Category: Writing

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Time to type every word I know: Coffee, Writing, Iron Man, Duck

As you may know, I enjoy participating in the various gift exchanges through Reddit Gifts.  It’s like doing a secret santa, only with thousands of other people, and for specific categories of things.

I was so pleased to open my Coffee Exchange parcel yesterday!  My package came from Macedonia– and contained Turkish coffee!  I tried making a cup this morning, and it was delicious (Without cream?!  Amazing.).  Very flavourful, and unusual.

In writing news, my short story “The First Gentlemen’s Galactic Scavenger Hunt” has been shortlisted for the World Weaver Press anthology, “Far Orbit- Speculative Space Adventures”.  I’d be super happy to see this one in print; I feel like it’s actually a project I’d like to expound upon a bit.  A scavenger hunt in space: what’s not to love?

I have also entered my screenplay in a contest to win tickets to PitchFest, where I would get a chance to hook a studio.  That would be totally mathematical.

Currently, I’m continuing a read-through of my Spell Carriers series, and I’m into the second book.  The first book took me three days, though it would have taken less if I weren’t making edits here and there.  It was a pretty easy read.  Trook Hunters starts off more complex, having had book one to set it up.

Anyway!  Enough ramblings.  What’s important here is seeing how they did the Arc Reactor makeup for Iron Man.

Painting on the latex.

A lot of latex.

A good sport.

Different colours for the different layers.

Airbrushed to make it look real!

They can peel the latex back and make it look like skin.

Final effect: amazing.

And, seeing as I have duck brining in the fridge, this:


:O

Well, I’ll keep you posted.  I hope one of these days to have some truly excellent news for you.  For now, I’ll keep at it.  I know that one day all this work I’m doing will pay off.  I hope it’s soon, but I’m in it for the long haul.  🙂

Cheers guys.

Heidi out.

PS: Leaked Jurassic Park 4 logo!

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Remove Head from Sand

I get so focused on writing that I forget to see what else is going on.  There’s a ton of great blogs out there, and I don’t read them as much as I should (if you’re reading mine, you have my deepest thanks).

So I was doing some catching up, and found the following:

Robert J. Sawyer is doing a book tour.

Query Letter FAQs!

Patrick Rothfuss had a good video to post about Ira Glass on art (get well soon Mr. Rothfuss!).

And as for me, well, I’ve spent the last three days reading over my first novel, book one in the Spell Carriers series, a fantasy epic.  I am so pleased that it is not terrible!  My writing has evolved, for sure, but it still flows, and holds me in a way that surprises me- to not be able to put down a book that I wrote?  What is this fresh narcissism?  I genuinely enjoy it, and am really relieved to see that it holds up against my newer works.

And it’s the first time I’ve read it in my new program, Scrivener.  I had to teach it all the new words, all the new names.  And that first time I right click a name and say “learn spelling” is rather magical; for I can see into the future of the characters, and know what a journey they have to come, and it’s wonderful.

Characters I introduce in book one go on to have major parts in book two, and to see their conception, when I didn’t even know how great they would become, leaves me glowing.

So yes, reviewing, and removing one’s head from the sand.  I will try and do this more; there’s a lot of great stuff being posted about this great and mad endeavour of writing.

Thanks for reading.

Heidi out.

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A Labyrinth of Pear Trees

Last night, I had a culinary experience.  My brother-in-law and husband arranged a dinner for four as a birthday present for our bff (my bro’s beau, if you will), and I was the fourth.  We went to Pear Tree, an award winning gourmet restaurant.

We had five courses over two and a half hours, and it was spectacular.  I had something happen that’s never happened before.  When I had the bite of creme brûlée with the bit of pear with it, tears, actual tears, came to my eyes.  I love pear.  And this was a taste of heaven, elevated to the highest of heights.  It was wonderful, and to share it with three of my favourite people in the world, well, it was just incredible.

I’ve been checking in with my writing friends, and I was so pleased to see that one of them, a screenwriter, has obtained representation in LA.  Big time!  This is incredible.  The novelists equivalent would be scoring an agent in New York, which I hope to do soon.  It’s really nice seeing other writers have some success.

Meanwhile, I read my past works.  My first book has held up surprisingly well, even though I’ve evolved as a writer quite a bit since its completion.

And for some reason, this comic came to mind, and made me chuckle.  Oglaf, often NSFW, is hilarious, and this is my favourite one:  http://oglaf.com/labyrinth/

That’s all for now, folks.

Heidi out.

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Checking in, Space, Baby Cakes

I have spent the morning reading over past short stories, seeing if can do any work on them, or perhaps adapt them for the screen.  Seems as though I’ve been infected with the screenwriting bug, and it’s addling my brain into wanting to write more scripts.

Good?  Bad?  I never wanted to write short stories; they were supposed to be a stepping stone for larger projects.  And now that I’ve had some success getting them published, what do?  :O

While I’m bandying that about in my head, I will see if any of my fellow writers need a second set of eyes on anything.  I’ve contacted a few of my writing-exchange peeps, and maybe I can help them out with whatever they’re working on.

Oh hey, did you ever want to know how many people are in space right now?

Heh.  Spoiler: it’s 6.  I can’t wait until we’re in the tripple digits for this.  I am ever excited to see how space exploration progresses in my short window of observation (another what, seventy years?).  🙂

And now, BABY CAKES!  Teeny, tiny cakes.  They were fun.  My friend and I made them before games day, and then the group feasted on the fruits of our labour.

