I love keeping records and journals. I’ve got a huge collection of notebooks, sketchbooks, and other types of handmade books that prove my lifelong dedication to record-keeping.

Over the last few years, however, I’ve slowly slipped from this beloved habit. The last couple of years were particularly bad. So bad, in fact, that last year, I decided NOT to keep any journals at all. At least no handwritten ones. Just my blogs and digital scribbles. A first, after so many years.

So, this year, part of my goal is to get back to it. Keeping journals and records.

I now have my traditional annual journal, where I plan to record bits and pieces of life whenever the mood strikes; a pad of paper, right by my bedside where I can try to write morning and/or evening pages; and this mini notebook, where I intend to record daily notes.

This mini notebook is another one of my attempts to try a daily-something practice once again.

Yes, something inside me groans as I do this, knowing full well that I tend to suck at any “daily practice”.

However, inspired by something I saw online some time ago, I thought I’d work on a daily record by writing at least just ONE LINE A DAY. Something to remember the day by.

The great thing about this “One Line a Day” approach is that it takes off the pressure to write anything special or significant. Just a record of my passing days. A place to jot down some memories and thoughts. Write down a quote that I really liked. Or a bullet point list of things I did. Maybe even just a copy of an FB status or Twitter update.

If I end up writing more than one line, great. That’s all good. If, after a long and busy day, all I can scribble down is one simple line to remember my day, then that’s fine.

We’ll see how I fare with this daily practice. I’ll keep you posted!

Note: Notebook used for my One Line A Day journal is a gift from my sister. Thanks, sis!

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Well, with the release of The Hunger Games movie trailer, I can’t help but have one of those moments.

From the time I first read The Hunger Games book by Suzanne Collins (around early 2009?), I was hooked.

Yes, it’s meant to be a YA novel. I’m way past being considered YA, but I’ve always loved YA and children’s books, so what can I say?

I mean, in the case of The Hunger Games, what’s not to love? Memorable characters. Gripping plot. Fast-paced reading. A love story nestled somewhere in the midst of a dystopian society.

That’s why when Catching Fire (the second book in the trilogy) came out, I immediately bought and read it too.

And, I talked about the series with folks who I thought might share my love for the book.

In fact, I love this series so much, I even ended up pre-ordering Mockingjay (the final book in the trilogy) from overseas. I’ve never pre-ordered a book before.

That’s the kind of excitement that this series has given me*.

So, even before the plans for the movie came out, I was already hoping that the story will one day reach the cinemas. I really want to see the world of Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and the other people of Panem “come to life” on the screen.

Now, here’s a glimpse of that world and story:

Yes, like any other story that we anticipate to become films, I’m pretty sure that this one would also fall short in some ways. Already, a number of people have expressed some disappointment with the casting of some main characters. But, it doesn’t matter. I’m still looking forward to the movie.

So yeah, bring on March 2012!

* Granted, I’m less than thrilled with how the whole series ended, I still think it has been a fantastic read. I have yet to find a new series that would excite me as such.

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Well, okay. That’s not true. I know I plan to blog everyday. But most days, I don’t ever get to that part of my To Do List. In spite my best intentions.

So, what am I doing, thinking of committing to NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month)? Who knows?!

But, I did it once, and so, here I am to try and do it again.

I think what drew me in is this year’s NaBloPoMo theme: Blog for Blogging’s Sake.

That’s precisely what I’ve been trying to do here for some time now. And, it’s what I intend to keep doing until I get in to the habit of it.

NaBloPoMo is my perfect excuse to get going with this whole blogging for blogging’s sake practice.

And, just like old times, I decided to give two other November writing challenges a go:

• PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea of the Month) – Never joined this challenge before, so this should be interesting. General idea is to come up with 1 picture book idea per day for the whole month of November. So, 30 days, 30 picture book ideas. This should be fun.
• NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) – Yes, I’m insane. I have no idea why I’m signing up for this again. But hey, my first attempt in 2008 was an epic fail. My second attempt in 2009 was just 5+K short of the 50k target, but I still FINISHED writing a novel. This year, my intention is to be a complete NaNoRebel by: 1) Working on rewriting my NaNo novel from 2009 and rebuild it + 2) Counting my blog posts here at Studio Notes in my word count, together with any other writing projects I may venture in to during this month.

