OH MAH GAH!

Dear sweet goodness, everybody, it's been a month and a half (thereabouts) since I wrote my last blog! And STUFF HAS HAPPENED.

Like, I got married.

And we moved into a new apartment the week of the wedding. Yeah, I said it. We moved on Wednesday...the wedding was on Saturday. Were we crazy? YES.

And I am still working steadily at Bridal Warehouse, the shop where I purchased my wedding gown.

And I have been writing up a STORM. Without rehearsals to go to, I spend my evenings in a state of vegetative boredom. Hence, I have been planning about twenty new novels and scads of short stories.

But...

I haven't been blogging.

I just don't know if I'm that interesting anymore. I mean...no reports on rehearsals or audition freakouts. No "here's-an-interesting-thing-I-heard-in-class." No obsessive wedding planning posts. And while P and I are QUITE happy being married, there are no babies in the works (and won't be for a while), so this shan't become a pregnancy/mommy blog for another two years or so.

(unless there is a surprise. But I doubt it.)

In short, I am now boring.

Oh, well.

I guess there are still other things to write about. Like being a newlywed...a very young newlywed. It's weird, but I still feel like a little kid even though I'm a twentysomething wife.

And my kitchen adventures. Like the time I substituted hard lemonade for lemon juice, and it ROCKED.

And our apartment. Although....don't expect any super amazing home decor ideas. Our design scheme is best described as "poor newlywed who takes all the free stuff they can get."

And my continuing adventures to update my wardrobe, which will become even more complicated since, you know...that whole "no money" thing.

And my writing. I have so many novels. SO, SO MANY. And so many heroines. Apple...Beatrice...Anna...Caroline...Ginevra...I love them. And I want you to love them. I might have to start posting excerpts so you can tell me what you think of them.

(Especially since I really want to get Beatrice and the Cat published.)

Also, in the realm of writing, I need to confess something. I've mentioned it before...but I'm going to declare it proudly. I am a fanfiction author. And I love it.

I know, I know, it's like the dorkiest thing ever. I've been doing it since middle school, though, and it's such a great stress reliever and a brilliant writing exercise. Besides, I'm famous in Singapore for it. I'll explain that later, but yeah. I love it...and despite all the times I've tried to retire, it's proven to be impossible.

And of course, when I get my pro pics, there's going to be a whole series of recaps about the wedding.

So maybe I won't be a stick deep in the mud.

And I like blogging. And that's always a good reason to do it.

NaNoWriMo: Day #2

Chapter 2: 3,517

Total words today: 3,517

Total words: 7,394

NaNoWriMo: Day #1

Prologue: 1,057 words

Chapter 1: 2,820 words

Total words today: 3,877

Total words: 3,877

NaNoWriMo!

It's that time again, folks! National Novel Writing Month! I am SO determined to not only participate, but also complete a book this time. I've tried and tried and never succeeded, but that's all going to change.

I totally forgot about it until October 30...and I was like "aw crap! What am I going to write about?" And then I thought, "Oh, screw it. This is as good a time as any to write the sequel to my first book."

So I pulled out my notes and outlines and got cracking.

Just to explain how I roll, the book is outlined into thirty chapters, plus an epilogue and a prologue. I handwrite everything. Once I've handwritten a chapter, I type it. So yeah.

Stay tuned!

Why I Am Going to Die a Slow and Painful Death This Week

Last Monday
Rehearsal from 7-11

Last Tuesday
Rehearsal for Jake's scene from 5:30 to 6:45
Rehearsal from 7-11

Last Wednesday
Rehearsal from 7-11

Last Thursday
Rehearsal from 7-11

Last Friday
Rehearsal from 7-11

Last Saturday (yesterday)
Dance class at 9am
Costume fitting at 10:30
Rehearsal from 6-11

Sunday (today)
Rehearsal from 9am-3pm

Monday
Rehearsal from 5-11

Tuesday
Rehearsal for Jake's scene
Rehearsal from 5-11

Wednesday
Rehearsal from 5-11

Thursday
Performance

Friday
Performance

Saturday
Performance

Sunday
Final performance
Set strike

Monday
Rehearsal for Jake's scene
Rehearsal for the children's play

I love theater, don't get me wrong, but I am just so dad-blamed tired.

