Congratulotions!

The vast majority of the time, my family cannot afford to see traveling shows - meaning the big ones, like Sweeney Todd and The Lion King. Along with those two, one I've very much wanted to see for a long time is Wicked. This spin-off on the novels of Lyman Frank Baum was filled with hilarity and great singing - the lady who played Elphaba had a simply amazing range. It is a national acting troupe, I believe; I should like to join one someday, even if only temporarily. We went out to Durham to see the show, and had to navigate ridiculous crowds, but in the end it was totally worth it. I really ought to read the book. There were plenty of made-up words (congratulotions among them) and awesome puns such as "Witch is witch?" - this one being followed by a tap-danced rim-shot.

Today we bought several drawing pencils and some other artsy things at A.C. Moore, which I am now eager to put to use. This summer I'd like to teach myself the art of knitting. My dear friend Kate says that she learned off the internet; and given the fact that I am almost temporarily liberated from school, I ought to have time. No bets on the guitar-playing, but I might give it a shot. All in its eventual time, yes? Honestly I do not know about my going to college at this point; I think it can be useful, but is not necessarily for everyone, as society would have some believe. I intend to be a freelance writer, which requires no degree. So if I get accepted into Pratt Institute (where they have a renowned writing program), I will go, but I don't know if I honestly want to study English and/or Computer Science elsewhere unless I can become self-employed. The thought of sitting in a cubicle for fifty years not only bores me; it actually depresses me. I'm not trying to knock on those who do it - I am merely saying it is not for me. I think it's a personality thing. Hopefully I shall find a way.

For now, I am forced to attend the enormous time-waster known as public school. Wish me luck!

Lewis

Pensieve: Key West 2009

Of late I realized once again that I have a very interesting life, despite its setbacks, and that I have only done one Pensieve (which, of all things, was about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). Here's another, although it's not quite about the Boy Who Lived - well, not the one most Potterheads would think of, anyway.

In June of 2009, my immediate family and I ventured to the land - and waters - of Florida. This was not my first time, which was indeed mere weeks before the events of the first Pensieve. It was as great a place to relax as I remembered it from 2005: we stayed at a Hyatt Beach House, which was a quiet retreat with nice rooms and screened-in porches. This time I wrote what I called my first novel in a matter of days on my dad's laptop, as I would not receive my own for another few months. It was a perfectly atrocious story (and a little over 7,000 words filling forty-one pages - I still called it a novel because I didn't pay attention to its size and I was also too excited that I had finished something "sizable" for once) - atrocious because the characters were mere lifeless pawns (something with which I still struggle) and the whole story was a shameless ripoff of Paolini's Eragon, which is in turn a story stolen from Star Wars (which, my friend Ezra argues, is yet another ripoff of Lord of the Rings - I still need to find out why this is). Even so, I was proud of my blue-dragon story and still am, not because it was any good, but because I was on my way to being better. Which, I suppose, many of us are.

The Hyatt Beach House had a small enclosed beach - not one of those crowded stretches of sand with seven quadrillion tourists and obnoxiously-colored umbrellas and towels everywhere, but a small area with a tiny pier and a rocky wade-in waterline. There was still the giant cracked ball I remembered from when I was ten years old, covered in coastal sea-plants and invertebrates, and young barracudas, which would swim up to greet us. I am not afraid of barracudas, or most sharks for that matter, because if they have nothing to fear, then what have I? Caroline, my sister, said she was followed around by a six-foot barracuda; I wish I had seen it, but the juveniles were beautiful in their own way. They were light brown with stripes, as opposed to the more mature silver bodies. The water was perhaps ten or twenty feet deep by the pier's end, and I would take a gulp of air and plunge down to view more intimately the sea stars and urchins and sand dollars on the ocean's sandy floor. I think I need another vacation there; relaxation would do me a lot of good these days.

