Summer at Last

So this is it: I am free. I plan to read more than ever now, and I am already making my way through The Best of Cemetery Dance. Tonight my mother, sisters, and I watched a quarter of Stephen King's The Stand - very good teleplay with a rather scary villain. I walked most of the way to my mother's house today, which is saying something; it's a good way from my school and I would have probably gone all the way if not for my book-bag weighing down on my back and threatening to break it. Ah, I won't have to worry about that for a while.

I counted the library books I have out, and I believe I have exactly twenty-five. I hope to read at least most of them this summer. One was a quick read, a galley from Printz called Requiem: Poems from the Terezin Ghetto. It was quite sad and disturbing, but I appreciated the poetry.

Speaking of books, I might move my reviews to this blog and keep one after all. Also, "The Worlds of Winter" is old - how about "The Winter Journal"? (With the former I needed a title and didn't know what to call it).

I might be volunteering at a local library this summer. We'll see how that turns out.

I must close the journal now, but I shall post again soon!

Au revoir,

Lewis

After the Crack of Dawn

I'm up rather early this morning, and have to leave for school in less than an hour. Thought I'd get an article in. But what should I say? This is what I refer to as "blogging for the sake of blogging." Nothing wrong with it, I suppose. Recently I began two new blogs, and I plan on a fourth. In Number Four, I'll blog about music. I still need to get guitar lessons, but I've been playing piano for many years (and still must improve, ha). I'm thinking to call myself Winter...is that one taken? My styles seem to be rock, epic, and relaxing. I think I can manage, no?

Here it is. The sun seems to be rising, so I'm going to post there now, but I shall hopefully return soon.

Love,

Lewis

Winter: Now on Tumblr.

I am now on Tumblr. My account is here. I have a blog post on there, so this is only one of my online blog-journal-things. By the way, why is there a period after "Tumblr"? Curious.

Tomorrow is my good friend Hannah's birthday party; which should be fun. I believe there will be music, seeing as she asked us to bring instruments. Currently I only play piano, so I shall bring a largish keyboard over (she said I could!), but sometime she says she'll teach me guitar. I also want to learn some kind of "blowing" instrument (woodwind or brass), but I agree with what my Grandma Shannon says: It's probably too late in the game to join band. So I think I'll try to do it outside of school.

Speaking of music, Ezra is trying to set up a band for me, Hannah, and Olivia to play in. It was originally intended as a wrock (wizard rock) band, but we might do other things as well. I have written two Dumbledore-related songs so far, and am working on a third titled "Ode to Lemon Drops." But I think we'll do a variety of things, and most of all have fun. I think this will work out well.

I have to go see I Am Number Four now, but I'll try to post again soon.

Until then, farewell!

-Lewis

Happy New Year!

Here it is: 2011. The second year of the second decade of the first century of the third millennium. And as I attempted to convey in the last post, life goes on. I feel compelled to tell you (not sure why) what the first thing I ate this year was: A bowl of blueberry/oats cereal. Anyway, I think I have some resolutions, which I may or may not change:

• Write a sizable novel
• Learn guitar
• Take Drivers' Ed (I keep saying that!)
• Get more involved at school
• Read a book of 1,000+ pages (finishing The Stand would count)
• Watch an episode of Doctor Who
• Leave the country (vacation wise)
• Read/finish certain books
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Dracula
• The Graveyard Book
• Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
• A Christmas Carol
• The Stand, as mentioned before
• Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower IV)
• Year's Best SF 14
• Preludes & Nocturnes (Sandman 1)
• For the Win
• Visit my Florida friends, whom I have not seen for years
• Get something published in a book/magazine/anything printed
• Record a song
• Write a script
• Play Quidditch (yes, you read correctly)
• Start learning a language (I'm thinking Spanish or French)
• Get back into acting

Whoa, that's a lot! I didn't expect that many. Now I don't know if I'll be able to do all of them, but "shoot for the moon," eh?

Sorry; my computer is acting up. I spent HOURS writing this post, and now most of it's gone. I don't think I'll rewrite it, but I'm very ticked now.

Anyhow, happy new year and all that, and I'm going to bed now. Maybe I'll post more later.

NaNoWriMo - An Afterthought

As some of you may already know, I did not participate this year for several reasons, if any:

• Not ready
• Not sure what I wanted to write
• Lazy
• Having bad noveling experience at the time

So yeah, shoot me. But before you pull the trigger, I have this to say: I might (and probably will) do it next year. I think I'll practice focus (something I need not only in writing) and elaboration. I wrote a short story last night and sent it to my friend Hannah (http://mockbookgirl.blogspot.com/) and may or may not read it at our group next time--this depends on if I've written anything else worth reading. I will admit this here to Olivia (http://elfarmywrites.blogspot.com/): I'm still reading Clockwork! She's pretty cool, so I suppose I'll survive, but still. I just need to sit down to it more often, especially considering that I printed out 400 pages on my printer simply so I could use a bookmark (I don't favor having to scroll down 986,731,342 pages every time I open a document).

What will I write? I haven't the slightest idea, but then again, I'd have nearly a year to change my mind if I did. I've written a lot of fantasy stuff in my time, but I may try for something realistic. This probably will not be for my Nano, nor do I think it will take up the majority of my prose, but it will be an occasional thing to try. I've been journaling and blogging more, so that ought to help. Saw Orson Scott Card on Wednesday. I've only read a few pages of one of his books (Ender's Game), but he seemed like a cool guy. I didn't actually meet him, but I think my aforementioned friends did. I'm sure I'll get another chance.

We should be getting a tree today. I don't call myself Christian, but I like the atmosphere of Christmas: it makes me thoughtful, just like rain. And while some people might say I can't celebrate Christmas when I'm not Christian, I ask them this: Is it illegal? I didn't think so. We will not be making our usual Illinois trip this year, but I don't know what we will do instead. I probably won't leave the country, but that should happen in the next few years now.

Random notes: Saw Tangled not long ago, and it was hilarious and (for me) inspiring. Or rather, rekindled an old idea. I loved Maximus the horse and the whole getting-Flynn's-nose-right joke. ~ I hope to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 in IMAX. I've already seen it twice in standard theaters, and I think Nagini's "jumping" scenes would be awesome in IMAX. I really ought to read the books again, but the choice remains: American again, or should I try the European editions? ~ I think my sea cucumber died. Not a common pet, but this one never moved much and we could never tell, but now it's balled up and collecting brown stuff. I mourn its life, but I am glad if it did not suffer. ~ After reading American Gods, what do I turn to but another Neil Gaiman book? It is a collection of short fiction calld Smoke and Mirrors.

***

Good-day!

Hello!

My name is Lewis Mason Winter, and this is to be my new blog. I had one before, but I somehow got locked out of my email and now I am restarting. L.M. Winter is actually my pen name.

Now, a bit about myself:

I am an avid reader, writer, and moviegoer. I enjoy mostly fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but I will read, write, or watch anything as long as it interests me. My favorite books are the Inheritance series and my favorite movies are all of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. I enjoy a great variety of music. I am not into sports. My writings, as well as things I aspire to write, include:

• Novels
• Short stories
• Poetry
• Essays
• Scripts
• Journals
• Articles
• Letters
• ...and blog posts!

So, this is my first post. I should have more soon.