Memory lane (again)

I've officially beaten my record for most posts in a year! The previous record was 34, in 2006. 2006 was my the last year of my first blogging phase, and since it's been a while, I decided to go take a look at what Every Colour was like back then.

2006 was a weird combination of enthusiasm and discouragement (is that even a word? It doesn't feel like one today). On one hand, I was getting better at writing thoughtful things (mostly about the Myst series*). On the other hand, you could tell the novelty of having a blog was wearing off fast (there were lots of posts that started/ended, "I know, I know, I haven't written much. Must write more!"). 2006 was also when I started making lots of lists...like the fan-made Ages I loved to find, and internet "adoptables". What can I say? I like lists.

I think my main problem was (and still is) thinking of something to say. You don't really know what will make a good post and what won't. Plus, since I didn't have any commenters back then, I didn't feel encouraged to write anything because I felt like it didn't matter (like talking to an empty room). Plusx2, I ran out of ideas after my fan Age list was done. However, near the end of the year you can see the blog picking up a bit...not much, but it was the start of hope. (Ironically, the last post before my second blogging phase ended with "must post more! Gah!").
And here we are, three years later. I'd say I've gotten better. I ramble more, but that's what blogging is about, isn't it? ;)

*Speaking of which, I'm planning to write a post about that soon. [Narrator voice] Watch this space.

Background-y goodness

I finally figured out how to change my background! Yay! So...what do you think of the new one? It's similar to the old background, and it's not hard to read anymore. I'm keeping it for now...I might change it again if I find something better.
Longer post coming up soon.

Cookies

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I speak for the books!

Two posts in one day! Do I rock or what? ;)

I find that people are often biased when it comes to things they aren't familiar with (I'm like that too). I especially notice it when it comes to books genres. I used to think SF was only really tech-oriented space opera kind of things (which it's totally not...although space opera can be kinda fun). The sad thing is, we don't realize what we're missing unless we really investigate the genre...looking at titles in a chain bookstore won't cut it.

This is a very general topic, so I'm going to focus on one specific thing...let's say "YA books" (I'm not a fan of labeling, but I'll ignore that right now), since I've been thinking about it lately.

I hear negative things about teen fiction, on the internet and occasionally from people I know. People seem to focus on the fact that teen fiction produced Twilight (and many Twilight-wannabes), and not so much on the actually deep, good books out there.

Yes, some YA books can be shallow and focus too much on romantic relationships, but so can adults books. And teen fiction has many really interesting books that explore things that books for other ages don't. Self-discovery, other people...and a lot of it feels fresh, since the characters are often finding out these things for the first time. And, I find that books for this age (and younger) are more positive than adult books (but I'm no expert...this is just from what I've heard about various adult books).

And that's just realistic fiction. Fantasy teen fiction (when it's good) is, in my opinion, the best kind of fantasy fiction. It's sophisticated, but it's not as restrained to a genre as an adult book might be.

So...that's my defense of teen books. I'd love to hear your opinion on similar subjects...what genres/ages groups/writing styles/whatever do you love, and why should I love it too?

Titus Andronicus

I went to see Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus yesterday evening. Holy cow...so intense, so unsettling. But so good. Like I said after it was over, "I think I'm traumatized, but in a good way."

I really didn't expect to like it very much...while I'm into dark books, I'm not into dark movies (so I figured it was the same for plays). I expected to hide behind my program for most of the play. But no...I was staring intensely at the stage. Even for the parts that I had to look away, I ended up looking back with horrified fascination.

Congrats to all the actors, including the understudy who had to play with a script but was still really good.

I also loved the music...it fit very well. And the costumes were awesome. The play was set in a sort of post-apocalyptic Rome, so the costumes were a mix of ancient Roman toga-type outfits, and modern punk and army clothes.

So...Titus: really dark, really intense, really powerful.

There once was a flying SmartCar...

That was the beginning of a story we attempted at the daycamp. We were playing one of those "one-sentence-at-a-time-story" games. It was supposed to involve the Himalayas, too. That's one story I would've loved to hear. I think it would turn into a story about the Magic School Bus' sidekick, the flying Smart Car.

Anyway. Although I missed the first day of the camp, today was awesome. It's an acting camp, and we're putting on a scene from Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors". I got the character I wanted too, so yay! I do kinda wish I had gone to the first day, because then I would've gotten to know the people a little more, but I'll catch up.

As you can see by this short post, I'm much better at theorizing about books and the like than talking about my life. Oh well, hope you liked it anyway!

BTW, I have a longer post coming up at the end of the week. See you then!

Letters from bed

Dear germs,
Please go away. I already missed one day of this cool daycamp, and I don't want to miss any more.
Sincerely,
Nicole

Dear stomach,
Just so you know, a cold does not mean I have food poisoning.
Nicole

I'll have some more meaningful posts up soon (maybe tomorrow). Until then...bye!

What do you look for...

...In a book or movie? I know there are a lot of different aspects, but what is one thing (or two things) that you find you can't read a book without?
For me, it's story and characters. I used to think that I found the story the most important thing...and it is very important (that's why I barely read non-fiction). But I recently found out that if a book has characters that I love, I don't mind if the story sucks.
One thing I can do without in books are descriptions of places or things. I have a greater tolerance for them if I'm listening to an audio book, but for some reason I just get bored reading about the surrounding area, unless it's really really unusual or exciting.

With movies, though, it's different. I really like visuals (at least if it's fantasy or SF), and setting takes a bigger role in a movie than it does for a book. Story and characters are more equal, because it's harder for me to really love a character in a movie (maybe because I can't get in their head? Well, maybe I'll post about that later).

So...what about you? What's important for you in a book, and how is it different in a movie?