Writing to a Dead Man

"Do you not know death when you see it, old man? This is my hour!" - The Witch-King of Angmar from the extended movie version of The Return of the King (Peter Jackson one)

"Life is quite absurd, and death's the final word. You must always face the curtain with a bow! Forget your life of sin; give the audience a grin! Just remember it's your last chance anyhow!" - Eric Idle (I've had the song stuck in my head for several days now)

"A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist." - Stewart Alsop (via BrainyQuote)

So I finished the book Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder (a wonderful gift from my uncle Chris, who knew I had an interest in screenwriting). At the end of Chapter One, Blake gave his email address, but I decided to wait until I had finished until writing him, lest any additional questions should present themselves to me. So I finished it a few days ago and wrote the email, sent it...and got it back with one of those "failed to deliver to recipient" things. I decided for one reason or another to go to Blake's website - and found out that he had died suddenly in 2009.

No! No!

But I suppose we must all go at one point or another. It sounds like he had a great life. In John Green's new book, The Fault in Our Stars (garr, how did I forget to blog about MEETING THE VLOGBROTHERS IN PERSON???), he says something about how a full life does not necessarily mean one lives to be ninety-two or whatnot; it means to have led a great life, regardless of how soon or late one dies.

So it was a bit of a shock and I felt sort of weird - but it's not the end of the world. Gods rest you, Mr. Blake Snyder, and I hope you enjoyed your go at life.

Love from a fan,

Lewis / Danny

Winter Reviews: Mattimeo by Brian Jacques

I listened to this audio book several months ago and never reviewed it for some reason. Now don't get me wrong: I love Brian Jacques' writing style. His descriptions are beautiful. Apparently he once wrote for blind children. But the story lines, while good individually, are starting to get formulaic, as my friend Elijah would say. I think a bit of formula is OK, but this (the third book, after Redwall and Mossflower) is starting to push it. If you read my post about the original novel, you'll see that I gave it an "A" - a grade that still stands. The prequel, Mossflower, got a "B" due to a repeated formula.

Now this one, which takes place a couple years (eight seasons, as they say in the book) after the first one. Redwall Abbey has had that amount of time filled with peace and happiness, when a fox and his band of rats and weasels and such approach the castle and are allowed in to perform circus tricks. They drug their hosts and kidnap several young, including Mattimeo, the son of the abbey's champion warrior Matthias - the main character of book one and, actually, the main character of this one as well. The fox, Slagar the Cruel (pronounced "Croo-elle" by the awesome and rather scary voice actor), turns out to be none other than Chickenhound from the first book. He was not allied with Cluny (the original villain, who was a rat) - he represents another faction altogether - but I found him to be much more evil than Cluny. Cluny, while awesome, never struck me as a horrible being, more just a warlord who meant business. Maybe I'll make a different post about that rat. But the Sly One (Slagar) kidnaps and kills totally innocent creatures rather than only those who stand against him. He murders Friar Hugo (a Redwall mouse), which is a shame because Matthias had just barely saved Hugo at the end of Redwall, when Hugo was being held hostage by Cluny just  before Cluny met his end. Anyhow, this is book three I'd like to discuss.

This one had a pretty original plot, as Mossflower was sort of a recycled version of the first, but what threw me off was the riddles. I like a good riddle now and then, but it seems that every single book "just happens" to involve a riddle painfully similar to the other ones. It's been several months and now I might attempt to listen to another one (Mariel of Redwall). Each book I've read seems stand-alone enough, but still...gahh. I must say I loved Slagar, as horrid as he was (terrible creature morally, but a great villain). Horrible people (or animals) can make great characters.

One other thing gets me about this whole series, or what I've read of it: Jacques was probably not a remotely racist man, but it seems like certain creatures are labeled as vessels for good or bad: rats, foxes, and snakes are evil; mice, hares, badgers, and so forth are good. There are also some creatures who have both good and rotten members, such as wildcats, sparrows, and shrews. It doesn't seem right that every time a fox or rat approaches the abbey, he or she is patronized and ostracized.

I may sound a little fifty-fifty on this book, because I am. I enjoyed it, but I hope four is less redundant. Basil Stag Hare is still awesome. "What, what?"

