Video diary, day fifty six.

I'm sorry for not posting. Blame the French.

But the good news is that I only have one more exam before my month long break officially begins! It's just 30 minutes of Art History that's standing in the way of me and some glorious nap and American Horror Story time. And writing, of course. I've got notebooks to fill up before I get more.

Speaking of writing, I've done some excellent work in that department. I've completed the second draft of The Decoder, worked a lot on The Rogue General. And, equally as exciting, my good friend Tyler started to read The Decoder, and he said that it's really good so far. Now, Tyler loves a lot of things, but I honestly think he isn't just saying that. I screamed and cried tears of happiness anyway. No big deal.

Tomorrow Vivian and I will have our editing party. Which means hours of snacking and writing fuuuuuun. There will, of course, be pictures.

Listen!
Primavera - Ludovico Einaudi
I Wouldn't Mind - He Is We
Guns and Horses - Ellie Goulding
Jasey Rae (acoustic) - All Time Low
Misguided Ghosts - Paramore

I'd like to point out that these sorts of pictures only happen to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z033qOyNyqg

Video diary, day fifty three.

I talked about it a bit in the video, but today was just a very, very strange day. I met some interesting people and  had a lot of really great conversations. And they came at a wonderful time, because I always need references for realistic dialect.

After completing my essay at the beautiful time of five o'clock this morning, I fell asleep for six hours and then proceeding to wallow in tiredness until Marley insisted I go out. After I got back I wrote about three good pages, scrapping a lot of the crap from the first draft. The key is pizza with pineapple. That is what gets the creative and productive juices flowing.

Listen!
Kids - MGMT
The Call -Regina Spektor
Only the Beginning of the Adventure - Narnia Soundtrack 

Check us out. Sophomore year, that's what's up.

Video diary, day fifty two.

Today has both been awesome and kind of weird. I woke up really late and then loaded up on caffeine and I read a lot but I feel like my writing just isn't very good today. I'm super happy but at the same time everything is depressing me? I don't know, something weird is going on with my brain. Maybe it's because my sleep patterns are eternally screwed. Thanks, college.

I have a paper to write, but after I'm done with that (it's only four to five pages), I'll be trying to work a little bit more. If I don't fall asleep. Honestly, I watched the video of me and Matt and Kelsey dancing like twelve times and started crying so I'm a little too fragile to write emotional stuff at the moment, and that's where I am in the book.

I have this really weird hate of silence. I absolutely hate it.
Hearts Out to Dry - Dia Frampton
Kids (MGMT cover) - Jack's Mannequin
Hello, Cold World (Paramore cover) - Sam Yung
Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy
Helena Beat - Foster the People

Believe it or not, I'm actually sort of running out of bad pictures of myself. I've gone back to Facebook albums from sophomore year to make sure that I have enough to hold the blog over until there's another time I'm around a camera. This picture is from senior year, but omg sophomore year... they were dark times, Harry.

Video diary, day fifty one.

So, last night the internet was down. Campus wide. And even though I had this video all ready for upload at 10 p.m., for once, I couldn't do it. I was beyond frustrated, but I did get a lot of quality writing done. So far, I've added five pages and around 4,000 words. What's that smell? I think it's success.

I'm pretty pleased with how the ~new draft is coming together, although editing part two is causing a bit of a headache. I never counted on actually having to cut stuff out. It feels like I'm tearing the limbs off of my newborn child and replacing them with mechanical arms. That's so weird. I think I've been watching a little too much American Horror Story.

If you don't watch American Horror Story, I highly recommend that you start. It's not really scary, it's more messed up and confusing than anything else. Like I'm just now starting to understand what's going on. But I'm sure they'll pull something out of nowhere to give me more emotional stress. As though I didn't have enough anxiety over fictional characters already.

On a completely unrelated note, Dia Frampton just released her solo album and it is absolutely fantastic. That girl has been my hero since I was like twelve, and I am just too proud of her. Get it, girl.

I feel like I should make a list of people who I classify as one of my heroes. But that is just such a long list. I'll save it for an important speech that will be filmed, I think.

