, that's what she thought.

When five valuable paintings go missing, Kat's dad is the entire suspect list. Interpol is watching him closely...and so is the man who the paintings belonged to, Arturo Taccone. Taccone is even more dangerous than Interpol, and if Kat is going to save her dad's life, she's going to have to do the craziest thing she's ever done. With a little help from her friends, she's going to have to steal the paintings back.

Kat is a wonderful character - as are Hale, Gabrielle, and the rest. (Hale may have a place in the lineup of Amazing Fictional Guys now. More on that later.) All of them are so real, the story is just so engaging, bits and pieces are laugh-out-loud funny and other bits have you sitting on the edge of your seat thinking "AHH!" I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. You should check it out. You can also find out more about the author, Ally Carter, at her website.

So, yes. HEIST SOCIETY = amazingness book. Readreadread.

Meanwhile, I'm going to go do the AP Lang homework that was left untouched while I was reading. Because it would probably not be good if I failed to turn that in.

Love to all,
Bex

A Vague Post on an Abstract Concept

Choices.

From LOST to Harry Potter, there's all sorts of stuff out there about choice versus fate, free will versus destiny. I'm on the side of choice. Everyone has choices.

Sometimes people make bad choices. Sometimes they make good choices. Sometimes choices are just choices, and "bad" and "good" are just opinions anyway.

Sometimes people really want to make a choice they know is a bad choice, even when they don't know why. Sometimes people really want to make a good choice, but it's really hard to do. And sometimes, choices are the only things people have. Sometimes there is no right choice. Sometimes there is no easy way out.

Everyone makes the wrong choice sometimes. And everyone makes right choices that seem like wrong choices, too. Sometimes it just takes a while to figure out whether a choice was good or bad.

But everyone makes choices. All the time. And really, they can't do much else.

Pardon me for being so philosophical. Just some musings. In Tigger's words, TTFN! Ta ta for now!

Love,
Bex

Fang

I don't know if you're familiar with James Patterson's Maximum Ride series or not, but they're quite awesome. It's a science fiction series about these six kids who have been genetically engineered to have bird DNA, so they have wings. The narrative style (it's mostly first-person from Max's perspective) is humorous and action-packed and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and they are just wonderful. Readreadread. The first book is called THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT, if you haven't read them. I think you'd like them. (Even you, CH, even though you don't read.)

Anyway, book six is called FANG. It's a relatively new release -- by which I mean around March 15 -- and I had the good fortune to borrow a copy from a good friend of mine. It was the large print version, which was kind of annoying since I felt like I was reading a children's book, but the story. Ohhhmygosh.

Basically, without giving too much away here, Angel makes a prediction that Fang will be the first to die, and soon. Meanwhile, a new birdkid, Dylan, shows up; he's been designed to be Max's perfect other half. So there's all sorts of action as she's trying to save Fang and tension between Dylan and Fang and meanwhile Dr. I-Don't-Even-Remember-What-It-Actually-Is (Max calls him Dr. God) is trying to do additional genetic experiments on the Flock and it was quite fantastic.

My thoughts right now, having read it, are "butbutbut that's not even okay!" and "I would really like to dropkick Angel out a window." More than that, I cannot say. But this series is amazing, and there was one part of the book where I cried (not gonna tell you where or why), and you should go read them. Likenow. And you can check out the website here. Also you should know that (even before this book came out) Fang is on that list of Amazing Fictional Guys.

(Saying "Fictional" is really kind of redundant. Most of the "Amazing" guys I've come across have been fictional. Unfortunately, even the fictional ones are taken. Actually, especially the fictional ones. End rant. More on the list of Amazing Fictional Guys later.)

Gotta go now. Catch ya later!

Love,
Bex

High School Landmarks

Last night was my high school's Prom. So, of course, several of my friends (AF, KD, CJ, and ES) and I spent a couple of hours getting ready and getting ready and taking pictures together, and then we headed off to a long evening of dancing, less-than-spectacular (read: mostly horrible) music, shouting to hear each other, and general insanity.

Of course, that's not to say that we didn't have any fun. I do believe we had quite a bit of fun. Of course, it wouldn't have been a school dance if there weren't any drama to go around; a certain freshman probably has a good buttkicking coming to him on Monday, because nobody hurts our JD like that and gets away with it. But I promised not to post any sort of angst on the blog, and on the whole I think we had a good time (although AF will disagree with me, but, then again, she's ridiculous ♥).

But it kind of got me thinking.

We went by ourselves. Five girls, and we met up with NG there, so six girls -- sans dates, because only one of us has a boyfriend and he lives several states away -- going to the Junior/Senior Prom together (even though one of us is a sophomore), and our afterparty consisted of changing out of our dresses, crashing on my living room floor, and then reading Dr. Seuss books all morning. Also STOP THAT BALL, which is a rhyming children's book by...um....somebody who is not Dr. Seuss. When you look at it all, it's really pretty atypical. We didn't even have friend dates, we spent more time wandering around on the porch than dancing, we didn't recognize more than 2 or 3 of the songs they played, and we did not get totally drunk/high or have sex before, during, or after prom.

Therefore, I would like to announce to the world that YES, people who are not stereotypical teenagers DO exist. Contrary to what the creepy old man from the bank seems to think. (Long story; basically, a creepy old man had some problems with AF and me being friends.)

Not, of course, that anyone was directionally questioning this. But really? This whole "teenage experience" thing is really not all it's cracked up to be. Seriously, where is the fun in getting so trashed you don't know what's going on? And having everyone assume that as a teenager, you're a part of it? Not even worth the trouble. And all the smash-my-body-so-close-against-yours-that-we-might-actually-be-one-person dancing and rented hotel rooms and whatever? Ick. In my (admittedly limited) experience, boys cause more trouble than they're worth. I think I'll wait until they're (/I'm) a bit more grown up.

