Graphing and professional stuff like that

As I sit here, crunching an onion ring and drinking fruit juice out of a small paper box, I think, "I feel like a professional."

Never mind that I've written a 200k word novel. Never mind that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Never mind that I just spilled my fruit juice on my pajamas. Never mind that I'm still in my pajamas at 1 PM.

I feel like a professional because I graph out my scenes in MS Paint.

Oh, yes. Isn't that what all the professionals do? Acting them out yourself is a thing of the past! Now, with the new and improved MS Paint that comes with Windows 7, you can do EVERYTHING!

I recently found this out when I was trying to figure out which arm my FMC (female main character) was going to drag my MMC2 (male main character 2) by. Exhibit A:

You can see here my three MCs and one RAC (reoccurring annoying character) and two dragons. One is dead and the other one is not entirely sure what's going on. I couldn't figure out the scene in my head, but I knew character C (Chayten) wanted character W (Wyn) to help him drag character I (Iri, who is not dead, but passed out) across the clearing, to where character A (Aaron) is very concerned about character B (Blaze). Character S has nothing to do with any of this because, as I mentioned, she is dead.

*slurps from juice box, then continues*

This helped me cement the scene in my mind, but it was really only the bare bones of what MS Paint was offering me. As you can see, I hadn't remembered how to draw shapes or add text yet, only how to wiggle around with the sorry excuse for a pencil. Half the characters' limbs aren't really connected, Iri has an extraordinarily long arm, and I'm not sure whether Aaron is running to Blaze or just getting ready to kick him. I'm not sure how I missed all the nice colors hanging around the top of the program, but I noticed them next time.

Exhibit B.

There was really much more going on in this scene, but I didn't want to add all the bodies. Iri is, once again, passed out (there seems to be a theme developing here, but, sadly, it died because in my third attempt Iri is very much awake) and Aaron is being out of character because he is gloating. Obviously he doesn't really say "LOL", but I still hadn't figured out how to make text so I wanted something short and sweet. You can see that I've discovered color (the squiggly things are trees) and the different brushes, but I'm really not sure what the fire is doing. Maybe trying to take over.

*licks onion ring grease off fingers*

This was also another try at cementing the scene in my mind. I wasn't sure exactly where Iri was passed out and Aaron was gloating over him, so I stuck a few placeholding trees in (trees are good at that) and then put them in the most logical area.

So today I realized that there's this magical little "A" icon at the top of the magical program which can magically add magical text to your picture, thus enabling me to label the characters. Like so:

Details have finally arrived. Notice the little sprigs of grass along the corners of the tents, the stalks of straw sticking out of the bale Iri is hiding behind, and the waaaaay too many stars in the sky because, once I discovered details, there was no going back. In case you were wondering, no, Syphir is not a girl. He just has long hair. He also needs a knee replacement. And Fairfax, Aaron, and Faulkner really are tied to those posts, but the posts are between us and them (and I drew the posts firsts) so, being lazy, I didn't draw them in. We'll just pretend they're there. The fire is much more under control now and all of the characters have hair the right color and length. Iri and Syphir are getting ready to ambush a clueless sentry (the sentry actually is whistling in the scene) and rescue Fairfax, Aaron, and Faulkner.

Poor sentry.

I even made the tents 3-D.

So there's your lesson for the day, folks. If you want to feel like a professional, use Paint. And don't squeeze your juiceboxes.

*blush*

Apparently some well-meaning person nominated me for the Liebster award, which I've never heard of but looks snazzy. I mean, the pink polka dots just really thrill me.

About the Liebster award: Bloggers nominate other bloggers that they like with 200 followers or less. It doesn't matter what kind of blog you have, or in what language. If you have a blog then you can be nominated!

The rules:
1. List 11 facts about yourself (easy, as random as I am)
2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger who nominated you left (I hope Leah left easy ones *fingers crossed*)
3. Ask 11 new questions for those you nominate (Ooh, nosy stuffage.)
4. Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate (I like all these double numbers)
5. Go to each blogger's page and let them know about the award (Links and more clickable links!)
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog (Link: Check. Thanks Leah K! Thanks: Check.)

Well, this is new territory for me, but it sounds appealing enough that I think I'll wake up my sleepy blog to post it. I think I was nominated for something once before and forgot...but I love random quiz thingies so here we go.

11 Facts about Me:

1. When I run in my dreams, I always run parallel to the ground. It's almost like I'm a horse or something, and I can dig my hands into the ground to go faster. 

2. I need ideas for more blog posts. (Hint, hint.)

3. I can sing in Gaelic, Spanish, and Korean.

4. I have a handmade wooden longbow, stained with black walnut die from our own tree, but I'm too much of a wimp to actually build up enough muscle to do it justice.

5. I don't crave sweets. I crave meat.

6. Right now I'm singing along to Siuil A Run and debating about whether to start arguing evolution VS creation with somebody I don't know.

