Quote Friday

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
W.B. Yeats

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Harriet Tubman

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Pamela Vaull Starr

All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.
Henry David Thoreau

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key.
Lyrics from Already Gone, peformed by the Eagles for their 1974 On the Border album

These quotes are so deep, so inspirational. Am I only the only one who feels like I could take on the world?

Update: I HAVE AN IDEA!

I have an idea for my Sims 2 movie! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! And... I HAVE AN IDEA FOR A BOOK! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Two ideas at one point... oi....

HOW I GET MY IDEAS

Believe it or not, most of my ideas come from when I'm about to fall asleep. Not in a dream, but falling asleep. I think that's because I have time to think and question everything. Think of different scenarios.

For my Sims 2 movie, I started thinking about the fragilities between real and fiction, time and space, past and present. All of a sudden, I hear voices by the MC's, I see what they see, smell what they smell etc. Then, I get struck by lightning! I have to find a paper and pen quick before I lose it.

This one deals with time-traveling, the 19th century in an alternate universe, and present as well.

Current title: 'M is for Mirrors'
I am working on the synopsis. Will keep you posted!

****

Jia's writing a dystopian. Get the duct tape.

Dystopians are by far the worst to plot. Well, maybe not the worst. Next to fantasy. But still. It's not good. Not good at all. This one after the mc. But when I had the MC, the idea took off. It is roughly based off the story in Revelations. If you're a christian, you know when the devil will have his mark on your hand or forehead? So, I was wondering, what if someone were living in this time? What would it be like? Granted, I have to change it around a bit, but I think you get the point :)

This girl, Sayla, came into my head as a vision, too. Sayla stared at me with her slanted eyes and dark hair, and talked, but she moved her hand as well out of habit. Sayla was deaf. When she told me that I was like, "WHAT!?!?!?" I don't know how to write in an authentic deaf voice so I told her that's not good. She told me *I'm serious* Take it or leave it.


If you're an author, you won't think I'm crazy.

Current title: 'Branded'

Autumn (my MC in my focus project) is cursing in my head right now. But I don't care. I'm so excited.

Will keep you posted!

Jia :)

Quotes Friday

Quotes are one of the things that keep me going. They are inspiring, beautiful, meaningful. They can also be destructive, dangerous, and careless. But just the right ones can make your heart lift up and sing. So, I will have a Quote Friday, a post filled with quotes I will select through the week.

To kick it off, I have a special quote from someone you may have heard of:
"Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work it until it's done and done right."
            -- Walt Disney
 
Deep, no?

Jia :)

First Review: Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

Elsie Wyatt wants to be an orchestra superstar, like her dad and grandfather. The first step? Get into a super-selective summer music camp.
But in order to qualify, Elsie must "expand her musical horizons" by joining her school's marching band. Not only does this mean wearing a plumed hat and polyester pants, but it also means she can't play her own instrument, can't sit down, and can't seem to say the right thing to anyone... let alone Jake, the cute trumpet player she meets on the first day. Plus, everything she does seems to cause a diaster. Surviving marching band is going to be way harder than Elsie thought!










First Thoughts: I have read Erin Dionne's other works, and they are very similiar to this story. I was like, "Okay, this author has written 2 books. Surely she had to grow." Right?

Plot: ♥ ♥♥
The plot in the story doesn't really match the written synopsis on the jacket. I was expecting something different. I was expecting a story that I could get my nod of approval. I was expecting a realistic high school. A realistic heroine. A realistic everything that Erin Dionne has failed to do in her previous novels. Unfortunately, I was sadly mistaken.
A girl with [insert-talent-here] has to go to a regular high school and do something so degrading that she hates... the rest will be a spoiler, but I'm sure you have heard the story before.
Granted, there were a few 'twists'. A few very very very MINOR twists. I mean, really? Aren't twists supposed to change the entire course of the story? And the 'growth' of Elsie isn't realistically portrayed. She really had a change of heart overnight.
And the antagonistical dad... I felt like she just threw him in. If someone is going to be an antagonist of the story, he/she should be put major obstacles, not giving disciplines to someone who truly deserves it.
Wait, isn't that for the characters? Oh well. I needed to get that off my chest.

Characters:♥♥
The characters in this book can only be described as effervescent... and stereotypical.
The stereotypical cocky 'almost-famous' heroine, an emo guy (named PUNK, what is this?), a cute boy who is toooooo sweet for words and a boy who is obsessed with some type of geeky phenomenon.
And the other characters are out of the ordinary... but everyone is just too happy. Especially these days, everything isn't solved by a hug anymore. Granted, it doesn't have to be deep and dark about depression and stuff. But every character has a story. So those story need to be portrayed somehow.

Another problem I have with this (and other books in YA) why is the daughter allowed to stomp up the stairs and slam the door and not face any consequences? Where are the responsible authority figures who will show the child who's boss? And why are the disciplinary parents to someone who needs it portrayed as ABUSIVE? Come on!

Writing Style:♥♥♥
I am so-so with Dionne's writing. There were some very imagery sentences, but the rest of the book was generic. Ordinary. And THERE WAS NO DIALECT, NOR WAS IT ORIGINAL.
Now, I know you are thinking, there was no dialect? No one talked?
I mean, there was dialogue. But there was no dialect. Meaning no one talked like real and actual teenagers. Especially in high school. There are cuss-words and a lot of crude references in high school. This is way too clean. Making it too happy. And too generic.

Other: ♥♥♥
So the cover is great. That must have been a siren call for me. I thought the french horn symbolized something... when, in truth, it symbolized nothing.
There was also no setting. I had no idea where this story had taken place in anywhere else beside a town with a school in Boston, using Context Clues.
Nothing else to really discuss here.


Genre: Contemporary fiction, humor
Pages: 280 (+Acknowledgements, 282)
Age Group: 9-12

Overall: ♥♥♥
An okay read. Depending on the subject, I doubt I will continue to read Erin Dionne's works.

Okay, that was my review. It took me a long time to write -_- But it's the first! It's a milestone!

Jia :)

Welcome!

Hola and welcome to my blog! I'm Jia. I am a thirteen-year-old girl with lots to say about books, Sims and the world. A brief description of me would be:

Is nerdy, indecisive and most-of-the-time honest. Lover of food, books, tiaras and ladybugs. A true belieber of Justin Drew Bieber who was born on a Tuesday.... Watcher of a few 80s movies. Writes. Reads. Dreams.

All in all, I'm me :)

This is my first blog post (first blog ever) so bear with me. It's currently under construction! The 'Writing' tab and 'About me' tab will be done soon, most likely over the weekend. Once I get this up and running, the sky's the limit. Be prepared for book reviews, updates on projects, and other ramblings of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Feel free to leave a comment! Hope to see you around the 'net!

Jia :)