Theme Songs

Hey! I was tagged by Christian with a book tag. A couple of questions really made me think and started me on a wild goose chase:

Does your novel have a theme song?
Assign each of your main characters a theme song.

Wow. How awesome is that? "The Mirror" already had a theme song in my mind, Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell. But the second question was a little harder to answer.

I went straight to Youtube and started listening to X-Ray Dog's stuff. Do you know who/what that is? I didn't. I mean, I'd listened to it before and I knew that it was great for this sort of thing, but I didn't know what it actually was. Turns out X-Ray Dog is like a company in California that does theme music for movies. Perfect.

Those of you who know me can testify that me + an idea + picky-ness = laaaate night. I was up til 1AM last night listening to tons and tons of X-Ray Dog, search for something that embodied the four characters I'd chosen as my mains.

Finally, out out absolutely nowhere, Darren's song hit me full force. My eyes widened, my mouth fell open, and I clicked quickly to the tab playing the song. "Fight for Glory." And that was Darren's song.

Darren ~ Fight for Glory by X-Ray Dog

I looked some more, sifting through this and that, trying to ignore the fact that it was 12:48AM. I was losing hope fast when Paige's song found me. It was a great moment of "Oh my gosh...this is it..."

Paige ~ Truth and Lies by X-Ray Dog

(I've always thought that Decode by Paramore fits her too, MUCH better than it fits Bella and Edward, for whom it was written.)

I scrambled through more and more music, dismissing some and listening to others. Eventually, something that sounded a bit like Narcissa came to my attention.

Narcissa ~ Flight of Dreams by X-Ray Dog

(And yes, that is also Luna Lovegood.)

I'm not completely satisfied with Narcissa's. It's definitely very good and very close, and it might grow on me, but as of now it doesn't quite fit her. She's quieter and less...funny. Somehow the music makes her sound like a hilarious and fun character. And, I mean, she is, but in a quieter, almost weaker way actually.

Luken

Ah, Luken. The last song to find. Luken may be my favorite character. I'm not sure. He's tall and brooding and mysterious, BUT he's not dark. He's arrogant, determined and strong, with streaks of sadness and desperation.

And I have not been able to find a song like that.

So...heh...I'm not going to ask you to help me out or anything...BUT...if you had spare time...or new an arrogantdeterminedsaddesperate song, I'd love to hear about it :3 Keeping in mind the other three and their style, suggestions would be EXTREMELY appreciated :) I hate it when I start something I can't finish.

So, with that, I'm off to paw through some more X-Ray Dog in search of Luken :)

~Kendra

Some of Just About Everything...

I'm in a good mood right now.

Table of Contents for this post as it were:
News About my Writing **mildly exciting**
School *ARE...YOU...READY...TO...GRUMBBBBBBBBLE!*
An Award from Lady Brainsample, and I tag seven people. *woot*
**HIGHLY RECOMMEND CHECKING OUT** Some blog stories I'm hooked on.

WRITING:
Big news! If I compile "Mirror" and all the random will-put-somewhere-later scenes I've written, the total comes to

102, 423 words!!

Yay!! How completely awesome is that?? *sighs dreamily* and I remember the day I hit 30,000...

I've been writing a lot lately, but not adding directly to what I have. I'm just writing random scenes that come into my mind. Maybe (hopefully) I'll use some of them in the actual book.

Hmm. Would you be interested in reading some more of those random scenes? Remember, they'll be really disjointed, and the facts might not even be right. I may never add the scenes into the book, they're just random brainstorming and phrases I've come up with. I'm definitely up for posting them if you WANT me to.

SCHOOL:
You know that presentation I've been working on? The Art Grant Project?

No?

Whatever. Anyway, I spent a long time on it. A very long time. And, if I do say so myself, it's not a bad presentation. I spent almost ALL DAY yesterday working on the poster to go with the presentation. Today I had to present it.

And I left ALL my notes AND the poster at home.

*bleep*

I was so upset. I had to completely wing my presentation. I had NOTHING. Not even the random notes I'd taken months ago. All of it was sitting on my desk. I gave a fairly disorganized presentation that lacked the ease and persuasiveness my original would have.

