Forever Enchanted

New blog!

2012-01-05T14:58:00.003-05:00

I’ve all but disappeared off here, and lately, I’ve been feeling it’s more than time for a new beginning. Which is why I decided to start a new poetry blog, Poetic. Forever Enchanted’s days may be numbered, but Poetic’s days have just started, and it would be so amazing for you all to join me as I start this new chapter!

The awesome Michael Patrick King

2010-06-04T16:43:00.006-04:00

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything on here, I feel like I need to break out the Windex and wipe off a massive layer of dust! But rather than wasting words explaining my two years worth of blog neglect, let me jump right into my story that inspired me to post again.

I recently went to a screening of Sex and the City 2. Came with some girlfriends and just laughed and had a great time. If you haven’t seen it yet, you're in for some fun!

As I mentioned, this was a screening, the day after the big premiere at Radio City, and the writer/director Michael Patrick King (who is also behind the first movie and many episodes of the TV show, see his IMDB page for his very long list of credits) was there for a question and answer session at the end. You could see his background as a standup comedian coming out, he was very funny, and clearly brilliant, and I was just taking in how SATC has become such a huge phenomenon on a global scale, and so much of that has to do with him. What one person can accomplish…incredible is an understatement.

But if that’s all that had happened, cool as it was, that would not have inspired me to post at all.

We didn’t think we would have any opportunity to meet him as the theater staff rushed everybody out due to another movie about to start. I went with my friend to the restroom, and when I emerged- he was still there! Casually chatting and posing for pics with fans. As soon as my friend came out, we realized this was too good of a chance to pass up, so even though he was about to leave we went ahead and asked if we could take a picture with him, and he very graciously said yes, and a third friend of ours saw and swooped in just in time!

Okay, that was also pretty cool, but I have been in pictures with other famous people before. If that’s all that had happened, this still would be The Blog Post That Never Was. Which is why I am not bothering to even post the pic.

I know, I’m milking this out, aren’t I? I haven’t blogged in a while so pardon me if I’m having a little fun with this… :)

Really, it’s all about what happened after the picture was snapped. As I was standing right next to him, I just had to say something.

I told him I was a writer too and would love to be in his shoes one day…were there any words of wisdom he could give me?

He took my hand and looked me straight in the eye.

How he said it was much better than how my less than perfect memory is repeating it, but basically, he told me you just have to keep working at it. What you have on the page is what you get so keep working, keep improving…

The whole exchange probably lasted no more than a minute or two. But it was such an intense moment for me I almost cried.

It was everything together, not only what he was saying but how he was holding my hand and looking at me…I felt so strongly that he understood how hard it can be. Even mega-successful writers like him have had their struggles…and perhaps because of that, he actually cared enough to share a little wisdom and encouragement with me.

Due to living in NYC and enjoying the arts/entertainment scene, I have met a few celebs before. Many are nice and down to earth, while others are divas that simply cannot be bothered. But what happened at the movie theater that night, for me, was far beyond meeting another famous face that would fall into the “nice” category. It was a brief but beautiful moment of one human being reaching out to another, at a time when I really needed it. And if I ever am in a position one day to take someone’s hand and tell a person to keep at their dreams, I would love to pay it forward.

And I will keep working at it.

Thank you, Michael Patrick King.

Explanation

2008-03-10T17:13:00.002-04:00

I just liked how the pic and poem (in the entry below) looked on its own so that's how I posted it, but I really should explain.

The pic is from my Florida trip, at this offshoot of the Everglades. How stunning is that? And the poem was both inspired from the picture as well as what my friend told me when we were there, when she asked, "Doesn't this place feel like the end of the earth?" I know the poem is really short but for now that's all I've got. If the inspiration ever hits I'll add more. But there's nothing wrong with short, like Haikus are a famous style and they're only three lines. And you know, while I have this stream of consciousness vibe going I'm gonna post one I wrote back in college, so here it is-

I love chocolate
it bring sweetness to my mouth
and a smile to my face

:)

A pic and a poem

2008-03-07T13:35:00.005-05:00

Drift away
canoe
to the ends of the earth,
gentle paddles
painting strokes
in the water
as I watch
by the reeds.

Good Times

2008-02-15T13:14:00.005-05:00

This blog seems to be turning into more of a monthly than weekly one these days, but I really do want to change my ways. So keep coming back...please! I mean how can you not, I just used the magic word. And golly, if you comment I promise to say thank you too...

If I'm being silly my excuse is just getting back from a great little vacation from various areas of South Florida. Everything was beautiful, weather very much included- it was like fast forwarding to summer for a few days. And I got to hang out with some good friends who made the move south. If you don't have friends in vacation destinations, I definitely recommend making a few! It makes both for a cheap (because you crash at their place) and fun (because they know where all the cool spots are and do most of the planning for you) getaway. Now wouldn't I make a great travel writer?

I did take some pics, but the old-fashioned way, so I have yet to see them, but if any come out good I might share one or two with you in the next post.

In the meantime, here's a feel good (and funny) clip from America's Got Talent winner Terry Fator. I guess my trip has put me in that kind of mood...

Imagination

2008-01-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

Thought another snippet was due. This happens shortly before Megan introduces Jane to Enchantia, and it's important because it shows, even early on, the kind of imaginations these girls have:

After we filled up on s'mores we sang songs and told ghost stories. The Woods late at night is the best place to tell them. We got so into one of the stories, we saw something.
“L-look,” Megan stammered.
My mouth wouldn't open. All I could do was stare as a glowing white mist floated through the treetops, making eerie whispers as it passed.

Another year!

2008-01-02T14:54:00.000-05:00

Can I just say it is crazy that I have already been blogging for almost two years? Thanks to those few but awesome readers who have stuck around all this time, and very patiently, especially these days.

I'm sure everyone is all partied out from New Year's, so instead of last year's unblog-day party, I'm gonna keep the second anniversary of my blog (which is really in a few days but I have to post this while I've got the chance) New Year's themed. I'll start off with two photos, which I took and printed in a darkroom during one of my photography classes waaay back in 2004:

This was taken in Times Square. It was cool to have that classic New Year's experience, but I have no interest in doing it again. The crowds are insane! And we waited for like four hours in the bitter cold. My teacher actually liked the shot. Said it looked like it was taken on some alien planet.

Took this on the way back home. The girl is my friend Sima. Didn't mean to shake the camera but I like the effect it had.

And here's a snippet from an essay written for a contest about that very same New Year--

Take New Years of 2004. I never had the experience of going to Times Square, and that year I finally decided was the year. Everyone was together, laughing with strangers like old friends (although ironically, some drunken students from the University of Dayton peed right on the ground in front of everyone and were escorted away by the police.“You're giving us a bad name!” I shouted at them). It didn't matter how much money you had or where you came from. As the ball dropped and fireworks burst into a rainbow of golden, sparkling colors in the semi-dark Times Square sky, there was such happiness and togetherness. People leaped and shrieked, sang and laughed. When New Yorkers celebrate, they do it hard-core. But it was more than that. I felt such hope for the world in those moments. If everyone could just get along and be happy the way New Yorkers do on New Year's, who knows what the world would be like.

Hope you all had a great one! And thanks again for reading!

New Pic

2007-12-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

What's up? I'm still around, just haven't had much to say. But anyway, I finally did what I've meant to do for a while and added a new picture to my profile. It's not the clearest but I got tired of seeing myself smirking in those sunglasses. And if you didn't notice, the picture matches with my blog's design. And in the picture, my shirt matches the flowering tree. Coincidence? Or all part of some brilliant coordinating scheme?

As intrigued as you are(n't), I'll tell you about the pic. It was taken in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens in the early spring. Yes, there is actually nature in Brooklyn, you just have to know where to find it. For any of you living in the NY area, it is sooo worth the trip, especially at that time of year. The whole place is in bloom. There's a stunning Japanese garden, filled with cherry blossoms. This was taken in a different area, by a magnolia tree near all these ornate looking fountains. Ah, for spring... (pardon the drama but if you live around here I'm sure you, alas, understand).

And since I'm on the topic of pictures thought I'd post this while I was at it:

This was from the reading back in July. These are only two of the several friends that showed up. They were seriously half the audience, it was great. Not that it was a particularly large audience, but it was still cool standing up there and looking out at all these friends. I hope I'll have more moments like that in the future (minus the being sick part).

And if these pictures somehow still aren't enough for you, I do have a little album up on my myspace page, so feel free to check it out. You might recognize a few from some old posts.

Have a great week!

Poem in memory of my uncle

2007-11-21T23:01:00.000-05:00

He recently passed away. It’s not directly related to him like this poem was about my grandfather, but anyway...

Sad Autumn Song

Fallen
leaf,
breeze
carrying you
in gentle circles
till you reach
the soft earth.

Memories
of your brightest
green
shine on me
with the autumn sun,
sweet summer, gone,
and after a
last burst of
gold
you fade,
a gust of wind
and you're gone,
how I yearn to reach
for you as you
drift away-
but I can only
watch as you go
down and
become one
with the roots.

Why I love the Red Sox!

2007-10-29T14:24:00.000-04:00

Last night was just, WOW. Again…they did it a few years ago after how many decades upon decades of losing, and then they did it last night AGAIN!

I love the Red Sox because Boston is my original hometown. I spent my first decade there, and when it comes to sports in Boston, it's all about the Red Sox, and you get indoctrinated at a young age. I've got all these cool Red Sox memories. Like when I'd go to synagogue with my family in Kenmore Square, (where we'd walk close enough to see Fenway on our way there and back) you’d know when there was a homerun because of all the cheers that pierced the air and straight through the synagogue's walls.

I only managed to get on the inside of Fenway Park once, but I'll never forget it because it was the most fun I ever had at a baseball game. There's something really special about a classic stadium like Fenway. It has so much more character than the massive modern ones with stupid sponsored names (U.S. Cellular Field! Minute Maid Park!) that seem to be the trend. Because it’s an old-fashioned stadium, it's smaller, so no matter where you sit you feel like you’re in on the action. And there’s all this great energy and camaraderie among the fans, you can't help but get charged up and excited.

