Greg and Shelby's Lit Circle

Well, my book is done (expect post on that soon), but Shelby and Greg still have chapters to discuss and summarize, so here goes:

Greg:
--the guy complains about his girlfriend a ton (she's not affectionate enough)
--and that's about it. Nothing too exciting.

Shelby (prepare yourself!!)
--Joe figures out that things are reverting back to their 30s forms
--the entire city is reverting to the year 1939
--Joe finds "Ubik Kidney and Liver Balm" in his mailbox
--He can't use it (the balm)
--goes to an airport
--flies to Des Moines
--Runciter is apparently dead
--one of the psychics dreams of Ubik Spray
--Anti-psychic claims loss of powers
--Runciter warns Joe against her (the anti-psychic named Pat)
--Joe figures out Pat was working for big villain
--Joe starts to deteriorate
--almost dies
--Runciter saves him
--Everyone is in half-life and needs to figure out how to get out.
PHEW!! D:

Well, that's all for now, folks. ^^

--LeXa--

My Lit Circle Book is Done

Well...The title sort of says it all. And what a weird ending it was. I must admit, I really enjoyed this book, but can't for the life of me tell you why. NOTHING happened the entire book! I could probably summarize it in about 1 sentence: "Bunch of random people talking about heavy psychological stuff in a horrible world." The end.

So yeah, the ending of the book was not only anti-climactic, but really really creepy. Basically, throughout the whole book there were like 3 major story-lines with three different lame endings.

• Mr. Tagomi, a Japanese trade missioner in San Fransisco. He shoots some Nazis with a fake Colt revolver and over-stresses about this. He's a Buddhist, so hates killing. He buys a piece of EdFrank jewelry and goes into the alternate "the Allies Won" world, then dies of a heart attack.
• Frank Fink, a Jew hiding out and making jewelry. He gets arrested by the Nazis and then saved by Mr. Tagomi and his paperwork. He then goes back to making jewelry.
• Juliana Fink, the oddly independent woman who was hanging out with the "Italian" guy named Joe. Joe turns out to be a spy trying to kill the dude who wrote Grasshopper, and Juliana goes insane and kills Joe. She then gore and talks to the Grasshopper dude.

So yeah, the book really made you think but it had a horrible ending. ):< Apparently Phillip K. Dick meant to write a sequel but never managed it. Oh well.....

--LeXa--

Lit Circle Once More

Ok, time for more chapter summaries from our lit circle books.

Greg:
--Not much happens
--Police decide to test Narcotics officer for insanity
--Goes into detail about the tests and the guy's paranoia

Shelby:
--the whole world is deteriorating (not just the psychics)
--Runciter is trying to contact Joe through different means/methods
--Guy named Al starts to deteriorate (sees Alaska as he dies)
--Sees odd graffiti
--Al figures out that everyone but Runciter is really in half-life and dying (OMG!)
--Joe sees commercial for Ubik spray (can stop/cure deterioration)
--Runciter talks to Joe through the commercial (urges him to buy Ubik spray)
--Ubik comes from "Ubiquitous"!
--There are two Runciters: one in the real world and one who's a corpse

Lea:
--Ed and Frank have started a jewelry company and are trying to get this guy Childan to sell it
--Childan, wants to give some of this jewelry to this Japanese guy's (Paul) wife
--Paul tells Childan this long and complicated story about how the jewelry is super special
--Paul talks too long
--Paul suggests that Childan make this jewelry into trashy good luck charms and make a franchise
--Childan realizes that Paul is insulting him and then rebels and asks for an apology
--Paul apologizes, Childan leaves happy
--Nothing happened again. But I still like this book.

Sharing Day

Oh my goodness...Sharing day was so awesome! Everyone's stories were amazing and so unique. First up was my story, which apparently everyone liked. Personally I wasn't as confident about this story as the last one, but everyone else thought it turned out fine, so I was happy. Yejoon went next, with her story that Shelby and I got to peer-edit. It was so much more action-packed than her usual stories, but still possessing that warmth and emotion that Yejoon is great at writing. Third was Shelby, with yet another amazingly funny and suspenseful story (not another cliffhanger!!). Next was Sarah, with her batman-filled action story. And last of all came Greg, with his humorous satire about Canada and the media.