*sigh*

I HATE IT when stuff like this happens. I supposedly did fine, and I came in third, which isn't TERRIBLE. I still want to know if I could have done better, though, you know? And I never will. I'll never know how awesome it COULD have been.

*sigh*

AWARDS/A FOLLOWER:
So, a week or so ago, Sam started following my blog, but I couldn't find the blog, so I couldn't link back to it. Well, I found the blog, so HERE it is :) Just wanted to make sure Sam didn't feel cheated there :)
I've been awarded by the lovely Lady Brainsample! She's awarded me the Kreativ Blogger Award! I'm all about creative, so that's definitely a great compliment! Thanks!

"Rules":
1. Kopy the Kreativ Blogger picture and post it on your page
2. Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog
3. Write seven things about you that we don't know
4. Choose seven other bloggers that you would like to give the award to
5. Link to the bloggers that you choose
6. Let the winners know that they have the lovely award.

#1, check.
#2, check.
#3...is going to be difficult, since I'm definitely pretty open on this blog. What don't you already know?? Hmm...

1. I have a VERY low "idiot tolerance". Some call it being impatient, I prefer my term ;)
2. I am an OCD perfectionist procrastinator. Being one is hard enough. Combine all three, and you've really got your work cut out for you.
3. I hair almost down to my waist in 8th grade.
4. I not-so-secretly love metal music. (I especially love the look on peoples' faces when I tell them that XD)
5. My goal in life (well, one of many) is to write and unpredictable romance.
6. It took me thirty seconds to learn to read an analog clock (the kind with hands), and months to figure out how to read a digital one. *shrug*
7. The sight of people spitting out their toothpaste absolutely disgusts me.

Alrighty, now that we have THAT out of the way...

I award...

1. Earwen
2. KnightWing
3. Mia
4. Gracie
5. Seth
6. Mr. Puddle
7. Insanity

**NOTE** KnightWing, Seth, Mr. Puddle and Insanity: I realize this award is a bit...feminine looking :) I won't be offended if you don't display the award or anything (like I ever am, lol), I just want you to know I love your blogs!

Now all I have to do is tell everyone they've been awarded!

And the last thing I want to mention...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
Two fellow bloggers have going on some really awesome serial-style stories (hah, alliteration XD).

Earwen from Thoughts of a Shieldmaiden has an awesome story going on about Maid Marian and Robin Hood. I really don't like keeping up with blog stories that much, but Earwen has me hooked :) Check it out if you want! The link to the first installment is HERE (the post starts out as something else, keep reading, the story opens towards the middle).

And secondly, KnightWing has an awesome story going on about the Justice League as teenagers. I know basically nothing about those superheros, and I'm still loving the story so far. I definitely recommend dropping by if you want a well-written piece in a reasonable length post (none of this takes-twenty-minutes-to-read stuff). You can find his blog dedicated to these stories HERE.

That's a wrap :) Hope you've enjoyed that Conglomeration of Kendra.

You. Help. Now.

Hey!

WOW, it's been a while!

I have written a proper post in at least a week. Yesterday I was going out of my mind trying to finish this art grant project for art history and study for the biology mid-term that I hadn't started studying for yet.

For the art grant project we have to come up with an art or cultural project that we want the government to fund. We have to put together a presentation trying to convince the class that we should recieve the grant money.

My project is called (at least right now) the Historical Reality Project. Basically, it would be an interactive, virtual reality walk through American history. It's geared to kids with learning disabilities in hopes that "living" history for themselves will help them understand and retain information better.

The project is going fine, but I'm not sure how to make it AMAZING, you know? My visual aids could use some work. I was just going to throw together a poster, but...

OUR TEACHER EXTENDED THE DEADLINE FOR THE PROJECT!!

We have an extra week; yay! So now I have time to make a more exciting visual aid, but what? Hmm...

I'm definitely looking forward to getting caught up in my work. I'm tired of playing catch up all the time. I hate constantly feeling behind. Mostly in Latin, art history, math and a little in biology.

Haha, so basically everything but logic and BritLit. Shocking.

I'm definitely wanting to get back to Mirror. See?? I told you I'd come around :) The passion for the story is back, now all I need is a plotline...