That's the one thing I wished was different about both this win and the one in 2004. I think it would have been incredible to win the series at home, with all the fans in Fenway going wild and turning the night into a huge crazy party. Talk about an awesome sight. But the team was too hot to lose the games required to get back there, and it was fun anyway. I watched with my brother on his huge HD flat screen, and my father, who happened to be in town that weekend on business…the only other two Red Sox fans I know (considering on whose turf I've been living these past eight years, and that most of my friends, who are female, find it highly amusing that I’m into sports at all). We relished every minute of it.

I think it was a real dream team this year, all these amazing rookies and vets. I never got tired of watching them. But if I had to pick a favorite it would be Jon Papelbon, all the way. Not only is he the insanely good pitcher that clinched the series, but how can you not like a guy that does a riverdance in his...well--

(and I know many of you have seen this, possibly numerous times, but I just can't help myself)

He mentioned he wanted to be on Dancing With the Stars. ABC, are you listening? I would sooo watch that!

Well I guess I'm done here. Now I have to find my Red Sox hat. It’s gloating time, baby.

Back to Enchantia

2007-10-02T23:40:00.000-04:00

At least for this post...

After a short break for water and provisions we continued. The Enchantian Forest was quiet, but beautiful. It was like walking through a work of art; a giant nature painting of large, leafy trees and curious deer, creeks, wandering through the forest like long, lazy snakes, and butterflies, that I imagined myself magically turning into, especially the bold, orange-and-black monarchs (how fun that would be when I was being teased at school, to just flutter away!). And everything in only the brightest of colors, wrapped in the warm glow of the Enchantian sun.

Another Wendell Post

2007-09-19T15:40:00.000-04:00

This is my last post about him, and there's a link there to the first one. The Jewish High Holiday season is supposed to be an introspective time, and this poem of his I'd like to share, "The Wish to be Generous," is definitely introspective. Whenever I read him I just think this is a guy who understands the world, he really knows what it's all about. I'm not sure what you consider my last post, but this is real poetry. So read closely and take it all in.

In Memoriam

2007-09-11T11:03:00.000-04:00

This is a poem I believe I wrote a year after 9/11, so the memories were still pretty raw. I've tweaked it a little since, but it's mostly the same. The reference to my birthday is the one on the Hebrew calendar.

I

Another night
another morning

I rise to the
communal bathroom
and hear strange
whisperings
about a plane.
As I wash my
hands they tell me,
but I don't believe,
can't believe,
so unreal
it's just another morning
but then I realize
not any morning-
my birthday,
the day G-d decided
of all days
I should join this
confusing universe.
In disbelief I lie
back in bed,
but my eyes
wide open.

I still remember the smoke.
Walking to class, like a fool,
it was there,
huge billows in the sky
menacing, monstrous
thick and black
polluting my lungs,
my spirit,
then walking back
like a punch in the stomach
reality crashes
visions start;
fire, chaos
people jumping,
thousands of people
like me
like you
beautiful people
with sparks of
G-d within,
chapters of their life
to live,
I begin
running, running
crying, crying
across Manhattan's
ghostly streets,
white with ash
what's real
what's false
I don't know
I don't know

II

Seasons have passed,
the leaves turned again
to red and gold
and fell away.

Unlike nature
we are changed,
pained with memory,
uncertainty,
yet we move on,
our heart
mending
day by day
day by day
but a piece
forever lost
in smoke.

As we're approaching Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), let me wish everyone a sweet year of health, happiness and peace. May the world never know such tragedy again.

Remember me?

2007-09-10T10:14:00.000-04:00

I know I probably seem familiar. I actually used to post on this blog more than once every other month. I guess I have just taken a summer vacation from Forever Enchanted. I haven't had one in real life so at the very least I can have that, right?

I just turned 27 a few days ago…would be nice to stay 26 a while longer, but as I had no choice in the matter I did the whole celebrating thing. It turned out to be one of the best birthdays I've had in a long time, thanks to a little help from my friends. You guys are the greatest! And suddenly I feel the need to post this song...

That's about it…just wanted to check in with you all, let you know I'm still here, but I hope to post a little more regularly now. Be sure to come back tomorrow, I've already got something planned. Hope everyone had a great summer!

The Reading (Part II)

2007-07-25T10:39:00.000-04:00

The details of the reading are now up on the site! But if you wanna spare yourself that huge effort of clicking, here's everything you need to know:

Where: The Drama Book Shop - 250 W 40th St between 7th and 8th

When: Monday, July 30^th, 7pm

Cost: It didn't say on the webpage this time, but there's usually a suggested donation of $5.

Now I have to apologize…I kind of lied in my last post. I said I was going to read the whole first chapter, but then I was told I've got a ten minute limit, and reading the chapter in full takes more like fifteen. So I'm gonna do an abridged version, but that will still be most of the chapter and the main action will all be in there. Like what follows this:

Then the day came when I finally reached my breaking point.

Ooooh, the suspense. But that's why I'm excited about this…I've finally got a chance to share with you all more than just the snippets I post here. To those of you who can't make it - sorry! This is probably such a tease. But hopefully it will be published someday soon…

Cool news!!!

2007-07-02T11:59:00.000-04:00

Later this month (Monday, July 30^th at 7 pm, to be exact) I will be participating in my FIRST EVER reading of Enchantia!! It is an exciting little moment, finally doing something "official" as the writer of this story. I'll be reading the whole first chapter.

I will be one of a few writers reading as part of the Writers Working series, in The Drama Book Shop in NYC (250 W 40^th St). I must give a shout out to Jen Nails and David Silverman (co-hosts of the event and published authors themselves) for giving me such a great opportunity.

I've gone to a few of these readings, so I'll give you a preview: It takes place in a cool space in the basement of the bookstore, the crowds are a good size - decent but never huge - and there's just a nice, chilled out vibe. The pieces read (which can be rated anywhere from g-r) can be almost anything- fiction and nonfiction, comedic and serious. So basically, there's something for everyone. And as nothing read has been published, you're given a sheet to give feedback to the writers (if you want to). I'm definitely looking forward to that, feedback can be sooo helpful.

There are always a lot of super-talented, mostly published writers who read. I may well be the least accomplished among them, which makes this all both exciting and humbling.

I know I'm giving you the news a bit ahead of time, considering it's only the beginning of July. But this gives you plenty of time to SAVE THE DATE, and tell any interested friends. It would really be awesome to see some of you all in the crowd! There will be more on this soon, once the details are up and confirmed on the official site. In the meantime, have a great week!

Why dreamers should never give up

2007-06-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

This was sent to me in the form of a myspace bulletin (thanks, Naomi), and it's too good not to share. Talk about an awesome TV moment...

And in the end, he won.

What happens when I'm bored at work

2007-06-07T15:39:00.000-04:00

I actually answered this seriously at first, and it was quite a nice and introspective experience. But then I clicked my mouse on a link by accident and lost the whole thing. Maybe I'll reattempt the serious one next week. But for now, this is what you've got:

All About Me Survey

Take This Survey at Quizopolis.com

I Am

here at work, bored

I Want

a cookie

I Have

none

I Wish

I had something better to do than this

I Hate

surveys

I Fear

I will never finish filling this thing out

I Hear

dead people

I Search

but I can't find them

I Wonder

if I'm going crazy

I Regret

coming to work today, I'm tired and

I Love

sleeping in

I Ache

for that cookie!

I Always

am waaay too serious

I Usually

do anything but joke or smile or anything happy like that

I Am Not

sarcastic

I Dance

Not now, I don't. I'm at work remember?

I Sing

Hello, still at work, here. But you'd like me to, wouldn't you? You must be bored too.

I Never

really heard dead people. So sorry to disappoint you all.

I Rarely

use cash, but when that credit card bill comes at the end of the month

I Cry

very hard

I Am Not Always

forgetful, yet

I Lose

things all the time and

I'm Confused

about why

I Need

a massage. Or a drink. This is all very stressful.

I Should

just go and buy that cookie

Take This Survey at Quizopolis.com

Quotes

2007-06-01T19:05:00.000-04:00

You know how some books start off with a quote? It's nothing I think I'd actually do, but every once in a while I find myself browsing quotes online, just to play around with the idea. Here are three I found recently. I like the first two because of how it talks about other worlds, but in different ways:

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.
- Anaïs Nin

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.
-Carl Sagan

But I think this is my favorite-

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Better than posting nothing, right?

2007-05-18T13:55:00.001-04:00

?? Which Angel Or Demon Are You ??

Dreams
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New poem

2007-05-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I wrote one so I thought, why not. But don't expect anything personal or deep. It's just an observation, of a scene I saw one evening this past week that amused me. What I really wished I had on hand was my camera, because this could have made for a great picture, but as that didn't happen, the poem-

Bubbles
bumble down Broadway,
blown by the street vendor
at rush hour,
air buzzing
with the clear,
soapy spheres

Like a dream it was,
bubbles
floating lazily
above cars
in the sweet spring
breeze,
as people walk
to the subway,
heading home

Have a great weekend, you all!

Favorite Last Lines

2007-04-26T17:11:00.000-04:00

I love a book with a good last line. It's something I definitely aimed for in my novel. I just find it makes reading a story all the more satisfying, especially if the book is good already, to have that final line that makes you go, wow, and leaves you thinking. One of the best I can think of off-hand is from The Lovely Bones. But it's the type of last line where you need to read the whole story to really feel the impact of the words, so I won't quote it. Speaking of The Lovely Bones, I'm going to have to do a post on it soon because it's one of my favorites and I think destined to be a classic.

The one I'll share is pretty amazing- from another favorite, The Five People You Meet in Heaven (suddenly I'm sensing a theme...) by Mitch Albom. Like The Lovely Bones, it's a lot more meaningful when you read it as you finish the story, but it also stands on its own as a thought-provoking quote. The line eloquently restates the theme of the novel, which I wouldn't think of as a spoiler, but if you are the type that doesn't like any bit of a book given away then now is the time to LEAVE MY BLOG!! (hehe...never thought I'd say that!)

"That each affects the other and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one."

I'm baaack

2007-04-17T20:15:00.000-04:00

Starting with this post I'm really, officially, ending my blog-neglect. I know you might not believe me, so come back again next week and see.