So yeah, it’s all about making sure that I keep the words flowing and the writing projects moving.

If you’re so inclined to follow, I’d be Tweeting my writing progress primarily from @ewritelife, with occasional writing updates on my main personal (and most active) Twitter account, @shaicoggins.

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But, when my first official travel writing gig came some 8 or 9 years ago, it was anything but glamorous and fun. I just ended up doing too much research and writing a lot of facts about places (some of them, I’ve never even been to!). It paid me well enough, though, so I couldn’t really complain. That’s just how it is when you try to write for a living.

After that gig passed, I’ve never really explored pitching proper travel stories to magazines or newspapers. Silly me, really. Especially since my then-editor at Elle Magazine (Singapore) seemed open enough to listen to a pitch from me.  I’m not sure if it’s from pure and utter laziness — or from the fear of doing something I’m not quite familiar with. Instead, I just became well and truly entrenched in web work. And, I fed my need to write travel pieces through blogging and contributing to places like IgoUgo (yes, I still have my stuff there).

But, other than those times – and my occasional blog posts on travel here at Studio Notes – I just let the whole Travel Writing thing pass me by.

Last year, however, I began to accept freelance writing and editing gigs again. Nothing major. Just bits and pieces of work online to start with. Later, I started thinking about finding some print work again. I miss it, you see. Getting my work published in print.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to stress too much to land my first print magazine writing job again. You see, approximately 6 or 7 months ago, the Editor of Tiger Tales (the In-Flight Magazine of Tiger Airways, by Ink Publishing) contacted me through this site (Studio Notes). He found my blog, checked my About page, and asked me if I wanted to be the Adelaide Correspondent for their Hotspots/Touchdown section.

Well, I was crazy busy at the time. But, how could I pass up the opportunity to write for print again? And, to do travel writing once more?

My first piece (image here, above) was published in their Jan-Feb 2010 Issue. I also got published in their Mar-Apr 2010 Issue. And, I’ve already submitted my contribution for the May-June 2010 Issue.

It’s no biggie, really. But, I’m still quite happy about it.

Maybe partly because it shows that having a website/weblog DOES help you to find paid freelance writing jobs.

And, it’s proof that when you want something, and you allow circumstances to provide you with opportunities, you can find what you’re looking for.

And, well… that this kind of travel writing is much more fun than the last few ones I’ve tried.

So yeah, if you’re ever aboard Tiger Airways, you might just find my name in the Adelaide section of their travel round-ups. And, even if you don’t get on board Tiger Airways, but you’re still curious to read some of my pieces, you can check them out at Tiger Tales’ website – Adelaide.

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Nothing I like more than falling in love with a new author and series (even though she’s a veteran writer and these are relatively old books). Plus, I’ve also started a couple of other series that I’m enjoying at the moment. And, falling in love again with an old classic!

You see, one of the things I decided this month is that if a book is not cutting it for me at the time, I should just abandon it and read something that I’d actually LOVE. After all, there are too many wonderful books out there and not enough time. So, why waste precious spare moments on books that don’t speak to me? I’d much rather enjoy my reading moments, thankyouverymuch. Of course, I might make an exception every now and then, when I’m already more than halfway through the book and/or series.

And, even though Uni started again for me in February (even more reason for me to read just stuff I want to read), I still managed to keep up with my reading time. Here’s what delighted me…

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Fiction, YA Fantasy/Romance) – The story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen continues in this book. This time, extending the love triangle with Jacob Black even further. In this book, the idea of “new, untrained vampires” had been introduced, as well as facing the wrath of Victoria’s revenge.   

Mini Review: Well, I’m going to be honest and say that offhand, this is the book that delighted me the least this month. And yes, it’s also the book that delighted me the least in the Twilight series. If it were possible to get a big headache whilst reading a book, this one did it for me. I’m not averse to reading romantic novels, even the really cheesy variety. But, the “love triangle” aspect of this book just got to the point of being ridiculous for me. And, the comparisons with Wuthering Heights? Come on, really? Bella, as a heroine, hasn’t really been too endearing from the start. This book made it worse. She makes me think too much of girls who’re called uh… a tease? Plus, the hysteria? Uhm. Anyway, I probably would’ve liked it so much more if New Moon and Eclipse were somehow edited and merged in to one book. With New Moon material being of more prominence. Or perhaps, shortened Eclipse and add the earlier bits from Breaking Dawn. Just anything to stop the extended whining and whinging! Anyway, I’m not sure if I’ll change my mind when I re-read it. But for now, I’m just not that crazy about this particular book in the series. That’s why I’m not so sure how I’d like the movie that’s meant to be released this year.