Happy reading,

Lewis

Lunch Post #1

I am in school as I write this. I am at lunch in a relatively calm room, particularly when juxtapositioned with the cacophony of the school cafeteria. It is also a good place to check email, seeing as they have a number of computers in here. I'm perfectly capable of eating with the crowd, but I see no reason to. The other students in here pretty much always want to chit-chat, so it is difficult to get much reading done, but I am able to get online, which is a rather good advantage if you ask me. I read in hallways, sensing traffic with my eyes' outer rims and corners; I also read on the bus when I'm not listening to music, audio books, or a podcast. I find it useful to read in the crannies of time, as I intend to make the most out of these things. I wrote a poem in class at least once, called "The Resting Field" - it's in the post prior to this.

When I cook, which is becoming more often, I try to read a paragraph, look at the meal, read a few lines, and so forth. The legendary horror master Stephen King is known for reading in said time crevices, such as when he is waiting for a meal at a restaurant or between innings at the baseball games he attends. Even if one does not write purely for writing's sake, reading is a good thing to do. Writing is also a valuable skill, but that's beside the point, is it not? Speaking of that, I need to read more blog posts - I write them but my reading focus seems to eb elsewhere!

I must hasten to French I now. Love to you all.

Au revoir,

LMW

To Be or Not to Be...a Playwright

Ah, yes - another theatrical post! This pertains to one of my favorite things (apart from general theatre and acting): writing! I am as of yet experienced, seeing as my play readings consist of two Wildes and three Shakespeares, plus some other partial things. I have a long way to go. But as of a couple of Saturdays ago, I am taking playwriting lessons at Applause!. (Remember them?)

I realized the great usefulness that comes from selecting random magazine pictures and using them as inspiration. I need to write out the one with Queen Sadoree.... Anyhow, I'm looking forward to X number of years from now, when I hope to travel the world, fueled by my inner artician: writer, actor, artist, musician, and possibly even dancer. But primarily a writer. According to Thoreau (or was it Emerson?), life is best lived simply. That's one reason I am OK with eReaders such as my Kindle. While paper pages are preferable (ha), I think it is a necessary sacrifice as opposed to lugging around a library. I think I'd take the aforementioned Kindle, a laptop or whatever I'm writing on at the moment, a sketchpad, perhaps a bound journal, The Good Hat (my fedora), and essentials such as clothing and whatnot. Otherwise I'll travel light.

Speaking of dreams to come, it is almost eleven PM., and I have school tomorrow. But not for the rest of the week! This will be my first meat-free Thanksgiving, I think. Not that I ever cared much for poultry. I would have ham. But I look forward to cheesy potato casserole. And the dogs' expressions when they see all the people-food. And I shall write plays all the while!

Much love to you all,

Lewis M. Winter

Critical Enjoyment

"A film is--or should be--more like music than fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later." - Stanley Kubrick

"I don't take movies seriously, and anyone who does is in for a headache." - Bette Davis

"You're only as good as your last picture." - Marie Dressler

---

I think there's a difference between types of good and bad movies. One is whether it is well-written, acted, directed, etc., and the other is enjoyment. Sure, they're contributory to one another, but one doesn't entirely change the other. For example, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides had a few plot holes (and I'd  have to give it a C rather than my earlier B), yet it still was funny and exciting. Same with the newer Star Wars films, Eragon (the movie), Van Helsing, and the Inheritance books as well (which include Eragon and don't have bad plots, just somewhat unoriginal ones). There is a book I had to read for school called Anthem (by Ayn Rand) that was terribly lazy in its plot, had ridiculously blown-out ideas, and took itself way too seriously. Not something I'd read for pleasure, yet it somehow stood the test of time and is for some reason hailed as a "philosophical" classic.

Sometimes what we watch for fun isn't award material, but still fun. Also I wanted to mention that a movie based on a book can be unfaithful and still good, if done well in its own right (such as several Dracula films, Stardust, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory [the old one], Frankenstein [1931], etc.) I haven't read The Lovely Bones, but I enjoyed the adaptation. Stanley Kubrick's version of Stephen King's contemporary horror classic The Shining is disliked by many who have read the novel, yet I and many others love it (funnily enough, despite my being a King fan, I haven't read the book). I've heard similar things about Secret Window, another Stephen-King-based movie derived from "Secret Window, Secret Garden" - a novella featured in his collection Four Past Midnight. But Johnny Depp is in it and he's great. Plus I recall the writing and directing being interesting. But who knows? It has been a while.

