As good as a holiday

I've made the switch, people. Check out my new blog (which is just this blog at a different address)

http://writercass.wordpress.com

I won't be updating this one again, so if you want cass gold, you know now where to look!

Sweaty update

Okay, should have posted this on Friday, but meh. Still applicable!

Revisions - have done quite well. Am up to Chapter 5 out of 16
Wicked - Dismal... only worked on one scene and still don't know what's happening
Sister Anne - Really well. This one has fired my imagination and I've been typing typing typing. It's all slowly coming together.

All up, I've done about 8000 words for the week. A little less than my goal of 10,000, but not too shabby. Yay me!

Frustrations that really don't mean that much...

I was watching the latest episode of Lost and yet again, there was a gold moment that demonstrated my frustration with that show. A weird-arse, totally mindblowing concept was introduced to the characters on the show, a bit of a "What the?" moment which should have quickly escalated to a "What the f*ck?? What?? You are so totally blowing my mind. What do you mean, detail in miniature!" BTW, this is how the characters should have reacted.

However, did the characters force more answers out of the person who made the earth-shattering pronouncment? No, of course not. And why? Was there an explosion? (If there was, they still should have question the guy later) Was there an appearance by that black smoke monster thing? (If there was, see above) No, there was nothing. There was... *gasp* cut to an ad break.

Yeah, writers? Just like to let you know that that is extremely lazy writing. You want to keep your audience in the dark? Don't have your characters act contrary to how real people would. They end up looking dumb, and horrors of horrors, UNREALISTIC. There are a million different ways to keep the audience in the dark. You could, I don't know, have an explosion? An appearance by the smoke monster? Or maybe have your shifty character who just revealed this tidbit refuse to say anymore, thereby keeping the audience in the dark AND demonstrating that the character is scared, or untrustworthy, or stupid, or arrogant, or a hundred differnt things.

Stupid show. And yet, I keep watching. Cos the rest of the episode was fricking awesome. When they do it right, it's pretty darn good. Plus, I love me a bit of Desmond.

Huh.

I have the same birthday as Ian Flemming, he of James Bond fame. Who knew?

Torturing myself has become a past time

So, stupidly, I decided to sign up for 70 Days of Sweat, which isn't as gross as it sounds. It's an encouragement group for writers, to write a full novel in, wait for it, 70 days! I thought, as I had finished Toby in about 90 days, I might be able to manage another book in the time frame alotted. Huh. Why do I do this to myself? Why??

I think it must be my dark and tortured childhood. Seriously. Ask my mum about the plum incident. It's shocking.

Anyway, I have committed to finishing the rewrites for Toby, writing the sequel and now, in my head not on actual paper, I've decided to write another story that hopefully will be offered as a free e-book. We'll see. It's a rewrite of an old story I did in Uni as a take on the bluebeard legend. I do love me a bit of that story.

So now, if I go a bit of the crazy, you will know why.

Cool link... and I'm a pop star!

Found this cool link on PopCandy - Make your own album!

Here's my effort... I'm obviously a prententious twat, according to my album:

It's like I'm thirteen again...

Oh. My. God.

From Perez Hilton:

Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that all five New Kids on the Block are in Los Angeles today to take new publicity shots for the reunion tour they have yet to "officially" announce.

Toby is finished!!!!

The title says it all really. I finished Toby today, despite technology conspiring against me. Haha! Sucked in, technology! So now, after rewrites, I am ready for my book to be read. Yay!

In other news, it's Oscar Night. However, over the years I've become so cynical about it all, it's hard to get excited. Still, it's fun to watch and count how many people thank God. Maybe I could make it into a drinking game...

I know, I'm going to hell.

Fate hates me

So, remember how I was all happy and excited because I had almost finished Toby? Well, fate has dealt me a blow for being all super dooper pumped about the whole thing.

Today, I plugged in my USB Flash Drive to work away on the awesomness that is Toby and discovered, yeah, doesn't work. So, panic stations, people. While most of Toby is on my computer at home, the kick arse scene I wrote yesterday (well, it wasn't that kick arse, but I really don't want to re-write it. That takes effort and stuff) was not saved on my computer and thus, is probably lost forever. I even finished off another scene, but I'm not too worried about that as it was only a paragraph or two and I can easily do that again. Still, sucky.

I hate technology.

And apparently, it hates me (much like Golf).

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

So my book is coming along nicely. Not THE book, the one I've been (sort of) working on for the last six years or so, but the other book (or TOB... hmm. Maybe I should call it Toby... The Other Book, um, Yes? the Younger (a la William Pitt)? Yentl?