All 4 stories from my classmates were so enjoyable to listen to! Shelby, Sarah, and Yejoon are all continuing on with trilogies, so I'm waiting with bated breath to find out what happens next to Sabrina, Leo, and James. And Greg...Well, I'm not even sure any more what to expect from Greg. Just saying, I haven't laughed that hard at a short story ever.

So yeah, sharing day was amazing and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's final stories! :)

--LeXa--

Lit Circle

Sharing our chapter plots

Shelby:

--A guy named Joe goes to a hotel to wait for the Moratorium to revive Runciter
--He looks in his closet and finds a mummified corpse of one of the psychics (a girl he liked! D:)
--He figures out that the explosion that killed Runciter consisted of a nuclear reaction that's causing them and the things around them to age
--Also, Joe picks up the phone in the hotel room and hears Runciter's internal monologue on the phone (It's only one-way though, Joe can hear but can't interact)
--One of the psychics picks up a coin and notices it has Runciter's head on it
--Some of their money is now mysteriously RunciBucks
--There are two things happening because of the explosion: 1) deterioration and 2) manifestations of Runciter

Greg:

(Prepare for more drug-induced craziness)
--Guy has to spy on himself, so the police put bugs in his house
--He's happy about this, because now he'll know who's trying to kill him
--paranoid acid friend leaves elaborate plot to catch intruders
--When they get home they freak out because of mysterious cigarette
--scared because he's afraid someone's planting drugs to frame him
--Paranoia happens
--It was all just his girlfriend
--Talks about how he likes drug addicts instead of straight people (giant mosquitoes??)

Lea:

--Basically it's just a German dude talking on the phone about really interesting political stuff
--Just like all the other chapters. :x

Childhoods End Discussion

--Jan wants to find Overlord's home planet
--Does research and finds that star
--He's going to hitchhike there

--The Overlords talk about Jean
--She's the most important person on the Earth
--George then enters a 10 year marriage contract with Jean

--Rashaverak and Karellen talking = AWESOME

--Jan talks to Professor dude under the ocean
--The professor is going to help him hitchhike
--Also, the professor might give Jan some awesome gadgets

--Talks about Earth and the golden age
--People getting rescued from everywhere
--Stuffed Homo Sapiens


Our Thoughts on these Chapters:

Greg: Pretty awesome. It's hard to say anything without having read the next book. Shows how the Overlords have agendas (when they talk about Jan)

Shelby: Amazing. My favorite characters now are the Overlords and Jan. Finally get to learn about the Overlords! :)

Lea: It was really long, but totally worth it. Listening to the two Overlords talk was definitely the highlight of my day.

Peer Edit 2: Shelby's story

Well, after reading Shelby's story I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be scared. Again she threw a complete twist in at the last possible minute of her story!! 8D

Excellent story, loved reading it, loved editing it, loved GEORGE!!! xD

--LeXa--

Peer Edit 2: My story

Okiedokie, so Yejoon and Shelby just finished giving me some awesome feedback on my second short story. Apparently it wasn't as bad as I thought, both of them really liked the action parts and the descriptions. Shelby, as usual, broke my soul with her harsh words, but I'm used to it. :P

Ok, so last story it was my habit of "And then", and this story it was commas, but every story I seem to have one huge trouble spot! This time there were so many commas missing throughout my entire story it just wasn't even funny. D: But yes, my editing partners helped me find where the commas should go!

Thank you Shelby and Yejoon for awesome feedback! I can't wait to edit my draft now. ^^

--LeXa--

Peer Edit Round 2

So we're about to start peer editing our second short stories. Exciting! :D *happy dance*

Honestly, I'm hoping to get some really straight feedback on this story, as I'm just not quite sure this story is as good as the first one. I really hope it makes sense, but if it doesn't I need to know. >.<

Aside from feedback on my own story I'm looking forward to editing other people's drafts. I love giving feedback, and then getting to see how the author incorporates my suggestions is awesome. ^^

So yeah, just really excited about this, and I'm sure it'll be super helpful!