End rant.

Apologies. That got a little rantier than it was supposed to. But there you go. Guess I'm a stereotypical teenager after all: three cheers for moodiness?

Okay, that wasn't coherent. Chalk it up to lack of sleep.

Meanwhile, today was absolutely the best Saturday I've had in a long while. Many thanks to AF and KD especially, as they were here for most of the day, but also to CJ and ES. I ♥ you all! Also, the first two episodes of Season 5 of LOST have caused me to completely and totally change my mind about Season 4. Season 4 was not weird. Season 5 is weird. AF was right. Also also, remind me to rant about FANG tomorrow. Because it was an amaaaazing book. Even if it did make me cry. And now, tis bedtime pour moi.

Much love,
Bex

OCD People with Messy Rooms

I think it's funny that two of the most obsessive-compulsively organized people I know - AF and myself - have the messiest rooms out of our group of friends.

We'll freak out if you put a book on our bookshelves in the wrong place (alphabetical by author's last name, for me). If things (books, games, etc.) are stacked, the corners must be lined up or something tragic will happen. Lines must be straight, everything has to be perfectly centered, stuff that's colored in must be colored in completely, and so on. Things all over the place are lined up in height order or color order or some sort of order that is inherently right, and if you mess with it, bad things will happen to you.

But if you take a look at my bedroom (or hers), you would never know it. Except from the bookshelf, that is. Because there is junk all over the floor, school crap and those little tubes of toothpaste from the dentist and a slinky that was in my Christmas stocking three years ago and ballpoint pens (tons of them) and letters from colleges and two gift bags, just to name a few, and it looks like a paper mill threw up in here. Seriously, there is paper everywhere. Poems and story scraps and to do lists and random doodles. Notebook paper and inserts from the church bulletin and handouts from school and sticky notes and notepads. I mean there is paper everywhere.

I find it slightly ironic, the mix of OCD and organized chaos.

However, I've spent most of this afternoon cleaning. The carpet? Yeah, I found out that it actually does still exist! My room almost looks organized...provided you ignore the closet and the small radius around the desk. But it's definitely an improvement.

Course, I also spent some of that time singing/dancing to my iPod. I have the song "Summer Nights" from the musical Grease stuck in my head....and I've sung it at least...um...lots of times today. If you don't know the song, you should listen to it. It's quite good, although I wasn't a huge fan of Grease on the whole because I didn't like the ending.

Also: You know you're a nerd when you have a ten-minute conversation with your dad and two of your classmates about the appropriate adverb form of the word "manly." I'm reasonably certain that it is not "manfully," but HC and FH might tell you otherwise.

Back to cleaning now. Love,
Bex

You Know You're A Nerd When... Round 2

...you don't pay attention in chemistry class, because you're too busy talking about chemistry. (SP, yes we are that awesome.)

...you and your friends find nothing at all strange about singing Disney songs or the theme songs of PBS kids shows in the hallways between classes, at lunch, or even during math class.

...you are planning to make a video of chemistry jokes and hoping to get extra credit if your teacher is amused, but you want to make the video with or without extra credit points.

...you can have an entire conversation about words that require the letters C, D, E, and F.

...you do not get tired of discussing your fictional molecular relationship advice column.

...the floor of your bedroom is a mess because you've been cleaning out and everything ended up in the middle of the room, but your bookshelf is still pristine and everything is in alphabetical order by author's last name.

...you are kind of freakishly excited about the visual aids for the oral presentation you have to give tomorrow. (Even if you're not ready at all for public speaking.)

...you have a strange fascination with sticky notes because they're so useful for storyboarding.

...the idea of wearing mascara to prom this coming Friday is kind of a big deal, because you don't even own mascara.

...you can recite, in its entirety, the Quagmires' poem from THE VILE VILLAGE. (Looking at SP again XD)

...you get really, really bothered when you can't remember one line halfway through Hamlet's "to be or not to be" monologue, because you know the rest of it and the gap is driving you crazy.

...you go out of your way to look for more things that could accurately complete the sentence "You know you're a nerd when..." so that it will describe you.

Love,
Bex

Pixies: No, I Don't Mean Tinkerbell

I finished a book this morning. It's a sequel, so I should probably start by recommending the first book. The first book is called NEED, it's by Carrie Jones, and it is fantastic.

Paranormal romance, with evil pixies, and it has a plot besides just the romance, and it does not have vampires. And the pixies are an interesting change. They leave gold dust. And they want Zara. It's been a while since I read the first one so I can't really give you a whole lot more details without accidentally giving you any spoilers, but you should DEFINITELY read it. Because I do remember that it was good. And the characters - Zara, Devyn, Issie, Nick, Ian, Megan, and Grandma Betty - are just fantastic. Readreadread.

But if I'm a little fuzzy on the details of NEED, I absolutely remember the details of CAPTIVATE. I finished reading CAPTIVATE this morning, and it was just fantastic. I really want the third book - now! Not sure how much I can say without giving away too much, but in this book, there's a new pixie king in town. His name is Astley, and he wants Zara to be his queen. And there's another new pixie king as well - an evil one, who wants to take over. Zara and all of her friends are in danger, and it's Zara's responsibility to fix it. Especially since Nick might not be able to.

I cannot emphasize enough how much you should read NEED first, but once you do I won't have to tell you that you should read CAPTIVATE. The books are fantastic, the lack of vampires/addition of pixies is quite refreshing, the characters are so intricate, it's just a wonderful series.

Still working out where exactly Nick - or Astley, for that matter - belongs on the List of Fictional Guys. I'll have to get CJ's opinion on that, once she reads these (because she will. CJ, I'm looking at you here, m'dear). But you should deeefinitely read these books. And you can find out more at Carrie Jones's website.

