One Lovely Blog Award

I still get all jittery inside whenever I think of the beautiful award passed on to me by Hazel. Thank you so much, Hazel!

So, I promised I'd post seven things you don't know about me the other day, and now I shall live up to that promise. Check this out:

1.) I am a chocolate fiend. I adore the stuff and can eat enough to make myself sick without straining. That's why I have a sign in my room: Forget Love...I'd rather fall in CHOCOLATE.

2.) I am one of those survivalist weirdos. I love survival skills and country living skills, and study them constantly. I also really want to have my own homestead (which I'm steadily building) where I produce my own power, food, water, and livelihood.

3.) I have a dog named Bella who is almost as large as a horse. As it happens, I also have a horse.

4.) I haven't dated anyone in 3 years. Nor have I actively tried. 

5.) I am seriously picky about men. They have to really be something special for me to be willing to allow them close to me.

6.) I have Social Anxiety Disorder. I can't stand crowds, in fact I almost had a heart-attack in one once. In order to eat at a restaurant, I have to sit in a corner facing a wall. That way, I don't see the people and can eat my food without having to puke.

7.) The first story I ever wrote was when I was around 4 years old or so. It was about a baby cheetah making friends with a baby panther and their adventures together in spite of their parents dislike of one another. I wrote it on one piece of paper, front and back, without paragraph breaks. It stunk, and I was smart enough to know it. This scared me off writing creatively (outside of school) for another 7 years, although I still made-up stories all the time. I never wrote them.

So, now that you all know me a little better, let's get on to the part all of you are really here for. The passing on of the torch. The 7 blogs I most think deserve this award are:

1.) 365 Days to Forever

2.) Nathan Bransford, Author

3.) Jewel Clicks

4.) Meri-Goes-Round

5.) We Wandering Clouds

6.) Leah's Treasures

7.) Diary of a Drama Queen (although I can't comment on this blog, because the comment box doesn't work)

Writing quote of the day:

"Don't annoy the writer. They may put you in a book and kill you." Anonymous

That's all for today. Tune in next time for more abnormal musings. Have a great day, and happy writing!

An Award, New Fans, And Other Classics

Wow! I shut my computer completely off about a week ago, and haven't touched the thing since, and when I come back, what do I find? Someone I know and love (Hazel) has awarded me with the One Lovely Blog Award. My first award!

Plus, I have new followers! Yay! Welcome to my blog, oh lovely, new faces.

Maybe I should take a week off more often. All kinds of exciting stuff seems to happen when I'm gone.

Honestly, I needed a break from the computer. It's unhealthy, how much I use the thing. Plus, I visited the library. I always go missing for a while if I go there. I LOVE the library. They have books there, you know. Tons and tons of books.

I love books.

So, I've been reading a lot the last few days. Some of the books were re-reads, some were very new, others were instructional. And I had so much fun! But, alas, all such things must end. One book I checked out from the library I still feel iffy about, though, and I thought I'd share my feelings on the subject in this newest blog post.

As many of you might know, I'm a writer (how many times have I said that?). And, as I've been told many a time, writers should like the classics in literature. Not just The Aeneid and The Iliad (true classical literature), but books by Mark Twain, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens. Shouldn't I be in awe of such authors? After all, they were geniuses. There is no denying the sheer brilliance of their work.

But they're so...wordy. I just read a few chapters of Oliver Twist By: Charles Dickens for the first time, and, while there is simply no denying the fact that Dickens was an incredible wordsmith and wrote very tongue-in-cheek digs at the "respectable" community in a way that is quite cute, but IMHO the story suffers from Dickens sophisticated wording and sarcastic twists in thought. I'm so busy following the twists and turns in his language, the story falls flat for me. How do you get into something when all the author does is dance around the point?

Of course, this was written a long time ago, and supposedly people enjoyed that sort of storytelling then. But I'm a writer! I'm supposed to love the classics! Is it bad that most of them bore me to tears? Or that the few I can tolerate usually leave me depressed for days with their sad endings?

The only classic that I can remember adoring is Pride & Prejudice By: Jane Austen. I LOVE that book, and melt whenever I watch the movie. It's seriously one of my all-time favorite books. I'm so glad I took the time to read it.

Still, most of the books on being a writer say I should read and study the classics...which I can't stand. Does that make me a bad writer? Or just really uncultured?

Anyway, moving on. It's now time I come full circle and discuss the award thingy. Thank you so much, Hazel, for giving me this One Lovely Blog Award! I greatly appreciate it. If you'd like to check out Hazel's blog, the link is here. 

Tomorrow's blog post will be all about the seven things you people don't know about me, and the seven people I will pass this award on to. Tune in next time, because who knows? Maybe your name will make the list.

Writing quote of the day:

"I will write what makes me smile, what makes my heart flutter, what keeps me up at night with ideas, characters, dialogue." — Natalie Whipple

Have a great day, everyone, and happy writing!