It's been a little while since we've been in Enchantia, so let's go, shall we? Well technically, this snippet isn't about actual Enchantia, just The Woods- but it's what makes that world possible:

My parents bought a very rich and eccentric environmentalist's house when he was ready for his retirement to Brazil. The house was just a normal, middle-class house, but there was 100 acres of woods in the back. He considered his purchase heroic, saving all those acres from the wretched chainsaw. My parents could never afford all those acres, so an agreement was made: the land was still his, and my parents were responsible for the upkeep. When he died, my parents inherited it, and a bunch of money (though just for upkeep and taxes, they explained, when I asked for some of it to fund my dream of horses and stables). They were giddy for weeks.

Well, now I've done it

2007-03-26T18:59:00.000-04:00

After years of resisting, I've finally joined myspace.

At first I very much resented the whole idea of myspace because it felt too much like a high school popularity contest, and if you've read this blog long enough you should know my take on things like that. But time has passed and now it just seems like a cool way to keep up with and meet new people, get the word out on this blog/my writing and network, which could only help. And as overwhelmed as I am with comments on this blog, I'm also hoping it might be a little more of an interactive experience.

My profile is pretty basic right now, but when I get the time I'd like to spruce it up. It features an extended Enchantia snippet, and there's also a picture of me minus sunglasses. I guess I'm slowly breaking out of my shell. Though just so you know, I don't normally walk around in pigtails. That was taken at a Purim party where I was dressed as a schoolgirl. Good times…

Anyway, anyone who reads this blog is a friend of mine, so if you're on myspace I look forward to hearing from you very soon!!

Song break

2007-03-19T23:08:00.000-04:00

I know I've totally been neglecting this blog. Don't give up on me! A real post is coming, but in the meantime I just thought I'd share my favorite Z100 tune of the moment. It's so rare to actually hear a song (at least in the realm of pop) that has some kind of positive message without being cheesy. I always turn the volume up when it comes on...

Vacation post

2007-03-06T20:50:00.000-05:00

Here's three of my favorite snapshots from the lovely Caribbean cruise. I'm so ready to go back...

The open ocean- one of the most amazing parts of a cruise.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Doesn't this look like one of those ads for the Caribbean?

St. Maarten, snapped on horseback. Quite the view, huh? Later on, the horses went into the sea and waded. The water was almost up to my waist...it was awesome!

It was an incredible experience. Sahar and I had so much fun together, and as you just saw, it was too beautiful. And as I'd hoped it really did inspire me, with thoughts like this one, which I wrote on the first day at sea in my journal: "As I'm on this ship bound to a place I've always dreamed of going, it makes me think how the whole world is open and ready for me. If I want to accomplish something I just have to go out and do it."

Movie bound?

2007-02-22T20:44:00.001-05:00

The Caribbean post is still coming, it really is, just haven't had the time yet. So instead, in the spirit of the Oscars coming up, I've got a recommendation of a nominee if you're interested in seeing a good movie this weekend- Pan's Labyrinth. Appropriately enough for this blog, it has to do with a 12 year-old girl who escapes into a magical world, although the story couldn't be more different. I could try to write a review, but this one from the New York Times puts it better than I ever could.

I have to warn you that it can be painful to watch. There are scenes throughout the movie of very graphic brutality, which I personally can't stomach so I had to close my eyes a lot. But that is just the reality of the story, which in the end is one of those films that is like a piece of good literature, with the heroine Ofelia reaching you in a way that any writer hopes to when painting a character- right in the heart.

Why me? Why?

2007-02-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

I wasn't even going to post this originally, because it's almost too embarrassing. But if I can't share my most mortifying moments with my friends, (or at least that's who I hope is reading this) then who? And I guess, objectively speaking, it is pretty funny.

Let me preface this tale by telling you something you might not know about me. I'm sort of like a Jewish, American version of Bridget Jones. I have this strange vibe that attracts embarrassing moments to me like some kind of magnet. I think I could already fill up at least half a book with such moments. Give it a couple more years and I'll have a first draft.

But enough prefacing...let me set the scene. It was Saturday night of my best friend's (the same one as this story) grand weekend birthday celebration. She is a really fun girl and loves to go all out for her birthday and do lots of different things, so among the festivities of the evening included going to the Village to see Blue Man Group.

It was very cool, they did all sorts of funky things with drums and neon colored liquids and food. But then they started going into the audience, which I thought was cute, until I realized one of the Blue Men was heading straight toward…guess who?

Yes, that's right. Out of all the girls the Blue Man could pick in a crowd of a few hundred people he chose yours truly. I wasn't sitting in an obvious place (halfway down the orchestra section, almost by the wall), or dressed in any kind of way that would make me stand out. And yet he came straight toward me, hand outstretched, whites of his eyes piercing brightly at me against the wet, blue makeup- which would happen many times over the minutes that followed. Honestly, that was the one thing that creeped me out…those eyes. There was no way I could shrug off that stare along with those of the whole audience. So up I went.

Basically, the bit was going on a “date” with these three Blue Men and being made to do all these silly things. If I was a comedian it would have been a great night. Anything I did drew the most hysterical laughs. I could've done nothing but twiddle my thumbs, or share my views with the Blue Men on world events, and these people would've kept cracking up like they have never seen something so funny in their lives. I played along, of course, but the whole time I felt like I was having one very weird dream.

And then there was the Incident of the Twinkie. I had to cut it up, and the Blue Man indicated that I should take a bite- but it's not kosher. I tried to fake eat it, but that was just met by more laughs and those creepy Blue Man stares. So here I am onstage in this off-Broadway theater, whispering to a Blue Man that I'm sorry I can't eat the Twinkie because I keep kosher. And as if this whole situation isn't ridiculous enough, the Blue Man, thinking quickly at this news like the pro he is, opened his mouth…indicating that I should feed him. So I ended up feeding the Blue Man my Twinkie, when I have never fed a male over the age of five in my life. Just imagine the way the crowd is roaring now.

At the end of the show, as the Blue Men were about to take their bow and I thought I was long off the hook, a big picture of me gets blasted onto the screen overhead, so everyone can applaud and chuckle one last time. There were no holes around so I settled for sinking into my friend's shoulder.

Seriously...why me? The only other person picked to go up was a guy later on. The odds were so incredibly small. In the words of the other girl with us, "They picked the shyest person in the whole damn audience!" Although according to my friend I was very endearing (ha!).

I only hope this doesn't somehow count as my fifteen minutes. I had envisioned something slightly more dignified.

Yeah, so I'm back

2007-02-05T12:13:00.000-05:00

I've actually been around for over a week now, but have been feeling a bit exhausted/lazy. The Caribbean was too beautiful...given the current climate in NY, I'm missing it very much right now. Stayed tuned for a whole post on the subject, once I get my pictures developed (no digital camera-I'm old-fashioned like that). Hopefully I'll figure out how to post a few of them in a nice way.

Until then, another Enchantia post, as it has certainly been a while. I may have said this before, but it's getting harder for me to find snippets that don't give a lot away. Which is why it just needs to get published already!! (if only saying things with lots of exclamation points could make them happen faster!!!). But anyway, let's head back to the first chapter, where we first meet Jane's family:

"How was your first day of school, Jane?" Mom asked, giving me big portions of all the dishes.
"It was fine," I lied.
I stole a quick glance out the window facing The Woods, silently thanking it for making everything seem okay.
Mom noticed and frowned.
"That's good," Dad said softly, with a warm smile which lit up his dark features.
"I had a great time at school today, and I usually hate first days!" Josh said happily, with a mouth full of stuffing.
Mom smiled at him proudly.
She had no trouble believing Josh. Even though he was only eight he was already everything I wasn't- an overachiever and loved by all.
He was also very cute, with wispy blond hair, sky blue eyes and a freckle-free, rosy complexion. He could've been on TV playing one of those all-American boys. He was always one of the most popular kids in his class, but I wasn't jealous of him. Usually.

Bon Voyage

2007-01-15T17:35:00.000-05:00

What a way to start off my new blog-year...by once again neglecting it. I'm blaming it on my Mac, which is still out of commission. Not having it available has been very hard...I have so many things I need (like the most recent revision of my novel) on it. And it's also kind of sad as I realize how addicted I've gotten to a machine.

Anyway, I am basically posting to tell you that I won't be posting again until the end of the month. Why, do you ask? Because in a few days I'm going with my good friend ON A CARIBBEAN CRUISE!!! Not to gloat or anything, but I haven't been on a real vacation in more than two years, so it's really about time. If anyone out there has been on a cruise and can offer any last minute helpful hints, please do.

I hope to get some new writing inspiration from this trip, so definitely check back here in a few weeks. Until then...

A very merry un-blog day (to me? To you!)

2007-01-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

I was going to post on my actual first blog anniversary (aka blog day) on the 6th, but I've got a good pal coming in for the weekend from my original home city of Boston (go Sox!). As I am not quite ready to accept the title of World's Dorkiest Friend, I've decided to celebrate my un-blog day instead. So come in, make yourself comfortable. All the imaginary food you can eat. The Mad Hatter should be here any minute. I think he's bringing more balloons.

I wish I had some music to get the party going, but the net only half works here and my Mac is temporarily out of commission. So BYOM.

Okay, now I guess it's time for the speech. Ahem (I know I just said BYOM, but turn the volume down a little, would ya?)…

To anyone who reads Forever Enchanted, I thank you. You may be a select few, but you are here. Without you I might as well be talking to the wall, and what's the fun in that? So really, thanks. I'm not sure that I've accomplished so much during this first year, but I hope I've turned out at least a few quality posts, and kept you somewhat entertained. I'm actually sort of amazed that I've managed to keep it going so long. When I first started I thought I'd run out of stuff to write after the first month. I still don't think the blog will go on indefinitely, but at least for the time being I'm glad to continue with it.

I'm hearing some yawns…I'm almost done, I promise! Also the Mad Hatter is here now and I better keep an eye on him before he slips something in my drink… So where was I? Oh yes-- Thanks again, and please know I don't want presents, but I do have an un-blog day wish: To hear from you more! Post a comment, drop me a line. Since there are so few of you it makes it all the more exciting when someone actually talks. If you prefer to be mysterious, you can always post anonymously. Though no pressure or anything...I'm an easygoing gal. If lurking is more your thing, by all means continue.

Well I hope you've enjoyed the un-blog day fun. Be sure to grab the enchanted party favors on your way out. And happy 2007!

