Posting of the Blog

Wow. I wish I had something to say. Sometimes, I think the posession of this blog--and the necessary maintenance that accompaines it--makes me much less of a vocal person than I normally am. Does that make sense to anyone else?

I could be putting another book review on here, as those are 1) the most successful things I post; 2) the easiest things I post; and 3) the most applicable things I post. Also, I've read a lot of books lately. But I'm not going to. Why?

Because I am lazy.

So what, then, am I going to be posting about? In all honesty, nothing. I'll give you an update on my quest for publication: so far, I have three rejections, one partial request, one full request (YAY!), and one who has neglected to this point to respond. So far, so good.

Other than that, I really have nothing to talk about. I have a new book idea (or six). Not that I can call them ideas--they're far less substantial than an idea is generally accepted to be. But here's the first sentence of my next project, Solipsa:

"The world ended the way it was always going to end--on Facebook."

And that...is all I've got. We'll see where it goes from there. Right now, actually. Because, since my options are 1) continue reading 1984; 2) read Chapter 9 of McConnell's Economics Textbook; or 3) stare at the computer and arbitrarily hit keys, I think I'll pick the last one. Wish me luck.

And maybe, you'll get a book review soon.

That Awkward Moment...

when you finish a book and wander around your house in a daze for hours because your life has lost all meaning.

It's been a long time since I've read a book that was that good. But wow. Philip Pullman, you did it to me again.

Really, this is a review for all of the His Dark Materials trilogy, even though the picture only shows The Amber Spyglass. Here's the synopsis Amazon gives for the whole series:

The Golden Compass forms the first part of a story in three volumes. The first volume is set in a world like ours, but different in many ways. The second volume is set partly in the world we know. The third moves between many worlds.

In The Golden Compass, readers meet 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Jordan College in Oxford, England. It quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not precisely like our own—nor is her world. In Lyra's world, everyone has a personal dæmon, a lifelong animal familiar. This is a world in which science, theology and magic are closely intertwined.

The Subtle Knife is the second part of the trilogy that began with The Golden Compass. That first book was set in a world like ours, but different. This book begins in our own world.

In The Subtle Knife, readers are introduced to Will Parry, a young boy living in modern-day Oxford, England. Will is only twelve years old, but he bears the responsibilities of an adult. Following the disappearance of his explorer-father, John Parry, during an expedition in the North, Will became parent, provider and protector to his frail, confused mother. And it's in protecting her that he becomes a murderer, too: he accidentally kills a man who breaks into their home to steal valuable letters written by John Parry. After placing his mother in the care of a kind friend, Will takes those letters and sets off to discover the truth about his father.
The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heartstopping close, marking the third and final volume as the most powerful of the trilogy. Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, The Amber Spyglass introduces a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spy-master to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. And this final volume brings startling revelations, too: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will live—and who will die—for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that—in its shocking outcome—will reveal the secret of Dust.

I read these books first when I was seven or eight despite the warnings of grown-ups who thought the books were way too anti-religious. I got all the way to the end of The Amber Spyglass, past all the atheist themes and anti-Christian stuff and was just find...until (spoiler alert) Will and Lyra had to part. I was shocked and devastated, and threw down the books promising never to read them again.

And now, when I thought I was a little wiser and stronger, I read them again. And I cried all over again like I did when I was seven, but WOW! The ending is phenomenal.

For those of you who are Mormon, or who are devoutly religious, these books are definitely a challenge to read. The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife aren't too bad--really, they just seem anti-Catholic--but The Amber Spyglass is a little more candid. But if you can not get offended and see Pullman's point (or even just get past it enough to enjoy the storyline) you will be blown away. And I can guarantee that you will cry at the ending. I think I will be depressed for the rest of this day, and probably for the rest of the week.

But hey. That's when you know the book is good, right?

Rating: 5/5. (I promise--I won't give every book I review a 5. We just got lucky.)

Don't forget! If you see this post, please give me a book to read!!! Please.

Review--"Out of My Mind."

As promised, here is the first book in my review series--Sharon Draper's Out of My Mind. Here's the jacket info:

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.

All I can say is...wow.

This book blew me away. The greatest thing about YA contemporary are the characters and how real they are, and Melody is no exception. She amazes me, and makes me feel just the slightest bit guilty for all the things I have in my life that she doesn't. Even pressed between pices of paper and little black marks, this girl impresses me with her dedication and endurance. I could never have done what she did.

Draper fantastically weaves a story together built of little more than the thoughts of a crippled girl, and makes you laugh and cry simultaneously with her voice. An amazing book from an amazing author.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

If you read this post, give me a book to review. Or several. I'm almost out of good books to read. 

Arcs

Specifically, those of characters, plots, this blog, and the rest of my school year.

First, a bit of good news. Actually, a lot of good news. My voice essay for the Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition is a State Finalist! That means, in January, I will be in Austin for fancy banquets and tours (not, I think, though, to meet Rick Perry.) Whoo!