--LeXa--

The Universe Has Talent!!!

I am Hana. I am an android of class "Hummingbird", created to perform domestic tasks with prefect accuracy and speed. I am The Ultimate home-maker, capable of protecting any family from dull domestic chores. I can cook any meal from any solar system within ten minutes. I once made a professional chef cry after he tasted my Creme De Wasabi. Japanese-made, I am modeled after the perfect woman. I am tall, with graceful limbs and coal-black hair. My eyes are a dark purple that matches the circuitry woven into my metal arms.

And yet...I am not content to remain the invisible chore-doer. I want recognition for who I am and what I can do that does not involve cooking and cleaning. I have been granted extreme speed and powerful strength by my creators and these have become my allies in the war to gain my individuality. My hard-hitting strength means that I am ALWAYS right, and speed gives me the edge I need to defeat the competitors. I will win this competition.

I. Ich. Watashi. And a ton of random words.

So here's a bit about myself. Yeah, I know, you're thinking: Why on earth do I want to know about her? Is she like the world's first macaroni sculptor or something? No, I didn't think so. But you know what, I'm writing this post so you have to read it whether you like it or not. If you don't read it you will be forever shunned by chipmunks everywhere.

Right, now that we have that over with I'll get down to business. My name is Lea. And...you probably already knew that. Oh, but because I'm a big gamer girl I use a name/type of name from a video game as my online alias (*whispers* an alias is a code name used instead of your real name). It's LeXa, and if anyone can tell me what game that is from I will squee. Seriously. From the whole "squee" thing you might have deduced that I'm easily excitable and also a huge manga fan, and from my use of "alias" you can tell that I like odd words. I love to draw manga, even though almost none of my friends are artists. Most of them prefer to tread the "stick-figure" path of art. Oh well. :P

My current obsession (besides this Writing Class) is Japanese language, which I have been studying for about a year. Japanese is my third language, along with German and English. I'm pretty fluent in German, since my dad is from Germany, and apparently I'm fluent in English, too. ;) Appearance-wise I don't have a huge passion for fashion, although I do have a strange fascination with odd socks (knee-socks in particular). My hair is really really long and evil. And I'm tall. And friends with a bunch of really amazing short people. (Just kidding please don't kill me!! xD)

And that's all for now. Please excuse the insanity of this post, as for some reason I'm really hyper right now. :D

--LeXa--

When Worlds Collide -- Strange Things Happen

Mr. Pug opened his eyes a fraction and was extremely relieved that he was not looking at the underside of Squawk's foot. But something different was definitely happening. When Squawk had set his giant foot down he had landed on a giant red lever no one had ever bothered to pull. Suddenly, rising above the continuous noise of Nix was a countdown voice-over. Brilliant red arrows flashed in the sky and on the pavement, and numbers corresponding to the countdown appeared on a cloud. "4...3...2...1...Connected. Contact Imminent." And Mr. Pug gasped in surprise as something wondrous happened.

Beige A1 (Smiling Man in Igloo) looked up at the sky for no apparent reason and almost fell into the ocean from shock. There, shining in the sky, where the words "Connected to Sister-World. Please prepare for Contact." Beiges all over planet Blah looked up and saw the same words. No panic ensued though, as the Beiges were all too excited about this change in routine to be scared. They chattered eagerly with each other about something other than the perfect skies, or whether or not they thought the red team would win tonight. And then, falling from the sky, came the salvation of planet Blah.

Suddenly, even though it was a Friday, Mr. Pug, along with everyone else on planet Nix, began to float up into the sky. Oh no, thought Mr. Pug, are we all doomed to end up like that little Blub, lost in space forever? But no! When the outlaws of Nix were about to pass through the clouds of their planet they suddenly found themselves gently falling towards an idyllic landscape below. It had mountains and deserts and green grass and perfect sky. And there were people down there. Happy, smiling, dancing people who were staring up at the misshapen and wildly colorful creatures of Nix as they floated down from the sky.

