Journal Report #6

I'm laying on the couch right now, and my whole body feels like it is screaming at me.  Yesterday, I decided it was time to start working out again.  I got a pass for Gold's Gym and spent 45 minutes on the elliptical machine.  I felt pretty good yesterday, but today I hurt.  I worked out again today for about twenty minutes.  Working out, like writing, can be really hard.  Especially if you want to build a daily habit of it.   I know, though, that if I want to get in shape I need to keep going back to that gym every day.  I need to ignore all the voices in my head telling me to stop, I need to stop looking at the clock every ten seconds.  I need to just keep my head up and keep going no matter what.  I'm sure you can make the connection to writing, after all, what I have been talking about is not necessarily something original.  Now onto the rest of my blog.

Reading:

I finished reading Divergent.  My thoughts.  It was an average dystopian.  It had a lot of good things going for it, an interesting world, a good love story, and interesting characters.  What really bothered me was the transitions.  It felt like one minute I'm watching an intense action scene in a movie, and then all of a sudden a family is sitting around the table telling stories, and then a romantic date, and then back to the battle.  Now that example is a little exaggerated, but I hope you can get the unsettling feeling that can come from sudden changes in tone and setting.

I started reading Hitler Youth and I really like it so far.  It is always interesting to notice difference in writing style between non-fiction and fiction.  It is a lot more fact orientated, but can still get the reader emotionally involved in the story.

I'm also reading Gilead by Marilyne Robinson.  I am loving it.  The voice is strong, the writing clean and crisp, and the scenes creative and inviting.  I just started it, so I am excited to find out more.

I've been continuing to read from 2012 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market.  I love the interviews of the different authors.  It gives me a lot of hope to hear real life authors talk about how they have found success, but, also, hear them talk about their struggles and writing process.

Writing:

Here is a little bit from a project I have been working on.  I hope you like it:

A sea of clouds spread out before me.  They change, with my anger, from wispy and white to heavy and dark.  The wind brings waves.  The waves rock my small boat back and forth, back and forth, and soon I find myself going up and down, up and down.  My stomach protests, petitioning my brain to let me throw up.  My brain says no, so my stomach gets angry.  I felt like I have just completed the one pound hamburger challenge at Steve’s Food n’ Fuel Diner.  A one pound beef patty, pickles, onions, lettuce, etc. (the whole works), smashed between two sourdough buns and smothered in barbecue sauce.  A small bucket, there has never been a more incorrect usage of the word small, of thick french fries (potato peel and all).  A large thick shake.  Must be completed in under 30 minutes.  Imagine you just finished that challenge. How do you feel? Have you thrown up yet?  Ready for a swim?  Not likely.  There was one good thing about the situation.  One of the items on my bucket list: ride a bucking bull for eight seconds (I think a rocking boat counts for the same thing).

My Crazy Life:

Besides this new found soreness brought on by a sudden desire to exercise, my life has been pretty chill. It involves: homework, sleeping, watching television (There are so many great shows that I get distracted by this one), and hanging out with friends.  On Saturday, I went to the BYU football game.  We won.  Those words are now spoken as a phrase of relief, whereas, not too long ago, it would have been spoken of as something expected.  My fantasy football team is doing better even with Michael Vick throwing four interceptions.  Also, I got a calling.  I am officially the ward sacrament greeter.  I've already started working on my smile.  I stare in the mirror and make different faces.  Talk about scary.  Well, thats all for now.