Getting the components all laid out:

Cutting the mini-cupcakes to size:

Taking up the whole table:

Some of the finished products: (d20 for scale!)

So tiny!

The two-layer cakes were amazing.

Each one more adorable than the last!


Tiny LAYER cake you say?

Heh.  Sure was fun.

Bonus pic: our SUPER close game of Lords of Waterderp (this was before we scored our Lords mind you, but WOW!):

Good thing I’m back at the gym again!  Nice to be able to indulge every now and then.

Cheers guys.  Hope you’re feeling as good as I do right now.  😀

Heidi out.

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Victory Hot Chocolate: The Melting of Kings

So I made those marshmallows, and they turned out great!

Making Marshmallows.

Cut them into cubes with scissors.

Melting into the hot chocolate…

One for Aaron too.  🙂

*Gloop!*

Perfect

A great way to end the week.  It was brain intensive; I didn’t anticipate that big of an edit before my Nicholl Fellowship deadline, but, well, the script is way better for it.

And now, I’m off to Bon’s to meet a friend for breakfast, and then another friend I are are continuing down the ‘tiny-food-making’ path, and decorating *tiny* cakes.  Of course, pics to follow.

If you’re looking for a short story to read, I suggest “All Quiet on the Temporal Front” by Bennett R. Coles.  His Sci-Fi fu is fantastic.  Now that I’m not in the thick of editing, I’m going back to read his “Virtues of War“, which is incredible so far.

Cheers guys.

Heidi out.

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Deadline in mere hours? Time to learn how to make marshmallows!

But seriously, the script is almost completely done.  I just have a few things to check, using the intertubes.  I’ve spent three days reading it over and making final adjustments, minor tweaks, and even a few major ones.  I’ve shaved pages off of it to try and get it down to a more acceptable length (145 pages currently).

So, in a few hours, I will be submitting it to The Academy.  I will hear back from them in October, I think.  In the mean time, I’ll be shopping it around.  And writing, always writing!  I’ll keep you guys posted.  In a few days I’ll have another story in print.

But yeah, I’m totally making marshmallows.  They’re setting in a pan right now.  And then I will have the most glorious Victory Hot Chocolate you’ve ever seen.  🙂

{Behold, my standard hot chocolate}

Later crocodiles.

Heidi out.

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Cut cut cut, think think think

I have two scenes that need to be cut from the script, I know it.  I just… have to figure out how.  There’s some pertinenent information in them that I’ll have to move elsewhere.

Today went well.  Cleaved off a few parts that were superfluous.  Hopefully my sleeping brain can help me find a way to do the rest tomorrow morning.

Big thanks to the VPD who answered my 911 call about a guy screaming at 5AM… they came by and picked him up and I got to go back to sleep.  I wasn’t even sure where he was, but they found him.  I phoned later to followup and thank them.  🙂

…Did I say something about posting more food pictures?  Well these ones are of TINY food, made of candy.  They were all really fun to make!  Enjoy.



Link to the album!

Cheers guys.

Heidi out.

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Nicholl Fellowship Deadline Looms! …and food is delicious.

I am going to be doing the last of the final edit tomorrow, then sending in the screenplay adaptation to the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship.  (See my previous post here!)  I’m way excited!

My husband and I have been going to the gym every other day.  Some health problems have rendered me pretty inactive for several months, but they have largely been controlled.  …hurry up, orthodics, I apparently DO need you to walk now :<  Feels better to be getting fitter again.  Rowing machine to strengthen up my back.  Elliptical to burn calories.  …so I can eat delicious things.

I do love food.  I have a rather unhealthy relationship with it, but I’m working on that too.  Counting calories is great; I still eat whatever I want, just, less.  🙂  PS MELONA BARS ARE AMAZING

OK!  So I wanted to share some pictures.  Pictures of food.  Oh wait, am I one of *those*? Hah, apparently yes, yes I am.  But the crux of it is that I cook for my friends a lot, and I love it, and sometimes I take pictures!

So here are some.  🙂

D’OH!

Pomello Seeds look like Teeth!

Mediterranean Pizza is Great

And so is Hawaiian with Mushrooms!

I do not think this pizza is big enough…

Because anything less than a four-layer cake would have been… illogical.

Let’s BEE friends!

Heh.  Thanks for letting me share.  That’s all for now with the random food.

Up next, much more specific food!   …Including, tiny, miniature, candy sushi.

Cheers.

Heidi out.

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THE END.

Well, the first draft of my screenplay is finished!  My latest novel, Luka and Iso, is adapted for the silver screen.  I have editing to do still of course, and actually quite a large chunk that I need to compress…  But the bulk is done.

Typing those two words, “THE END.” at the finish was actually far more satisfying than I thought it would be.   After all, I’ve written three books and dozens of short stories… but none of them actually have the words “THE END.” at the end.  They just sort of- stop.

But with the screenplay, it’s customary to put “THE END.” at the end.  And it felt good.

And now, as is my custom, I will take a break from it for two weeks, and work on a short story.  I’ll come back to it fresh, wielding my axe in one hand and my scalpel in the other.  Both help me cut away, in broad, messy chunks, followed up with precise, delicate cuts.

So good readers, Happy New Year.  I wish you the best of luck with all your creative endeavours!

Cheers,

Heidi