Top 3 Things I Learned While Writing
1. Writing the first draft is a messy process.
I have a fear of writing the first draft. My instinct is to reread and revise as I go, but it's a time-consuming task and, honestly, a waste of time. The first draft isn't going to be perfect because I don't know the whole story yet. Things will change as I write.
One of the best lessons I've learned this past month is to let go of perfection and to just write. Revisions will come after the first draft is complete.
2. Write what you love
Another thing I'm tempted to do is to look up facts as I write. However, it can get frustrating to have to keep looking things up when I just want to keep writing into the next scene. I've started typing reminders in CAPS for me to go back and do more research with my first round of edits / revisions.
Right now, with the first draft, my priority is to write, write, write. Once I have my draft down, I can go back and look up anything I need to research more. And, who knows, maybe some of the answers will have come to me as I wrote and got to know the world more.
3. It takes a lot to build a country
I remember talking about some of my (fictional) countries with my brother, and he asked me how the countries got their names. I never thought that this would be an important fact to consider.
Then I thought some more and realized . . . the United States of America wasn't always called such. In the beginning, it was a British colony. And speaking of Great Britain, it wasn't always a nation either. So where do countries get their names?
If you're interested in learning more about how countries got their names, Oxford Dictionaries has a comprehensive list on their blog with short explanations of the meaning of various countries' names. List Verse delves into longer explanations behind the names of 10 countries.
How do you name your countries? Characters?
Top 3 Books I Read
1. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
While looking for more fantasies to read, I came across the name Brandon Sanderson, whom I didn't know well except for his The Reckoners and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series. Neither of which had particularly stood out to me.
Then I read Mistborn. Now I know why he's a household name among fantasy readers.
Needless to say, I bought the rest of the trilogy to read.
Then I read Mistborn. Now I know why he's a household name among fantasy readers.
Needless to say, I bought the rest of the trilogy to read.
2 & 3. Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Cinder and Scarlet are rereads for me. I love Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, so I treated myself to a reread after finishing finals. (Fun fact: I'm back in grad school after having taught for a couple of years.)
1. Kubo (2016)
I love Asian mythology. After having watched many animated films over the course of my lifetime, the plot was pretty predictable, but the story was good. I love the family, coming-of-age elements, and of course, the Japanese mythology.
2. The Prestige (2006)
A friend introduced me to The Prestige when I was asking around for good films to watch.
This is a super creepy film. (As in I'm glad I wasn't watching this by myself.) The magicians do terrible things to each other in their pursuit of greatness, and some crazy things get revealed at the end. It's a great film; I'm glad I watched it. I doubt I'll watch this again—unless some friends really, really, really want to watch it.
3. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
I saw the trailers in theaters, but it seemed like just-another-science-fiction-film-with-cool-action-scenes. I started getting on a science fiction film viewing streak, however, and decided to watch this one while I'm at it.
Yes, it turned out to be another science fiction / action film, but it raises some interesting questions. I'd be interested in watching a sequel.
How about you? What are your May favorites?
Top 3 Films I Watched
1. Kubo (2016)
I love Asian mythology. After having watched many animated films over the course of my lifetime, the plot was pretty predictable, but the story was good. I love the family, coming-of-age elements, and of course, the Japanese mythology.
2. The Prestige (2006)
A friend introduced me to The Prestige when I was asking around for good films to watch.
This is a super creepy film. (As in I'm glad I wasn't watching this by myself.) The magicians do terrible things to each other in their pursuit of greatness, and some crazy things get revealed at the end. It's a great film; I'm glad I watched it. I doubt I'll watch this again—unless some friends really, really, really want to watch it.
3. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
I saw the trailers in theaters, but it seemed like just-another-science-fiction-film-with-cool-action-scenes. I started getting on a science fiction film viewing streak, however, and decided to watch this one while I'm at it.
Yes, it turned out to be another science fiction / action film, but it raises some interesting questions. I'd be interested in watching a sequel.
How about you? What are your May favorites?
