Showing posts with label Empyrean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Empyrean. Show all posts

Friday, November 26, 2010

Sprint for the finish line!

I've fallen behind on my already very slow NaNoWriMo progress... but I am going to win!  I still have four days, right?  

The next few days I'll be trying to finish at least a few more edited chapters.  There will be lots of cheating.  I'll erm.. try to play by the rules?

Booya!  80% completed.

In 87% of my time.

I may not have math this semester, but I don't like that ratio.
S a r a h

Friday, November 19, 2010

Present Empyrean

Yes, I'm still on track for NaNoWriMo.  I'm at 31,000 words and doing fine.. or at least, I will be after the weekend.

The majority of my easy work is changing the book from present to past tense.

It's only when I come to the re-writes (the middle/end) that I get stuck.  I'm slowly, but steadily making my progress through though.  Very, very slowly.

Excerpt?  How about it.  :)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Let Me Introduce You...

...to the cast of Empyrean!

Emily Browning as Aerynn Bradburn and Alexa Bradburn.

Monday, November 1, 2010

NaNoWriMo

I'm editing this NaNoWriMo - every word I edit will count.  So far, I'm at about 200 words.  I'm really positive about completing!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

5 Major Empyrean Edits

Major Empyrean Edit Number One:
The school that Aerynn goes to will no longer be the School, or the long name that it's formally called. It's referred to as The Institute but kids and sometimes teachers.

Major Empyrean Edit Number Two:
The Institute is meaner, stricter and overall worse than the old version. It'll have a morning rolecall, shared bedrooms, silent hallways and washrooms which are only open during lunch. It'll also have a washroom that no one uses, which will be the headquarters for Aerynn's friends until it's found out.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Stuck.

My first step inside the building was a positive one. Maybe, things were not as bad in here as they seemed. At least to hallways were clean, and the building was nice. You could hear the air rushing around through the vents above and below, and that was calming. The halls were a dark grey, and a little dimly lit, but stairwells had floor-to-ceiling windows, as did every classroom. Somehow, the glass in the windows was impossible to see through, and blended in perfectly to the rest of the building on the outside, but in here it was as clear as day.


The room I was in was nicely decorated as well. Hundreds of sayings in all different languages lined the walls, and the desks were clean and comfortable. Kids stood around the room, awkwardly picking at their uniforms as teachers ran around the room with forms to sign and papers to hand out.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Empyrean: 29/332

Canadian Horseshoe Falls with city of Buffalo,...Image via Wikipedia
The Horseshoe falls - Canada's side of the falls :)
I finished chapter one!  Chapter two seems a big too big to be tackled at the moment, but right now, let's all bask in the glory that I finished chapter one of Empyrean.


:)

Monday, June 28, 2010

Summer of Empyrean

My plan for this summer is to edit Empyrean.  I'll try to do about a page a day, starting tomorrow.  That should only take.... erm, 200 days?  So far, I'm on page 14.  Yes, I'm behind, but I'll try to work on more today!  I'm doing nothing today, thankfully, after a few busy days.

Last monday, I had my math exam. 

Tuesday, I had my English exam - which wasn't hard, but everyone seemed to write for ages and ages and ages while I tried to get my point across in only a few words - I still wrote 5 page legal sized pages (!) but some people wrote... 9?  I couldn't write that fast!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Taking Some Obvious Advice

Hi, I'm a bit behind and short on this post, but I've been thinking a lot and have a lot of homework.  Yeah, excuses excuses.... but what else can you give?

For homework, I have a survey+analysis of whether people who are involved in after-school activities do better in grade 9 English or worse.
In English, I have a newspaper article to edit and submit Monday.
For French, I STILL need to understand all those finicky verb conjugations and study up on some new food-related vocab.
Science involves a stupid lab report, in which I have no idea how to get the answer!  Seriously.  We're supposed to figure out what substance something is, but it doesn't correspond with anything!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Post One Hundred

This is my hundredth post!

ONE
HUNDRED
POSTS


I think that is a pretty special number.  It means I've filled up a lot of space with my words, and you must know a lot about me.  It means I've changed my blog layout at least 5 times, and that I've spent over 100 hours on this lovely Blogger interface.  It means I've been here for a year, averaging 2 posts a week.

Friday, March 12, 2010

March Break Plans

From now until the 22nd of March, I have the March Break.  An entire week of school... I NEED this :D

I've planned to do a lot - shopping, EDITING, homework, and writing if I'm lucky.  I REALLY need to edit Empyrean.  Did you know, the average writer spends an hour on every page they write?  I need to do that.  So far, the first few paragraphs are good.  I think, I'll go slow and steady, but only do a few edits.  Or really, as many as it needs - but I'll go slow.

Other plans include sleeping and eating :)
Oh, and blogging.  I'll try to figure out something interesting....
what do you guys want to hear about?