Studio Notes Rating: 2.5/5 { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Fiction, YA Fantasy/Romance) – The much-awaited wedding between the mortal girl Bella Swan and the vampire Edward Cullen finally occurs. Then, there’s the honeymoon… and of course, the unexpected pregnancy – and the gruesome birth. All in just the first part! Then, there’s Bella’s new life as a vampire and mother to a half-vampire girl who’s become imprinted by former suitor and friend Jacob Black. And yes, the great big “vampire showdown” where the Volturis (from New Moon) makes a re-appearance — and the Cullens, with their closest friends and allies.

Mini Review: Still completely cheesy and utterly jumpy in many places (e.g., the werewolves in the first three books, apparently, aren’t real werewolves – just shape-shifters… okay… I’m not even going to get in to the “overly perfect ending” and all the other crazy stuff). But, I have to say that in some ways, Breaking Dawn is a bit more palatable to me on some level – probably because Bella finally stops whining too much – and there was less hysteria. Although there was that “I’m so cool now!” vibe you need to ignore next. In any case, it was also interesting to read the story from Jacob’s point of view, giving a closer glimpse in to their world. Though perhaps, I might have liked a story told from Edward’s point of view as well. Give it more of an even space between the main characters. And, yes, admittedly, I was hoping for a bit more action during the final battle scene. But overall, I did finally manage to like the series for the most part (faults and all). I’m definitely looking forward to the movie adaptation of the final Twilight book, which might end up as two movies.

Studio Notes Rating: 4/5 { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

3. Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Fiction, YA Fantasy) – At first glance, 12-year-old New Yorker Percy Jackson is an unlikely hero: Not only does he have ADHD and dyslexia, he’s even a trouble magnet. He’s been moving from school to school for as long as he can remember. Then, when he accidentally pulverizes his teacher who tried to kill him, he realises something’s really, really different about him. That’s when he found out that he’s a demigod – a Half-Blood – half-mortal, half god. The son of the Sea God Poseidon himself! But, that’s not the biggest problem. He’s being attacked by monsters all over the place – AND the God of the Air Zeus is after him, as he is believed to have stolen Zeus’ lightning. Now, with the help of his best friend Grover (a satyr) and Annabeth (another demigod he met at Camp Half-Blood), he has to catch the real thief to stop a war between the gods – and World War III.

Mini Review: Having been reviewed somewhere as “better than Harry Potter” and liking the premise of the book (and the look of the movie trailer), I read the first book of the Percy Jackson with expectations that were too high. I was prepared to like it a lot. That was probably a bad thing. As I read the book, I just found myself saying over and over: There’s no way that this is better than HP! For one thing, there were aspects of the book that grated on my nerves. A lot. I know that they’re probably meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek. But, they didn’t come over as funny to me at all. However, I love mythology. I’ve been fascinated with Greek mythology since I was a child. So, the whole idea of the Greek gods and monsters appearing in modern times captured my imagination. And, if you like action-packed reading, then this will certainly deliver. That’s why even though I felt disappointed in places, I still bought the rest of the series. And, I’m glad I did (more on this in next month’s review!).   

Studio Notes Rating: 3.5/5 { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Fiction, Classic) – The feisty and fascinating Elizabeth Bennett meets the dashing and wonderful Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. Do I need to say much more?

Mini Review: I know I’m a Jane Austen fan. But, I have to admit that I’ve forgotten when was the last time I read this classic favourite. Either it’s been so long ago, or I may have never even read the full version (que horror!). And, having watched BBC’s version just last year, I knew I needed to read the book (again). Since I didn’t have a copy (another shocker!), I ordered one from Fishpond early this year. And, I just fell in love with the book all over again. It’s funny, sweet… and absolutely absorbing. I loved, loved, loved it. *sigh*Romance, society, politics, family… Perfect heroine. Perfect hero. Wonderful storytelling. What more can I ask? Reading this made it certain that Pride and Prejudice stays in my “Favourite Books of All Time” list.