I must go now, because I've got to get some sleep tonight. But if you see any gold dust, watch out...

Love,
Bex

Castle (!!!)

Sooooo if you don't know this already (although if you've read more than a couple of my earlier blog posts, you do know), my favorite TV show is ABC's CASTLE.

The episode from two weeks ago, with bondage shops and "dominatrices" (scary stuff, I'm telling you), was a little off-putting, but this week's episode, the first in a two-part set -- ohhh my gosh.

The premise for these episodes is that there's a serial killer who's after Beckett. He's leaving coded messages for her, killing a string of victims, and he's after her. Also the FBI is involved and there is a ton of Castle/Beckett adorableness and it's just hilarious in some places and it was definitely also the CREEPIEST episode of the show EVER and (because I don't have enough "and"s in this sentence yet) I want more. Now.

The cliffhanger ending nearly gave my little brother (who at 12 is really probably too young to watch this show, but whatever) a heart attack. And it will absolutely leave you wanting the next episode RIGHTNOWTHANKYOUVERYMUCH.

Mhm yup.

Must go now, have a little bit of house(er, room)keeping to take care of plus some homework to finish. But that TV show definitely made a miserable barely-conscious day a lot better.

Love,
Bex

Blogs + Angst = BAD

I've spent most of my afternoon working on my Review of Literature for my senior thesis project (which is about writing screenplay adaptations of character-driven young adult fiction). And I have finally been able to find relevant sources, because, with my teacher's permission (which I requested based on the advice of Melissa Marr - if you see this, thanks very much!), I've been using nonacademic sources. Such as blogs.

Using blogs is allowed as long as I acknowledge that they are blogs and therefore informal and nonacademic and suchlike. This is great for me, because blogs and nonacademic internet sources are really all I have to go on with this topic. But it also gets me thinking.

I've known quite a few people in my time who have basically used their blogs as places to dump large amounts of angst on the internet at large. Long ago, before I realized the ramifications of posting everything I thought on the internet, I used to do the same thing. I have acquaintances from school who routinely vent all sorts of negative emotion on their blogs. And I'm reasonably certain that lots of professionals - writers, performers, publishers, PhDs, fill in the blank - have done it too. It's so easy; blogs are an easy way to put your opinions out there. You can just say "hey, this is what I think, and I'm entitled to my own opinion. Here it is!" without having to edit yourself. It's simple and it's stress-relieving, so why not?

Well, the "why not" is that people can quote you. "Look what so-and-so said!" It could end up in a thesis paper like mine. I'm trying not to use anything too emotional, mostly just using blogs as a source of facts (if opinionated ones) about the authors' role in adaptations, but not everyone would do the same. Someone could so easily find my(/your/their favorite author's/Billy Bob's/Random Person #42's) angst and cite it in a formal paper.

By posting on a blog or anywhere on the internet, you have to acknowledge that people will see what you write and may use it. That said, there are some people who really don't care. Still, though. Call me paranoid, but I'm quite terrified of the prospect of random strangers finding something that maybe I wrote while I was angry or grouchy or frustrated and taking it as gospel truth.

And this is why I intend to make every effort to always be careful of what I post on the internet.

End rant. (Yes, rant. But one that I'm okay with people reading.)

Love,
Bex

And the Moyal of the Story Is...

Always keep track of your phone. XD To CH and KD, I love you muchably. To CH, next time you are in town you better watch your stuff like a hawk, because I shall seek revenge. And to CJ, stories with moyals are much better than stories with plain-old boring morals.

If that little intro was not enough to figure it out, I had an amazing time last night with CH, KD, CJ, AF, SH, and ZH. You guys are awesome. Love y'all! ♥

Also: I can now do a legit, honest-to-goodness plain-and-simple cartwheel. Before, I could do a round-off, a twisty cartwheel where you end up the same direction you started in, and a handspring, but apparently I twisted too much on my cartwheels for them to count. Thanks to AF, this has been repaired.

The next step: several handsprings in a row, better landings, a back-handspring, and/or an aerial.

And this summer, I'm going to learn to run. (According to SH, anyway.) And SH and CJ are going to learn to do cartwheels. This is not optional.

My thought process may be a little choppy today. That's probably because I am completely exhausted. But it was so worth it, because it just so happens that I have the best friends in the entire universe ever. :)

Also, there's a song that CH told me about recently that I decided I liked. It's by the same band that did "Breathe Into Me," but this one is called "Lost." (Speaking of which, I need to watch the last 2 episodes of season 4 tonight.) It's quite good:

"Can I be dreaming once again? I'm reaching helpless, I descend. You lead me deeper through this maze, I'm not afraid..."

That's from "Lost" by RED. You should go check it out, because it's quite a good song.

I'm gonna go now, because I have to figure out what colleges I'm sending my SAT scores to and find something to eat, and probably work on my thesis paper as well. Until next time, interwebs!

Love,
Bex

Exciting Things

I have another list for you tonight, people of the internet. It is a list of exciting things about this weekend.

1. HaufeCoffe is back in town! I haven't seen him since last June, so I'm really excited about tomorrow afternoon with him, CJ, KD, SH, AF, and ZH. It's gonna be the definition of amazingness.

2. It has been ages since I have had a sleepover with SH, so that shall be fun. ♥

3. I do not get to see ZH very often because she no longer attends the same school as I do, so that shall be fun. ♥

4. I made cookies. I love cookies.

5. By the end of this weekend, I will be done with my first draft of Lit Review.

6. Hopefully, this weekend I can write some more on my Chelsey story so she'll forgive me for abandoning her for so long.