S a r a h

Friday, January 1, 2010

Questions, Statues and Impending Distaster (x3)

Yes, the title is right. I'll start with the latter - Impending Disaster.  Yes, it is coming.  No, I don't mean 2012.  Don't believe in that.

What I do believe in, is that second semester will start in just over a month.  That means math, English, science and French all jumbled into one hard, confusing day.  There is no way  I am looking forward to that.

Another Impending Disaster is about writing.  I wrote a one-shot (still editing) for the libraries contest (in October, but I can never leave it to the last minute without loosing all my good ideas).  I wrote it on pure inspiration, fueled by the night and darkness what-have-you, but still.  I didn't even place in the last one, and a girl who isn't half as obsessed as I am with writing got an honorable mention.  I shouldn't be hoping for the best, but I am.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas (to those who celebrate) and happy holidays...

I hope everyone is enjoying the break from school and time at home :) I know I have!

For Christmas (which was this morning, a few minutes ago) I got AMAZING stuff!  There was everything I wanted and more, and it was a nice day and (amazingly) the cat and dog behaved - even if they were close together and wearing hideous collars (Garfield) and scary things that he had to sniff (Odie).
First of all, I got a book called the Maze Runner (left) and Wings, (above right with butterfly-thing).

Friday, October 2, 2009

New Blog!

Okay, going along as a conformist here, I've made a new blog.  I've called it Insight and have turned off the comments.... I have my reasons.  I'm planning for it to be not only different than this one, but also shorter and more about my thoughts, so this one can be more about writing and my life. 

That's pretty much it folks :)

Also, I'm on page FOUR of editing Empyrean!  It's amazing!  I've looked up agents too, just in case ;)  - although I have a long way to go... about 2 years of editing... but the morale is good :D

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Sickk

*groan* I'm sick.

Horrendous cold-ish thingy - headache, swimming sensation, pressurized world, stuffy nose and dry throat (but not when I talk, only when I swallow).  Fun, right?

Plus with the whole highschool thing going on, I don't think it'd be a good idea to miss class - no sick days for Sarah, hommes et femmes.  Most days see all pretty important - or so it seems to a goody-two-shoe.

The only good thing in the near future is the Fall Fair - games, rides, cute little bunnies and friends galore?  Sounds good to me!  (I just hope this horrendous thing goes away by the time I get there.... urgh).

Anyways, Empyrean is going well, seeing as it's the #3 thing on my recently opened list, and has been there for a while.  Right now I'm just editing the boring, read-a-thousand-times beginning.. making the fire scene longer and adding up suspense, family ties and other stuff before she goes to the school.  I think I've made a lot of progress ;-)

In Buisness tech class we studied ergonomics (which included a 20-minute speech on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from my teacher who had the surgery done to him - very, very, very detailed.  And, I'm really sorry but I never managed to take a picture of my wonderful artwork for Art, but expect something sometime soon.  In gym we're learning that it's normal to drink a bathtub's fill of pop a year and that ceasar salad is sometimes worse off calorie-wise than pizza (seriously, they're telling a room full of nearly anorexic girls that they are probably eating too much calories, fat and sugars.  Greaatttt.)  You guys already know what I'm up to in geo though, so I wont bore you again.

Odie turned ONE on the 20th!  My little baby puppy-boy is growing up... but he doesnt act much different!  (Besides gourging on GRASS).

Speaking of grass, I went to the park with my friends and there were these people (6 or something) doing weed.  Oh, the wonders of high school.

And, I would just like to point out that me and my other friend left, but not before I saw my cousin.  Not sure if he was doing it, but apparently he was another time.

Oh, my. 

And that's the same cousin who told me to "have a safe walk" when I got accidentally dropped off at his house.

The feeling I'm getting right now is definately not a good one. 

Later,

S a r a h

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Almost There...

So, I found the time to write about 1,000 words more of InVincible last night, but that's been the first time I've been able to write in a while.

Tonight, I'm leavng for Vancouver and won't be back for about two weeks. I'll miss all you guys! I promise to get more on track with my blogging when I get back, and to get back to my writing too.

On another note, Empyrean has finally been returned by my teacher! I can't wait until I can edit it, but the steps after that? It's terrifyingly exciting... I'm not sure how to feel.

Oh, I just finished reading all of the "If I Told You I Loved You Than I'd Have To Kill You" series - really, really, really good books if anyone wants to read them. "City Of Bones" is also a really, really good book - slightly more mature and less romancy in parts, but I like them both the same, lol. I guess my choice in books (and movies!) depends on how I feel - sometimes I want Eragony guyish war, and then sometimes the really sweet, lovey stuff is good (OK, this is just too cute to not mention: in "If I Told You I Loved You Than I'd Have To Kill You" then Ben and Cammie kiss in a gezeebo thing! Isn't that really sweet? I think so). Like, right now, I'm planning a scene in InVincible to happen in Ottawa, with the Parliment buildings - simply, Vince jumps out of a plane, is shot at from his brother who is hiding in the Peace Tower, and then hides in a parking garage (but is caught because this big oafish dude who is forcing his brother to be evil reads the sign "Up Here" and finds Vince).