Studio Notes Rating: 5/5 { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

5. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones (Fiction, YA Fantasy) – Cat (Eric) Chant admires his older sister Gwendolen more than anything. He follows whatever she says. Especially ever since they’ve become orphaned due to a tragic boating accident. Cat thinks Gwendolen is a witch. A powerful, ambitious one at that! When they were taken to Chrestomanci Castle to be taken care of, Cat becomes increasingly agitated. Especially with the way Gwendolen kept behaving badly! Then, when his sister abandons him and gets a replacement, he slowly learns the truth about himself that changes the course of his life forever.

Mini Review: Wow! Just wow. There’s something about reading a book that takes you to a completely different place. When I picked this book up, all I wanted was to get to know other YA Fantasy writers and Diana Wynne Jones is one of those that keeps coming up at libraries and bookstores. So, I gave in and chose a random book off the library shelf. After reading this, I realised just how much I’ve been missing. She’s a wonderful storyteller that spins worlds and creates characters that just make you want to believe. I’ve definitely become a fan of this veteran British author. Charmed Life (a Guardian Award winner, amongst other awards) — is just one book from her Chrestomanci series (apparently, they’re in no particular order, but I’m reading them based on the author’s suggested reading order). There’s humour, adventure, parallel worlds, magic… all packaged well in this wonderful story. Definitely a recommended read for YA Fantasy readers! Now I’m hoping to have my own copies of the books.

Studio Notes Rating: 5/5 { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

6. The Ultimate Happiness Prescription (7 Keys to Joy and Enlightenment) by Deepak Chopra (Non-Fiction, Self-Help/Spiritual) – A small, practical read on the topic of joy and mindfulness. It shares several lessons, tips and ideas about living a happier life – and why we should strive for one.

Mini Review: If I were to come up with a list of “must read” text for Blissology, this book will be one of the top on my list. In fact, I love this book so much, I probably could write a whole blog post singing its praises – and quoting several points from it. I actually filled a journal full of notes from the book! While I’m not completely sold on some of its points, I have definitely taken on board most of its lessons. In fact, it has given me some really wonderful food for thought on my study of mindfulness – and my quest to understand what it means to be truly connected. For example, this book helped me to see that mindfulness is about living a connected life from within. It even gave an excellent scientific explanation on how mindfulness helps us. Also, it shared how our personal happiness can actually help people around us. It even gave some practical advice on how to put the concepts in to practice. Really amazing stuff!

Studio Notes Rating: 4.5/5 { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

7. Airhead by Meg Cabot (Fiction, YA Crossover) – All tomboyish Emerson (“Em”) Watts wants is to finish highschool, play video games with her best friend Christopher – and to be noticed as a ‘girl’ by aforementioned best friend. But, due to a freak accident, she wakes up living a totally different life — in a totally different body. Not knowing exactly how it happened, Em Watts – the old one – is now dead. And, she’s now living the life of face-of-evil-corporation Stark — Nikki Howard — due to a mysterious brain transplant.

Mini Review: I came across this book accidentally when I was visiting Meg Cabot’s website. The idea intrigued me, but I wasn’t too certain about the supermodel + celebrities + sci-fi + crime / thriller approach. However, when I read the excerpt of Book 2 on her website, I was kinda hooked. There’s really something about Ms Cabot’s writing that reels me in. And, in spite the weird plot, I still enjoyed reading Airhead, thanks to interesting character building and fascinating storytelling. Definitely made me want to know what happens next! (Yes, this is just Book 1 of a three-part series).

Studio Notes Rating: 3.5/5 { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

How about you? What have you read lately? Anything you’d like to recommend?

Oh, by the way, I’m at Goodreads! If you’re there too and we know each other, please do add me as a friend.

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I don’t usually make it a habit of talking about works-in-progress. However, when I started this novel, I decided to be a bit more open with my process. In fact, I even started sharing some details of my writing progress on my ewritelife Twitter account a few months ago. Partly because I wanted to give myself a chance to “think out loud”. And, partly because I needed the extra push to bring the manuscript in to completion by declaring what I’m working on.