Also, I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month. Stay tuned!

No witty title this morning. It's too early.

I'm in such a Disney mood. Partially because of Musical Monday, and partially because I'm thinking of going back to Disney for the summer. However...I would be gone from May 18 to August 14, which is way too long. I have wedding planning to do, and if I'm in a show this summer, there's no way I could do it. Because, you know, I'd be in Orlando instead of Nashville.

Speaking of wedding planning, I feel validated about mine. The girl I'm directing Enchanted Attic with is a very no-nonsense, I-call-'em-as-I-see-'em kind of girl. And she was asking me about my wedding ideas, and so I confessed my Alice in Wonderland details: teapots and teacups, the flower girl dressed as Alice, the white roses painted red. And she thought it sounded adorable. So yay! I'm not completely retarded!

I'm so distracted by this Disney thing. I'd really love to go down again...I miss my park! And it would be a great way to earn some more money before the wedding. But I need to plan the wedding! And I'll miss P to no end. I don't know. I'm just so torn.

Anyways...

When I'm in class, I am thinking two things: 1) "I need something else to do" and 2) "This is sooo boring." I mean, really...Fundamentals of Physics. Not that fun. So I work on other things...like my book. But since I didn't have my draft of Book #1 (Beatrice and the Cat) to edit, or my draft of Book #2 (Beatrice and the Greenfinch Carnival) to write, I worked on legwork- character descriptions, timeline, etc. One of the things I worked out is pairings.

Here's a bit of my dirty laundry: I'm a fanfiction author. And when I mean fanfiction, I mean hardcore-squealing-fangirl-I-really-need-to-stop-writing fanfiction. I've got 70-something stories on fanfiction.net. Granted, most of them are from my middle school and high school days, but I still pop out a good Avatar, Harry Potter, or Shaman King one-shot every now and again. So when I started writing my own book, I thought of it in terms of fanfiction. As in...

What kind of story elements made me want to write fanfiction? Was it dynamic, curiously fascinating characters? Was it an irrestible romance? Was it a mysterious event spoken of but never elaborated on? Was it an unusual event? Was it a desire to see these characters in the future?

The answer is...all of them. However, one of the biggest things that drew me to fanfiction was pairings. Shippings, if you will. Whether it was a die-hard canon pairing like Yoh Asakura and Anna Kyoyama, or a couple tantalizingly hinted upon but never solidified like Sokka and Toph Bei Fong, or a crack pairing that I made up for my own enjoyment like Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood, I wrote prolifically. So now that I'm writing my own book, I think in terms of pairings.

Will it be our heroine Beatrice Ainsley and Hero Greenaway, the bookish magic enthusiast?

Will it be Asher Kingsbury, the silly and fun-loving youngest triplet, and Rora Caldwell, the sweet but strong-willed blonde? Or will he choose Neddy Cooper, the talkative, lively, musically-impaired brunette?

Will it be Jack Hawkins, the more-than-a-little eccentric magician, and Fidelity Merrow, the demure young lady with a wild past?

Or maybe even Dr. Percy Darnley, the poker-faced chauvinist school headmaster...and...a mermaid?

(There's a running gag about Dr. Darnley being jilted by a mermaid.)

So yeah. I'm having a lot of fun writing these romances as ambiguously as possible. That way, if I finally publish this (eventual) twelve-book series, I can hopefully watch the fanfiction authors take off with all of these pairings.

Oh, and just so you know, I've already decided who gets together with whom. I'm so evil...

Sixteen Things You Didn't Know About Me

This has been running all over Facebook, and everyone's tagged me. So yeah. It's here, too. Just following the trend mindlessly...and it's fun!

1) I flipped off a bicycle when I was eleven and cracked my skull. I swore I would never ride a bike again...but somehow a pink Schwinn ended up on my Christmas list for this year.

2) I was not allowed to watch most Disney films when I was a child. In fact, I didn't see The Little Mermaid until I was fifteen. Maybe that explains some of my obsession...

3) I was so sure I would never get married that I made a plan- graduate with degrees in theater and art, work as storyboader and scratchtrack artist in LA, and start adopting kids once I turned 30. Now my plan is to graduate with a degree in theater next December, get married on March 13, 2010, get a theater-related job, and start a family a few years after that. I like that plan a lot more.