7. I can't stand banana-flavored anything.

8. My favorite stone is opal, or perhaps goldstone.

9. Green is my favorite color, but I can't pick just one shade. I'll look at a field of new wheat or a grove of saplings, and I'll say "That's my favorite color."

10. I love bokeh. And photography of any sort, really.

11. I'm discovering just how useful Goodreads is.

 Questions from Leah K.:

1. Would you rather be respected, or loved? I have to pick just one? That's tough. If it's real love, I guess it has an element of respect...and if it was just respect, what would it be for? I guess I'd have to say loved.

2. What is a favorite quote of yours? "The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." ~Mark Twain

3. List 3 of your favorite songs at the moment? Nil Se'n Na by Celtic Woman, Like a Dog Chasing Cars from The Dark Knight, and Of the Airship Academy by Port Blue.

4. Cows or peacocks? Uhh...cows are kind of unexciting next to peacocks. xD

5. Describe your style/taste in art, design, fashion? Art? I like realistic photomanipulations and watercolors. Design...If I had a choice, I think I'd choose more modern furnishings, either that or old, weathered things. Fashion-wise I'm very dramatic when I go out, but at home anything goes.

6. What place would you travel to if you could? Probably Europe. Ireland and Bavaria and all that. Anywhere with mountains and lots of green.

7. Coffee or tea? You know, I don't really like either very much...coffee if it's light, tea if it has spice and lots of sugar.

8. Introvert or extrovert? Introvert, definitely. At the moment I'm being antisocial and not visiting with my uncle because we've had two different kinds of company today.

 9. What do you hope to do with your life? Why do I always feel like the way I answer these questions will define what the rest of my life is like? xP If I was going to give the Sunday-school answer, I'd say whatever God wants me to do with my life. But I'd also say I hope I can encourage and strengthen people. I don't want to do anything great. If I can hold others up and know that they are better because of me, that's enough.

10. What's your favorite entree? Bacon. That is all.

11. If you could be granted 1 wish, what would it be? Again with the hypothetical questions that feel like they have real meaning. I wish people would just learn to live peacefully together.


Questions for my nominees:
 1. Do you think lying is ever the right thing to do?
2. What's the best thing you've ever written?
3. Do you like bacon?
4. How crazy are you?
5. Have you ever gotten involved in a land war in Asia?
6. Did you get the reference in the last question?
7. If you know your Myers-Briggs personality type, what is it and how does it fit you?
8. Favorite musical instrument?
9. Have you ever read a really bad book?
10. Kiwis: yes or no?
11. What or who has been the biggest influence (positive or negative) in your life?


My nominees:
Kaitlyn
BushMaid
Calista
Jonathan
Emily
Jonathan No. 2
Mirriam
Gabriel
Meaghan
Squeaks
SoTK

Have fun, y'all. ;)

More Discoveries (Pinterest, mostly.)

Hello! Yet another lazy day where it's time for a blog post but I have next to nothing to say. ;) You know what this means - PICTURES!

So let me say right now that I am addicted to Pinterest. It's a goldmine of distraction and inspiration at the same time. Most of my pinboards are writing-related and those of them that aren't are writing-related too. Seriously. It's. Amazing. And if you're subscribed to the right pinners, you get some pretty incredible stuff. Breakthroughs and ideas and revelations! (Wait, isn't that sort of the same thing as a breakthrough?)

My pinterest profile is here: E's Pinterest

I'm going to start off with some pretty random images. I've recently found out that I have a "thing" for freckles and another "thing" for Asian people. (They just so gorgeous!) This picture fits both. Plus, RED HAIR!!

This girl...mm-mmm. I want to know what's happening. The face paint/makeup and the rings wake up that shy little worldbuilder in me - is she part of a fantasy culture, and if so, which one? And who did she just kill?

This guy is just Scottish all over. Given that I'm in the middle of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, (not recommended for anyone who doesn't have an incredible mom like mine to sanitize it for them, by the way) it's not surprising that this pic would catch my fancy. I mean, the hat! And he looks so determined.

I love pictures that encapsulate a feeling or a scene. This one is perfect - I can just see the children of the herbalist warming their feet at her fire, or the refugees who have warm toes and dry socks for the first time in weeks.

Here's another picture with a scene-in-the-making right under it. The shapes of the people and weapons are just vague enough for me to mentally make them into anything I want, and there's tension already there too - in the silhouette of the sword against the doorway, in the bowed head of the person at the bar. Something's going to happen - I can feel it.

These intriguing dudes are probably from the movie Tristan and Isolde, which taints my perception of them a little since I've seen the movie, but they're still a great reference. I love that their clothes are well-made and totally fantasy, but not extravagant as many fantasy clothes seem to tend to be. In fact, they look almost morose. Like something Aaron would wear on a good day.

Lastly: Go on your own picture hunt! This website has been a wonderful source of fantasy-ish pictures. It's all in German, yes, but fortunately the pictures aren't. Oh, if I could just learn German and GO there... click "Galerie" for the pictures. ;)

Signing out for now:
E