Okay, I really do need help with that, so I'm going to ask you to randomly brainstorm with me. If you are reading this, come up with something crazy, random, exciting, realistic, romantic, mysterious or funny. Or anything. Just come up with something, click "comments", type your idea, and click, "publish". Those three steps could help me finish this book, y'all! Your helps is appreciated ;)

And I'll know if you came and didn't do that because I watch the page hit counter.

Lols ;)

Well, I don't have much else to say. I'm going to go finish watching National Treasure with my family :) Thanks in advance for your help!

"Daughter of Venice", Among Other Things

Philosophy project: success!!

Debate: not so much success. Both teams were a bit disappointing, and no winner was announced. Oh well. Learning process!

My sister is accusing me of "stealing the love" of our...dog. Yes, our DOG. Lol! The dog is actually mine, but ever since my parents started letting me sleep later, my sister has been feeding the dog. This afternoon when we got home from class, I gave the dog some fresh water, and my sister flipped out, lol! I have to admit, though, that I am a little sad at the prospect of Licky transferring her affections and want to prevent that from happening.

I don't know why I'm using big words. I haven't even been reading any big-word books lately...

I'm actually reading this book called Daughter of Venice. I've read it before though. It's interesting. It's written in first person, present tense (As I sit outside, I dangle my feet in the water...). It takes place in Venice (hence the title, duh) but I'm not sure exactly when. A long time ago sort of. The girls almost never get to leave the house, so it can't be but so contemporary.

It's not one of my favorite books, but I'm liking it more than ever this time around.

It's about a girl of a wealthy family. Now, in Venice, only one son and one (maybe two) daughters get married off. I don't remember what the other boys do, but the other girls are sent to convents for the rest of their lives (yikes!). The main character, Donata, is the second oldest. Sort of. She has a twin sister, Laura. So, there's a secret possibility that both of them could be married off, since they're both sort of the second daughters. Make sense? Well, Laura is the perfect daughter and future daughter-in-law, while Donata (main character) is more of your typical outcast-girl. So, Donata is fairly certain she will end up in a convent. Because she almost never gets to see the outside world, and once she gets put in a convent, she never will, she disguises herself as a boy and ventures out into Venice. She isn't nearly as ready as she thinks to face the outside world, but she learns a lot and meets some interesting people. She also gains the courage to eventually make a descision that changes her life and her family's life forever.

Haha, yeah...anyway, I have to go now because we're going to take a "family picture" outside the house and send it to my great uncle, who hasn't seen our house yet. So, talk to ya later!

P.S. Oh, I got given "grace" on the paper that I forgot to write and now I have to turn it in tomorrow. Yay! Oh, and that research paper that I've been working on is due a week from today and I don't feel very good about it... I know what I gotta do...

Carpe diem! :)

A Lil' Bit of Everything

Hi!!

Well, I know y'all are just dying to hear about my philosophy project and its progress, so here it comes ;) IT'S GOING GREAT! Lol, I bet you didn't see THAT one coming, did you? I finished it up today, and my mom said it's really good. Wow! Who would have thought??

I'm a little sad that I don't get to debate again tomorrow (lol), but watching the next round should be fun. Lionkinglover14 and Kirsten (not a blogger) go against Amandaa and Chris G. I feel safe to say that I believe the former will win for two reasons. One: they don't read this blog :P and Two: I happen to know that Chris G and Amandaa weren't a fifth of the way finished on Saturday. Still, there is hope. They're definitely super smart when they put their minds to it :) Lionkinglover14 and Kirsten were finished completely, like, Wednesday :D

Well, we had to read "The Old Man and the Sea" this week. And--

OMG.

I just realized I haven't written the paper on that book. And it's like dinner time the day before. *gulp* I can either do it really fast and no-so-good, or I can beg my parents to give me a couple of days to do it. Either way, I'm probably in trouble...oops :)

Anyway, I didn't like the book a whole lot. It was really simple and didn't have much plot. I didn't even think the moral was particularly good. At least it was short though :) 127 pages in like 14 point font double spaced. I read it in like two sittings (the first sitting doesn't even count because I only read like four pages, lol).