Well, I'll be off, thanks for reading! Seriously, I have the awesomest bloggy readers ever. I feel so special!

Sarah

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Pre-Birthday Post

In 45 hours after I post this (posted at 8:00 Saturday May 30th) I will be...

F o u r t e e n !
14
Isn't that awesome? I was born as 5:35am on June 1st 1995. A lot of people are born on June first, which I pretty cool too. But when I'm fourteen... the world will not seem any different. At all. But still, I'll be old enough to have a teensie more bit of respect and get into 14A movies (which I already do, but this time I'll do it shivering free - I shiver when I'm nervous).
Also, in about 9 hours I'm having my birthday party. Sorry I didn't invite you guys, but sometime tells me it'd be thousands and thousands of miles to travel for one 4-hour party.
Also, as a birthday gift to you... (even though I'm the one celebrating, not you) here's the last chapter of Empyrean. You might not get it, because I haven't really talked about Empyrean for a while, but if you go to the labels/catogories and click on Empyrean, you'll find some other bits and pieces about it.
P.S. The "saving the world" thing she's talking about - she actually did save the world by stopping this missile full of poison set to kill a sort of "race" (everyone has one magic power, but some people are less powerful - the poison was to kill off any unpowerful people, including her sister). She's really powerful though, so it didn't kill her.
Empyrean, Epilouge: It's The End Of The End, For Forever And Ever And Never Again
After a week in recovery from the poison that had seeped into my skin, I was able to leave the hospital. They had kept me there extra long, but I didn’t mind one bit. Even when I was in there, torrents of news agencies and reporters had snuck their way through the building security and found me, questioning me relentlessly, even one their way out the door. I had heard it was even worse for Erik and Alexa, because they were out in the public. I was glad they’d decided to keep me in longer to ensure the poison was entirely gone and I couldn’t infect anyone else with it.

The world had reacted strangely to what I had done. Our great country, Empyrean, was quickly split in two. At one side, the people who had been on Emerson Palenstine’s side all along were angry, shooting people on the streets from building up high and blowing up the rest. The other side had retreated into the side of Empyrean I was on now - the side with the peace-keeper countries’ forces ensuring all-around safety and wellbeing, and the side the was constantly being attacked by the other side’s planes and missiles. Empyrean was no longer safe.

People were dying.

It hurt so much to know that what I had done was killing people. Erik, who had visited earlier this morning, said that more people would have died had I not saved them.

I guess I believe him, but it still hurt.

One thing that made it better was that all around my bed, there were gifts of gratitude. I already had plowed through much of the chocolates and felt at least ten pounds heavier, but the cards from people who had known the truth all along meant the most.

Of course, Erik’s card was the most important. It was right beside me, and had been since last week.

“You’re free to go, Miss. Bradburn.” The nice doctor told me. I smiled, and stretched my right arm and legs.

My left arm would never recover. Too much of the poison had seeped into my bone, and even though I was powerful enough to stop it from killing me, I wasn’t powerful enough to stop it from killing my arm in such a large quantity. I was going to have to learn to do everything with my right hand - but that wasn’t the end of the world - literally. I was learning very, very slowly.

“Hey Aerynn!” It was Alexa, back to see me for the second time today - the fourteenth time over all. When she had first come, our reunion had been caught by a reporter, and was now broadcast all over the world.

Olyver, Raechel and everyone working for the Government were in a temporary makeshift jail; most of the big hotel chains of Empyrean had donated their rooms for the people waiting time with the judge. Josh had been one of the first people to get out, and I was glad he hadn’t been charged. I wasn’t so sure that Olyver and Raechel would fair the same good fortune.

As for Emerson Palenstine the Second, he had disappeared, following Erik and Liam out of the building. While Erik and Liam searched for me, a resident in a local town claimed that he had been seen riding off into the ocean on a small motorboat. Searches were out there, but something told me that Emerson Palenstine would never be found.

When I stepped out of the building, I was greeted by the roar of the biggest crowd I had ever seen. The army colours of Kanada, Wat and other countries were mixed in with the normal colours of normal Empyrean citizens. But the best colour was the black of Erik, who was standing on my right. He took my hand and led me through the crowd.

“You really do need to get a security guard, for now at least.” Erik said.

I laughed, “I do.”

I looked around, and I saw everything. Destruction, desolation, death; all the things I had caused. But I also saw love, kindness, thankfulness, and people helping each other get through one of the toughest times in Empyrean history. This was, no matter how you looked at it, all for the better.