I would also like to let all of you know that Matt, Kelsey and I were asked to join a boy band. I'm the really good dancer in the middle, in case you couldn't tell.

Quality sounds:
Isabella - Dia Frampton
Sink - Brand New
Identify - The Maine
Cough Syrup - Young the Giant
Princess of China - Coldplay

Who said that college would make me mature...?

Non-video diary, day fifty.

So today was one of those days where I literally rolled out of bed and somehow dragged myself to class (or in today's case, an oral exam for French, which I really, really hope I did well on), and I just couldn't bring myself to make a video of my terrible looking, broken out face. I apologize, and I will make a super excellent video tomorrow.

On the upside, I got an incredibly grand amount of work done today! Not only did I sort out what needs to happen in The Decoder to make it quality, but I actually wrote a good bit of it. I'm close to halfway filling up a really lovely notebook that Vivian got me last Christmas, and I think I will accomplish that tomorrow. The second draft isn't so much a makeover (because I picked over everything so much before writing the final chapter) but an addition. I've realized how much I left out of The Decoder, especially as I've been writing the second book. Which I've put under the working title, The Rogue General, though that is most likely going to change. Anyway, as I've been writing that, I've realized that I've left massive details out of The Decoder, and The Rogue General is going to make no sense without that. 

Honestly, I'm just glad I realized that now rather than when the book is about to go to print.

I can happily say that with the addition of just one bit (not even a full chapter, which is what I'm about to do!), the draft is now 117 pages and 74,648 words! This is very exciting! And it's only going to get better from this point forward.

The sensitive writer problems are starting to show up. I don't want to go to a party tomorrow because I'd rather be writing and watching American Horror Story. I need to just quit college life and live in a cave or something.

Listen to these songs or the Giants will rise and destroy Olympus:

In the Mourning - Paramore

When I'm At Home - The Maine

Don't Kick the Chair - Dia Frampton

Set Yourself on Fire - Stars

Fire (Aim Your Arrows High) - VersaEmerge

Enjoy these cute picture of Kelsey, some of my sisters, and my cute self.

Inspirational Playlist

I'm doing this because I can and because I need it.

1. Go the Distance - Roger Bart
2. Smarter - Eisley
3. Status Quo - Joey Richter
4. What If - Meg & Dia
5. Weightless - All Time Low
6. Fly - Nicki Minaj
7. More Than This - Vanessa Carlton
8. Defying Gravity - Idina Menzel
9. Hold Onto What You Believe - Mumford & Sons
10. Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
11. Admit It! - Say Anything
12. Only If For a Night - Florence + the Machine
13. Marching On - One Republic
14. Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last For a Night) - All Time Low
15. Ablaze - Armchair Cynics
16. No Way - Starkid

Video diary, day forty nine.

Despite my severe lack of sleep and the unfortunate resemblance to a pile of poop, today was actually quite a success. I owned several letters in English (I'm that annoying girl who loves to edit other people's work), took a nap, didn't pass out in art and then completed another successful nap immediately following that. I ate food, which is one of my favorite things to do, then went to Target with some lovely people, had some quality chats with the glorious people of the third floor and now I'm doing laundry.

The best part about today, though, was the wonderful realization I had. I realized exactly what The Decoder is missing, and exactly how I can fix it. I'm so excited! Of course, I'm quite embarrassed that I didn't realize it all sooner, but I'm learning as I go along, so come on.

Classes wrap up on Wednesday, and Thursday is a designated "study day", which actually means that I will be writing, eating and sleeping like a total boss. Get ready, because things are gonna get crazy.

Listen!
Monument - Carina Round
My Baby's Better Than Yours - Meg & Dia
I've Got A Dark Alley and a Bad Idea that Says You Should Shut Your Mouth - Fall Out Boy
The Con - Tegan and Sara
Lullabies - All Time Low

We're model material, wouldn't you say so?

Video diary, day forty eight.

