Protesting

As I said last night there was to be a protest on campus today. I didn't go because it was gone by the time I got out of class and work. I did see a part of it though as they crossed campus while I was eating breakfast. Best part was this one guys sign "WTF?! Where's the funding" I laughed for a full minute about that sign.

It warms my heart to see that the students are actually taking a part in what changes their lives. They took a stand today and for that I applaud everyone involved in it. I hope it makes a difference. I hope the school realizes that yes we do want winter term. It actually serves a purpose for some students.

All in all it was really good. I signed a petition for bringing back winter term Tuesday. This is really awesome as well. There have been days when I look at my generation and those younger and some older than me and I want to weep because I fear the apathy that everyone has will soak into society so much that we will lose ourselves to it. My hope for this generation is something kick starts us all into action for once against something. That we stand for what we believe and we finally grow up and face the world.

So if you've got something to say to the government DO IT! Please I'm begging you, make your voice heard. If you don't no one else will. Vote, write, or call whatever it takes to let the government know that we will not stand idly by while they tank what is left of our future.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow there is going to be a sit in at my school. I plan on catching the last hour of it, if it's still happening. If anything cool/epic happens I shall be blogging about it. So keep an eye out tomorrow night for a blog about cops and protesters. :)

Not over

Everyday I think to myself, "what next?" I am constantly asking myself what am I to do next, sometimes the question is not really voiced because I know before I even ask. Like when class is or what not, or work starts. But "what next" when I ask that every night before I fall asleep I think, now I'll go to sleep and if God doesn't take me before I wake (like the old prayer I prefer the old one over the new version) I'll get up and follow my schedule like last week.
In the morning when I wake when I ask "what next" the answer is way more simple, take my shower, get dressed go to school (I work at school) and do whatever is required of me that day there be it class or work or both.

It's the times when I am sitting in the dark in my room thinking, writing, reading or just wondering in my thoughts (the ones that aren't really thinking) and the question "what next" comes up that I panic the most.

What is next? Grad school...marriage...work...family...work....little bit of pleasure...family...work...pay bills and so on and so on and so on. It's never over, until there is a short paragraph about me in the newspaper. What does that little paragraph matter? Is that all we really leave? I don't actually want kids so no genetic imprint from me in the future unless for some freak reason I don't marry the love of my life and end up in some dead end relationship with a guy that I don't want to be with and just have kids to keep me sane and to give me an excuse on Friday nights to stay at home? I don't want that. I want to mean something, but I don't want it to be me that means something. I want something I say to stick and spread like wildfire. I don't want to be the "i like turtles" kid. I want there to be depth in what I say. I want some poor college student 50 years from now groan when the teacher says they'll be reading a book from Leslie Diamond that semester. I want the kid next to that kid hop up and shout "yes". Problem is I am no where good enough to write a story that causes someone to cry with joy and all the while tear apart my story down to the color of the car.

So what is next? I write my NaNoWriMo and disappear into obscurity? It isn't a story for schools. In fact since it has magic it'll be banned from some schools. That's something that makes me smile. It'll be controversial. No one will be watching their mail boxes for a letter on their 11th birthday because of my book. Maybe someone will go to my favorite restaurant (the characters in my book visit it a few times...actually a lot of plot is developed there just like my real life). It'd be nice if people went there, so far those who read my blog don't live close enough except for one person and I know he goes so I'm not going to bother putting the name of the restaurant here.

So what's next? I get published...maybe...probably not. I know the story isn't that good. I can try. I did once before. It's nigh impossible for a new writer to break into the scene though, so should I even try? Why do I keep writing if I don't try or plan on trying? I don't know I just do.

So what's next? I keep writing. I keep going about my boring routine and while I do I'll leave a few marks behind and someone in the future long after I'm gone will know the name Leslie Diamond (and maybe even my real name) and they'll say, "She was brilliant. I wonder what her inspiration was?" That person doesn't know but they are.

So here is to you future, it's not over yet! I'll see you soon and when we meet I'll have some ideas for you. Hope you're ready for me, because I'm ready for you.

Thank you Halloween.