7. Weekend = temporary break from school. 'Nuff said.

8. I shall be able to watch more LOST. ^_^

9. I'll be able to finish reading CAPTIVATE, and then I'll be able to officially review and recommend it to all of you.

10. I fully intend to spend some time dancing like crazy to loud music, just because. This is awesome.

No time for a longer list or post, because I'm talking plot with SH. (♥) Catch y'all later,
~Bex

Plot Holes of the Future

I dunno if I've talked about Script Frenzy ("Screnzy") or not around here, so, brief recap if you don't know: Script Frenzy takes place during the month of April. Lots and lots and lots of people across America (/the world) write or try to write a 100-page script in 30 days. Like NaNoWriMo, only it's screenplays or TV shows or stage plays instead of novels.


April begins in two weeks. Two weeks from tomorrow, technically. I am quite excited, because 1) I love writing screenplays and 2) I have an idea. It went something like this:

INT. INSIDE BECKY'S BRAIN - 11 PM


Most of BECKY'S brain cells are concentrated on brushing her teeth, keeping her shorter-and-curlier hair out of her face, and remaining awake. All of a sudden a MOVIE TRAILER appears.

BRAIN

Ooh, look, an idea!

In the movie trailer, CASS is standing against a wall.

CASS

I know what you did.

CUT TO:
Somebody kills somebody else. Becky watches in interest.


CUT TO:

RANDOM GIRL

My father works with the CIA...

CUT TO:
Cass is tied to a CHAIR as SKYLAR and JUSTIN smirk.


INT. BECKY'S BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS


Becky is holding her TOOTHBRUSH motionless in the air.

BECKY

Whoa...that was kinda awesome.

FADE OUT.


So, I now have a screenplay idea, and I am sooo ready for Screnzy to get here. I want to start writing! I spent most of today ironing out plot holes and diagramming the plot for this As-Yet-Untitled screenplay. Even though it hasn't been anywhere close to written yet...and won't be for another two weeks.

Bah humbug. Wanna write now! April, hurry up already, won't you?

Love,
Bex

Funny How Lyrics Can Eat Your Brain

When I sat down to type this, I had a plan. I was going to blog about LOST (I'm almost done with Season 4, and I cannot count the number of times I have said to either AF or CH "oh my gosh this show is WEIRD," but it's also very, very good). I was going to vent some frustration about cheating (half the class saw someone cheat on a chem quiz this morning but no one said anything and that bothers me immensely). I had all sorts of things I was going to say.

But right now, iTunes is playing on shuffle, and so I'm having a very hard time forming any coherent thoughts around Something Corporate's "I Want to Save You" (which is, by the way, an absolutely fantastic song):

"And she wants someone to see her, she needs to hear she's beautiful, she's beautiful..."

And then of course earlier I had "Breathe Into Me" by RED stuck in my head, after I listened to it somewhat obsessively on the bus, so I was going to post about it (again; I also mentioned it in one of my previous posts, which I'd backlink to only I don't remember which one). Only problem is, it's very difficult to think about the lyrics of one song while there's another one playing.

However, the song has just ended. So, a quote from "Breathe Into Me":

"This is how it looks when I am standing on the edge, and this is how I break apart when I finally hit the ground. And this is how it hurts when I pretend I don't feel any pain, and this is how I disappear when I throw myself away..."

And lately, my brain has basically been a big whirling vortex of assorted song lyrics. I write lyrics on everything. Sometimes my own lyrics, but mostly the lyrics to other people's songs. I just like lyrics...and they get sooo stuck in my head. They have nommed my brain.

So, fair warning: Song lyrics WILL nom your brain.

You have been warned.

~Bex

A List

I am too tired and too busy to write much today, so I have for your amusement a list of things I have done today:

*Woke up, got ready for school, etc etc
*Completed 2 6x9s during focus
*Went to precal class. Did math.
*Went to thesis class. Worked on thesis.
*Went to creative writing class. Wrote creatively.
*Went to the orthodontist. Boring.
*Did 2 more 6x9s. Also boring.
*Succeeded in not murdering my little brother after he threw a metal ball at me.
*Ate dinner. (Eggs, bacon, cinnamon muffins, and strawberries. YUM!)
*Did 2 more 6x9s. Also boring.
*Discovered EtherPad, with the aid of SP. It's quite awesome, just so you know.
*Started an essay about "The Sexual Revolution" of the 1920s. Can you say AWKWARD? Good to know Mr. H has no problem making 16-year-olds write about the history of sex.
*Wrote a blog post.

Wasn't that exciting? I know you feel like your day is complete now. Don't you?

Unfortunately, mine is not. I have 2 more 6x9s and the second half of an essay to write. But I wanna read my book....unfortunately, I can't do that either. Boo hiss. I need some magical Homework-Be-Gone. Anybody got some? I'll pay you in chocolate...

Anyway, must go. Love!
~Bex

Mini-Blog!

Very brief post today, folks. Just wanted to share this insight with you:

I have spent the last couple of hours adding two pages to my senior thesis review of literature. I've been working on the document since early February. The total word count of this document (bibliography included) is only slightly more than two days' worth of NaNoWriMo writing.

I find this very, very sad. And also somewhat disheartening.

Especially considering I still have precal to do. And APUSH. Catch ya later, internetfolks!

~Bex

The Truth About Standardized Testing

...is that the SAT was a lot easier than it was probably supposed to be. Seriously, if I missed any of the multiple choice questions about writing, I deserve to be shot. And there were maybe two or three math questions that were challenging, and about that many in the critical reading section. At risk of sounding like I'm bragging about my vocabulary, there were words on that test that I'd never even heard of, and I'm the kid with the reputation for being a walking dictionary.

The other big truth about standardized testing is that it is BORING. Horribly, terribly, awfully boring. As in "okay, I'm done with five minutes to spare, can I take a nap now please? since it's not even 9 AM on a Saturday morning?" kind of boring.