This is the most disconnected my thoughts have been in awhile. I drank a lot of coffee and I honestly don't know what's wrong with me tonight. I've been doing a lot of talking to myself and reading about Scooby Doo. I rolled a pomegranate across my keyboard and managed to turn of my touch pad. I'm talented like that.

Early today I received an email letting me know that one agent isn't the one for me. Although I was initially a little bit sad, it's totally okay because there are hundreds of other agents and one of them will be exactly the total boss that's right for me. So I will not give up. NEVER SURRENDER!

Last night was Delta Gamma formal and it was rather awesome. As I said there would be, a goldmine of cute pics came out of the event. I don't know what it is about wearing a dress and heels that brings out the super model in me. (the last one is super awkward on purpose... I sent it to my mom and told her it was the only one we had time for. She caught my bluff.)

Video diary, day forty six.

Busy Friday was busy, but it went very well. I didn't sleep through English (which was a very real possibility due to the coffee consumption of last night), I spoke my mind and used nice words, we accomplished nice things during the Harry Potter Club council meeting and I think that my interview went really well. I hope that I get the counselor job so I can influence my kids. That's the real goal: brainwashing.

Now, in my English class today, a piece of work was read aloud to us by a fellow student. I'm not easily angered and I'm not incredibly confrontational (ask Kelsey. The last thing I'd ever be sorted as would be Gryffindor), but her work upset me to a point at which I had to tell her that it was absolutely horrible. I have a problem with people who are cocky, have a bad attitude towards work and/or authority, who think they're the most hilarious person to walk the Earth, despise their parents and let everyone know it, and a whole slew of other things. I've never met a person who embodies all of those things until this year, and I hope that I never come in contact with such a personality again. Anyway, she read aloud to the class about how she is an amazing writer, didn't need the course, and made it fun by injecting her personality and personal knowledge into the essays. She went onto state that she didn't care about the course, going so far as to address the letter to "Those Who May Judge Me" and signing off as "Careless College Freshman". The cherry on top was the mispronunciation of epitome, and thus I volunteered my critique for the first time all year.

Wow, that ended up getting much longer than I thought it would. I just have a lot of feelings about writing, I guess.

Anyway, because of my busy day, I haven't done much book writing, except for reviewing the bits I wrote yesterday. Surprisingly, I still like them, and they flow well with the rest of what I had on that part. I'm full of surprises lately.

Songs!
The Immigrant Song - Karen O.
I Miss You - Incubus
Heavy Rope - Lights
Forever in Love - Brighten
In Our Bedroom After the War - Stars

I'm oblivious to assassination attempts.

Video diary, day forty five.

Today I actually forced myself to pay attention in French, because our exam is coming up very soon and I refuse to get a B without a kicking and screaming fight. This led to me only writing a little bit, but it was very, very good and very important. Like I mentioned in the video, I was simply rewriting a scene that I've written a thousand times, but I think I finally got it right. Hallelujah!

I was out shopping with Demi today, and found three Percy Jackson books for a grand total of just six dollars. Needless to say, I was about to cry and I made sure everyone knew about it as soon as possible.

This upcoming weekend is super busy but I'm going to find some time to write even if it means I have to multitask, which I probably will have to. Luckily for my "Cute Blogging" folder, formal events always yield a great deal of awkward pictures of me, so I'll have plenty of new material. And I'm going with Tyler, so the pictures are definitely going to be, ah, interesting.

I want all of you to know how I'm doing my hair for formal on Saturday. This is absolutely essential knowledge:
http://www.keikolynn.com/2011/07/hair-tutorial-braided-do.html

I sort of really wish that I didn't have to wait until Wednesday for the new episode of American Horror Story. It's physically painful. I hate being strung along by a TV show like this. Curse you, Ryan Murphy!!

Listen to these quality songs:
Do You - Carina Round
Us - Regina Spektor
Therapy - All Time Low
Smarter - Eisley
The Writer - Ellie Goulding

Demi says that sometimes I look like a Rage Comic.

Video diary, day forty four.