This is not my intellectual property it belongs to http://www.brainlesstales.com/about.htm


Edit: Link to photo http://www.brainlesstales.com/images/2007/Sep/candy-corn.jpg

In agrement

http://www.zealland.com/Treasure_Chest_Jun14-20,99.htm

This is almost exactly what I'm feeling right now.

Without a doubt

Without a doubt I have nothing to say.
I wish I did have something to say.
I wish that I could just get in a car and drive off into the sunset for a bit and find something to do, but I can't. Responsibilities keep me here and now. With a ridiculous amount of pages to read for a class and over 1000 words to type for NaNo tonight I can't. That all doesn't matter though because I'm doubting everything right now. When I say everything I mean almost everything. I wonder how much certain things are worth it right now. I wonder if I'm really happy. I wonder if I'm going in the right direction in life. Just because I've had it planned out perfectly for years doesn't mean it is what is actually good for me. Suddenly something feels very very wrong and I can't explain it.
Tonight I'm going to go out and eat, enjoy myself a bit and try just try to figure out what is wrong.

The joy of wrting

Well almost one whole week into National Novel Writing Month and I'm still really excited about it. Last year I did an exceptionally poor job at it and didn't even finish. This year I will finish! NaNo has taught me a lot of things. Like don't write in first person (it never works out the right way) and descriptions of people and what they are wearing feels really awkward to write ignore the feeling and write it anyway, especially for the main character. Sleep is of course for December as is editing. Also outlines are a beautiful thing! I did my first outline ever for a story for this book and I feel it has helped me so much! Hints for making an Outline. Write down questions and answer them. have a goal for what you want to have happened in each chapter (not how I do it but works for Neinone). Make a simple outline with major plot points (as close to in order as possible rearrange will happen), then make a more complicated outline with minor details and even some dialog roughly written down.


The first question you must ask yourself when writing (after having figured out a basic plot, but even that isn't necessary before this question) is: What makes today different?
It is a really valid question writing a story. Why is this day different than yesterday because if it isn't different than yesterday what makes you think I want to read about it. I don't want to hear about what your character had for breakfast on the normal day. I want to read all about how the aliens disrupted the protagonists breakfast an the non-normal day. If you are writing about an alien invasion, what do you know about space? If all you learned is from Star Wars please re-think this novel. If the alien's aren't really alien's but vampires from the future...this better be going somewhere good. Though the question stands "What makes today different?" if you character is from Men In Black universe and aliens disrupt his breakfast everyday, why is this day especially different? Did your character get a mind wipe the day before and to him aliens disrupting his breakfast is a new event even though it has happened to him every day for the last 20 years and now he has to figure out why they wiped his mind...and that they did it at all in the first place?


I don't want to know about the average day, that isn't interesting. I want to read something interesting. I also don't want something over the top. For example your character was the best at the alien hunting business until his partner wiped his memory and stole his identity and ran off with one of the aliens to Nantucket where they plan on starting WWIV (WWIII happened the year before but your character saved the world from being destroyed but just barely, this is of course why your character's memory was wiped because he was seen as a threat). Yet even though your character's memory got wiped he finds a bunch of clues that leads him to the bad guy just in the nick of time (again) to save the world (again)...this is not interesting it is the Superman syndrome. I do not want a perfect superhero I want someone I'm on the edge of my seat wondering if he is going to even win, maybe he doesn't! That'd be really awesome! End of the book world ends, that'd be unexpected.


So here it is, be mean to your main character. Have them get beat up and put in the hospital and while they are recovering the bad guy makes off with the nuke and drops it on Russia (or somewhere else less cliched please) to start the World War. The war starts and now after your character gets out of the hospital (or even before) they have to stop retaliation (which of course they fail horrible at) and then your character takes a bullet for Dmitriy Anatolyevich. He takes it as a great compliment and decides that in honor of you now dead hero he'll stop firing nukes back (yeah right but that's what stories are for right?). Please don't anyone actually ever right this into a book, it'd actually probably be rather terrible.

Anyway...Have a wonderful November and good luck to anyone doing NaNoWriMo!