Well actually, that's just the it's before 9 AM on a Saturday morning feeling. But it was also boring.

One more big truth: 25 minutes is NOT enough time to write an essay worth anything. It really isn't. Even for people who write often and well (I like to think I'm one of those people, but I can only confirm the first part) -- maybe especially for those people - 25 minutes is enough time to scratch out a couple of paragraphs that are vaguely similar to something that could, with revision, be the beginnings of a decent essay.

Especially after spending the last several months taking AP English Language and Composition, also known as How To Write Good Essays in 40 Minutes for the AP Exam. 40 minutes. Not 25. Writing an essay in 25 minutes is like...is like...giving JK Rowling a week to write a Harry Potter book.

Okay, maybe not that extreme. But you get the idea.

In other news, I feel like a sufficiently well-practiced driver now. Once I can parallel park (the one essential skill that Mr. Driving Instructor Man didn't even halfway teach me), I'll be ready to tackle the road test. And then...then I will be a licensed driver.

Honestly, that scares me a little bit.

Signing off now to go do homework before CH eats me.
~Bex

P.S. Ben IS human! Too bad Alex had to die for us to realize it... :'(

SAT on Sat.

Yes, that's right. This Saturday (commonly abbreviated Sat.), I will be taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (commonly abbreviated SAT).

Getting up early on a Saturday + several hours of standardized testing = not a happy Becky.

Oh well. It must be done. I'm not too worried about it, really; I've done fine on the PSAT, and I don't think I'll have a problem getting into a college (I just have to figure out where I want to go and what I want to do, which is much easier said than done). I'm just not too thrilled about the getting up early on a Saturday part. Or the several hours of standardized testing part.

I think I need some sleep.

Song for tonight: "Drilled A Wire Through My Cheek" by Blue October. It's stuck in my head.

"And crying isn't secret, it's the art of how we grieve..."

If only it were always that simple.

I'm really tired, you guys. I think I should get some sleep. I think I've said that already, haven't I? Yeah, I guess I have...maybe I got zapped with Daniel Faraday's time machine or something. (@CH, AF, and any other LOST fans out there.)

Chelsey and Indi are never going to forgive me for how long I've left them alone...*sigh* I should write something.

Tomorrow.

For right now, I need to at least pretend I'm gonna get a decent amount of sleep tonight. G'night!

Love,
Bex

Living Dead Girl

I read a book today. Over the course of less than three and a half hours. Most of that time was not spent reading. In fact, I spent just a little over an hour reading it. It doesn't take long. It's a very quick read. And it was an excellent, if haunting, book.

The book I'm referring to is LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott, pictured below:

LIVING DEAD GIRL is about Alice. Once upon a time, her name wasn't Alice. But ever since Ray took her five years ago, she has been Alice. The once-upon-a-time girl is gone.

Ray is a pedophile. He took Alice from a class trip right before her tenth birthday, and since then he has claimed to be her father figure, but basically she's his sex toy. She's broken; she doesn't know how to be anything other than Ray's little girl. But Alice is fifteen now, and that's too old for Ray. Ray wants a new Alice. And this Alice is going to help him get her, because if she isn't good, the once-upon-a-time girl's family will be killed. Ray will kill them.

From the back of the book:

"The thing is, you can get used to anything. You think you can't, you want to die, but you don't. You won't. You just are."

This is Alice. She was taken by Ray five years ago. She thought she knew how her story would end. She was wrong.

Not gonna lie, it was a pretty creepy/disturbing story. My recommendation for this one comes with caution labels. It's not a lighthearted story that anyone who's just looking to kill some time should read. But if you're looking for a genuinely well-written (the writing style is great), haunting story that will make you think, I would recommend LIVING DEAD GIRL in a heartbeat. It's an excellent book. One of those ones that you can't really say "I enjoyed that," because you don't enjoy reading about abuse, but it is a gripping story that you can't put down, and I would give it five stars. 

You can find out more about the author, Elizabeth Scott, at her website. She's got some other books that I've also enjoyed (STEALING HEAVEN, LOVE YOU HATE YOU MISS YOU) and I'm reading another one right now (THE UNWRITTEN RULE, which I'm sure you'll hear more about when I'm done). You should check out her books, because her writing is amazing.

And now, I'm off to do something that my teachers would consider productive. No offense to any teachers in the audience, but sometimes -- okay, a lot of times -- I feel like I could be a lot more productive if I weren't doing homework.

Until next time, internet!

~Bex

Academic Sources

In my humble, uninformed, eleventh-grade opinion, the need for academic sources is highly overrated.

I may be biased, because I'm having a nearly impossible time finding any. But that's because I really do not think academic sources on this topic exist. I mean, sure, there are some; I have found one scholarly article about young adult film adaptations (even though it's from 16 years ago and it does not have current information and it's not exactly the ideal source, it's all I've got), and two or three others about adaptations in general. But I cannot find any current information on YA lit film adaptations that would be considered "academic sources."

There's plenty of stuff out there. Authors blog about it all the time (among them Ally Carter, Melissa Marr, Stephenie Meyer, John Green, etc etc etc), but I can't very well say "Well, see, on this author's blog, she said that she as the novelist has no control over the adaptation, and in this random non-academic website, there's an interview where this guy talks about writing the screenplay..." because that just doesn't fly with teachers.

So, my question is this: How am I supposed to write a decent, well-informed, thorough review of literature that is relevant to my topic (screenwriting of YA film adaptations) when there is no information about YA film adaptations?

I'm finding plenty about screenwriting, from Syd Field to James Ryan, but not much at all about adaptations of YA fiction. It's like the stuff doesn't exist. Which, as my father pointed out, it very well may not. If it's a recent trend, there isn't time for there to be academic sources out there.