I've never properly expressed my intense love of my pillow pet, Draco. He's named for Draco Malfoy, naturally, but I chose his name because I adore A Very Potter Musical, Starkid and Lauren Lopez's portrayal of his character. Draco has been to Disney World, he and I beat pneumonia together and now he's come to college with me. I'm majoring in English and he's majoring in Hematology... the study of blood.

Anyway, I stayed up until like four in the morning and somehow managed to drag myself to my nine a.m. class without passing out. It surprised me too, as I've already managed to sleep through two classes this semester. My Ravenclaw heart almost couldn't take the shame. Which is why I invested my mother's money in a coffee mug the size of a soup bowl. So far it's doing wonders.

During Honor's Forum (read: during study hall), I wrote three or four good pages of stuff for Part Two of the second book. It's unf worthy. If you don't know what that means, just know that it's gonna be really exciting.

Last night when I was in the shower trying not to have a panic attack I decided that my ultimate goal is to create something that the people of Tumblr will like. Because if Tumblr likes something, Tumblr really likes something and they won't stop until everyone and their dog knows about it. It seems that the way to get something done is to get Tumblr as involved as possible, and to get them to tell all their friends. It could happen.

Also last night, I emailed four agents. I mentioned this in the video, but I don't think I'll ever be able to accurately describe the intense feelings of anxiety and elation when I sent off the first one. Then after that it was like I couldn't be stopped, and I was dancing around the room. By then it was three a.m. and I couldn't fall asleep because I was too excited and eventually I just passed out or something.

Okay, tonight's episode of American Horror Story literally had me screaming and I wanted to sob my eyes out because DAT PREVIEW. I don't know if I can handle it emotionally and physically. Hahhhh.

Listen to these delicious songs:
Ambulance - Eisley
Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met) - Panic! at the Disco
Human - Civil Twilight
The Cave - Mumford & Sons
Heavy in Your Arms - Florence + the Machine

The largest underwear you can purchase at Target is plus size 13... I didn't know what I expected, but I was pleased.

Video diary, day forty three.

Today, for whatever reason, I decided it would be a great idea to drink enough coffee to kill a newborn baby and I transformed into this incredibly productive little demon. Which is excellent news because I now have a completed and polished query letter, which I am going to send off to four agents as soon as I finish this blog post. And I didn't even have one panic attack.

Every ounce of nervousness I had earlier today has been replaced with excitement. I'll probably return to a horribly anxious state once it comes time to wait for the responses, but right now I'm just chipper.

Will I cry and scream and roll around on my floor a la Lauren Lopez in A Very Potter Musical if I get a request for a full or even a partial? Absolutely. And you can bet that I will blog about it.

Listen to these songs to prevent the Titan war:
Ablaze - Armchair Cynics
No One's Gonna Love You - Band of Horses
There, There Katie - Jack's Mannequin
Salt Skin - Ellie Goulding
Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells

It took a lot of hard work to find a picture of me that was decent, but in celebration of productivity... my face.

Video diary, days thirty six through forty two.

Yes, this is the longest I've gone without updating, but there was very little to share besides, "Oh, I read twelve websites about post-traumatic stress disorder and hypothermia today, and then I passed out because of a food coma." I am very sorry, though.

Luckily, I did get a lot of really good work done. Buttloads of research, I discovered some quality music, purchased a dress for formal, and wrote about ten pages. Get excited!! Book two is well underway and I think it's gonna blow some minds. If I could just get something done to The Decoder, though. UGH.

I feel really bad about not updating, so have some good music:

For Everything a Reason - Carina Round
Bang - Armchair Cynics
Signal Fire - Snow Patrol
Seven Devils - Florence + the Machine
The Broken Ones - Dia Frampton
I'm Ready - Jack's Mannequin
Starlight - Muse

My Freshman year of high school, I got locked in a varsity locker. Those are my hands.

Video diary, day thirty five.

Happy Monday. Or not really. The normally short walk to my English class turned into a great race, and I ended up getting soaked by the rain. I was not happy. At all. Then my nap in between class and food was interrupted by Kelsey screaming "SHAKE ME ALLLLL NIGHT LOOOONG!", and then Art class was horribly boring. But then I went and hung out with my family for a little while, and I drank coffee and ate soup and now I feel a lot better. And ready to knock out chapter seven and my French homework before I go to sleep tonight.