We loaded into the limo that would take us to the home Erik and Alexa had been staying in. I couldn’t take my eyes of the country that I had saved, or destroyed.

This wasn’t over, but it wasn’t ever going to be as bad as it once was. This was the New Empyrean, the beginning of the never-ending.

I'm about to say Happy Birthday here, but er... Happy June and start of the last month of the school year!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Book Covers!

I found this awesomely cool site! It makes a "movie" cover for you - but if you don't fill out a few fields, it works just as well for a book cover. I made a cover for Tyvven and Empyrean, which are shown here.


As for the whole writing bit, I've been stuck doing homework - or trying to cuz I have complete writer's block on everything I'm supposed to do. I have a write a sports article - VERY hard if you don't read sports articles or even watch the games - and a speech on why cats are better than dogs (that one's pretty easy, but I just can't seem to figure it out). I'm stuck with doing my non-computer/Word related stuff, like painting, but I can't get off my computer.


So glad it's a long weekend. I'm actually going to work today. Ugh.
And as for the Empyrean poster thing, the picture in the background is "the school". In Tyvven, it's just a random picture I thought worked well.. maybe somewhere in Tyvven (which is the name of the parallel world).
Well, off to try to do something productive...
Sarah
P.S. here's the link for the poster thing: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/poster.php

Friday, January 16, 2009

EMPYREAN!!!!

I'm exstatic. Totally, 100% exstatic. I'm to happy to even care that I probably spelt exstatic wrong.. and the three errors are glaring up at me with those evil red eyes. I'm too happy to care. I think you might be able to know why, but if you dont...

Well, a while ago I have my book, Empyrean, the first book I've ever started, middled and finished, not to mention a really crappy editing (by yours truely), and get edited by other people (much less crappy edits).

So, I waited, and waited.. for a whole two weeks. And now, I just got it back. I think my teacher read the whole thing and now is editing from the beginning.. most likely. But I got it back!!!!!

The first five pages. And they just happened to be delivered in the middle of my music class. I think most people, or at least my friends, knew what the white envilope was. I did. But I had to finish playing my sucky clairinet, go play an hour of badminton (which wasn't the best because I was preoccupied) and then get home. Luckily, my dad was on time so I got home pretty fast.

And now I'm here.. with five pages of writing with all these green pen. My favorite colour is green (and it has been for years, not just cuz it's what this is marked in).

But anyways, amazing, happy... you get the idea. I'll give you a page.. and only maybe more later - I've got editing to do! (Yipee?)

Anyways, here:

Emprean: page 1



Fire. Fire surrounded my body. Angry flames licked at the small space that had yet to burn to cinders. That small, uncharred space was the one I was crouched on, watching the flames crawl closer and the heat burn higher. Even at six, I knew I was there until my death. There was no way I could get out, no way to survive. I was unable to stand because of the smoke, unable to scream (my voice had given out ages ago), unable to move, frozen solid in fear while the burning heat froze me in a different way.

All I could do was wait. Wait for death, wait for a savoir who wasn’t coming.

I felt the heat sinking through the top of my shoes and the plastic on them began to melt. It dripped onto the floor like an ice cream cone in the sun, but far less delicious.

This wasn’t delicious at all. My mouth was dry and tasted of smoke and ash. The air around me was so thick with the fumes from the fire, I could hardly breathe. Sitting there, watching the rubber melt off my shoes, while the pain of the heat still tolerable, I should have known something was up.

But at that moment, my mind was calm and clear. I took in things as they happened, when they happened, calmly and sanely. I didn’t look for ways out, I didn’t question the things happening; I stood, eyes wide open taking in everything, calmly and sensibly. All I could imagine was what the outside of the building looked like - most likely similar to all those other awful, grey, smoke fires. We passed them sometimes on the way to school, still smoldering from the life-taking ‘accident’ that had been caused the night before. Those fires happened almost every day, and no one knew why. But for some reason, the fire fighters never came, and the fires where left to put themselves out.

My sister, Alexa, once said that the fire fighters, loyal and diplomatic to our small and powerful country, were not supposed to come. She said that someone had told them not to save lives in those big fires, and the poor fire fighters weren’t allowed to break that person’s rule.

She’d whispered that in my ear as the house beside me had burnt down, killing one of my family’s best friends. I remember thinking of the mother and hearing a single scream. She had given me cookies every day on my way home from school. Now, she was gone. My parents caught us watching the blaze, and quickly ushered us away from the windows, telling us in strict, severe tones that we were never to talk about that family again.



Yup.. maybe not that different, but to me it is. And it's a start too.

Haha. Right now my cat is sleeping on the papers. If he shreds them, I'll shred him (not really. I love him).

Sarah.