4) Other teenagers rebel with sex, drugs, and alcohol. (Who was waiting for "rock 'n' roll? Ooooh, got you.) I rebelled by purchasing Harry Potter paraphernalia.

5) I just started writing two blogs- a normal everyday life blog (http://charmypants.blogspot.com), and one with all of my sewing projects (http://gidgettwidgett.blogspot.com).

6) I sew a lot, but I only started sewing about a 1 1/2-2 years ago. But I'm trying to get to the point of making most of my own clothes, and I'm starting to make custom stuff for people.

7) I spent three years developing and writing a book, which I finished in June. Now I'm working on the second in the 12-book series, and I hope to get it published. Also, the main character's house really exists. Look for the purple Victorian on Hillsboro; it's exactly where I imagine Beatrice lives.

8) I am in love with names. I have a running list of my favorites, so when Patrick and I have babies, they will have heavily embroidered names. Top favorites at the moment: Colin, Gabriel, and Leo for boys, and Avonlea, Alice, and Lucy for girls.

9) I am addicted to Sprite. I am getting to the point that I drink Sprite the way Rose drinks Dr. Pepper. Not quite to the same extent yet...but close.

10) I easily obsess over things. I become a fangirl to the nth degree. It can get pretty crazy sometimes, but I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be. Which is scary, if you know how obsessive I can be now.

11) I was classified as clinically depressed at the age of eleven and put on a suicide watch, but showed signs as early as six years old. Whoa, heavy. Let's go back to the fun stuff.

12) Since I'm a quarter-inch shy of being 5'0", I'm legally classified as a midget. I can get a handicapped pass just for being freaking short!

13) I've wanted to be a voice actress since I was but a wee lass. When people ask me why I watch so much animation, I tell them it's market research. And now I can identify almost any voice actor. I even identified Jason Mardsen on a gasp.

14) I've wanted a teacup shorthair Yorkshire Terrier since I was seven years old. I've never had a pet (besides the ant farm I accidentally killed as a kindergartner), so I've talked Patrick into letting me get one after we're married.

15) A lot of people tease me about being a 1950s housewife. But I secretly love it. The cooking, the sewing, the plans for babies, the constant wearing of cutesy dresses...I like all those things. So it's all good.

16) I'm getting married in one year, three months, one week, five days, and seven hours. And no, I am NOT making my wedding dress, despite pressure to do so. Do you think I want to go through my last semester of school, two or three shows, last-minute wedding planning, house hunting, job hunting, AND making a ginormous wedding dress? No, thank you.

Audition Purgatory: Day #7...or is it #8?

I think it's day #8...

I don't really want to talk about callbacks. I looked fantastic, if I do say so myself (if you go here you can see my amazing outfit), and I think I did well with the improv, and I felt like I did a great job with the cold reading...but Mike the Almighty only had me read once. Either I was just a train wreck, or the one reading was so strong that he didn't need to see me again. Let me tell you, those are two wildly different options, and I don't know how it's going to go down. I was a bit of a wreck afterwards (read: broke down and sobbed), but Erin consoled me, and Shannon (who is an ACU person and knows MTAD really well) said that she felt the strongest auditioners for the role of Ethel were me and Becca. So I have no idea. Really, no idea at all.

If we can get ahold of Ash, we're duking out the cast list with Mike the Almighty Director tomorrow. Maybe I'll get to know then if I have a part...I certainly hope so.

On the theatrical upside, we did our first run-through of act 2 for Shorts. MTAD was very pleased with my work and my actors and only had a few minor notes for me. And...I do have to say that mine was the strongest of the three scenes for the 2nd act. Scene #1 is good, but the blocking is very flat, and Scene #3 is so talky that the actors kept getting lost...and the scene lasted an hour.

Now in other news...to get my mind off the drama that is theater...

I spent about two, three years writing a book. I finished it this summer with a grand total of 360 handwritten pages. I typed it up...and then I forgot about it. So now I'm trying to edit it so I can finally let my friends read and critique it. Some of them are chomping at the bit, so I should probably finish it soon.

...and now I've run out of non-theater things to talk about.

Crap.

Is it Friday at 5pm yet?