I understand that having academic sources is important. I understand why it's important - anyone can post stuff on the web. Anyone at all. That's why we can't use Wikipedia as a source: anyone can post there, so the information could be completely illegit. (My ninth-grade history teacher found an error on Wikipedia while using it as lecture notes.) Blogs, commercial websites, and similar internet locations are not scholarly, nor are they guaranteed to be well-informed. They are just not good to use in research papers.

My only problem is that I don't know where else to find the information.

*sigh* Off to more hopefully-not-futile questing for valid, academic sources. Until next time, internetfolk.

Love,
Bex

Online TV-Watching Fail

So if you've read my blog at all - at all - you know I've been watching ABC's LOST on Hulu, and I was nearing the end of season 3. Well, I clicked on the link to the penultimate episode of season three, and watched it, and was immensely confused. And as the final credits rolled, I realized something.

Even though the link was labelled "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1," the episode it linked to was actually "Through the Looking Glass, Part 2." Source of confusion located. I skipped an episode. So of course, I went back and watched Part 1 after that, but, yeah. Bit of a fail.

I have a few things to say about this. Spoilers are mixed in, marked by arrows.

1. The season finale made me cry. -->Charlie died! It was sad already and then he wrote on his hand to warn Desmond (even if Des never got the message to Jack) and that just pushed it over the top, and Claire was asking about him, and I cried.<--

2. Some of the "flashback" sequences were very confusing, particularly when watched out of order. -->Yes, I did figure out that they were actually flashforwards. But when you see the finale before the one before it...it's confusing.<--

3. These people need to figure out their relationship issues. -->Because Sawyer is all "I love Kate" and then flirts with Juliet, and Jack is all kissy-face with Juliet and then tells Kate "I love you." Hello, love square that will dominate seasons 4, 5, and 6. At least, that's my guess.<--

4. If they don't properly explain what happened, I am going to be very frustrated indeed.

5. I wanna know whose funeral it is. CH says I have to wait until the season 4 finale. This displeases me.

So yes...I have now seen the first three seasons of LOST. Tomorrow I shall begin season 4. Somewhere amidst all of my homework.

Speaking of homework, I should probably be doing some. Ahh, the life of a Magnet student... *le sigh*

That's all for now, folks. Catch ya later!

~Bex

Random Observations, Statements, and Other Facts

I like lists. So, I have composed...a list!

1. Today is my friend MGC's birthday. He's 17. Happy birthday, M!

2. When I started watching LOST, I didn't realize it was gonna make me cry! I've got 2 episodes left of season 3, and the end of this last one had me tearing up. SPOILER!! -->Charlie's going to die! :'( He's all last-kiss-with-Claire, "I love you, man" to Hurley, and he gave his DS ring to Aaron, and he wrote that adorable note about how the best moment of his life was meeting Claire, and he won't let Desmond sacrifice himself for him, and ahhh it's so sweet and sad and everything. Charlie's my favorite character, in case you didn't know.<--

3. I think screenwriting is very interesting. I think writing research papers about screenwriting is less enjoyable. Stupid thesis homework.

4. On a related note, Script Frenzy starts in just over three weeks. I'm so ready to start planning.

5. There's a new episode of CASTLE tonight!!! I'm quite excited about this. Although judging by the trailer, it is probably not something my 12-year-old brother should be watching with us. (Like that has ever stopped him.)

6. I've been meaning to recommend the song "Take Me" by Hawk Nelson for ages:

"I need You more than ever. I need Your help to find where I've been going wrong so far. Take me under Your wing tonight, make me so perfect in Your eyes. Hold on 'cause it will be alright, you're not alone."

It's an excellent song. Like, amazingfully wonderful and fantastic and awesome and I love it. You should definitely go listen to it. I think you'll enjoy it.

7. This is item number seven in my list. There are seven books in the Harry Potter series. I need to reread those. I haven't read any since I finished book seven. That's the longest I've been without any Harry Potter since I started the series back in like....second grade, probably.

8. I have had "X Amount of Words" by Blue October stuck in my head all afternoon for no apparent reason.

"Relapse, prevent trigger intent, now drown, high strung, say X amount of words...[skip lots] Give me recipes for happy with the chemicals gone, drinking freedom from a bottle to the tune of belong..."

Another good song, although stylistically not at all what I normally listen to. You may or may not like it. Find out for yourself, I suppose...

9. If there is as much melodrama in college as there is in high school, I will scream. I am not kidding. I will scream loudly. It will hurt. My throat, and the ears of whoever is around to hear it.

10. Today's mathematical equation: Chelsey + Indi + Indi-story-revamp + creative writing assignment protagonist + thesis homework + CASTLE + LOST + good book to read + required school reading + melodrama + song lyric overload = BRAINSPLOSION.

That is all.

Love,
Bex

Scarlett Fever

So do you guys remember Scarlett and Spencer from Maureen Johnson's SUITE SCARLETT? I blogged about them/it a while ago. No shame in not remembering, although Spencer is possibly one of my favorite fictional characters ever.

Anyway, I have just finished reading the sequel, SCARLETT FEVER. And oh my goodness. Ohhmygoodness. Can I just say that I would absolutely love to have the third book, like, right now?

The cast of SUITE SCARLETT is back in another hilarious and sweet and just adorable book, now with the addition of 15-year-old Broadway star Chelsea Biggs and her apparently good-for-nothing brother Max. So, of course, Mrs. Amberson wants Scarlett to spy on befriend the Biggs children. Meanwhile, Scarlett can't get Eric out of her head, and Spencer has landed a role on Scarlett's favorite TV show, Crime and Punishment. I don't know that I can say much more than that without providing spoilers for either book (I don't want to tell you how the first one ends, if you haven't read it yet *cough*KD,CJ,SH*cough*). But eeek. It was absolutely wonderful and fantastic, and you should absolutely read it. After you read the first one, of course.