Speaking of which, I have made quite a bit of progress. I wish that this was fanfiction and I could update by chapter, because it's stressing me out, keeping this story to myself. UGH. Someone just get me a publisher.

I'm writing to agents over the break, which honestly makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry on the bathroom floor. Even before it's been cleaned. I'll probably write the letter, exercise for an hour, shower, poop, cry and then stare at the send button for an hour before pressing send. Then I'll repeat the process until I've emailed them all. Yes. This is going to be a very interesting week.

Can't wait for the awkward family photos that this holiday will inevitably cause. And there will definitely be an abundance.

Video diary, days thirty three and thirty four.

Busy, busy, busy, busy, tired. That's been my weekend. Really my week, but whatever.

Luckily, my time wasting activities yesterday actually led to something incredibly good. American Horror Story not only scared my pants off and made me fall in love with Evan Peters, but took a plunger to my writer's block. An explosion of clarity came to me, and I just had to take a shower. I will conquer book two before The Decoder hits shelves.

I had a dream about my psychology class from high school and then I watched tonight episode of Misfits, and I had another moment of clarity. So I put a sock bun in my hair. It's strange how easy it is to miss something that ought to be incredibly obvious, especially when it's jumping up and down right in front of you, screaming and spanking itself. I only wish I still had my notes from that class... maybe Kelsey has hers.

I was surprisingly on top of what I wanted to talk about with this video, so there isn't a lot of editing. This upcoming week is super intense what with it being Thanksgiving. And I am thankful that the break will give me three or four nights of uninterrupted time to write without worrying about dragging myself to class the next morning. For the next seven days it's all about writing, preparing for Delta Gamma formal and planning Christmas parties. And eating pumpkin pie, of course.

Listen to this:
This Women's Work - Greg Laswell

Some people look really cute when they laugh. I don't even have to really try, I'm just fabulous.

Video diary, days thirty one and thirty two.

Even though I only have one class on both Thursday and Friday, those always seem to be the busiest days for me. Between laundry, homework, tailgates, Harry Potter Club events and keeping up with my hygiene, I barely found time to sleep. I wasn't stressing, it takes a lot to stress me out, but I've been really tired.

I've hit an unfortunate roadblock in writing chapter seven of book two -- I am not a clinical psychologist. I wrote one draft of the chapter, just to put down the bulk of what I wanted it to say, but I know it's all wrong and ugh. This is a very important chapter, and I don't want to get the facts wrong. Up until now I've been creating all the "facts" on my own, but this is something I really want to do justice to. Blah.

Today we had to review our English class, and I said that it wasn't hard enough, because my papers rarely had any corrects and that is not okay. I like criticism and finding out what I can do to better my writing. My professor said that it was because my writing is consistently good, and I was all, "Oh okay well I guess that's alright...". But still. I want to have to work hard for my English classes.

Listen to this:
Only If For a Night - Florence + the Machine

This weekend is dedicated to eating, sleeping, researching methods of psychological therapy in response to childhood trauma, learning as little as I can about anatomy so I can write but not become a doctor, "studying" my French so I don't fail, and eating. There will be updates and pizza.

I wish having pneumonia was an excuse for the amount of derp in the picture... They tell me that it isn't.

Video diary, day thirty.

Oh, shortest video ever.

I have been working on Book Two everyday, but I can't talk about it because of spoilers. Huge, gargantuan, totally life-altering spoilers. Maybe after The Decoder is out I can reveal little things, like one at a time, but as of right now it's all under lock and key. Serious business.

Speaking of keys, I'm considering two options for my living situation next year: living in the DG house or getting an apartment with Kelsey and some of our friends. Either way would be quality. I just don't like living in the dorms all that much. I know, right. First world problems.

It's 1:45 in the morning and I'm doing laundry and bitching about my emotions. I'm incredibly domestic at this time of night. And creative. I don't feel like going to sleep because of reasons and I don't want to go to French in nine hours but I also don't want to fail, so...

