NaNoWriMo!

I'm taking part in NaNoWriMo this year. If you haven't heard of it, what is involved is that you have to write 50,000 words within the November month toward your novel. The novel I'm working on, I have planned for many years now, dating back to a time when I was a wee lass at Secondary School. In that time I have made many changes, but hopefully this year my mind is set on the plot. I don't know if any other author out there has had the same type of thing when writing a book, but this seems to work for me.

I know I've been away from blogging for some time, but hopefully my writing for NaNoWriMo will help me write more, as well as vlog more, which is something I have been doing more of recent.

If you would like to check out my NaNoWriMo progress, you may do by clicking the following words: My NaNoWriMo Page.

When I write this, I have only just hit over 6,000 words, and as it's day 10, I am supposed to be way over this word count. Fingers crossed I can catch up!

Anyway, I need to go now, if you are interested in what I am writing, you can read below the synopsis as well as an extract from my novel, feel free to comment with your opinion and critique, I love to know what other people think and what I could do to improve, but please be gentle, this is the only first draft, so it isn't going to be perfect :)

Synopsis: Grace Miller: Otter Odyssey

Grace Miller is your typical inbetweener. Not popular nor un-popular at school. Nothing special. Lives at home with an ordinary mother. Visits her ordinary Grandmother. Her father not in the picture, because he died before she was born. Not that ordinary, but nothing that made her peculiar.

Until her Grandmother, Suzie, is suddenly diagnosed with a fatal illness. An inoperable tumour nested right in the middle of her brain, leaving her just months, if not weeks to live.

Grace prepares herself within these months to say goodbye to her Gram-Gram, and when she leaves her life forever, a new chapter in her life starts, particularly when she opens a letter left for her from her Gram-Gram telling her the truth about her father... her real father.

Now Grace embarks on a journey of self discovery for the missing answers of her life, helped along when after a thunderstorm in the middle of a meadow strikes her with a lightening bolt, trigging something inside her that she never knew existed...

Excerpt: Grace Miller: Otter Odyssey

Dear Grace,

If you are reading this, then it means I am no longer with you. Just know, I love you and your mother with all my heart, and I’ll be watching over you. It was the right time for me to leave. I’d had many chapters of adventure in my life, and while it is sad that I say goodbye to you and your mum now, we will see each other again. I know I’ve never been much of a religious person, but I do believe death isn’t the end.

Even though I’m gone you still have a life to live, and your own life chapters to write. I have left you some money. I’ve known since you were little you’ve always talked about how you would like to travel the world. The money I have left you, I would like you to use that for that purpose.

Now, there is something I need to tell you. Please make sure your mother isn’t reading this part. It’s very important and I don’t think she is going to like what I am about to tell you, so much so, I was a coward and decided to leave it until I was gone.

There’s something you need to know about your father. Your father isn’t dead. In fact, he is very much alive. He was arrested for murder, and has been in prison since before you were born – well, he was supposed to have been, expect he escaped. No-one knows what happened to him. I happen to believe he was innocent, despite what your mum thought. Now don’t get too mad at her, she told you what she told you because she loves you and thought she was protecting you.

Your actual father’s name is Oliver. He escaped from prison. The police contacted me, and told me to let your mother know what had happened in case he came to find her – and you. Even though your mother had told him she had had a miscarriage, he didn’t believe her, he knew her too well to know when she was lying. So he knows you exist. I can’t say where in case this letter gets into the wrong hands, but since he escaped, he has been sending you letters, pictures, birthday and Christmas cards, all of which I have saved for you.

I believe Oliver has a brother who lives in Cape Town, South Africa. His name is Jeremy and I have his address logged down in my address book.

I’m sorry this information has been kept from you for so long, but your mum believed him to be dangerous, and was only looking out for you, not many people believed your father, I was one of very few, and he didn’t deserve to stay in prison. I told him I’ll make sure you are aware of his existence when the time was right, and if you wanted to contact him, it would be easy for you to do so.

Love you forever and always,

Gram-Gram.

30th September 2010

A lot has changed for the better, finally. I’ve finished uni now, and although there is some angst over sitting some resits for a few failed units toward my final degree, my job has picked up from the last couple of months of depression that was there when changes began to happen, and everyone was down in the dumps for.

For one thing, the new changes, although have been difficult and challenging, they’ve definitely brought something different to the team I work with. A competitive side, which, despite much disagreement, I think has made working healthier then not. Obviously, no job is perfect, so there is always something that people are going to complain about, and when these people complain, it fuels that complaint to sounding worse than it actually is.