Anyway, the other book (now to be known as Toby) was concieved and commenced while overseas. Oh yes, it has a distinguished pedegree, our Toby does. I thought of the epilogue first (as you do), and was thinking on it so hard and so often, the sea of grey heads before me was replaced with the wonders of a ballroom and a lovely story between a bubbly woman and a relcaciant (sp? oh, who really cares? I don't even know if it's the right word) man. Those poor grey heads. Who knew staring at the back of American retirees heads while travelling around Scotland would get boring? It should be in the brochure. Anyway, we were in St Andrews and as I can't really be bothered with golf (it doesn't like me - Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden - why should I like it?) I went on the hunt for a scrap book. I found one, Toby was born and the rest is history. Now, I'm *this* close to finishing. Huzzah!

Today, I wrote the big betrayal scene that busts up the hero and heroine, only for them to be brought together for the big HEA. I had been toying for ages with what actually happens. All I was positive about was a) it would happen in a brothel, b) the heroine would be devastated and c) the hero thought he was doing the right thing. As you can see, the possibilities were endless.

I finally came up with a solution, though. As always, it was a bit of "What would Joss do?", or more specifically, "How can I steal from Joss and get away with it?" I thought on that scene in Buffy when Buffy and Angel sleep together for the first time. Unbeknowst to them, this leads to cataclysmic consequences, and Angel is a real bastard to Buffy the next morning. This scene, this beautiful, heartwrenching, tormented, evil scene, was the perfect catalyst for my scene. My pitiful, pale imitation of a scene, but still.

I love it.

And that's the main thing.

Oh, and that you love it too.

You should so buy my book.

When it's published. Cos that would, like, help your cause. In the buying.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

We finally say sorry

It has come to pass, that mythical event that many dream of but never hope to happen. I actually have faith in my government. It's a strange, disturbing and slightly funky feeling.

On 13th February 2008, our new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, apologised to what has been termed the Stolen Generation, for the policy by the Government that enabled the forcable removal of Aboriginal children from their parents. I don't pretend to know the particulars, or the anguish and pain of those affected, but I do know what I hope to come out of this historic event.

I hope we can go forward as a united nation, one in which there is no distinction between people of Aboriginal, Caucasion, Asian or any other descent. We are all Australian.

I hope we can put aside the hatred and discontent of the past to achieve this.

I hope our government continues in the way they have started, as they have affected more change, at least in a symbolic sense, than any government I can remember.

I hope the adversarial nature of us as a people can be put aside for a more positive spirit, a joining together regardless of what political, racial or philosphocial persuasion we are.

It's a utopian view, but for the first time, I feel that it might come to pass.

Musing on Dr Who

For some strange reason, songs by the Brit rock/electric/glam group Muse always remind me of Doctor Who. More specifically, David Tennent's Doctor. I had no idea why this was so, but it was so strong, I could actually picture specific Doctor moments when listening to the band. It was freaky.

Then, I was watching my box set of Season 2 and realised... they were constantly using Muse songs in Doctor Who Confidential, the behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the series. In the first season, in two different episodes, songs by Muse appeared. One was their cover of "Feeling Good", which I think appeared in the episode that introduced David Tennent as the Doctor (it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me... and I'm feeling good - how apropos!), and the other... well, can't remember the other one... oh wait, it was "Apocolypse, Please" and, well, just pick any Doctor Who episode for that one, really - heh.

My next freaky Doctor Who/Muse connection... I was reading the lyrics for "Starlight", which has been mashed with The Killers "When You Were Young" to form an absolutely awesome song ("When you were Starlight" by Team9 - awesome!) and perused the comments to find that someone believed the lyrics perfectly encapsulated the overall story arc of Season 2, the love story between Rose and the Doctor. And they were right! Tragedy and love and lonliness (I'm sure I've spelt that wrong)... it's all there, as well as a whole space theme that just screams Doctor Who...

Freaky deaky Doctor Who/Muse connection number three... well, not so much as it's Doctor Who Confidential again, but this time for Season 3. I reckon there were at least three Muse songs used in DWC this time, which really just cements the whole connection for me.

*sigh*

I'm so doomed for these to be inextricably linked forever in my mind. Just wait until the Season 4 box set is out. I'm sure the link will strike again...

It's a glut!

Two posts in one day! How truly lucky are you!

I had to post this... I love this poster with an unseemly passion. Plus, Christian Bale is the hottest. Mmmm....

Just because...

Blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah.

What? It's not different from the usual quality of my blogging. Heh.

Okay, what to write? I could tell you all about my latest obsessions. It's unhealthy to get so immersed in a fictional world. But at least I'm not to the extent where I actually think about how fictional characters would react in the real world. Well, at least, not those characters that I haven't made up.