Still waiting on agent feedback. Of course, I kinda sent it off at the very worst time for the agents, but I didn't really have a better option, being in school and all that. The countdown to graduation has begun. Well, no. It began awhile ago. It has begun in earnest now.

So my dearest mother thinks I need to blog about something useful. I know--what does she think this blog is? A writing blog? But, to honor her request, I will blog about something near and dear to my heart--LOST.

LOST, and its semi-sequel ONCE UPON A TIME (abbreviated here as OUAT) are largely character-driven TV shows. You take a set of believable characters--almost to the point of being stereotypical--and then you subvert their archetypes by revealing their back-stories and putting them in weird interactions with each other. So basically, they're the best things ever, and the writers of these two shows are the people who have made me want to be a TV show writer. Thanks, guys.

For example. In LOST, you have a set of characters. You have the hero/doctor. The pretty girl. The fat guy. The pregnant girl. The junkie. The outdoors-man. The bad Asian (arranged?) marriage. The caustic Southern. But this isn't who they really are. The hero is afraid of failure. The pretty girl is a criminal. The fat guy is cursed. The pregnant girl isn't helpless. The junkie used to be religious. The outdoors-man is a cripple. The Asians are deeply in love. The Southern watched his parents die. All of the characters have something in their past that makes them different. Unique. And that is what makes a show breathtaking.

So what do you do with these characters, then? In a show like LOST, with a metaphorical Hell on the island, the only way to kill a character is to actualize him (actually, this goes for a lot of shows--they're just more subtle about it). Like Boone. This is the first character to die in the show, one who is incestually (ish) involved with his stepsister. Ugh. Anyway, before he dies, Boone undergoes a transformation. He lets go of Shannon, stops being useless, and finally gets himself involved with actively trying to get off of the island. And then...he dies. So sad.

The basic goal of any TV show is to get all the characters to where they are supposed to end up. You actualize them, make them happy. Sometimes, if it's earlier on in the show, you kill them. If it's later, you leave them happy (although usually not perfectly happy--you don't want a gooshy ending).

So there's my useful blog for the day on character arcs. Also, I want to introduce a book reviewing series on this blog, for two reasons. 1) I enjoy the practice and 2) I REALLY need good books to read. So, since the majority of people who see this blog post will be writers, I want you to leave a comment below of one or more awesome books that I can read. Any genre will do, preferably YA, but I will NOT (no exceptions) read Women's Fiction, Paranormal, or Romance. Sorry. Not gonna happen. If those are all the books you read, I exempt you from the Book of Awesomeness Comment Rule.

Have fun. See you soon. Ish.

I need to post.

No, really. I need to post. But I don't know what to talk about. And I have the strangest idea that nobody is listening anyway.

I sent Flash off yesterday, and already have one partial request! Hooray! (Yes, you guessed it--that's why I need to post. Keeping up the Internet presence and all of that). So you will all be hearing more about that very soon.
School...is school. Finals are almost done, and then we are on the home stretch! Guess that means I should start writing a speech, huh?
Ooh. What's a graduation speech supposed to be like?

I know you quote random sources, like Benjamin Franklin and Hannah Montana, but what am I supposed to say? Congrats, class of 2012! Don't get too fat before the twenty-year reunion?
No. No, let's not do that. I'll come up with something better than that.
What about you? Ideas? What should a graduation speech be to you?
Oh! And also, I finally (finally) restarted piano lessons. My first lesson consists of: Debussey's Reflection, (I think that's what it's called, but I'm really too lazy to go look. I literally just woke up--hence the rambling?); Braum's Rhapsody 2, and Bach's Invention 1. My teacher requested that I only practice on a grand piano from now on.
So...anyone got a grand? I'll buy it from you for five bucks.
And now that I have a) rambled incessently on the Internet so that y'all know who I am; b) given you an update on my life; and c) left you with a deep and insightful question (the graduation speech one, idiot), I think my work here is done. Because I have nothing else to say.
And, I'm tired. So goodnight. You might just (if you're lucky) see me in the morning.

Well.

What should I blog about? This is me, sitting in English. The most productive class of the day...and we're done in twenty minutes.

Yeah. College did wonders for my senioritis.

On the upside, there's a debate tournament on Saturday. And the pumpkin chunkin' is tomorrow. It's where the physics kids build trebuchets and litter the band field with pumpkin shells.

Yeah. It's pretty much awesome.

So how are y'all? I noticed that no one looks at my blog anymore. Not that I blame you. It's not like I'm good at posting.

I wrote a short story for the Reflections contest. The limit was 2000 words and this story was exactly...2000 words. But I'm pretty proud of it. It's about diversity, so of course it's super dystopian. Sort of like Harrison Burgeroune. but more awesome--cause it's mine.

I've also decided to enter the photography contest, so I need some ideas. The theme is 'diversity means...' so what do you think? Let's hear your suggestions.

You should note though: the deadline is tomorrow. So if you have ideas, you better tell me like NOW. I promise not to steal them.