And because I need to vent somewhere about what I hope/predict for the third book, there will be a spoiler below. For goodness' sake, don't highlight it and read it if you haven't read the first one yet. Please.

--> So if Scarlett doesn't get together with Max, I am going to be seriously furious. Because Eric is a jerk. He and Chelsea should get together, and Scarlett just needs to end up with Max. Also, I'm betting that Chip is going to be furious once he finds out about Lola signing the post-nup. And Spencer...Spencer's going to get a good role in something or other. He's being kind of moody, though. Hopefully the David Frieze role doesn't permanently ruin his good-boy physical comedy career. Ack I REALLY want the next book NOW. <--

And with that, I leave you, so that I can watch LOST catch up on my APUSH homework and then watch LOST. As Tigger says, TTFN!

Love,
Bex

For the Amusement of the LOST Fans...

Season 3. I'm currently about 12 minutes into Episode 17, "Catch-22." For the amusement of the LOST fans among us (*cough*CH, this means you*cough*), I have a brief summary of recent events:

Ben: omg wheelchair. uh-oh. bad.
Kate: JACK!
Jack: go away.
Locke: Ben's in a wheelchair I'm not ha ha!
Ben: don't blow up that submarine.
submarine: *boom*
Locke: okay, I blew it up!
Ben: good boy.
Sawyer: you tricked me into being NICE?! laaame.
Hurley: didn't you like it?
Claire: *sick*
Locke's father: *appears*
Others + Locke: *vanish*
Kate: um, why am I handcuffed to you?
Juliet: because they left me. *haha I'm lying!*
Jack: JULIET IS ONE OF US.
Sawyer/Sayid: liar.
Juliet: Jack loves you.
Kate: liar.
Charlie: uhh....help Claire now. kthnx.
Juliet: I can save her.
Sawyer/Sayid: liar.
Juliet: I know everything about you. Let me go.
Claire: *better*
Jack: I trust Juliet.
Juliet: *you shouldn't trust me*
Jack: Oh, Juliet!
Juliet: Oh, Jack!
Kate: Sawyer...
Sawyer: Kate...
*intense hug*
Desmond: HELP THE FUTURE HAPPEN.
Hurley: Desmond is my friend!
Jack: ...k.

So, CH, still think I should write for LOST in 8:15?

This show is quite fun. I can't watch for too long, though, or Chelsey and Indi will get mad at me...but if I don't watch enough, ES will get quite annoyed at my lack of awareness of NCIS. *sigh* TV is so soul-sucking, and schizophrenia being a writer creates so many Murder Threats from Fictional Characters...

Of course I'm normal. Of course I'm not sleep-deprived even though it's Saturday.

Gonna go finish this episode now. Love,
Bex

Insert Title of Your Choice Here

Hello, internetfolks. I'm blogging mostly out of habit, not because anything particularly exciting happened today, but I do have a few quick things to say.

1. I have a headache. Headaches suck. Rawr.

2. Have you ever seen the old TV show Hogan's Heroes? Because my dad got the DVDs of the first two seasons, and we just watched several episodes, and it's quite an entertaining show. It's set in a German POW camp during WWII, and the staff is generally incompetent and the prisoners get up to all sorts of sabotage and suchlike, and it's just a generally hilarious show. Definitely check it out.

3. I have discovered the downside of creative writing class. When you already have two protagonists competing for your attention, the LAST thing you need is an assignment for a short story with a different protagonist and an atypical narrative style. Chelsey and Indi just might eat me if I throw somebody else in there. Even if it is just for a short period of time.

4. Have I mentioned that headaches (and colds) are no fun? Because they're really not.

5. I like lists that have nice round numbers, like multiples of five and ten. Threes are okay...fours, though, that wasn't cool. So. List Item Number Five. Yay.

And now, sleep. "Goodnight, goodnight, parting is such sweet sorrow/That I shall say farewell til it be morrow." Farewell, interwebs!
~Bex

Writers Are Weird

I shall begin this post with the random observation that this is the 50th post on The Word Nerd. If you find this exciting, then...yay! Excitement! If not...okay, that's cool too. It was just an observation. Some of us are easily amused.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. I wanted to share with you another snippet of writer conversation, this time between my crazy writer friend KD and myself.

BT: ahhhh I wanna write my storyyyy. Stupid thesis.

KD: *patpat*

BT: do you think Mrs. B would accept "Chelsey and Indi were holding me at gunpoint and forcing me to write" as an excuse for not doing my thesis homework?

KD: welllll....since producing Chelsey and Indi on this material plane of existence to corroborate your claim might be a bit tricky, I think not.

BT: especially since they wouldn't do that. Chelsey still has a thing about guns. And I don't think guns exist in Indi's world. So...knifepoint then. No, Chelsey wouldn't like that either....Indi might threaten me with a knife, though.

KD: *pat* honey....

BT: I'M NOT SCHIZOPHRENIC! I SWEAR!

KD: they are going to have to understand that thesis is important. ♥

Again, before you write me off as a crazy person, you must understand that I am aware that the characters who live inside my head are fictional, therefore I am not schizophrenic. Just so you know.

But I really would much rather find out what's up with Indi and get Chelsey to Columbia than write a notecard about this thesis source. Even if this book is completely amazing.

Must go. Much love,
Bex

Luke, I Am Your Father

Well, okay. So the sketchy "I'm your father" conversation that I watched today was not from Star Wars. I haven't watched any of the Star Wars films in ages (Episodes IV, V, and VI are the best, though, hands down; the newer ones are awful). I did go off in search of a lightsaber for HB to use in her English project on Friday, but that's totally unrelated.