That move must have been an effective one for me because I finally DID complete a full fictional manuscript. Just when I thought I couldn’t do it again. After all, it has been over 15 years since I last did that!

This time, though, I want to take the novel completion process to the next level. Yes, the revision process. And, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing over the last month every spare moment I’ve got.

Now, I’ve decided that maybe, it might be good to share bits and pieces of my progress on this matter. Again, to give myself a bit of a push. Perhaps, by sharing this with you, I’d be more compelled to get on with revising and finishing my second draft, as I hope to do.

Since I’ve never completely revised a novel before, I decided last month that I needed some help to guide me in my first attempt at a proper manuscript revision. That’s why when I came across Holly Lisle’s How To Revise Your Novel workshop, I decided to sign up. And so far, after 6 lessons (delivered weekly), I’m really pleased that I’m not doing this revision thing completely on my own.

Yes, it feels like the whole thing is going at a snail’s pace at this time. Yes, it seems awkward not to do any actual rewriting in the beginning. And yes, I’m itching “just to get on with it” sometimes.

But then, I’m learning so much.

I’m learning to look at my novel in ways that I probably wouldn’t have, if I was doing this without any guidance. Or maybe, I would’ve seen some of those lessons in the process eventually. But, it probably would take me months and months of frustrating rewriting.

Right now, I can see the weaknesses in my plot (I’ve got too many scenes dedicated to sub-plots!). I can see that I’m not letting my characters do what they need to do to make the story work (I seem to mollycoddle them too much, too afraid to get them in to real messes!). I can see that I need to tighten certain things – and cut off others.

And, being my typical self, I tend to second guess myself way way too much.

On the flip side: I think I’ve got a manuscript worth salvaging. I’m engrossed in the world that I’ve created. Enjoying the stories of the characters in the world. I’m drawing maps of my fantasy world. Sketching my characters. Inventing a language. Brewing back stories and histories. And yes, I’m actually working on something that I really LOVE.

In fact, I love it so much that even if it never gets published, I’m still going to be ecstatic just to get it all finished.

It’s hard work, yes. But, I am so obsessed by the whole thing, I just want to be able to put the stuff that excites me in my head down on paper – and communicate that same excitement and wonder to anyone who might end up reading it. Even if that reader is just me. That’s the challenge.

I wonder how many Studio Notes readers are in the same boat as me? Anyone out there working on their novels – either in the writing or revision process? How do you go about it all?

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This year, I’m taking my reading habit up a notch. Not only do I read at least a book a month (I’m being kind to myself by not overextending my goals list – HAH! ) — I have to start documenting my reading too. Partly to remember. And, partly to practice my ability to read as a writer and to record my views.

So, here I am. If I read more than 1 or 2 books in one month, I plan to write a round-up of my reading log. I’ll only dedicate single posts to single books/series, if I feel I have more to say about something. Otherwise, it stays in the round-up. If I read just one or two books, then I hope I can justify dedicating a single post for those books!

Anyway, here’s a list of what I read last month (with mini reviews). You’ll definitely notice that my reading preference at the moment is heavy on the YA Fantasy genre. With reason, of course. Here you go, in order of reading completion during the month (warning: might contain some spoilers?):

1. Arriving at Your Own Door (108 Lessons in Mindfulness) by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Non-fiction, Self-help) – A collection of short thoughts from Kabat-Zinn and some quotations that relate to the topic of mindfulness or meditation.

Review: If someone told me that I’d be interested in the topic of “mindfulness” or “meditation” a couple of months ago, I would’ve said they’re nuts. My mind runs a hundred miles a minute and it seriously hurts to try to make it go still. Unless I’m totally exhausted, the brain just won’t stop buzzing. But, something happened to me at the end of last year that I can’t quite explain. And, that something led me to the concept of finding stillness within me. When I was trying to understand the whole thing better, I came across Kabat-Zinn’s work. Since I wasn’t quite sure I’d be all for the mindfulness thing, I decided to read whatever was available from my local library. Thankfully, they had this concise version of one of his books. And, I’m glad I read it. I can’t wait to read more and to learn more. Of course, my mind still buzzes about – and I still struggle with the stillness. But, I am more aware of this concept, and I know I want to get to know it more and to see how it will work for me.