I really like this paranormal romance series called "The Black Dagger Brotherhood" by J R Ward. I am hanging for the next book of the series to come out (which it will in June... go buy it), which is about one of the characters that has all the hallmarks of the type of romantic hero I love. So, I'm hanging, waiting waiting waiting, and checking out J R Ward's Bulletin Board, which is super active with the lady herself and lots of fans who make me feel better about my obsession. For, as it turns out, I am a speck of sand in a very, very large pond compared to some of these people. Seriously, these people are getting quite vocal about future books and who should end up with whom... to the point where they hate who they think is paired up. In a fictional world. Which has no bearing on this one. It truly amazes me how passionate some people get. And also how dense some people can be.

Now, as a writer myself, I can pick up on the threads that author weave in order to suggest certain plot outlines. I can usually pick who is going to end up with who, and where a certain storyline is going to go, and why someone is going to die as opposed to why they aren't. I'm sure most of you have heard my speeches on the subject at some point or another. But it amazes me when people can't see what is so freaking obvious to my eyes. Of course, then, am I being pig-headed and stubborn in thinking that I'm right, they're obviously wrong, so how stupid are they? I guess it's like the whole Angel vs Spike thing in Buffy... who is she ultimately going to end up with? Some say Spike, some say Angel... but who knows? (actually, we do know... I think it was very clear in Chosen that Buffy was simply not ready for a permanent adult relationship with Angel and thus, she needed more time... whereas with Spike, it was all about the now, with Angel it's about the forever - hey, that was kinda poetic! - ... plus, Joss so said/implied - can't remember which! - it was Angel on the commentary!)

And to go off on a tangent, which sort of ties in with the Buffy reference, there's another series with a book coming out today where there is a "love triangle" and the whole who will she end up with thing happening. Now, it's obvious to me that the chick will end up with one guy (who she's not even thinking romantic thoughts about at the moment) but she's shagging someone else. Of course, there are the peeps who think the recipient of the shagging will be her ultimate hero, but the very fact that there ISN'T obvious romantic feelings between the heroine and the other guy, just a whole lot of animosity, sort of points to an eventual happily ever after. After all, if there's one thing an author loves, its the dramatic turnaround. How many times have we seen the "oh my god, I so hate him, he's horrible!" only for it to turn into undying love and passion? By the way, this series is the Gardella Vampire Chronicals and you can buy the latest book here. I almost forgot! The buffy reference... This series has been called Buffy in the Regency era, and I was reading a blog where people were doing the whole guy vs shagger debate and someone wanted to know if there was an equivilent Angel and Spike character. I was aghast when I saw that someone had said 'no' in the comments, completely taking it literally. No, there are no vampires that correspond to these characters, but you know the guy? He is so Angel. And shagger is Spike. Of course, I didn't post, just left them to wallow in their ignorance. Heh. I am such a bitca.

So there's some pointless rambling, kids. Hope you enjoyed the little wander into the abyss that is my mind. This is what I think about at work. Sad, isn't it?? :)

Would you want your kids to frolic here?

For months, the park at the corner of Grenfell Street and Pultney Street has been fenced off while the pixies did their magic to the grounds inside (seriously, they were pixies... there were no workmen to be seen anywhere). There were grand plans, landscaping, a new playground was announced (on a busy corner where there is heaps of traffic, and yet no one thought of incorporating a fence... but I digress). The new playground has now been unveiled, as you can see from these pictures:



At least there actually is a kid playing on these... I have no idea what to call them. Seriously, who designed these? They're not exactly kid friendly... and they're boring as well. What happened to bright colours? Everyone loves bright colours.

Oh well. Adelaide is mysterious and weird. We'll just leave it at that.

The Airconditioning Conspiracy...

I am hot. So very hot. It is stuffy and gross and it's going to be a million degrees on Wednesday. Why am I complaining, do you ask? Could it be that I have lost my marbles (no way - they have so melted in the heat)? Could it be that I am just a nitpicker, and in fact it is a very comfortbale temperature and I'm complaining cos I feel like it (well, kind of)? Or could it be that the air conditioning in my work building does not work properly and hasn't for about a week now. Open a window, I hear you cry. Great! I would love to! Unfortunately, we have those windows that don't open. Yes, the wonders of the modern office building. Awesome. So I am sitting here, slowly dying from the stuffiness and the heat and dreading Wednesday. If it's this bad on a day when the top temperature will be 29 degrees celsius, I can only imagine in horror what it will be like when the temp is 41. Well, I guess I've always wanted to work in a sauna... oh wait, no I haven't!

In other news, I have a fringe. It is tres exciting.