The writer's life

2006-12-26T09:57:00.000-05:00

If you've read my blog long enough you already have some idea of what it's like, but now, thanks to Pamela Ribon's website, I have a visual. She wrote this hilarious book that I just started reading called Why Girls are Weird (thanks, Devora!), in which the protagonist unwittingly creates a hit blog-like website (wonder what that's like...). Maybe I'll discuss it more when I'm done, but for now just click here, and pity what us writers have to go through.

Happy Chanukah

2006-12-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

I've always loved this holiday, and the whole season. It's a time of light. NYC at night is like some sparkly wonderland. Plenty of those are Xmas lights, but if you walk around certain neighborhoods you'll also see menorahs by every other window, and giant ones in parks and squares.

It's very different, coming from Dayton, Ohio where Chanukah is much less celebrated due to its far smaller Jewish population. As a kid my family, as was our custom, didn't light the menorah by the window, but in the doorway (one thing about Judaism- there are a lot of different customs). Yet you are still supposed to publicize the miracle of Chanukah, if you can, so my father came up with an idea that was certainly a first in Dayton, and quite possibly the whole country. In the front tree-lawn, he made a menorah…out of torches. They were the kind you could get at a garden store, to keep the mosquitoes away. I loved helping my father light them. They made thick golden flames that glowed across the whole block. Neighborhood kids came to watch. People slowed down in their cars to gaze. Our homemade outdoor menorah grew brighter by the day till all eight giant lights gleamed in the night. Holiday magic…maybe it's a cliché, but that's what it was.

There's a Jewish saying, "A little light dispels much darkness." Happy holidays, and may this time of many lights make the world so bright we forget, at least for a while, what darkness is.

The Lure of Enchantia

2006-12-11T22:43:00.000-05:00

It's about time for another snippet. In the tradition of my last post, no fancy introductions...

The pixies buzzed, staying silent for the first few minutes, but soon Mialee and I could hear a soft, low humming that got louder and louder the more we sang, until we could even hear their tiny voices joining in the song. Mialee and I took hands and danced in a circle as we continued to sing- and the pixies weaved in and out, dancing with us in the air, forming a circle of swirling, musical, sparkling golden lights.
As we glowed and danced and sang with them, the whole world seemed at peace. I felt like I was in some wonderful, blissful dream, but...I didn’t want to be woken. I sang so loud, my voice must have echoed across the forest.

A poem I should've posted yesterday

2006-12-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

It's another one from my old poetry project- hopefully not too painful to read...

7/26/04 9:43 Apartment

Another sleepy Sunday
over, ending a weekend of
friends, phone chats and food,
and I sigh, thinking of the
week to come.

Grateful, I know I should be,
for my job and modest income,
and satisfaction, so say
the great sages,
is the key to true wealth,
yet that spiritual I could
never be, my strange
mind full of thoughts
that won’t be quieted.

Stats

2006-11-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

Part of the fun of having a blog is checking out the stats on your site. Although I will not divulge my average amount of hits (the number is too, well, interesting), you should know this is an internationally read blog. This month alone I've gotten hits from Canada, Belgium, the UK, India, the Netherlands and Italy. And why am I telling you this? Definitely not to boast (a popular site gets hits from like 100 times more countries). But it's cool, isn't it? I'm just this little writer from NY and yet someone across the ocean can read my ramblings. The wonders of the web...

Rain...

2006-11-12T17:20:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry for neglecting this blog, yet again. I have my excuses but I'll get to the point, which was inspired by the lovely weather we've had in NY.

People (myself included) complain about the rain, and for good reason. It's not always fun getting wet. But it can be, if we take a lesson from Jane and Megan:

And then it rained, and neither of us had raincoats. Just our very non-waterproof tee shirts and jeans.
Megan smiled mischievously. “Tag, you’re it!”
Suddenly I was chasing her and she was chasing me in a wild game of rain-soaked one-on-one tag. We couldn’t stop shrieking. There was not much of a contest since I knew The Woods so much better than her, but in time, she claimed, she'd know it too. We ran home drenched and giggling.

Rain can also be very poetic, even musical. It's in so many songs, from rock to easy listening and cheesy pop. Here's a little mix. Some of these are really beautiful:

And I'll end with another little Enchantia rain scene:

“We must’ve gotten the clouds excited with our singing!” I said.
“Yes, I think you’re right, Butterfly," and she pointed her head up to let a few drops fall on her face.
I did the same thing. This wasn't just any rain, this was Enchantian rain. The drops came down gently, glimmering as they fell.

This week's (not so long awaited) post #2

2006-11-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

As overwhelming as the response to my last post has been (LOL), I've made the decision on my own to do the longer than usual Enchantia post. So without any further introductions here you are:

The next morning came soon enough, and as we walked back from breakfast, I kept thinking about what Mom and Dad had just said.
“Josh and Rick woke us up at one in the morning,” Mom said, joining us at the table with a cup of coffee. “I thought there was an earthquake! The ceilings were shaking, and I heard these horrible shrieks. It turns out they were having some kind of life-or-death battle- a scene from one of Josh’s silly comic books.”
“Never again, though,” Dad said, who just finished up a serving of pancakes, probably his second or third. “Next time that happens I told him no sleepovers for a month. When I was a kid that was unheard of. We were too afraid of our parents to do something like that at such a late hour.”
“But what amazes me more, Dave, is the kind of wild imagination Josh and his friend have. They were so in the moment I really think they forgot where they were and what hour it was.”
“Well luckily, Jilly, we have two mature twelve year-olds here, smart enough not to get carried away like that.”
Mom agreed with a nod and a smile.
Megan and I glanced at each other, then looked away.
“Is that glitter in your hair?” Mom asked.
I had made up the good excuse of an arts and crafts-related mishap, and didn’t think much about it. The glance was what bothered me as we walked back, because it was like we were admitting something neither of us would ever say. Without thinking I started running, and Megan mistook this for a race.

**
If you like these snippets and wanna read more (as in the whole novel), email your nearest literary agent for me, will ya? (Just kidding...unless you actually know someone...) It's not always easy being a wannabe novelist. Suddenly I'm picturing a very literary Kermit the Frog. And I'm gonna end this post before it gets any weirder.

Woops...did I miss another week?

2006-10-30T23:41:00.000-05:00

The answer is yes, indeed I did. So to make it up to you, I'm going to do a whopping two posts this week.

Here's a happy tune to get you all started. My favorite Billy Joel song, and so very unpredictable of me, I know.

This post is really more of a preview post, to let you know what may await you later this week. I've got two possibilities. Either a bizarre New York story or a longer than usual Enchantia post. I'm still undecided, so if one of them intrigues you more let me know...

Friday fun

2006-10-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

This post really has nothing to do with anything, but I got this in an email yesterday and it's too funny not to share. That and I'm once again out of ideas, but at least I'm keeping you entertained. So just watch it already!

Picture Post, Part 3

2006-10-13T16:50:00.000-04:00

I'm in Ohio, toward the end of another visit. I usually come twice a year, to be with my family over some of the Jewish holidays. It's been a nice, chilled out time, which I'm really trying take in because life in NY is usually anything but chilled.

Since I gave you a little piece of my own childhood during my visit back in April, in the form of these quotes from my 7th grade composition book, I'll give you a little more now, this time in a picture from when I was around 13:

That's my brother Raffy, and our dog Willy, who died a few short years ago. Doesn't he look like he's smiling right along with us? It's one of my favorite pics from that time- the happiness almost bounces off the frame. I just had to share it with you all.

Help I can't think of a title

2006-10-03T13:54:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not posting last week. Very bad writer's block...I was just totally out of ideas and decided better not to post anything than something stupid. Although that certainly hasn't stopped me in the past.

I'm not doing so much better this week (hence the title), but it's time for another Enchantia post anyway, which makes it easy. Copy and paste...gotta love it. Here's an old snippet, and there's also a link to another one in that post. They're not directly related but will give you a little more background. And here you go:

The quest wasn’t going to be easy. With all the different paths and possibilities, we realized it could take weeks, even months, till we rescued the unicorns. But that didn’t scare us. We would bring glory and honor to Enchantia, and even started to imagine the celebration after we came back with the unicorns.
“The queen will shower us with gifts and make us honorary princesses!” Mialee said dreamily.
“There will be a parade, and all of Enchantia will be there, cheering for us!” I imagined.
We quickly snapped out of this fantasy, though - the quest hadn’t even started.

A quote and a wish

2006-09-20T22:55:00.000-04:00

I figure with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) almost here, it's time to get a little spiritual. So with that in mind, here's one of the most spiritual, poetic quotes I've ever read, from Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson (aka the Lubavitcher Rebbe), a person who touched countless people during his lifetime, from the devoutly religious to the completely unaffiliated, Jewish and not:

High upon her precipice, the soul is nameless, for she has no form - she will be whatever she must be.

Peering below, beneath the clouds, she perceives a faint shimmering of her light in the deep, wet earth. There she finds form, and she calls it a name, and she is called when that name is called, for she says, "This is me."

But it is not her. It is only a faint glimmering of her light within the frame of a distant world.

A very happy, healthy and sweet New Year filled with every good, beautiful thing to you all.

Isabel

2006-09-14T17:46:00.000-04:00

Now it feels weird doing an Enchantia post after such a serious topic, but like I said, we move on. If you're curious about the title...well I won't tell you. I think you are a smart enough bunch that you can figure it out through this snippet. And if you're not sure post a comment and guess. It could be like playing hot or cold. Or 20 questions. Though honestly, it should not take you 20 questions!

Hi Isabel! Today was a bad day, but I feel okay. I hate Ryan, but I yelled enough in The Woods about him, and if I talk about him anymore I'll throw up. I wish tomorrow would be a snow day. Too bad it's summer. I don't care. I'll be fine. There are some new kids here. And they seem nice. And cool. At least I have you no matter what. But it would be nice to have some new human friends (no offense). Oh no, Mom has just called me and she wants me to do some chore. Yuck. I wish I could shrink and lock myself in you. Oh well, she's here now. Gotta go.

Thoughts on 9/11

2006-09-11T23:23:00.000-04:00

I know I just posted a few days ago, but it feels weird to let this day pass without saying anything. Especially since I live in NY, was in Manhattan that day, and work a few short blocks from Ground Zero.