Studio Notes Rating: 4/5 | { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

2. Princess from Another Planet by Mindy Schanback (Fiction, YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi) – This is the story of Gracie Wright whose mother claims that she’s a Queen from the planet Pannadeu. This planet has been destroyed by the Maluxiads. The mum, and a small number of residents from Pannadeu escaped and got sucked in to earth. Mum gets married to an earthling and produces two heirs. And yes, this makes our protagonist a princess. When the Maluxiads heard that they’re on earth, they decide to go too and destroy them (because they don’t like to leave things unfinished). There was also the sub-plot of switching places with a rich cousin in order to attend an exclusive camp.

Review: I like YA. I like Sci-Fi/Fantasy. If you put those two together, I’m usually in reading heaven. But, even though the premise of this book appealed to me to start with, I slowly lost interest, as I couldn’t shake off my nagging disbelief in some of the characters and the plot. I don’t usually like writing negative reviews, that’s why I don’t do them. But, since I’ve committed to a reading log here, and I’m committed to telling you exactly what I thought when I read something… I might have to get used to writing such feedback. After all, I can’t possibly like everything I read, right? But, I still encourage you to check out other reviews of the same book. Others might have a different viewpoint.

Studio Notes Rating: 2/5 | { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

3. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (Fiction, YA Fantasy) – This is loosely based on the story of Snow White, which is once again set within the world of Ella Enchanted (only this time, our heroine Aza is from Ayortha). Blessed with a lovely voice, but unfortunate in her looks, Aza felt isolated and lonely in the singing land of Ayortha, where beauty was considered to be of high importance. When she accepted the friendship and work as lady-in-waiting of the new Queen, found herself entangled in lies and deception.

Review: Some of you would already know that I’m a Gail Carson Levine fan. She’s one of the authors who hooked me in to modern retelling of fairy tales. Fairest, like her other novels, did not disappoint. It was interesting how Ms Levine handled the theme of “beauty” (or the lack of it) in this book – and how everyone didn’t always make the right decisions. Although I wasn’t too excited about the “songs” written within the story, I could overlook those because of the other strong elements in the book.   

Studio Notes Rating: 4.5/5 | { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

4. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Fiction, YA Fantasy/Romance) – Seventeen year old Isabella (Bella) Swan moved to Forks to live with her dad (the Chief Police) and found herself the talk of the town – and the focus of one particular male, Edward Cullen. But, Edward is no ordinary male. He’s a century-old vampire in the body of a 17-year-old. The initial pull towards Bella is due to his attraction to her scent and her blood. He loves her – but he is in constant danger of killing her. Yet, Edward becomes trouble-prone Bella’s protector and saviour. They fall in love. But, their romance was never meant to go smoothly.

Review: Admittedly, I’ve resisted getting in to the Twilight series. Not because I’m trying to be a literary snob, as I don’t really consider myself as one. I can read just about anything (as you’ll probably see in these reading logs). It’s just that even though I love fantasy, I’m not particularly keen on vampire lore. Maybe partly because like Bella from the book (and apparently, Ms Meyer herself?), I get all woozy when it comes to blood. That’s why even though some of my good friends have been such Buffy fans – and later, Twilight fans – I was never lured in to such things (but admittedly, I did like Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire”). But, as I continue to study the genre of YA fantasy, Twilight kept coming up in some examples. So, as a writer, I decided that I had to know what people are talking about. So, I did. And, I have to say that it’s a love/hate thing for me. In fact, I don’t even know how to rate this book (especially because I don’t want to be flamed by Twilight fans! ) All I know is that I can understand why people love it. I can understand the attraction to the series and the characters. But, there were just so many things that I found difficult to enjoy about it, and yet, I’m still hooked… So, what can I say? (Well, truthfully, I can say heaps more, but… I’m going to hold it. For now.)

Studio Notes Rating: 4/5 | { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

5. The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine (Fiction, YA Fantasy) – Two sisters live in a kingdom haunted by monsters and a plague. One of them is a brave princess aching to go on an adventure to slay monsters and find a cure to the Gray Death, which claimed the life of their mother. The other princess is timid, scared, and wishing to be protected. When the Gray Death struck again, it was Addie who had to step out of the comfort of their castle to battle with ogres, specters, and dragons to save her sister Meryl – and their kingdom.