Fortunately for me, the past few months at work has served me well, and after this week it could not get much better, for I successfully have been granted a nice small promotion following up from my interview the Friday before. This is something I am particularly proud of myself for, as I was really convinced I wouldn’t obtain a place, and to be told that I really impressed people with how I handled the interview has really uplifted myself with confidence that I never thought I’d have.

I had told myself before I went for the interview, with the likeliness of me not getting the job, which it would still be worth going through the interview process just for experience for the future if any other similar job elsewhere were to arise that promised better or more life full-filling opportunities.

I got the good news whilst I was at home-home (home-home being where I lived before I left for university) visiting family, as my Uncle, whom resides in Australia was visiting with his daughter of 1 and a half years. Her name is Alice, and she is beautiful.

Now, as I write this post, I am on a train journey, Lincoln bound, to home, except I am going via Nottingham to visit some friends before returning to Lincoln tonight. I wish I had more than a week to spend with little Alice, so she would remember me for the next time she visits. She goes home today as well. Via Canada for a week first though. By the time she visits England again though, she would have forgotten myself, mum and her Poppa (I know Poppa might mean father to a lot of people, but Poppa is Grandfather to me in my family). I would love to visit her in Australia, but alas, that costs money, and money is something I do not have in this current time.

I’m still settling into my new home in Lincoln, in which I had decided to stay after I finished my university course, mainly because I want to remain independent after I finished university, although, as of this year, I do have family moving up here. My younger cousin has just moved to Lincoln for his university course, so I expect to see much of him now he’s here, which is great because back at home-home I didn’t see him that regularly compared to other family.

Seems that I will shortly be arriving at Derby, where I need to change for my train to Nottingham, so I’m signing off here for now, and will return to add more later. Toodles x

BENICASSIM 2010 - Big Fire?

Hey guys! Long time no post. This one is a quick one, as I will have a ranty one to follow, but I've been browsing at youtube vids of last years Benicassim festival as I am going this year, and found that there was a storm - a HUGE storm, as well as a big fire!

Here's a vid of the big fire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxom4Un5nuQ&feature=related

I can see this happening again, i.e me and my friends being drunk, smoking a fag, throwing them away without putting them out properly and setting our tent on fire or something!

How To Train Your Dragon Widget

VOTE LIB DEM!

THAT IS ALL.

BUSY!

What can I say? It's been a very busy past several days. Uni work, work work and filling applications for work work after university finishes for my final time.

Currently, I am shooting a film with my fellow single camera group. It's taking the most of my time at the minute, but it's going to be totally worth it. I hope. Looks that way anyway, without meaning to sound egotistical or anything. A lot of early morning starts and late finishes, which has then led on to going to work after, and finishing late too. Lost a lot of hours, but gunna be worth the effort. Still got loads more uni work to do too, such as continuing dissertation and starting RnD work as well as some media cultural question thing for an assignment, oh and applying for a resit assignment. Hard times. But to push through.

So filming and cinema work aside, filling in BBC job applications has been quite exciting but equally nerve wrecking. Some of the questions were really hard, and the creativity test was dreadful! Time limit to answer questions with as many ideas as possible! Nightmare! I'm hoping my answers are good enough. There would be no words to describe my happiness if I got accepted onto the BBC Production Trainee Programme. Took me a couple of days to get it filled in, so fingers crossed I get something out of it!

I've also had to manically clean my room for flat inspections and hide things I didn't want to be seen. The annoying thing was that I was left to clean the kitchen by myself without help of flat mates, and we failed the inspection, because I refused to do every little thing. Then when we were scheduled for another flat inspection because the first round failed, I was left to do everything again! Which I really didn't need on top of mountain load of work and being at work. But there you go. Hopefully I will be left alone with inspections now. But probs doubtful with it being Easter Hols.

From the little free time I've had, I have managed to see two films. One being "Shutter Island", the other, "Inglorious Basterds"

I plan on writing a review on "Shutter Island" later, when I have some more spare time.

Anyway, in other news, I am pregnant, and have a new kitten. (Not really, it was an April Fool I played on my family and friends earlier, was entertaining)

Anyway, I should probably get back to concentrating on this darn dissertation before I have to go and film a house party scene for my single camera project.

Toodles for now!

End of an Era

The past couple of weeks have been awful. Really awful. The other day, I pretty cut all ties with one of my best friends who was in the list of top ten most important people to me. But after a series of events that he has caused, I've felt I can no longer continue our friendship. Luckily a fair few of my friends have agreed with me, but there have been the odd few I thought I could count on for some form of support that have disappointed me.