Ground Zero is hardly a smoky war zone anymore - for years now it’s been a construction site, in preparation for whatever the next step is. But there is still this gaping hole where buildings full of life once were. I think that’s an interesting parallel to how many of us feel. We’re not in the throes of shock and grief. We move on, we make the best out of life. But we walk around with a hole. It may not be so obvious as the one in Lower Manhattan, but you can’t live through such chaos and loss and not be changed.

I’ll end with this poem that I wrote during a lunchbreak back in 9/11/03. There is this giant globe that used to be in the lobby of World Trade Center as a symbol of world peace (I haven't had time to sort through my pictures so here's a link to one). Now it lives on in Battery Park, as a memorial with an eternal flame. Anyway, the poem-

Hope

Battered globe,
shattered globe,
filled with dents and scratches,
holes and rips.
Though you have been
through fire and ash,
an earthly hell,
yet here you stand-
indestructible.

With thanks

2006-09-08T18:44:00.000-04:00

It was my birthday earlier this week. There’s a part of me that’s a little scared by this fact…I’m into the second half of my twenties now, and there’s so much I haven’t done. But there’s a much bigger part of me that is feeling so blessed, for all my wonderful family and friends.

I want to focus in on my friends and make a shout out: I’m one of those people that constantly fumbles and I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you all. One of the things I at least hope I’ve conveyed in my book is how beautiful friendship can be, and for that you’re my muses. If Enchantia gets published, I’m dedicating it to all of you. But even if that day never comes, life indeed will go on and I’ll still have your love, and that is so much more important than a book will ever be. I wasn’t expecting to get so mushy here, but this is from my heart, and really I’m so grateful to each one of you. I only hope I’m as good a friend to you as you are to me.

More Wendell

2006-09-01T16:52:00.000-04:00

I was almost not going to post this week. Let's just say something happened that made me more inclined to silence. But then I read this beautiful poem, by the amazing Wendell Berry. For more on my connection to him, see this old post. It gives me the chills...never read it till yesterday, and yet I feel like I've read it a million times. If you're new to this blog, here's my first Enchantia post (scroll down to the actual snippet, in italics), and I'm sure you'll have some understanding of why. But it's not just that there's a cool similarity between this poem and my story. Finding solace in nature is very close to my heart, despite living in NY and having few opportunities to actually do so.

Life...the silly side

2006-08-24T23:51:00.000-04:00

First I was thinking of posting another poem, as it's been a while since I have, but then I realized I'm not in such a poetic mood. I just feel like entertaining you, with a subway story that happened earlier this summer.

I was on my way with my best bud/roommate Saturday night to a party. We were running late, it was already after midnight, and we sat ourselves down on train # 2 out of 3 that we ended up taking to get there (because as some of you know, subways are often messed up during the weekend and especially at late hours). First we gazed through the window of the back door of the train- since we were in the last car the view was kinda cool, it reminded us of a haunted house. And then we both realized…we are the only ones in this car. We can do whatever we want!

And so we did.

If I could pick a song to match the scene it would have to be this:

It was like living out some wacky, child-like fantasy of all the things you wished you could do on a subway car but couldn't...We ran around and shouted. We sang. We danced. We swung around the poles. When we got tired took a whole row of seats and stretched out. All the while, completely cracking ourselves up (though we do that a lot). When the train reached the next stop, we sat down normally with nonchalant faces, but once it pulled out with no new people coming on…we went crazy again. And in case you were wondering, no alcohol was involved- it was 100% natural, immature fun.

Life in general is so serious, I think it's important to have these moments where you can let loose and be silly...it's so liberating. And that, my friends, is the moral of the story. So remember, the next time you find yourself alone on a subway car with a fun friend, don't just sit there!!

Picture Post, Part 2

2006-08-18T15:26:00.000-04:00

So I printed this in the same class as the first picture, and it's one of my favorites. It's very sentimental, taken in Dayton back at the stables where I've gone horseback riding since I was 14 (though I started riding around 11 at a horse camp). It's a picturesque place with a big white barn, an indoor arena, adorable barn cats and acres of beautiful trails. And the instructor is great, never without stories of the interesting people that pass through. Even now when I go back to Ohio to visit I always try to squeeze in a lesson.

Riding is sooo much fun (especially cantering), but it's more than that. Whenever I'm on a horse, I feel like I'm reconnecting to the natural world, to something ancient, almost timeless. There is a certain harmony in having to work with another living thing, and horses are such beautiful animals.

Dayton is very much a city - there's even a downtown, with a skyline and all (albeit a pathetic one by NY standards) - but I would've never had the chance to grow up on horses if I'd always lived in NYC. It's an experience I'm grateful for, and it's definitely affected my writing.

Enchanted Descriptions

2006-08-11T12:52:00.000-04:00

Since I went on a bit last week, I'm going to let this Enchantia snippet do most of the talking...

We all loved the beauty of the forest, and sometimes pointed out something we saw- the way a feather floated through the air like it was writing a poem in the breeze; the way a flock of birds covered the sky and made the whole forest sound like it was singing.

And there was that unspoken extra brightness since it was Enchantia, brightness in every sense; the greens of the leaves were greener, the smells Enchantia’s dreamy perfume, the wind more of an embrace than a rush of air and the feeling of excitement - or danger - at what could be behind the next tree.

Just to remind you, your comments are most welcome. The second paragraph is a relatively new addition, and I hope it works but being my harshest critic I'm forever doubtful. What a horrible name for a blog that would be, lol. And yeah, I'll stop cracking myself up now...

My evening with Stephen King, John Irving and J.K. Rowling

2006-08-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

When I say my evening I mean me and 6,000 others, at the absolutely gorgeous Radio City Music Hall (first time I've ever gone!). After looking forward to this benefit-reading for several months, the night finally happened this past Tuesday, and it was AWESOME!

Let me first make a disclaimer that this is all from memory, so any quotes/paraphrases I write may not be 100% accurate. I was having way too much fun to bother taking notes.

There were some surprise announcers, which added to the excitement. Whoopi Goldberg started off the evening, and then later some other famous types announced the authors, like Kathy Bates and the hilarious Jon Stewart, who mentioned that Mel Gibson would be sure to say he had such nachas…

It was by far the most elaborate reading I've been to. Each author read a selection atop a rather dramatic mini-set/platform. Stephen King looked like he was sitting on a lawn chair in a backyard, complete with wheelbarrow, John Irving sat in an arm-chair in an old-fashioned study, while J.K. Rowling looked like she was sitting on some tall, Dumbledore-type throne. And there was a pretty backdrop of a night sky.

Stephen King was fun, you could tell he was having a good time. He even got up and walked around the stage as he read. And he made a lot of entertaining remarks. As he was about to go into the gross details of the pie-eating contest in his story he broke off, "Who writes this stuff?" Later in the q and a session when asked what he's scared of he answered, quite simply, "Everything." The number of books and movies this supposedly scared man has been involved in is still hard for me to comprehend (to get some idea, check out this crazy list on imdb).

John Irving was a great reader. I was the least familiar with his works, but recognized what he read from a movie I saw many years back- Simon Birch. Whenever his tiny protagonist talked, he used this high pitched, squeaky voice, which completely cracked me and many others up. His characters were all so real and the casting of the Christmas pageant he read about so comical...it was a nice introduction to his writing.

And last but not least, and in all honesty the major reason why I came, like many others judging from the roar of the crowd, was the incredible J.K. Rowling. She read from her last book, and then said some very interesting things in the q and a session that followed [and if you're one of those muggles who's not a Harry Potter fan now is the time to skip to the next paragraph], like she believes all her characters - except Voldemort, who's a total psychopath - can be redeemed, and that includes Malfoy, who would never have killed that person who he had set out to kill (she specifically didn't mention the name to not be a spoiler). Another thing she mentioned was that if Hermione could look into the mirror of Erised now, she would see everyone safely back from where they're setting out to, and with a certain somebody, and you should all know who she's talking about [lots of shrieks and claps here].

When asked what kept her going in the face of rejection, she said something like, "I never stopped believing in my story." To me that was so inspiring. A few times, as she was speaking, I actually looked at the huge monitors (kindly installed for us people in the nosebleed section) and thought, "Thank you." And I know that's ridiculous, as I was nothing more than a speck to her from that throne, but I couldn't help it. I don't think I would've thought of Enchantia without reading Harry Potter. That's not to say my book is a rip-off of Harry Potter- Enchantia is just an imaginary world, whereas Harry's is all too real, and there are many other differences. But still, the inspiration for throwing kids and magic together, even if in imaginary form, had a lot to do with JKR's books. Regardless of whether it gets published I'll always feel grateful to her for the role she's played in this whole incredible writing journey. Oh wow, did that sound cheesy or what?

I think the real question is am I going on or what? This may be my longest post so far in the history of Forever Enchanted. Have a great weekend, you all.

2006-07-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

You Are A Weeping Willow Tree

You are a dreamer, and you're into almost any kind of escapism.
Restless and capricious, you love to travel to exotic places.
You are easily influenced by others, as long as they don't pressure you.
You tend to suffer in love until you find that one loyal, steadfast partner.
An empathetic friend, you love to make others smile and laugh.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

In case you were wondering- yeah, the writer's block continues. But now you all know I can blame being a dreamer on the stars...at least the Celtic ones. Stay tuned for what should be a very interesting post next week, when I plan to give you all a full report on this. Can't wait!!

Picture Post

2006-07-19T22:22:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. For various reasons I've had a bit of writer's block lately, so this seems like a good time to share a photo I took over a year ago at Brighton Beach. I printed it in a darkroom as part of a course at the Camera Club of New York. If you're in the NY area and have any interest in photography, you should try a class there. It's a cute little place in the very cool area of Union Square. The classes are small, so you'll get all the individual attention you need, and you'll learn a lot. When you see your image start to surface on the paper...it's all pretty amazing. I wish I had the time/money to more seriously pursue it.

Only on Forever Enchanted

2006-07-11T10:21:00.000-04:00

Time for another Enchantia post, but this is one of a different sort, because should the book get published you'll never see it. It's only for you exclusive people that read this (and you are a very exclusive bunch). Consider it like one of those bonus features you get on a dvd...