Review: Unlike many Gail Carson Levine books that I’ve read, I think this is one of the few that wasn’t a retelling of a fairy tale. But, like most of the other books I’ve read, this is another winner from Ms Levine. Beautiful plot, strong characters, unexpected twists, and an amazing world. Definitely the kind of stuff that made me fall in love with reading and writing.   

Studio Notes Rating: 4/5 | { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

6. Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Now and Again by D. Weiss and B. Weiss (Fiction, MG/YA Fantasy) – Sabrina’s busy schedule in college made her wish that she could go back to highschool in one moment of weakness. And, when an eavesdropping gnome decided to grant her wish, she travelled back in time by accident. Both the past and current Sabrinas then come up with a plan to reverse the spell and get things back to how they were.

Review: Well, I told you I can read just about anything. If it can hold my attention long enough. And yes, this book is from the Sabrina The Teenage Witch series, which was based on the TV series that starred Melissa Joan Hart. Of course, Sabrina is based on the character from the Archie comic books (anyone here read ‘em?!). Anyway, I’ve always been fascinated with the ideas that the writers of the TV series come up with, so that’s why I decided to pick this up from the library. The plot and the writing aren’t too exciting in this book, but I was still interested in some of the concepts.

Studio Notes Rating: 1.5/5 | { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

7. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Fiction, YA Fantasy/Romance) – In her usual clumsy fashion, Bella gets a paper cut whilst opening a birthday present in front of the Cullen family. As such, Edward had to defend her from the most of the family who suddenly seemed ravenous for her blood. Due to this event, the Cullens decide to leave Forks, which left Bella in a massively deep depression. She then developed a friendship with Jacob Black and worked up an appetite for dangerous activities. Jacob turned out to be another boy who’s “not good for her”, as he happens to carry the werewolf gene. Due to Bella’s daredevil tactics, Edward was led to believe that she died – and so wished to kill himself too by seeking the Volturi (a powerful vampire family in Italy).

Review: Still with the same mix of great and utterly terrible, New Moon continued to make me want to scream and sigh at the same time. But, it lost some of the first book’s initial attraction for me. And yes, it just makes me wonder: How can something so good get so bad (or is it the other way around)? In any case, I’m a Twilight quasi-convert now, for better or for worse.

Studio Notes Rating: 3/5 | { Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

NOTES:

• Fishpond is an Australian-based online bookstore, which offers free shipping for orders over $50.
• This is also an entry for 52WoC #49: What You Love.

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Well, okay, I’m not quite on the 60th day yet – officially. I only wrote down the 60 Days to Something Plan on the 1st of September. But, I’ve pretty much been putting it in to action since mid-August. Yeah, more than 2 months ago. Definitely past 60 days unofficially.

So, hopefully, I’m close enough to know that it seems to be quite a good strategy for me. And, this has even become more exciting for me today.

Hmmm… okay, before I go there… let me backtrack again a bit.

Over two months ago, I started writing again. As in, really writing. Like I mentioned once before, an idea for a story came to me during REM sleep. It was one of those ideas that was just all consuming. I couldn’t think straight. I was totally and utterly distracted. So, in order to get rid of it, I decided to start writing about it. I just pretty much wanted to do a brain dump. So, I began writing. The story kept growing, and I kept writing.

Since that story had something to do with celebrities and filmmaking, it somehow ended up launching a new hook in my life: FILMS. I couldn’t get enough of them. I just wanted to keep watching films. Reading about them. Thinking about them. And, not too long after, I started wanting to write and to make them.

Crazy, I know. I can’t tell you just how annoyed I was with myself for even thinking about that idea. Not just because of everything else that I have on my plate (graduate school, work, family, existing web projects…). I did, after all, just decided that I am finally going to finish a novel again in my “spare” time.

And really, trying to write a book at this time of my life seems silly enough as it is. But, get in to filmmaking too? Totally Absurd.  

But, without trying to get in to the details, that’s how I ended up with the 60-Day Plan. I figured, I’ll give both the novel writing and the filmmaking time to incubate. See if anything interesting comes up whilst in the incubation period. If something comes up, great. If not, well… tough luck.

So far, the novel writing’s going well. I’ll most likely share more about this another time. All I know is that the writer in me has definitely come to life again. And, I’m thrilled.