He is publicly bitching about me, calling me names and making up malicious lies. I know that after all that, if there was ever a chance of talking things through and potentially making up, they are deffo off the cards now because of his actions. I've done nothing wrong, and have nothing to be sorry for. I just want to carry on with my life, yet he is determined to make my life miserable by bitching about my constantly, clearly, to all his friends. People I know and get on with. If shoe was on the other foot, I actually wouldn't do any of that, because I actually have respect for people. It's such a hypocrite too, because if it were the other way round, he'd be demanding to have it all taken down too.

I just hope I can get on the next few months of my life at uni without having to deal with his bullshit. That's probably asking for too much though.

Mother's Day and Almost Broken Noses.

Today I have been writing my Mother's Day cards. Yes, note the plural. The reason why I am writing this blog now rather then waiting for the actual day is for several significant reasons. One, I'm working all day and all night Sunday, two, my mother does not read this blog, and pretty sure she doesn't even know it exists anyway, so she won't be spoiled.

So writing the cards today made me sad. This is because the second Mother's Day card was not for my mother, but for my Nanna. My mum's mum. She passed away over a year ago now. I can't believe it's been that long. There isn't a day nor hour that goes by when I don't think about her. She deserves a Mother's Day card for the rest of the years I am alive and able to accomplish. Perhaps even when I have kids I will make them carry on my new tradition.

Anyway, I wrote a draft of what to write in her card, and those close to me, or just family may only read this with the emotion I was supposed to convey.

"Even though you are no longer with us,

My thoughts of you are with me everyday.

Despite not being able to have hugs and kisses with you any more,

I know you are alive in me and the rest of the family.

And therefore, I thank you

For blessing us with that honour.

My love, hugs, kisses and thoughts with you particularly on this day.

Thank you for being one of the most important people in my life.

To a Special Nanna, forever in my heart."

Lots of Love, Zoe

xxxx

So I've sent that off with my regular Mother's day card for my actual mum. Hopefully both my mum should get her's in the post tomorrow, and my Poppa get Nanna's in the post tomorrow too. Both envelopes say to save it for Sunday. I hope they do.

I've had another strange surge of energy at stupid o'clock again. Which is bad, because I have work in the morning, and working all day, and supposed to be partying all night, and then I'll be working all day and night Sunday. Then it's back to Monday with meetings and lectures. Not good. But I guess I'll survive.

Anyway, on other news, last night I went out, as mentioned in my previous blog, for law society elections. Emily won! YAY! And we all went and let our hair down in "the Cell", where it was a good night of drinking and dancing. Everyone pretty much got drunk apart from me, and I felt a little meh, but never mind, I was enjoying myself overall.

Until I got head butted.

It was an accident of course.

But it f***ing hurt! Annoying, my nose didn't bleed, nor did it break, bruise, swell, cause concision, or anything! Except hurt! Alot! See, the pain would have been WORTH it if there was substantial evidence that I had been nutted. I was concerned, however, over the pain, and I certainly could not continue my night out, so I headed home. And what should I find outside the night club as I leave? An ambulance! Sure, they were attending to someone else, but there was a paramedic to spare, and a couple of policemen. Nice, concerning policemen. So I walk over to them, and ask if they would take a look at my nose, as I accident got head butted.

So the nice policeman ushered over the spare paramedic who lead me into the ambulance to take a look. After testing for where all the pain was, and judging if it was broken or not, asking me questions like "are you dizzy?" "was there bleeding?" "do you feel nauseous?" "does your eye hurt too?" etc, he came to the conclusion that my nose was fine, and was obviously just feeling the after effect of being nutted. So he sent me on my merry way, despite being concerned I was walking home along (I only live five minutes away from the night club). He thought someone would need to watch me in case I did get dizzy and slip into unconsciousness. I was tired anyway, so whether I fell asleep due to being head butted, or just general tiredness, it was a win win in my eyes. I only felt the need to get it checked out right there and then because I had work the next day in the evening.

So I got advised if I did feel dizzy or nauseous, or if the pain got worse, or it was evident I clearly wasn't alright, or I started to bleed a lot, then to call an ambulance.

None of these things happened, which I was disappointed about, because, as I said before, it would have been worth the pain then.

While getting stamps at the post office today, I decided to pick up a passport form, because I am going to Spain in the summer for Benicassim 2010 festival. So excited. However, my passport is out of date by three years, so need a new one for July... and I dread getting my photo sorted. I hate that you now have to tuck your hair behind your ears so you show your ears. I mean, really. What's the point? I don't get it. It's a stupid rule, and it's going to make my face look stupid, my hair look stupid and me overall, stupid! Grrr. Hair is at too awkward length to make it look like a decent photo.