I'm like obsessed with writing these couple of chapters. Basically part one of the second book is legit as boon. Every single time I sit down to take notes I come out with three or four pages of new stuff to work with. It's awesome, but I definitely don't want to lose this explosion of inspiration, or whatever it is.

Every now and again, I like to imagine what it'd be like to be un-photogenic.

Video diary, day twenty nine.

Ugh, what an insane day. I woke up early to register for classes only to find out there was a hold on my account. Which meant that I couldn't register, see my grades or do anything that I woke up specifically to do. This led to a very angry slew of texts sent to my mother about how my tuition had to be paid or I was going to get stuck with Calculus and lose my scholarship. Luckily everything is taken care of now, and I'm going to ace Weather and Climate next semester.

This video was so all over the place. It started out okay then turned into a ten minute long ramble about how much I love Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan being my hero and everything. So then I tried again and I ended talking about how I don't understand or like politics for about seven minutes straight. Luckily, I got five or so minutes of relevant material out of it, so I don't have to start again.

I'd like to elaborate on the marriage thing:
Because the world is so small now, one of the duties of the citizens is to help rebuild. They can do this by assisting the scientific progress, providing for those who do the mind work, or by repopulating. Most everyone gets married, so that those in Maelhaven will be able to carry out that duty should they ever retire and move to a Sector. Plus, no one really wants to be alone.
In a previous video, I've mentioned that families don't really live in Maelhaven. It's up to those who live in the Sectors to help with the reproduction part of rebuilding the world. There is a lot more I could say on that, but I'm going to keep quiet. It will be explained as needed.

As for the scientific experiments thing, I could write another whole book on the morals of using human lab rats, but I'll spare you my opinions. It's something I like to think about a lot (I'm a weirdo), and it'll definitely be a recurring theme in the books. Start up the lightening, we're building a Monster.

Yes, book two is coming along quite swimmingly. It's my favorite book in the series. Even chapters three and four are beginning to take form.

If everyone could do the world a huge favor and sign this petition to stop a bill that would censor American internet, it would just be amazing.
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-internet-control-bill-now

I am the queen of Christmas cookies.

Video diary, day twenty eight.

Happy Monday!! And may the odds be ever in your favor.

I'm not going to lie, I freaked out this morning when the full-length trailer aired. I left class and watched it on my phone. It was great.

I've been working quite a lot on book two (which still doesn't have an solid working title, ugh), most of which is top secret. However, there are a few funny things, one of which I was able to share without spoiling anything. The characters are growing, and I love them quite a bit.

Today I made a Twitter because Kelsey threatened to make one for me. So here: keep up with my life.
I actually like it quite a bit, because now I don't have to go out of my way to get info on celebs and the Starkids. In the end it'll probably be a good thing, but whatever. I gave in.

Listen to this:
Summer Clothes by Meg & Dia

The sad truth is that I just wish Sylvia Plath could have given me lessons on how to be fabulous but nope.

Non-video diary, day twenty seven.

What I've done with the books today is top super secret because of reasons, so for my "diary" today, I'm posting a play list and random excerpt. You'll get a healthy dose my face and voice tomorrow. 

Oh, and today we got initiated! SCREAM WITH ME! AHHHH! If you're about to head off to college this next year, you should definitely consider going Greek. I didn't think it was for me, but it is, without a doubt, one of the best decisions I could have possibly made.

The Decoder playlist

1. Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
2. White Houses - Vanessa Carlton
3. Sleeping Sickness - City and Colour
4. Get It Right - Lydia
5. Perfect Disguise - Modest Mouse
6. Fighting for Nothing - Meg & Dia
7. Thistle and Weeds - Mumford & Sons
8. Guns and Horses - Ellie Goulding
9. More Than This - Vanessa Carlton
10. Separate - Meg & Dia
11. No Light, No Light - Florence + the Machine
12. First Breath After Coma - Explosions in the Sky

(For anyone who is curios, Meg & Dia has been my favorite band since I was thirteen. And I cannot wait to see what incredible stuff Dia does -- I was so excited to see her on The Voice -- and anything Meg sets out to do it will undoubtedly be fabulous. They will always be my favorites.)