Well, that's all I think...yup. BYE!

Debate, Aristotle, and the Weirdest Paragraph EVER (haha, now you're gonna read it just to hear the weird paragraph :D)

Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but I actually forgot about this blog for a few days... Haha, sorry!

Well, this week has been okay. Definitely have had worse, definitely have had better. Debate is moving right along. I finally got my butt in gear, and I think my partner and I can win this!! w00t w00t! :) We're debating whether or not the US should call a constitutional convention. My personal oppinion is strongly NO WE SHOULD NOT, but we won't know if we'll be arguing for or against it until we get to class Tuesday, so we have to prepare for both sides. Yikes! I'm kind of nervous, mostly excited. After all, this isn't SUPPOSED to be a huge competition, I just feel like it is. It's really just friendly practice, haha! But when it comes to debate, for me, it's all business ;)

I started (sort of...) my philosophy project this week. I found out it's due a little earlier than I expected...yikes again...I'm doing an oral report (*cough* boring report *cough*) on Aristotle and his philosophy. Aristotle is my favorite out of the famous trio of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates is best known for "inventing" the Socratic method, which is getting someone to understand something by asking questions. He believed that deep down, everyone has all the answers, it's just a matter of digging them out.

Plato believed that there was/is another "realm" where all the ideas for creations come from. He believed that in the Realm of Ideas, there is a perfect copy of everything, and all the things we see on Earth are just duplicates that are sometimes not quite right. For instance, if you look at six black lab dogs, they aren't all going to look exactly alike, are they? But you can tell what all of them are, because their Idea, or their Mold, is the same. Plato thought that in the Realm of Ideas, there exists kind of a "black lab dog mold" and all black labs are made from that mold, they just don't all come out exactly "right." Like when you're making cookies. You use the same gingerbread mold, but each cookie looks a little bit different, right? Same idea.

Aristotle, who was tutored by Plato, disagreed with his mentor on almost every fundamental point possible. Aristotle believed that THIS world, the physical world is the real world. Not some dreamy "Idea Realm." Aristotle was a huge realist. Not many people really got along with him. He was sort of a know-it-all.

I know you're probably wondering why I picked the boring, physical world know-it-all instead of the cool "true insight comes from within" or Mr. "Realm of Ideas." You'd think that someone as obsessed with fantasy and weird opinions and "kooks" would go for Plato. But the reason why I like Aristotle is that he argued with Plato. Really. That's my "big" reason. I just like the fact that he had the guts to stand up to his mentor who was universally known as a genius. Plato had his own SCHOOL, of which Aristotle was just a lucky pupil. And he still stood up to Plato and had the courage to buck him. I admire that. Don't know exactly why, but I do.

Now, if you aren't asleep already, this will surely do it for ya! ;) I'm going to talk about my book. Before you run screaming, I just want to get in one exciting annoucment: I HIT SEVENTY THOUSAND WORDS LAST NIGHT!!! I've got seventy-one thousand now. Oh, yeah! Lol! The story is beginning to wind down. A lot of semi-crucial events left, but we're getting to the end. (Haha, I say "we". I. I am getting to the end. You have to remember, Kendra, YOUR BOOK IS NOT STINKIN' PUBLISHED YET. You are a NOBODY at this point.) Haha, anyway, I'm estimating I have around forty to fifty-ish pages to go before my rough draft is done. I'm so excited! This is the longest thing I've ever written/stuck with/tried to finish/come up with that's actually interesting-ish. Yeah, all of those! YES! I may actually finish this!

Okay, so one more small random thing: I think about all the negative stuff (like, SERIOUSLY), so I've considered the possibility that I could potentially die/get killed before Creepy (Er, The Mirror) is finished. So (haha, this is possibly the weirdest paragraph I've ever written), if I do die, Ellie B, Gabrielle, Kyle Hendricks, and Lizzy are in charge of finishing Creepy for me. Okay? Haha...just thought I'd say that. And now I'm thinking I shouldn't have because that was REALLY weird. (I am considering backspacing this...)

Well, if you're reading it, guess I decided not to. :D Have a great weekend, and remember,

Carpe diem!

-especially if you have an unfinished novel going.