But I suppose everyone hates their passport photo, or am I wrong there?

Anyway, it's going to take some planning, a good hair and make-up day and good luck to try and get a descent passport photo. Finger crossed. *sigh*

Over & Out.

Lots of Things to do Today

University wise, quite busy today. Aside from the usual uni work that needs to be done, tonight is the Law Society elections, where all Law Society members such as myself have to vote for the new president. It's a fight between Emily Bergin and James Spittlehouse.

I'm not going to be subtle about it, I'm voting for Emily Bergin.

So the voting sesh is taking place as... surprise, surprise, a student friendly bar the public know as 'The Glass House', and us students know as 'The Office'.

Quite look forward to a session of letting my hair down tonight by a drinking session at 'The Cell' tonight too. Ok, it's actually called 'Scy' now, but I refuse to acknowledge this change!

Right, must go and make myself look pretty. Bye.

Uni Work – same old, same old

Today a vital book for my dissertation arrived. It was recommended by a friend who is doing a similar study to me relating to fan culture. "Fan Cultures" by Matt Hills. I'm breaking into it now as at the moment for my dissertation I am researching fandom and fan culture side of my dissertation. I've already submitted questionnaires to do with audience research and 'LOST' fandom on several 'LOST' fan forums and on my other blog fal108-themediastudent.blogspot.com where followers or viewers e-mail me via my dissertation e-mail thelostdissertation@hotmail.co.uk. So far, the dissertation of writing it into words, is going slow, so I am praying that the more research stuff I do, the more books, articles, journals and online stuff I read, then I might get a light bulb that might charge the super speed writer in me that I am used too.

So, on top of my 10,000 word dissertation to write, I also have to take part in the production of a 20 minute film, a research and development project where I have to research a company, get an interview and aim to get either an internship there or a job for after graduation. On top of all that, I also have to write an essay on contemporary media. All by May 7^th, however, dissertation, which is the bigger of both projects at the moment, has to be in for first week in April. Is that doable? Well, I guess I am about to find out. I really don't have any choice in the matter. Oh, and I also forgot to mention an in-course retrieval to do. Basically, that means re-sitting an assignment that I failed last semester – "Horror and Fantasy" – which I failed as it had to be sacrificed to ensure group work was completed for another project at the same time.

Ok, so my readers' maybe thinking that "why are you wasting your time writing a blog on here, rather then getting down with your studies?" – simple answer, it's what I do when I run into a writer's block, or I need a break, or as a warm up.

So... apart from uni work, what's new with me? Well, nothing much really. Just been doing my usual hours at work (the odeon), which does me just fine. I enjoy it, which helps. Also means I've already seen the new Alice in Wonderland film, which I think was really good. Not what I expect, but very enjoyable, and to the standards I expect from Tim Burton. I was also quite shocked to how short the film was then I would expect. Went in for the film at eight o'clock and was out by just after 10pm. When you include adverts and trailers which are normally twenty to half an hour long, that pretty much adds up to the film being just over an hour and a half long. Maybe I'm just used to films these days being at least two hours long.

Other films I've seen recently have been 'Leap Year' and 'The Lovely Bones'. 'Leap Year' was surprisingly funny. I thought it was going to be a typical, really corny, really cheesy, shitty film, but I actually found it really entertaining, and was laughing a lot of the way through. My friend told me she thought that Matthew Goode could not do an Irish accent, but it was good enough for me. The ending was predictably cheesy, and in that way, a bit disappointing, however, the rest of it was worth a giggle. What is it about the Irish that makes them so damn attractive?

I found 'The Lovely Bones' one of the most emotional films I've ever watched. I've not read the book yet, so I am unable to compare the two. I always do this if I know a film is coming out based on a book. I've learnt my lesson on this. As a general rule, I always find that the films are never better then the book they are based on, so since I learnt this, I have been watching the film before I read the book, then I usually find I enjoy the book even more. Ok, I've kinda cheated with reading all the 'Twilight' books before each film has come out separately, but I figured that I would run into too many spoilers in-between the making of each of the other films. Anyway, back to 'The Lovely Bones'. There were so many moments in the film that either made me cry, or made me want to cry. It made me think so much of myself and my relationship with my dad, and placing myself and my dad in the shoes of Suzie and her father, Jack. It made me think of how destroyed my dad would be if what happened to Suzie had happened to me when I was fourteen. Then it made me think how I'd feel if I had lost my own child in such away.

Basically, Peter Jackson did a superb job with the film, and I would definitely watch it again. It was so beautiful. Although never with my dad. That would be horrible.