Excerpt(s):

Video diary, day twenty six.

Due to it being initiation weekend, I have legitimately no time to write, so instead of talking about how I haven't written anything I'm telling interesting stories about my life. All of the incidents in the video have taken place in the last forty eight hours. And today I was told that I should host a talk show.

My life isn't always this interesting, I swear. College just happens to you okay. And I'm addicted to Diet Coke. No regrets just cancer.

Tomorrow we're supposed to chase a goat at eight thirty in the morning. Do you think I know how to chase goats? Do I look like I was raised in Raleigh? Just because I grew up in Texas doesn't mean I know how to wrangle animals, okay. Nor does it mean that I enjoy being told what color underwear to wear.

I know that we aren't really chasing a goat. But there will most likely be singing.

If you lick a person's elbow and they aren't aware of you pressing your tongue against their skin, they aren't going to feel it. I tested this theory on freshmen.

Video diary, day twenty five.

This video is a little weird. I start out all happy, chatting about the second book, then I sort of go on a rant about how stupid the concept of Utopia even is. This is what consumes my Friday evenings.

Listen to this or I'm never posting again:
The Girl by City and Colour

Lately I have been considering a Twitter. I don't know if it's a good idea for me to get addicted to another social networking site, but since I will eventually delete my personal Tumblr... it's on hold for now, though. At least until Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I am beyond excited!! I love the holiday season. I love sweaters and socks and fuzzy pajama pants and coffee through the bloodstream. I like going to my great grandmas house to eat a turkey because everyone gets together and we eat like kings and my grandma (not great grandma. my family lives forever) and grandpa bring trash bags full of presents and I jump on my mom and dad's bed telling them that they have to wake up or I'm gonna pee. I'm a little kid at heart. Which is in no way related to my compulsive viewing of Peter Pan.

As for writing, I am, for whatever reason, skipping over chapters two, three and four and writing from chapter five. Which was completed as of yesterday. Chapter six is about 5/8 done, but I don't know if I'll be writing chapter seven immediately after. Chapter sixteen is already in production, as is eighteen, but the others I haven't touched.

Want some advice? Don't write like I do.

If you ever need lessons on making college age girls cry, take them from Rick Riordan and the writers of Criminal Minds. I can't take all of these emotions. They make my veins feel weird.

Do you understand the power and prowess of owling?

Video diary, day twenty four.

This has been a very, very sleepy day, and I still have homework I need to do... Ugh.

In this video I'm talking about the mind-numbing graphics work I did today for the series. It's utilized in the second book but it's relevant throughout everything. It took about three hours and I gave myself a migraine. And once again, I am so glad I didn't major in graphic design.

The second book is coming together so well I'm starting to get suspicious that my computer is about to crash or my series binder is going to get run over by a car. I'm seriously worried; does it always happen like this? Am I now a "real" writer, since I'm not banging my head on the wall, trying to figure out how to make two scenes connect?

Nikki is maturing? Real, or not real?

Sometimes when I'm alone in the bathroom I listen to All Time Low and wish I could pee in the shower without feeling guilty.

Okay so there are a ton of movies I'm beyond excited to see. You're getting a list regardless of whether or not you want it.

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower
• Snow White and the Huntsman
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• The Hunger Games
• My Week With Marilyn
• Basically about half the movies Tumblr is currently pooping itself over

Uhm. For my seventeenth birthday we threw paint on each other and then jumped in a pool.

To see the graphic I made a little while ago:

Video diary, day twenty three.

Hello, lovely people! Today I am showing off my Series Binder in all its derpy glory. It's filled with everything I could find on The Decoder and the sequential books. I put it together before I moved into the dorms, and it has grown spectacularly as the semester has gone on, particularly as I've written more on the second book. It's coming together quite nicely, by the way. Rick Riordan doesn't know it, but he's the best teacher I've ever had. ... There's a reason I'm a Ravenclaw, okay. I'm a total dork when it comes to books. I'm not so sure I could be a daughter of Athena, but I like to believe she hasn't claimed me for my own protection.