I bet you are wondering how that could be, that I was playing a game that felt so real I could see the Royal Pixies or the mystifying Queen Bea telling us to rescue her stolen unicorns. To prove this to you let me ask you this- when I described Queen Bea speaking, could you see her? And if that is so, that all you need to see her are a couple of words on a page which you read while sitting comfortably on a couch or easy-chair, then you can surely imagine how Megan and I could make ourselves see such things out in The Woods, when we had nothing but our overactive imaginations to feed off of.

I could do a lot of these types of posts because I have cut sooo much out, but I will spare you, as there's usually a good reason why I don't want it in the book. As for this one, I was inspired by a style from a book I read in college called The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles. In the middle of telling the story he often breaks off and talks to the reader, and I really liked that. But it just didn't work in my case- felt like it broke the flow, the voice didn't sound quite right, and the narrator was explaining too much when the story should speak for itself. So I chopped it. Yet for a while I liked it, and it's one of the themes I explore in the book, so I'm glad I could share it with you here.

The ultimate dreamer's song

2006-07-03T23:34:00.000-04:00

Success! And though it has already achieved fame and fortune, I must give my thanks to google and the site it led me to - radioblogclub.com.

The song I'm sharing is a pretty famous and extremely beautiful rendition of Over the Rainbow by Israel"IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole (and this version also has some of A Wonderful World mixed in). The first time I heard it, I either got teary eyed or a serious case of the chills or both. You can just tell the song comes straight from this man's heart. So I'll stop writing now…if you're reading this from home I highly recommend that you find a comfortable spot, turn the volume up, close your eyes, and let your mind drift with the music…

Calling all blogger experts

2006-06-30T10:26:00.000-04:00

So this has been one of those whirlwind sort of weeks. I did not even intend to, but somehow found myself doing something every night after work and it was fun but a bit too much. The perils of living in NY! I suppose I am making up for all those hours spent at Starbucks.

I actually had a nice idea for a different sort of post. I wanted to share a song I really liked, but couldn't figure out how to do it other than playing it through my phone with audioblogger and it sounded horrible. So if there are any blogger experts out there who know how to post an itunes downloaded song and would be willing to help me out, please email me! I will thank you right here on my blog when I make the post. Just think of it now…the fame! The fortune!

Enchantia post ahead

2006-06-20T11:52:00.000-04:00

I'm giving you a nice size snippet today, and it touches on some major themes. It's during one of Jane's and Megan's (or I should say Butterfly's and Mialee's, respectively) earlier adventures in Enchantia, and Mialee is teaching Butterfly an invisibility spell. If you are lost, by all means ask or try browsing through my blog to some older Enchantia posts. Hope you enjoy.

“Fade, Fade, Fade!” I said.
“Not yet. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal to have trouble at first. Keep trying!”
I knew my problem. I hadn’t been serious enough. I just felt like I was pointing a stick at myself - a regular, non-magical old stick. For a moment, I thought I heard The Woods laughing at me. But a change came over me, from Mialee’s encouraging words. I was a powerful Enchantian sorceress, and Queen Bea was counting on me. Now was not the time for doubts.
“Fade! Fade! Fade!” I said, concentrating with all my strength, every muscle in my body contracted.
By the last Fade! a gentle wind whipped across my face, and I knew the spell worked.
“You did it!” Mialee said excitedly. “You’re invisible!”
As she said this she looked straight at me.
“Oh yeah?” I grinned. “Well then how come you can see me?”
“We can see each other since our powers are the same. Don’t worry, that’s a good thing. Even if we’re invisible we’ll always be able to help each other out.”
“Cool. Well, it’s so nice to be invisible. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do this spell out of Enchantia?”
“Sometimes I try, but it never works,” Megan, in her regular accent, sighed, and I knew she was thinking about home, or something to do with the bad thing that happened.
“What am I saying?” Mialee asked, horrified at herself.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then continued teaching.

Guess what?

2006-06-12T10:49:00.000-04:00

I figure it's about time for a change of subject, so I'll tell you something that actually happened a couple of weeks ago...I've finally finished my revisions!! And I realize this is totally anticlimactic, as my original self-imposed deadline was like how many months ago? But it's nice to be done.

I think I've said it before, but that deadline wasn't realistic. I had made it during a very hectic time at work when I had to stay late a lot. One of my friends even warned me that it would be like burning the candle at both ends, and she was totally right. So I decided to just chill out, take my time and finish at my own pace…and I did.

But here's the thing. Until the day an editor tells me, "You're finished," I'm not really done. There are any number of reasons why I might have to go back to it. But I'm at the point where I'm through with my evening sessions at Starbucks and am finally ready to start the next stage in the publishing process- submitting (to agents, at least to start with).

A word of warning to anyone thinking of publishing a book: your patience will be tried in ways you never thought possible. Even if (and this is a HUGE if) I do get lucky and find an agent right away who in turn sells my novel right away, it could easily be another year until you see it at a book store. It's a very slow moving process.

I was so naïve at the beginning of writing this book. My thought pattern was something like, "So cool, I'm going to write a novel, get it published, and begin my exciting career as an author. It's gonna be great!"

But that's not exactly what happened.

I've gone through so much with this manuscript- wrote a first draft, showed it to some people, revised it, submitted it to two agents who in turn rejected it, took a break, considered giving up, spent over a year going to a writers' group and working on this final draft…and that's leaving out a lot of details. Just thinking about it exhausts me. You could say I've been humbled, many times over.

I hope this doesn't sound discouraging. I'm obviously a huge believer in people going for their dreams. But sometimes dreams take work. Major amounts of it. And it's not only the work itself, you also need the said patience, persistence...and a thick skin helps.

Bear in mind I'm speaking of what I've learned from my own experience- that doesn't mean it'll be yours. You could be really talented and really lucky, and get the easy ride I had assumed I'd get. Anything's possible.

I'm going on, aren't I? I'm sorry. This blog is supposed to be for writers and non-writers alike, and this is a total writers' post. I guess I just needed to get all these thoughts out. But from now on I will only talk to you about my latest venture into the world of publishing if something major happens.

Have a good week, everyone...

A poem of one of my fondest memories

2006-06-05T18:02:00.000-04:00

For Zayde

K-K-K-Kayla, beautiful Kayla,
You're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore;
When the m-m-m-moon shines,
Over the cowshed, I'll be waiting at the k-k-k-kitchen door.

So you would sing
as we walked along the shore,
hands clasped
as the cool waves
washed over our bare feet,
sticky with sand.
Kicking up the water
and giggling
I looked up at you,
my grandfather, my Zayde,
who loved me so much
you sang songs with my name,
for the joy of my smiles.

Only a child then,
yet forever will I remember
our walks by the sea,
and should I find myself
on the shore again
I'll see us, still walking,
shadows in the distance
dancing with the light,
the ocean echoing
your songs of love.

May his memory be blessed

2006-05-28T23:04:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. I just thought I'd let you know why I've been keeping quiet- my dear grandfather recently passed away, and I feel like I need to give this blog a bit of a moment of silence. I'll be back with a regular post next week. In the future, I hope to share with you all only good news.

It's about that time again

2006-05-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

For another Enchantia post, of course. I've pushed it off about as long as I could, but I guess I must get back to being a serious writer. Or at least a wannabe novelist. This snippet comes shortly after the scene from this old post:

I walked over to her by the bonfire. She grabbed my left hand and sprinkled it with dust, then raised it up high, pointing a leaf at me with her other hand, and began singing in a solemn sort of chant:

Power of earth and sky
lo la lo lum
Guild Natura
lo la lo lum
Mialee asks you to turn my friend
lo la lo lum
Into a sorceress!
A sorceress!
A sorceress!

Goosebumps spread to every corner of my body as she said those words, and for a moment my whole body shook. My life was changing, I felt it in my bones. Though how was like trying to see through the bonfire's smoke.
I couldn't get too lost in thought- the ceremony wasn't over. Mialee threw a bunch of twigs, grass and stones into the fire, and the flames rose up.
“You've been accepted!” she said, smiling excitedly. “You're now an Enchantian sorceress of Guild Natura! So what's your Enchantian name?”
I still didn't know. But one glance at my new robe and I had it.
“Butterfly,” I said, and forced myself to hold back a tear. Finally, after all the years of feeling as low as the fallen leaves at my feet, I was going to soar.

If you're in the NY area, or planning to be in August...

2006-05-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

I was going to do an Enchantia post, but my coworker told me about something that I feel compelled to share instead, and it's so incredibly cool. JK Rowling, Stephen King and John Irving are participating in a special benefit-reading at Radio City Music Hall August 1-2, with the cheapest seats a mere $12.50! Here's all the info. Tickets go on sale Friday morning, and I'm guessing it's going to sell out fast.

They are all amazing writers, and I can't wait to see them read from their books live, but I've got to admit I'm especially excited about JK Rowling. She's one of my writing heroes.

Maybe I'll see you in the nosebleed section!

Kayla Incognito

2006-05-08T17:51:00.000-04:00

This isn't a real post (will hopefully give you one later this week). Just thought I'd tell you that, as I'm sure you've noticed, I've added my picture to my otherwise dull profile. And really, I don't think that I'm too cool. I was playing around one night, trying on my friend's huge sunglasses. I've always been a little nervous about putting pictures of myself on the internet, and that's why this one seemed perfect; since those shades cover, like, half my face I'm still somewhat incognito. But maybe one day I'll get over it and post a more normal picture.

A totally not serious post

2006-05-01T11:21:00.000-04:00

Today I have fulfilled a lifelong dream...of being #3 in a random internet writing contest. Yes, that's right, you're looking at the blog of the 3rd place winner of the invent your own religion contest (scroll down to - you guessed it - #3). Probably total blasphemy coming from a nice Jewish girl like myself, but oh well. And don't ask me where I came up with such an odd idea...

A little more about Enchantia...and me

2006-04-26T17:47:00.000-04:00

So it's back to Kayla, age 25, in NYC. And now for the thrilling conclusion of my last post's cliffhanger....and I need to stop being goofy because this is actually serious. To recap, the quote from my last post (taken from my 7th grade composition book) was, "I feel bad if I say something mean to someone; it really hurts. I really don't care if the person is the latest to be picked on, I won't do it." There's a reason why I said that so strongly.

