Warning: fluff post ahead

As my title subtly hints, this post is total fluff. But that's part of the fun having a blog- you can write about whatever you want. I'll try to be more literary next week and do another Enchantia post.

I feel like talking about my favorite song of the moment on Z100. Yes, I know, my taste in radio is very sophisticated like that. Any other Elvis and the Zoo fans out there by the way? I can't wake up without them. I need goofiness in the morning. But I digress...my favorite song on the radio, until it gets so overplayed that I'm sick of it, is Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield. Check out the lyrics and the song (and you don't have to buy it, you can click the arrow on the left and listen to a clip, or turn on Z100 or your local top 40 station and you'll likely hear it within the hour).

You might well be laughing at how typical it is of me to like this song (if you're new read my old posts, you'll see). It's not just the writing metaphor. I love the carpe diem theme, it's so encouraging. There are definitely some cheesy moments, especially the choir at the end. The choir in the pop song has always been an interesting phenomenon to me. But you'll see, it grows on you. Or at least it grew on me (and by that I mean the song, not the choir).

Just for the record, I do enjoy other types of music than pop. But before this turns into a boring post on my taste in music I'll get going. I mean, I'm sure you've been intellectually stimulated and all, but I would hate to overwhelm you with even more deep thoughts...

A poem

I thought this one appropriate, being that it's 2006 which I'm still having trouble believing, and it also seems to go well with this blog's title. I have more to explain, but I'll save it for after the poem…

2:30, May 14, office

All Aboard

Time passes as a train
in whirring motion,
starting slowly, its
wheels creaking
as they move
around, around,
until they glide
over the tracks,
the scenery
of the early journey
grows ever dimmer
to those aboard,
the train glides on,
landscapes pass
like a mix of colors,
a blurred photo
to those gazing
with half-closed
eyes.

Sometimes I am
among those
weary gazers,
jaded by the ride,
the never-changing
daily rhythms.
Yet the Destination
approaches;
though the tracks
stretch on for miles
across sun-drenched deserts,
waters, dreamy-blue,
menacing mountains
and breezy fields,
it approaches,
and I must
open my eyes,
wide as a curious
child’s, new to the ride,
lean out against
an open window,
hair dancing in the wind,
watch every
rock and tree,
sunset and star.

It's weird talking about it, because I've kept it quiet for so long, but this poem came from a failed poetry book project. I had this grand vision of publishing a poetic journal, which spanned from my birthday in 2003-2004, called Journey of a Year, and wanted to complement the poems with my own photographs, along the lines of a Viggo Mortensen book like Coincidence of Memory (you may know him from Lords of the Rings or A History of Violence, but the man is also a noted photographer/artist/poet- you should check his stuff out). In the end, I just didn't have enough poems that were good. It took me a while to accept this fact, but even a dreamer has to be realistic at times. It was a great experience anyway, taking a year to look for the poetry in things. The few that I liked will make their way to this blog. But that doesn't mean they are any good - I leave that to you.

This is getting long, but one last note - please feel free to post a comment! I am big on feedback - whether you love what I write, hate it, don't get it or whatever else. If you rather not have everyone see your comments, you can always email me. Being the quiet type myself, I better not push this point any further, but just know your thoughts are always welcome.

Until next week…

Welcome to The Woods (or my first Enchantia post)

Thanks for coming back again. You're too kind. On the chance that there are any new folks, welcome.

Given the name of my blog, it seems only right to make my first real post an Enchantia post. But I have to tell you that since it's a work in progress, I will not do Enchantia posts so frequently. When I do they will quite literally be the snippets I mentioned in my intro. Since I'm hoping that my story will make it to book form one lovely day, I don't want to give anything away- just give you a little taste.

But enough of that…check out this picture. I saw the cover of this book as I wandered through Barnes & Noble one evening, stopped in my tracks and thought That's Jane:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n26/n131362.jpg

My apologies to Mr. Ishiguro for taking his cover completely out of context. The figure doesn't even match Jane physically (she is a twelve year-old brunette), and there aren't any trees. Yet somehow, this picture strangely captures the solitude and longing my protagonist experiences in her giant, 100-acre backyard:

This immense backyard was my Eden. The Woods (what I've called my backyard as long as I can remember) were like a third, all-knowing parent. I could spend hours sitting on a log or wandering through the five winding trails my parents had made.

That day in The Woods I ran to my current favorite spot - a tree stump by a stream - which was surrounded by a rainbow of wildflowers.

And so I sat in The Woods, crying.

A few minutes later I calmed down, breathing in the crisp air The Woods always provided, letting the nurturing wind dry my tears...When the wind blew and the trees swayed, their leaves rustling, that was their song, and how I tried to understand it.

Do you see what I mean, or is it just me? I know it's ridiculous to entertain such thoughts when I have yet to submit the story, but I would love a cover like that. I am a dreamer, aren't I?

An introduction

Well here it is, my very first blog entry. And no, this is NOT a fantasy/role playing blog. The title is an oh-so-clever play on my young adult novel, Enchantia, which I am currently revising. And it's also not a bad way to look at the world.

This blog, which I will try to update weekly, is a way for me to share my writing with you- whoever you are that is nice enough to read this. I'm not exactly sure yet what direction it will take. I may share some snippets of my novel, other things I've written, new, experimental pieces or just my thoughts.

I want to dedicate this blog to all the people out there like me - dreamers, wannabes - anyone with a passion that has yet to "make it." We just have to keep going. One of my favorite quotes is, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars." I didn't realize how cheesy that sounded until I mentioned it in front of a few people, several of which proceeded to laugh, but whatever. Cheesy or not, there is something deep about it. We have nothing to lose.

I am wary of overly long posts, and would hate to bore you at my first one, so I will end this now. But stop by next week...there's a lot to come.