Once Upon A Time

There was a boy who went to church with complete strangers. And didn't get eaten.

In fact, no one even talked to me. I bet they thought I was just some random college kid who was a tad inactive. It was nice to get a feel for it though.

Tomorrow, I get to go to school (like a real boy--I'm on a fairy tale kick) I'll be going to Chem 101, TMA 114, ECON 110, and BUS MA 241. Sounds pretty legit.

The only problem? It'll only heighten my readiness to be done with high school.

But I digress. Have any of you seen Once Upon A Time?

Wow.

It's legit. Like way legit. Like the est television show I have ever seen except for LOST and the occasional Doctor Who. Congrats, guys on writing two awesome shows in a row.

Hopefully that'll be me in a few years.

What do y'all think? What're your impressions with the show? Right now, my fingers are crossed that we get a second season. That's all I want.

By the way, the picture is completely random. It's my mother dearest, making faces at me over her Smash Burger cup. I thought you'd enjoy it.

Why does it smell like frozen cows?

I don't know, Mom. I honestly don't know.

Well, I've already typed this post twice. Apparently blogger does not work on a iPad safari. So I got the app. Maybe it'll work this time.

I really don't have that much to say. Being stuck in a car all day isn't conducive to great blog stories. Right now, I'm just struck with a intense sense of wanderlust.

Have you ever looked out at the plains you're driving past and just wanted to disappear out there? To just walk out there, find a decrepit old building, and make it your home for a few days, weeks, months? That's exactly how I feel right now.

But that's not quite an option right now. So I continue onward and upward to the great conglomeration of downtown Utah. And I sit here blogging about completely random things.

Sorry if you wanted a real post, by the way. Aside from my mom's ridiculous question, there isn't really a funny story that I can tell you. In fact, there's not really much of anything that I can tell you.

And I really hate typing a blog post twice. I'm gonna try to take a picture for you of the altogether too appealing landscape we're driving past. Right now, it's not as interesting as I thought New Mexico though. But I'll find something.

Tomorrow, I go to decide my future. Well, okay, it's not as morbid as all that. But it's a big deal. My future rests on this visit.

Ugh. The future. But, as I learned from Emily Dickinson--via John Green, via Margo Roth Spieglman--"the future is composed of nows."

So. Let's start with that picture.

Off!

Road trip!

We're off to see the--no. Not wizard. I'm off to see the great and wonderful Brigham Young University. And so, stuck in a car, I have finally decided...to blog.

I know. I'm pretty much the worst blogger ever to roam the blogosphere. I shouldn't be allowed to live. This blog would be so awesome...if it's author would take the time to post. I have an iPhone, so I should be able to blog anywhere, even with a picture. Blame it on senior year. But I am trying.

So'd you see my books? Mom was magnanimous enough to let me stop at the library before we left, so I stocked up. Kristin Cashore is my hero. Does anyone know if she's published Bitterblue yet, or when it's set to come out?

Ten books (one of them mine) and a newMayday Parade CD. I think I should be set for the next few days, don't you?

So tomorrow--wait. Sunday (days blend in the car) I'm going to church in a BYU student ward. By myself. All alone. For three hours. With college kids. That'll be fun.

At least I'll have something to blog about.

So you may wonder why exactly a Mormon is visiting BYU? Does he have another choice? Isn't he already convinced?

Um. No. Right now, I'm trying to decide--either BYU or Boston U, which has an awesome film program and an even more enticing dual degree system. BYU--as far as can be told from the website--is questionable in both aspects. So we are en route to the Palace of the Cougars to investigate.

What do you think? Especially the Mormons out there--is a non-church school okay? Better? Worse? Crazy? Dumb?

Well, feel free to share your opinions. As for me, the Internet connection is so slow that this has taken over an hour to post. I am done. Mayday Parade calls. Maybe I'll read Freakonomics next.

And I promised. There will be a post tomorrow.


--

Alex Hoagland

Follow me at http://chaotic-gibberish.blogspot.com

or http://twitter.com/#!/Alexstoryman

The Answer

I found the answer.
No really. I found the solution. I'm sitting here in AP English lit, waiting for the bell to ring. But then, I remember. I can blog mobile-ly!

So, in the hopes that attaching an image to my email will register it as a picture, I have attached a picture of my bored English group. Or I will. Once I take it. Let's see how sneaky I am.

Answer: not so sneaky. But I got my six weeks grades--7 100s. Look out, Hunter Drozd. Sneaky Alex is sneaking up on you.

So who's taking the SAT tomorrow? Who's gonna get a 2400? Thats right. This kid.

What should I blog about...? There's nothing exciting going on. I have to write an essay on the impact of new media on peace--like Facebook, YouTube, etc. And I'm super excited about a short story idea I have. I'll let you know how it goes.

Tomorrow, you'll hear about the college application process. Until then, we wait till 3:55. I've only wasted 10 minutes of this class.

Ugh.