On filmmaking… Well, I knew that from the moment I thought of it, I’d be facing too many challenges. For one thing, I’ve had very limited experience with movie-making. Yes, I’ve co-produced, co-written, co-presented, and co-edited an online video show a few years ago. Yes, I’m the official home video maker of my family so I’ve had some extra experience working with movie editing software. Yes, I had a friend who tried to introduce me to the world of scriptwriting for a series of children’s TV show over a decade ago. And yes, I’ve taken a workshop on video production and editing, where I ended up co-writing, co-starring, and co-directing a one-minute information commercial which was aired on community TV many aeons ago. But, that’s it.

But, writing a proper script and making it in to a real film? Uhhh….

That’s why I haven’t really talked about this idea with anyone before. I’ve only bravely mentioned it in passing with 1 or 2 people.

In fact, I’ve started to become too intimidated with the whole filmmaking thing after my initial research, that I started to wane a bit on the whole idea. It hasn’t been 60 days yet since I first started obsessing about filmmaking/scriptwriting, so I was almost ready to give up on it altogether. Especially while I haven’t invested in it too much just yet!

Then today, I went out to a casual dinner party. Something I don’t usually do, I must say.

At the get-together, I started talking to someone I’ve known for the last couple of years or so. We’ve seen each other a few times, but we’ve never really talked for real before. Anyway, we began the getting-to-know-you-better talk. You know that type of stuff — Where do you live? What do you do? What do you enjoy doing?

It so happened that we’re both mums to two kids (our kids are about the same age too; our eldest boys often play together when they see each other). She’s also a working mum, and she’s doing further studies too. Then, she mentioned that on top of it all, she just finished making her first ever short film.

So, I asked her to tell me the story of her journey. And, I was really fascinated to listen to it all — from how she had the first spark of an idea and how she revised her script to how she networked and made the whole thing with a limited budget.

She also had a lot of great advice about how to get started on the road to filmmaking.

She made it sound doable. Extremely hard, but doable.

And, if I had to take some notes and tips from her experience based on our talk, they would be:

1. Just get started. If you have an idea, just work on it. Then, keep at it. She said it took her about two years from start to completion of her short film.

2. Learn and be familiar with the resources around you. She said that reading a book on scriptwriting was one of the first push she had to get started. She also attended a couple of scriptwriting courses. Then, she found out other resources available locally. And, she started using them.   

3. Network, network, network. Filmmaking is not a solitary affair. Nothing is, really. But, when it comes to making films, she realised immediately that networking will be extremely valuable. So, one of the first things she did was to become a member of a local media organisation, which enabled her to be in contact with different players in the local film industry. Her contacts in the organisation helped her in many ways — from finding people to work with to getting access to funding and/or equipment.

4. Work with film students. They can be great collaborators, as they’re already trained and passionate about the medium. Plus, a few of them might be looking for different filmmaking experiences.

5. Get other people on board! Other than the network contacts and film students, work with other people who can champion your project too. Having someone to do proofreading and editing is valuable. Having more than one reader is also great. And, if you can have folks who can help you to do fundraising, that’s cool too.

6. Don’t be afraid to edit and to revise. Listen to input and adjust your project accordingly.

7. Know who you want to listen to! Yes, taking on feedback is great. But, you know your project more. Someone might have a particular vision for your project. Listen to it, but figure out if that also meets your initial vision for your work. For example, she has had input that her project may suit the educational market. However, she wanted to bring her film to the public. So, she sought another opinion and found someone else who shared her vision. The person who shared her vision was then able to offer valuable advice on how she can adjust her script to fit that vision.

8. Work with your budget. Find a grant. If you can’t get funding there, raise your own funds. If you have just a few hundred dollars to work with – stick with it. You can still make a quality film with a limited budget.

9. Finish it. Just get it completed. Wrap it up. Submit to film festivals where possible.

10. Sell film in different ways. Provide viewings and talks. Tap in to existing networks. Talk to possible distributors.

11. Get started on the next project! The only way forward is to keep making more films.

So yes, I can’t help it. I’m inspired again. It’s always exciting to learn how people can make things happen.

It helps me to believe that maybe, my crazy ideas aren’t so crazy after all.

Image source: Clix (from sxc.hu)

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