Also, I'm listening to the Lion King soundtrack, so I'm pretty pumped up for whatever's going down tonight.

The second book has been surprisingly easy to write. Maybe it's because I know exactly where I'm going with it, or because I know the characters so much better than I did when I first started out -- I'm really not sure.  I look forward to writing more about it every single day. I suppose that's a very good thing. I'm even more in love with book two than book one. Agh, I'm so weird.

Over the course of the past year, I've become remarkably more organized when it comes to characters, plot outlines and details. It's like I'm suddenly taking my writing seriously, and I've never taken anything too seriously before. It's kind of a great feeling, to have something I know I can do, and will always make me happy. It's just really nice.

Look at this Delta Gamma stuff. Look at it and absorb the beauty.

We dressed up as nerds for a football game and it was fabulous.

Video diary, day twenty two.

I like Tuesdays because it's almost Wednesday and that means the week is halfway over.

Today I talk about actually working on Book One, some excellent slang I (with the help of Kelsey) made up, nicknames, and book covers. Also how much I love Burdge. Leave me alone.

I have so many ideas pouring out of my head I don't all of them are going to be able to fit cleanly into the first book, which is both disappointing and exciting, because it gives me plenty of material for the later books but still. Sad days. I can't overload the books with info, though. They're already pretty heavy with backstory and such.

In other news, I'm seeing lots of new pictures from The Hunger Games movie, and I'm sort of freaking out a little bit. I can't wait for the movie; you have no idea. I love the series, though Mockingjay did hit the wall of my classrooms a couple of times. ... I read it during school, what of it?

As promised, pictures of my dream cast:

Tammie looks like Hannah Murray:

  

Mark looks like Hunter Parrish:
  

I still haven't found the perfect Emily yet, but she looks something like Nina Dobrev mixed with Jennifer Lawrence... with crazy curly hair, like Emmy Rossum in Phantom of the Opera. Just bear with me, and keep in mind that Emily's hair is black, her skin is several shades darker and her eyes are blue:
  


Rob is some kind of holy almighty Robert Sheehan, glasses and a more Hispanic complexion. Like really, oh my goodness:
  

As of yet, I have no particular person for Tori, but I know exactly what she looks like in my head, and I've come across some pictures on Tumblr, which led me to a Russian gallery of pictures of a model, who I believe is named Sonia (Tori's eyes are green, though.):
  

Now that we've looked at all these pictures of pretty people, feel free to soak up this picture of myself and Kelsey from a party that took place in our sophomore year of high school. Things got a little wild.

Video diary, day twenty one.

Ello and pip pip cheery Monday.

Today I did some quality writing and listened to some quality music. I also took a quality nap and cried over this picture of Kelsey and Alex Gaskarth.

The real question is how could I not base a character off a person like this?!

In the video I'm talking about the things I wrote today (two legit pages of acceptable, can I get a whoop whoop?), as well as the relationships between some of the characters in the books. Well, I should clarify; the friendships between the characters. The platonic relationships are primarily based off of the bond I have with Kelsey and Marley, the romantic relationships are sort of being made up as I go along, because I don't know how to human contact.

I also rant about the odd way female names work, and then list a couple... but I have a longer list of quality names that Rick Riordan employs, which I could not recall in the video. So: Annabeth, Rachel, Clarisse, Piper, Hazel, Drew, Gwen, etc. I enjoy those names, and I am now upset with Rick for taking them. As always, I am outdone by Rick Riordan. I will beat you someday, sir.

As for updates on my publishing/writing life, I am pleased to say that I got another (shut up) pretty new notebook. I am unhappy to say that my mom has it and I don't currently possess it. Hopefully that will be fixed soon because it is beautiful and I wish I could live in it.

Marley's character is coming later, in the third book. However, enjoy these pictures of me, her and Kelsey from over the years. What are normal pictures? I've never heard of such a thing.