Enchantia, I must stress, is fictional. It's not based on a true story. Nothing that happened in the book actually happened to me. But that said, just as I'm influenced by books I've read, I'm influenced by events in my life. I think that's true of most writers. I was in a class where teasing - or more like harrassing - was rampant, and I was sometimes a target, among several others. So in that way, I've been in Jane's shoes.

Of course, it's okay to write things that are beyond your own experience, and I do plenty of that in Enchantia too (e.g., although I had an imagination, mine was not nearly as wild as Jane's or Megan's). But I think when you draw from your inner resources, if you let yourself get inspired by your life, you can go places in your writing (or any other art) you couldn't go to otherwise. It brings a certain level of genuineness, because you've been there.

Bear in mind I say all this with no authority. As of now, I'm just a wannabe novelist. But this is one of the reasons why I would love to get this book published. I think it would be awesome to be in a role-model position, to be able to tell all the girls and boys out there who are struggling in similar situations, that yeah, I've been there just like my main character, and school can suck, kids can be mean, but you can still emerge from it all and be strong.

Kayla, age 12

2006-04-16T20:14:00.000-04:00

Howdy from Ohio - and happy Passover! Okay, so people don't really say howdy here (Ohio isn't exactly the Wild West), but that's where I am now, spending the holiday and a good part of this month back with my family.

As for the title- Enchantia is all about a 12 year-old, so I thought why not share a little of myself as a 12 year-old? Being that my book is a novel and not a memoir, I don't know if there's a direct link, but somehow it seems appropriate. I have this old composition book from seventh grade here (it only resurfaced recently, otherwise it might've been a useful reference), and I've selected my favorite quotes. Some of these I admire my 12 year-old self for being able to say, some I can't believe I said, others I just find funny. So without further ado I give you me, age 12:

It would be interesting to wonder what it would be like if people were more kind...Perhaps there might even be world peace! Too bad these are only thoughts.

The third person...would be a guy who is just right for me. He would understand me, have a great sense of humor, he would be handsome and we would have a lot in common.

Education helps you become smart and someone with a bit of sense.

As long as the discipline is not too strict, and the teacher is not too boring, and I don't wear my hands out from writing, education is great!

She simply tells them smoking isn't her and goes home. After all, she was being herself, and that's great!

Sometimes I think it would be neat if there really were mermaids, but there aren't, and you can't fight nature. So the only thing we can do now is dream, dream, dream!

Another difficult thing for me to do is be extremely talkative, outgoing and not shy at all.

The only problem about him [my dog Willy] is that he always wants to escape, and mate with a girl.

Today I'm going to try my best in school, and when I come home, I'm going to be Miss Leisure.

Today, I don't feel like getting up, and I wish I didn't have school today. Then again, that's pretty typical of me.

All I can say is that I am proud of who I am, whether or not I'm perfect.

[If I had to live alone on a desert island] I would bring clothing so I wouldn't be walking around naked all day. Also, in case I get cold, I don't want to be stuck with nothing on.

I feel bad if I say something mean to someone; it really hurts. I really don't care if the person is the latest to be picked on, I won't do it.

Yeah, hardly the child prodigy. But it's fun reading these, or at least it is for me- back in the days when I was young and innocent. I have a little more to say on the last quote, but this is already long, so I'll wait till next week (another cliffhanger...yesss!).

Yet another Enchantia post (aren't you surprised?)

2006-04-06T10:33:00.000-04:00

I am feeling so relieved right now. I thought I'd lost almost 50 pages of revisions yesterday due to a computer glitch, but thank G-d it's recovered. Word to the wise: back everything up! But you all know that, I'm sure.

Before reading this snippet, if you're new or just want a refresher, check out these olds posts on The Woods and Enchantia. Besides that, you just have to know that this comes right after Jane's first day with Megan in Enchantia. This is actually a pretty significant snippet. As usual, if you have a comment, a question, or are just plain confused, please make yourself heard!

Before going home I decided to take a little walk over to my favorite spot- the tree stump by a stream.
“Hi, Woods,” I muttered.
I looked around me, too antsy to sit on the stump. Everything was beautiful, of course, but I felt a change. The trees were still swaying, the wildflowers blossoming. There was life everywhere, from buzzing bumblebees to a red-tail fox. But without Megan, The Woods felt empty and strangely still. I felt no need to speak to the trees.
“I’m sorry...I--I still love you,” I murmured guiltily, and walked back home.
“No you don’t,” I heard The Woods reply as I walked. “You’re abandoning me...for a game.”
I broke into a run.
There was no going back to having The Woods simply being The Woods.

Another poem, plus the report you've all been waiting for

2006-03-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

I've never shown this to anyone before...

September 8, 2003
Robert Wagner Junior Park, 12:35 PM

Journey of a Year

As I sit on the cool grass
beneath a leafy maple
I watch the harbor’s waters
ripple and wave,
sparkling in the sun.
The boats glide and sail
to places close
and oceans away.

I wonder about
my own course,
this journey of a year.
Will the waters,
rough and strong,
force me back to shore?
Or will I sail
smoothly, seamlessly,
on waves blue as sapphires
to climes green and strange,
boundless and beautiful?

I feel like I'm on another journey with this blog, though I hope I can go at it for than a year!

I'm better now so I don't have any more excuses…now for the report on my revisions...drumroll please…nope, not done yet. Oh, the twists this blog takes! Just got tied up with work and other things, but I'm in the final stages now, and I'll be done soon. I'm not making anymore deadlines, though, because if for some reason I don't make it again that'll look ridiculous. But the deadline wasn't useless- it really got me going. The end is in sight and I can't wait.

But now I'm presented with a problem. What am I going to do now that the saga of the deadline is over? I need another thrilling cliffhanger to keep you all coming back. Oh I got it. Next week, I will give you something dark and mysterious...a newly revised snippet of something that begins with - dare I say it - an E!! (dramatic music here)

Pardon this post

2006-03-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

Hi folks. So about the report I said I'd give in my last post...well...um...let me wait to explain next week, when I can think straight, because right now I'm sick and I can't really write anything worthwhile. I tried writing the report in poem form in an attempt to be creative/funny, but I can't bear to show it because it's just too stupid ("Right now my head is a total fog/I can't believe you're reading this blog"- need I show you more?).

And now, in the words of Groucho Marx...

Hello, I must be going.
I cannot stay,
I came to say
I must be going.
I'm glad I came
but just the same
I must be going!

Give me an E! Give me an N! Give me a...

2006-03-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

Hey, this is Kayla, the like writer-cheerleader, and I'm like so seriously excited about giving you this next like totally awesome Enchantia post!! Okay sorry, I'll stop...it's been a crazy week. This comes a little before the last snippet in the same chapter:

Sue approached me as I gathered my things from my locker at the end of the day, along with Tina, another girl from Fleetwood who I always got along with.
“Hey Jane, you doing anything this weekend?”
“Um—”
“Jane!” Megan said, running up to me.
I just sort of stood there, not knowing what to say.
“Hi Megan,” I muttered after a long pause, smiling awkwardly.
“What’s up?” Megan asked, completely ignoring them.
I stood there again, wishing I was alone in The Woods more than anything.
“Well I don’t have all afternoon, but I get it,” Sue snapped. “Have fun Jane...and by the way, Megan, I do exist.” And she darted off with Tina, who looked confused but kept quiet.
Megan just rolled her eyes at them.
I didn’t feel bad, not when I pictured Sue watching as Janet teased me, staying so cruelly silent, and then having the nerve to eat lunch with Janet and her laughing friends a few short minutes later. And if that wasn’t enough, she had rejected my invitation a few weeks earlier.
“See you tomorrow night,” I said to Megan as we walked out of school.
“I can’t wait,” she smiled, looking like she was dreaming up our adventures, as I must have looked most of the day.

If you're completely lost either email me or post a comment and I'll do my best to clarify. It's becoming harder with each of these Enchantia posts to find snippets that don't need much explaining or give a lot away. Oh well...I can't analyze this problem now. My brain is tired.

I'm not going into my progress with revisions as you know what's going on from the last post. But I'll give you a full report next week. Oh, the suspense!

Thoughts...

2006-03-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

Starbucks is my official second home. I managed to rack up over 13 hours this week, by far a record. I only allowed myself one post-work social activity. Not that the current state of my social life is anything to be proud of, but that's part of the reason why I'm working so hard to finish it. I want my life back!

I've been going through a lot of emotions lately, probably a product of my record-setting hours. But it's not like I'm crying one moment and laughing the next. Maybe the better word is doubts. Like what if after working so hard and for so long, it's still not good enough? This isn't school. You don't get extra points in the publishing industry for effort. It's quite possible that every agent and publisher will reject my little story. And if that happens, does that mean I'm the biggest fool, wasting so much of my time and energy over something that will never be? It's times like this I wish G-d could tap me on the shoulder and tell me to either stop now because it's never gonna happen, or keep going, it will all come together in the end. But I can't exactly count on divine intervention.

Yet as much as I feel this way, it doesn't stop me. I keep thinking of two quotes. The first is from Defying Gravity, my favorite song from Wicked (the awesome Broadway show - and the book by Gregory Maguire is also good):

"If I don't try I'll never know."

That's really the bottomline. And then there's this great quote from Cate Blanchett. She's one of my favorite actresses. I found this in the Australian edition of Vogue (random, right? Found it in Borders on my lunchbreak). This is from memory so it's more a paraphrase:

"If you fail, do it spectacularly, otherwise you haven't taken any real risk."

I've extended my deadline to March 19th. When I came up with March 15th I wasn't thinking it through. Monday to Tuesday night is Purim, and I'll be too busy doing things like partying. And I might also have to work late one night because of a big event coming up. This extension should give me just the right amount of time I need, and I'm absolutely sticking to it.

I promise you'll get some real writing next week. But I have to say, you all should get a blog. It's a great place to let your thoughts wander (as long as you don't mind sharing them with your friends and/or completely random people!).

Wendell

2006-03-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

I feel like telling you about one of the folks on my list of links- Wendell Berry. If I had no inspirations I'd have very little to write about. Wendell is definitely one of them.

I have all these great memories of visiting him with my family, as a kid and on through college. He lives on a beautiful farm in Port Royal, Kentucky with his wife Tanya, alongside the Kentucky River. He's sort of anti-technology, his house looks like it's from another time. They have the basics- electricity, a phone, audio/radio, and possibly a fax machine, but no TV or computer in sight. They use a wood stove for heat, and have their own water supply through a well.