What IS related is that I've been watching LOST again. Finally had the time to sit down and watch two more episodes. I think I'm officially more than halfway through Season 3 now...maybe I'll even catch up by the season finale. Who knows? Anyway, there was an "I am your father" conversation on LOST earlier. And I must say, I am quite surprised. (Read: CH, if you are reading this, get on messenger and message me. Ohmygoodness.) in case you missed it, "quite surprised" was a bit of an understatement.

I've also started a new story. Chelsey is going to be furious. I haven't been spending enough time with her lately as it is. Now that Indi is competing for my attention...

Sigh. Two protagonists, one written in first person present tense and one in third person past tense, one a spy and one...um...well, definitely not a spy. This could get interesting.

I'll just have to hope my brain doesn't go kaboom.

Before you write me off as a lunatic, please consider the following quote:

"Writing is the only socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."

Yes, there are fictional people living inside my head. But I bet the same thing happens to J.K. Rowling, and Harry Potter is possibly the best book series ever. (I mean...umm...me, a PotterNerd? >_> *whistles innocently*)

I should probably go do some homework now. Or watch more LOST. Or perhaps write, before Chelsey and Indi team up and attack my brain cells. Meanwhile, you should go listen to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Disney's Mulan. Because it's one of my favorite Disney songs, and it's stuck in my head.

Until next time, internetfolks!
~Bex

Attack of the Social Networking Sites

First there was Myspace. Everybody and his or her figurative family member or pet was on Myspace. Except me. I was never on Myspace. I realize I'm not the only exception - there are others out there, among them many of my dear friends - but I figure I'm entitled to a little bit of literary license. So, the point: Myspace. Huge social networking site.

Then there was Facebook. Yes, I'm on Facebook. No, you may not send me a friend request if you do not know me in real life. But Facebook is starting to get overrun by all sorts of crazy applications and "Become a Fan" pages. Seriously, I cannot open Facebook without having my news feed full of "So and So became a fan of X Product! So and So became a fan of Y TV Show! So and So became a fan of Z Random Daily Activity! So and So became a fan of Becoming a Fan of X, Y, and/or Z!" It's quite obnoxious.

And Facebook is still big. But slowly, Twitter got even bigger. I am not on Twitter, either, but lots and lots of people are. Because apparently the world has nothing better to do with its time than inform the rest of the world what it's up to, 160 characters at a time.

And now - now there's a new website called Formspring. Basically, anyone who happens to stumble across your page can submit a question, anonymous or otherwise, and you can choose to answer it or not. After seeing at least five or six of my Facebook friends post "Formspring me!" I caved and joined a second social networking site. I like to think this one doesn't completely count, because you don't become "friends" with anyone and most interaction is anonymous. But I will confess, I'm mostly just kidding myself.

So, my Formspring username is wordnerd213 if you wish to ask me questions. Believe it or not, this is okay with me. I know there are people out there who would frown on my sharing of my username (it's not like it's my password) on an unprotected website, but it's not like you can use it to stalk me.

Anyway, I should go. I have one more page of thesis lit review to write, plus a page of dialogue and typing practice short story extension for creative writing, and it's already after 10:30. Hasta luego, internetfolks!

~Bex

Shiver

So, I was kinda musing about random stuff earlier (I tend to do that sometimes), and I realized something.

I blog about books as I read them. Which means my favorites that I've already read do not receive the special blog attention that they probably deserve. I have therefore made a decision. On days when I do not have anything interesting to blog about, I will tell you about a book that I have already read and loved.

Today, it is Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER. How did I pick SHIVER to write about today, you ask? Well, it's because NG just got inducted to the unofficial SHIVER fan club and my dear CJ just finished reading the sequel, LINGER. But wait! you may say. LINGER isn't due out in stores until July! Gonna brag for a minute here: I got an ARC. And I got to meet Maggie, back in November. *cue LOTS of excitement* It was truly fantastic. Anyway, CJ borrowed this ARC and left me a Facebook wall post along the lines of:

"AHHH!!!! he...but...she...but...they...he can't! and she's...but they...and...ahhhh want the next one NOWWW!!!"

Which actually made sense to me. Because I've read it too.

Anyway, SHIVER (the first in what I believe is going to be a trilogy) is an absolutely amazing paranormal romance. (Yes another one. Get over it.) It is very possibly one of the elite books that I class among my favorites, although I know several people have drawn many, many parallels to TWILIGHT.

Don't worry though, there are no sparkly creeper vampires. Just werewolves.

Sam, in fact, is a werewolf. Not a traditional full-moon werewolf; no, he's a wolf when it's cold and a boy when it's warm. He has absolutely no say in his transformations. In the winter, Grace watches the wolves from her house, and there is one wolf that she calls "hers." Little does she know, this wolf is Sam, who is a human during the summer months. One summer, he finally gets up the courage to talk to her - and then an injury mysteriously leaves him human in the cold, and then they have to fight to keep him that way.

My summary there cannot even BEGIN to do the book justice. I am not kidding, go find this book and read it. It has a beautiful cover. It looks like this:

So, if you see this lovely cover on a bookshelf store, pick it up! The story is incredible and the characters are unbelievably believable (contradictory descriptions, 1; logic, 0). Grace and Sam are just such wonderful characters, and the others too. And Sam has made the list of Amazing Fictional Guys (I promised more on that a while back, and you'll get it. You will. Promise). It's just such a fantastic story. I know I haven't described it nearly compellingly enough, but you should definitely read it. I love love love love love this book.

The sequel, LINGER, is due out in July, like I said; the third book is currently titled FOREVER. You can find out more at Maggie's website and blog. (The link to her blog is also in the sidebar to your right; I follow it. It's quite interesting even if you haven't read her books.)

I'm gonna shut up now, because this post is getting lengthy and I have Spanish homework to do. The moral of this story: Read SHIVER if you get the chance. I loved it, and I hope you will too.

Love,
Bex