Anyway, it's late. I better get in some more reading and note taking for a little while and then some good earned rest. Busy, busy, busy day tomorrow. Much needed trip to the gym, taking back a dress to the shops due to it being a bad quality that it broke on my first night of wearing it. A seam came undone and the zip broke. NOT impressed. So that, and uni work, and then important law society events in the evening.

So I am going to say ciao for now, and hopefully, I'll write again soon!

Zoe.

DISSERTATION AUDIENCE INTERACTION QUESTIONNAIRE!

Hello all,

For those that do not know me, my name is Zoe, a third year media student at the University of Lincoln, and for my Dissertation, I am studying ‘LOST’ and its fan culture. I need your help! If as many of you could please take a few moments of any free time to spare answering my questions, that would be fantastic! There are fifteen questions in total.

First set of questions is to do with the type of audience ‘LOST’ attracts for my audience research:
1. How old are you?
2. Are you male or female?
3. What do you do for a living? Are you employed, unemployed, student, retired etc?
4. Are you an aspirer or a homemaker?
5. Do you think ‘LOST’ is for a narrow audience or broad audience?

And now for the questions on ‘LOST’

1. What is the appeal of lost to you?

2. How many ‘LOST’ forums are you a member of?

3. Do you part take in any fan culture activities? Such as fan fiction, fan videos, fan art, etc?

4. What would you consider as fan activity apart from the aspects I mentioned?

5. Do you look for spoilers, or avoid them?

6. Is six seasons enough, or would you rather there be more episodes to come?

7. To what extend does your fandom go?

8. Have you ever attended a ‘LOST’ convention, and if so, how were they conducted, and what did you do at them?

9. Would you go to Hawaii to go on the tour of the ‘LOST’ set, and if so, what would you get most excited about seeing?

10. Do your friends ever get tired of your expressed fandom of ‘LOST’, and would you consider yourself as an ‘Annoying Lost Fan’?

Thank you very much for your help, you can keep up-to-date with the progress of this dissertation if you follow my other blog: fal108-themediastudent.blogspot.com

Poem.... :S It's crap.

Wrote this poem while at work today...

I woke up this morning very stressed,
It's clear to anyone that I'm not impressed,
I could not sleep last night.
It's pissing me off to the point
Where I could cry.
It's becoming more and more of a problem.
An Insomniac's Nightmare.
I now see sleep as a luxury to be fair.
Oh, how I crave sleep where dreams unfold...
Where adventures beyond reality to behold...
How I hope I might sleep tonight,
Although that's as likely
As pokemon that won't fight.

HERO!

The Master's Drumming Song

A video dedicated to the Master. Song used 'Drumming Song' by Florence and + Machine. When I first heard this song last year, I knew a Master vid would be perfect! However, I wanted to wait til the Christmas special episode before I started making the vid to get the most I could out of the video. So here it is, hope you enjoy!

Comment. Rate. Subscribe.

Disclaimer: All audio and video clips belong to either that of the BBC or Florence and + Machine. I do not own a thing. Made for entertainment purposes only.

Diet Diaries Day 1 (Wednesday - Saturday)

Ok, with it being a new year, and three years of getting more and more overweight, and I am finally doing something about it. The only problem is, I get very tempted by food, and although I've decided not to diet, and just exercise, however, watch what I am eating, e.g. cutting out chocolate, crisps, chips, etc, I decided to motivate myself by publicly publishing my progress which should hopefully help me loose the weight instead of gaining, or staying the same.

So, on Friday, after my gym session, I got on the BMI scale, and was astounded at the results. Bearing in mind, I haven't weighed myself since some point in my first year at uni, and I was pushing into 13 stone. So yes, the results were disturbing. And hear I am, a woman about to reveal her weight to the world.

The results: (5'5.3 height) 14st and 1lb. That is a BMI weight of 32.44, and my BMI weight should be between 18.5-25. That's 8st - 10st 12lb for someone of my height. Now, I am leveling off my weight to 14st, as I count the 1lb as my clothes, as I was wearing them when I weighed myself.

My aim is to get down to 10st for my birthday on the 27th May, of course, any more then that would be amazing. Overall, I want to get down to 9st, so, internet, help me out and motivate me!

Progress so far:

Went to gym on Wednesday, burnt off about 1,000 calories.
Went to gym on Firday, burnt off over 1,000 calories.
Intended to buy wii fit plus today for days I don't go to gym, however, every shop in town is inconveniently sold out :\ Buying one as soon as possible. Would have gone to gym today instead if I had known sooner, as gym closes at half five on a Saturday.
Next scheduled weigh in will be next Friday.

Over and out.