When we visited we had a routine: chat in the living room, then go into their kitchen where Tanya, a really charming, intelligent woman, made us tea and served a cake we brought in since we keep kosher (it's funny, I don't even think I've mentioned once on this blog that I'm Jewish. But yeah, that's me. A nice Jewish girl - or at least I try). Wendell is a real presence - a very tall man with a kind smile, a great sense of humor and a warm Kentucky accent. He was always very sweet to me as a kid.

After chatting and munching were over we went with Wendell as he made his rounds on the farm. My brother and I rode on the back of his pickup truck to the various points, which was always a thrill. His sheepdogs came along, either joining us on the truck or running alongside. We visited his llamas, and giant draft horses used for plowing, since he only uses manual farming equipment. But my favorite thing was going to the sheep barn during what's called lambing season. It sounds cheesy, but lambs really melt your heart. They are just how you'd imagine them, little wisps of white, all cuteness and innocence. I tried not to think about the fact that some of them end up as lamb chops! By the end of each visit I inevitably decided that I had to live on a farm. And here I am, in lovely New York City…

And aside from being this nice farmer Wendell is also an acclaimed writer who has become a major voice of rural America or for anyone who cares about the natural world. It was sometimes hard to comprehend this when I saw him, because he lives such a modest life, but he is a real literary figure. He's been written up in the New York Times and gotten all sorts of presitigous awards. The Peace of Wild Things is my favorite of his poems, quite possibly my all-time favorite poem. My parents have a nice signed copy in a frame, and as I grew up it was always on one wall or another. I never get tired of reading it, and you can probably see how it's influenced me from some of my other posts. If you're looking to expand your horizons, poetic or otherwise, (he also writes novels and essays) give his work a try. There is an incredible amount of wisdom and beauty in his words. Collected Poems is a great place to start. Please email me if you get it! We can discuss.

You'd think he would be a good person to show my novel to, as he might have some helpful connections or advice, but I've never shown it to him. I would feel so disappointed in myself if he didn't like it, and I'd rather not know. But if it ever gets published I might work up the guts and send him a copy.

This post is almost over, I promise. I'll end with another (not so very exciting) update on my revisions. Two posts till the deadline, and this has not been a good week. I don't even want to say how many hours, because it's sort of pathetic. From next week and on it's crackdown time. I've always been a procrastinator. In college I'd wait till the last possible moment to study or write a paper. But in the end I always did what I had to do. Hope I can pull that off again. Wish me luck!

My biggest Enchantia snippet so far

2006-02-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

It's about time I answer that burning question that many of you must be having - or not, but I'll ask it anyway - what kind of name is Enchantia? I think you'll get an idea through this scene:

“First of all I should tell you that my name isn’t really Megan. Megan is the boring girl that lives in a stupid house with my Mom and stepdad and spoiled little sister.” Her voice had gotten shakier with each word, and she took a moment to take a deep, calming breath. “But my Enchantian name is Mialee,” and she looked around at The Woods. “Mialee is so much more.”
“Mialee?” I asked after a few silent seconds. “So you’re like a whole other person in Enchantia?”
“Not a whole other person,” she said, and looked at me again with those wide eyes. “I’m always Mialee...that’s the real me. ”
“Oh,” I muttered.
It was then I realized how little I knew Megan. I wasn’t just surprised or incredulous anymore. I looked into her emerald green eyes, and saw all these sparks, all these mysteries.
“Well...Mialee is a beautiful name. Should I call you Mialee?”
“Only when we're in Enchantia, because everything having to do with Enchantia is highly secret. If word ever leaked out about Enchantia--you don’t want to know.”
“I see…but we? What do you mean, we?”
“Well, an Enchantian sorceress can make a regular person into a sorcerer or sorceress through a special ceremony,” Megan said, and then she grinned. “Would you like to be a sorceress?”
It’s not every day you get asked to be a sorceress, so I thought about it for a minute, twisting my finger through a piece of hair. I looked into her eyes again, and I was caught.
“OK, I guess.”
The game was beginning to sound like it might be fun. But it was more than that. I wanted to know this girl who had become my best friend. I really wanted to know her. And I would be lying to myself if I didn’t also admit that I was thirsting for some excitement in my life.

Three posts to the deadline and this week has been alright- somewhere around four hours, I think. If I spent every minute of that time being productive that would be great, but I spend a lot of time sipping on coffee or tea (I write at Starbucks) and spacing out, or reading through a chapter ten times trying to come up with ideas. But I don't leave unless I feel like I've accomplished something, so I suppose it's coming along. And I hope I'm making sense as it's been an exhausting week and all I want to do right now is crawl under my desk and sleep. Have any of you seen that Seinfeld episode where George makes this whole sleeping compartment under his desk? That's like my dream. Anyway, have a nice weekend.

A cat article by the catgirl herself

2006-02-16T23:27:00.000-05:00

I wrote this article a few years ago, and sent it to some cat magazine. It was rejected, because the magazine doesn't approve of cats going outside unless they're on a leash (cats? On a leash?). And after reading the article again after all this time, I'm sure it also could've been written better, but how could I not share my one cat article with you?

A Cat Who Thinks He’s A Dog?

My cat, Hobbes, is a real character.

A long haired tuxedo, who I found in my childhood as a stray, he has since been an indoor-outdoor cat. I have a dog, Willy, too - a long haired collie mix found by my brother as a stray (we have a talent for attracting strays in our family). Like many an owner, he is taken for walks- usually by me and my father, and my mother when I'm not in town.

I can’t remember exactly the first time Hobbes began tagging along when I walked Willy.

At first, he’d go in our direction, though usually keep his distance, running behind the bushes of various neighbors’ lawns.

This only happened infrequently, but then a few years passed and my family moved from Dayton, Ohio proper to the suburb of Centerville. We kept Hobbes in the condo, much to his agony, for the required six weeks.

And then, it started again.

I’m not sure how long after, because I was away at college, but he started going for walks with Willy, more and more regularly. By the time I had graduated and arrived home, he had a set routine, which continues to the present.

During the day he usually does not come along the whole way. He stops at a certain point, before an area that is a little noisier and busier. As soon as Willy and I turn around and head back, Hobbes comes back with us, jogging along when he gets a little behind.

All this is the talk of the neighborhood, or at least of the complex of condos where I live. People see me walking Willy, and then Hobbes comes trotting along a few feet back, and they can’t help but chuckle, or tell me how funny they think Hobbes is.

But it doesn’t end there.

At night, Hobbes gets braver. He’ll often try to come along for the walk the whole way, because it's much quieter. And when Willy and I get too fast for him, he’ll do something almost as funny as going along for the walk: meow, rather pathetically. From the sound of him, you’d think that he ran up a tree, or was in some kind of dyer trouble. And though it is funny, when I actually hear him meow I can’t help but pity him.

Is there an official explanation for all of this?

“It is uncommon for cats to go for walks with their owners,” explains T.J. Dunn Jr., DVM. “But for some reason, there are a few cats that do enjoy tagging along. In your cat's case, he may become slightly anxious about being so far from home base, and start to lag behind. Then, seeing itself somewhat isolated from his ‘family’, the cat vocalizes during a heightened state of anxiety. This could be looked at as a mild case of separation anxiety and the kitty is seeking contact and security with his ‘family.’”

So there you have it: a cat with separation anxiety. And though the vet didn’t say it, must think he’s a dog.

**

That was back in the days when I was in Ohio a lot more often, and Willy was alive. But Hobbes is still kicking and has taken on some of Willy's other ways, like begging for food in the same spot Willy used to. They definitely have some kind of strange connection. I miss Hobbes...here in New York the only pet in my apartment is my roommate's hamster. Not quite the same (though I freely admit he is very cute in his hamster way).

Four more posts to the deadline, and this week has not been quite so productive. I didn't even make it to three hours. But I plan to make up for lost time over the long weekend. Have a great Presidents Day!

Happy Friday

2006-02-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

So here's another Journey of a Year poem (see my first poetry post for more details). I'm not exactly proud of this one, but since I've put off posting till Friday, I can't help myself…

Office, October 24,
10:46 AM

Friday

Every day is a countdown
to the day you come.
Like long lost friends
we embrace each other,
and I chide you for taking
so long to arrive.
You lead me to the gates
of freedom called
Weekend, then turn
your back and flee,
yet you’ll come back,
like a regretful lover,
and we’ll embrace again.

Deadline is five posts away. I spent about six hours revising this week, which for me is really good, as I don't have much of an attention span left after work. But like you care. As Austin Powers would say, it's almost the weekend, baby. So have a smashing, groovy time!

Another Enchantia post, plus a confession

2006-02-01T18:02:00.000-05:00

I just looked at my last post again and wow, I'm the biggest dork. Here I am trying not to be literary, and yet within two sentences I manage to use the words theme, metaphor and carpe diem. Why did I stop there? While I was at it, I should have thrown in some other lit terms, like alliteration, simile, or one of my personal favorites, onomatopoeia (and I only spelled that right because of spell check).

But in all seriousness - if that's possible now - my next Enchantia snippet. And sorry, this is a really small one, but there are more posts to come (and if you want a better explanation see my first Enchantia post). I just wrote this last week, and want it to be on the page before the first chapter. It doesn't have much to do with the plot; more to clearly establish who the narrator is:

She walks off the path, between the trees, clutching an old book in her hand. A young woman of seventeen, her childhood lurks in every shadow of this forest, every whispering leaf and blade of grass. She wears a yellow sundress, and her long brown hair ripples in the wind as the memories flow in and out. It’s a long, sunny summer afternoon. She sits down and opens the book. She looks at you. She has a story to tell.

Now for my confession - and I hope you weren't expecting it to be really juicy. I have a love/hate relationship with Enchantia. I want to see it published, like sooo badly, and want to keep working on it till it's perfect. But at the same time, I've been working on the manuscript for so long (like a few years on/off, and I'm not exaggerating) that I'm more than ready to get it off my hands and move on to other things. So I've set a deadline to finish my revisions: March 15. Sounds like a while, but that's only six posts away. The countdown is on.

Warning: fluff post ahead

2006-01-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

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)

2006-01-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-04T22:49:00.000-05:00

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.