The Confabulator Cafe

Author: ajaquays

  • Frozen (Review)

    I judge books by their covers and movies by their previews.

    Going in to see Frozen, I was leery. Where was there room for a talking snowman in my beloved fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson? Why was a boy saving the day in my girl power tale? Based on the previews, I expected nothing more from the film than a comedic snowman and a boy saves the princess and they live happily ever after love story that only Disney can achieve.

    I wasn’t sure if I was going to actually see the movie in the theaters.

    But then it released and everywhere I turned I heard nothing but rave reviews. People whose opinions I trusted lauded the movie.

    So I gave it a chance.

    If you haven’t see Frozen yet, what are you waiting for? Go. Shoo. Stop reading this immediately and get to the theater. I’ll be here when you come back. (more…)

  • Sitting Pretty in the Winner’s Circle

    Crap. This is going up pretty late. Sorry guys.

    But hey, I had a valid reason for forgetting.

    Okay. I lied.

    Basically, I “won” on Saturday and now words are a thing other people do. Which is pretty much the exact opposite of how you are supposed to treat NaNo. Learn from me. Don’t give up just because you passed 50k and you’ve validated and your bar turns purple.

    At some point I will finish my novel. It’s close. I can probably knock it out in less than 5k. But I don’t want to. These are the hardest words to write on this novel, because they have to wrap everything up. Even though I don’t plan on doing anything with this story (I have no plans to edit it into something more readable), I want to finish it right. And that requires effort.

    And I’m not ready for that commitment.

    If you need me I’ll be eating ice cream from the carton while convincing myself that I have no responsibilities.

  • Week 3, Still Writing

    Guess what guys? I broke the Tuesday curse. Yeah. You heard me. Tuesday ain’t got nothing on my word count.

    Want to know how? Why, thanks for asking. I broke the Tuesday curse by having a really crappy word count day on Monday.

    Still, as of last night I was a full six days ahead of schedule. Yeah. You heard me right SIX DAYS. Except now it’s Wednesday, so it’s only five days. But that’s okay. It’s a new day and there are words to be written.

    My goal is to reach 50,000 by Sunday night.

    Ooh. I’ve said it. It’s official now. This is a bit terrifying, especially since my writing time will be limited on Thursday (I’m taking a time out from NaNo to see the Hunger Games) and again on Saturday (Doctor Who 50th special!). But still, that’s less than 2,000 words a day.

    I got this.

  • Tuesday Blues

    I don’t know what it is, but there is something about Tuesdays that are hell on my wordcount. Last week, if you recall, I only managed to write 139 words. This week I pulled in a much more respectable 439. So by this logic next Tuesday I’ll write 739 words.

    I’m still ahead on my word count, but only by a day and a half. That’s a bit scary.

    It’s also pretty impressive because in the past week I had two days where I did not write a single word on my novel and another two days where I was behind on my word count.

    It wasn’t week two blues if you were wondering. Nope, I planned to be ahead so I could take off time to celebrate my birthday. (In case you were wondering, my loving family purchased me amazing blankets and sheets… in addition to books). Now that my birthday high has settled down, it’s time to get back to writing. And I did. I pulled two three thousand word days in a row.

    But yesterday I just wasn’t feeling it.

    Hopefully today I will write more. I need to remember to take my computer with me to work. If nothing else, I need to develop an outline for where I’m going with this novel from here on out. Maybe start thinking about an ending.

    I’m over halfway done guys. And that’s both amazing and terrifying.

  • Yesterday’s NaNo Word Count Was What?

    I only wrote 139 words yesterday.

    We’re starting day six of NaNo, and contrary to what you believe, I’m not panicking. I’m actually doing really well. “But Amanda,” you might say, “you only wrote 139 words yesterday.” Don’t worry, I hear the confusion and the worry in your imagined voices… and I thank you for it. However, don’t worry about my word count.

    I’m doing just fine. This week is hectic for me. I have deadlines and karaoke and three days of nothing but my birthday. So I planned for it. I spent the whole weekend with my fingers flying across the keyboard. To stay on track, I don’t have to write another word on my novel until Sunday.

    That isn’t how you do NaNo though. (Well, everyone can do it differently, really). You do NaNo one day at a time. The point is to learn how to bang out some words every day of the week. So I’m going to. My word counts may just be a bit lackluster. (more…)

  • The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Book Review)

    So I read The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and thought the story-telling was brilliant. I loved the book. The pages turned rapidly and I’ve already picked up the second book in the series to read. I want to reiterate. I loved the book. I hate myself a little bit for that and this is why.

    From the first few pages, I could tell that something about Elisa, the main character, wasn’t quite what I was used to reading. She was a princess. She had a destiny. Both of these things are commonplace in YA literature. That wasn’t it. Things started clicking into place as she describes herself as looking like a “sausage roll” in the corset required for her wedding dress. When the seams rip on the dress I wondered if the author has ever worn a corset before or seen anyone wearing one. A “sausage roll” is not the way I would describe the effect of a corset. (more…)

  • Love through Status Updates

    You met him briefly in a bar. A quick hello. He bought you a drink. Would’ve bought you two, but you had a boyfriend. You definitely didn’t let him kiss you in the back alley.

    Going back with him to his apartment was out of the question.

    You weren’t that sort of girl. The kind that cheats that is.

    Weeks later when you were off again with your boyfriend, you looked him up on Facebook. He didn’t tell you his name, but you had your ways. In some ways it was a small town. Finding him wasn’t that difficult. (more…)

  • Exhausted Beauty

    From sunup to sundown her schedule was packed. Lessons, tea with simpering ladies, gentleman callers, luncheon, prayer, followed by a light dinner and hours of primping and prepping for whichever soiree she was to attend that night. She could not recall the last time she slept the night through. It had to have been before she was presented at court. Princess Aurora, the crown princess.

    She was sick of it all. The dances, the ladies, the teas, the gentlemen, the late nights.

    In her youth, she heard tales of princesses who cast off their duties and went on adventures. It sounded so grand to her back then. For weeks she had pestered the fencing master to instruct her. Eventually he caved and the next day she could barely move her arms they were so sore.

    No, a life of adventure was not for her. Rather, she longed for a night of slumber. (more…)

  • Without a Notebook

    Some people have notebooks they fill with quotes, ones from celebrities, political figures, other writers, even their moms. I’m not one of those people. While I might be momentarily inspired by something I read or hear, it is not lasting. Going back to the same words of encouragement do nothing for me.

    I generally find inspiration from new situations and new experiences. Or barring that from favorite books. A notebook filled with “you can do it” only makes me feel worse when I continuously fail. (more…)

  • At the Edge

    The edge of the cliff stared back at me, daring me. Just three short steps would bring me to it. A fourth would send me careening over the edge. “Jump wide. You don’t want to hit the side of the cliff on the way down.” The advice reverberated in my mind. Jump wide. Cautiously I crept up to the ledge and stared down.

    It was farther than I thought it would be. There were jagged outcroppings that I was sure to crash into.

    I didn’t want to reach the bottom broken and bloody.

    I should have brought somebody with me. Somebody to pressure me into going through with it.

    This was the last thing left.

    (more…)