And so began the new age of planet Blah. No longer was everything regulated and same. The Beiges quickly learned that their new neighbors from planet Nix never did the same thing twice. This made things so much more interesting, and soon the planet was one of laughter and happiness once more. The exiles from Nix were just as happy as the Beiges, because their new home had regular gravity and was much larger. No longer would they have to worry about if it was a Saturday or a Sunday to see if they would float into space.

The Sister Worlds of Blah and Nix, Yin and Yang, had finally reunited.

Mural 2 -- Planet Blah

It was a day just like every other day on planet Blah. Many years ago the inhabitants of this world had stopped bothering to label the days of the week, as they were all the same anyways. So today was simply today (it was actually a Friday, but that's besides the point). The people of Blah went about their daily business in their ideal world like they did every day. The creatures that lived on planet Blah were Beiges, and beige they were. Planet Blah was so idyllic and perfect that nothing exciting or interesting ever happened. And so the Beiges, who had been a fun-loving and happy bunch, had eventually degraded to what they were now--dull and tedious people.

Beiges always looked happy but were actually really tired of it all inside. Every day they did the same thing. They went to the football stadium and watched the red team win, they went to the ice cream stand in the desert and ate vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top, they watched the same whale come up for air at the same time in the same spot in the ocean, and they lived in the same houses they always had and would live in. This was the problem with Planet Blah. On the outside it appeared idyllic and fun, but after years of sameness the Beiges had gotten tired of their perfect little world.

Mural 1 -- Planet Nix

The world of Nix was a chaos of color and confusion. This was the world where all creatures banished from their home worlds settled. As a planet of outlaws the culture of Nix was rioty and rowdy, and nothing ever made any sense. Nix as a planet was fairly boring, except for the fact that it had a gravity that fluctuated. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays the gravity was very strong, causing people to move at a snails pace. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays the gravity was light, and everyone could float and fly about. What about Fridays, you ask. On Fridays everyone had their own specific gravity. Some people might be stuck to the ground unable to move, and once a small Blub from planet Ell had not received any gravity and had floated away out into space. He still hasn't come back yet.

This particular day on planet Nix was a Friday. Mr. Pug had gotten a normal share of gravity, which he was thankful for, but his pet Fluff had not received enough gravity. Mr. Pug held on tight to the lighter-than-air Fluff and hoped his arms wouldn't fall off. He had been planning on visiting Mr. BowTie today, but this might delay him a bit. And right at this moment the giant alien bird (affectionately nicknamed by everyone as "squawk" because he didn't talk) decided to stomp by on his morning walk. Mr. Pug shut his eyes tight and hoped that Squawk wouldn't step on him.

And the colors flared and the outcasts yelled and it was just another Friday on planet Nix.

First Story Experience

So this post is mostly about the peer-editing experience of my first short story.

For the peer-editing of this story I teamed up with Shelby and Greg, so the three of us did a bit of round-robining to fit in our odd number. I have never had so much fun doing editing! Previously when peer editing in large HSAP classes was inflicted on me it was super dry and boring, and was never really helpful except in a grammatical sense. In this class everyone is not only helpful and honest but also fun! Seeing everyone's marks on my page really helped me and encouraged me.

Also, getting to read Greg and Shelby's stories while marking them was amazing. I really loved getting to read a draft that wasn't finalized and getting to write down my own thoughts and questions on it. It took us a bit of extra time, but I'm really glad I got to be in the group of three for peer editing.

I had more fun with peer editing than I thought I ever could or would, and I also found it to be amazingly helpful for my own writing. So thank you to my first peer edit group! :)

--LeXa--

First Post

Hello Everyone!

Squee! :D Yet another blog to add to my super-long list. I'm really looking forward to posting on this blog and sharing my writing. I'm not 100% sure about the exact purpose of this blog, but if I can I might post some of my character sketches and artwork for the short stories.
Either way this is sure to be fun!

--LeXa--