James Cameron's Avatar is often accused of relying on special effects to tell a story. I disagree. While the story may not have been the most spectacular tale ever spun, there was not much wrong with it. I would say that there are two directors who do use effects to tell a story: Michael Bay (Transformers 1, 2, and 3 - please don't make a 4) and Roland Emmerich (2012, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow). At least Mr. Emmerich does not include as much sexism and racism as Mr. Bay. I think. I don't actually recall, but I won't willingly watch them again, although the effects in 2012 were at least entertaining.

But some movies are just torture to watch, like reading a phone book or tax records in place of a novel. These include Michael Bay films, any parody along the lines of Epic Movie (though I saw part of one Scary Movie installment, and it seemed OK), Son of Godzilla, Land of the Lost (Will Ferrell one), and anything by Tyler Perry. The reason I dislike Perry's movies is that they seem to all resolve in luck, meaning something JUST HAPPENS to go perfectly out of the protagonist's control, like a rich relative he or she didn't know about dying (Meet the Browns, which I was forced to watch once). And the humor is repetitive.

But don't worry, I do like plenty of movies. Just pointing out the not-enjoyable ones for me. I also have to wonder at people who base their opinions off of those of critics, such as my maternal grandmother. Many people I know didn't like the new Clash of the Titans, whereas I thought it was better than the original - a rare case with me. Maybe I missed something.

The point is, people should be free-thinking on media, not love everything but not hate everything either (like someone I know does [the latter]), and take in multiple factors. Don't ruin a movie for yourself because of a couple plot holes. And at the same time, look out for them! And don't love a movie because it's critically good but not enjoyable.

To quote a movie I don't remember the goodness of, but remember loving the book it was based on:

"Yes! That is all!" (Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen [also Gandalf], The Golden Compass, 2007 - based on the novel by Philip Pullman)

----Lewis

Poem: The Queen of Sprites

Her Majesty Queen Darkpetal

Of the sprites of Nimbling Wood

Has yet to ascend to full spritehood.

She must find her namesake,

A bird’s tooth, a snake’s eyelid,

And the marrow of a human

To become wholesome.

Created by a dragon’s tear

Striking a blue rose on summer solstice,

She is incomplete, but no sprite yet

Has become whole; she is the first of the kind,

And will become the first whole one.

Bronchitis and Stuff

Hey, I posted two days in a row! I feel so accomplished.

Yes indeed, I have bronchitis and pneumonia. I asked my mother if I was going to die, and she replied, "Someday." Ironically, my father had the same answer. I'm sure I'll survive (I always do, it seems), but it's not been pleasant. It hurt to breathe (it just tingles now), and I'd occasionally feel a quick stabbing pain in the chest.

Enough of those details: I should say that I had a rather nice Valentine's Day and ate plenty of chocolate and a super-sour candy called Warheads. I went on a long walk down some trail, and while I could see the distant backs of houses, I felt like I was nowhere near human civilization. Not only was I in the wild; I was on faery grounds. Call me childish, but I will take it as a compliment. It felt so surreal, so oneiric. I went on until I reached the highway they are building, at which point my mother called me to tell me to come home.

Today I returned to school and wrote (or rather, rewrote from memory) a piece of flash fiction that could pass for micro fiction in CW. I may be an aspiring novelist, but right now I only seem to be able to write small stuff. If it's not too much to say, however, I rather enjoyed writing it, and thought it was a good story. I might post it on my Figment (and yes, I use my real name on there), and my first CW story (currently titled "The Death of Love") is already up there.

So yes, I am not altogether well, but I am able to blog. =)

I need to do some stuff now, but comment or whatever!

Toodles!

-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.

The Last Post of 2010

Probably. I could spontaneously have another thought and post again, but in theory, this is my last post of 2010. It has been a good year, I'll say that. I wrote and read plenty (although I probably could have read more), and met lots of cool people. Many awesome movies came out, so I suppose I'll list my favorite ten in no particular order:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
• Toy Story 3
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice
• The Social Network
• Alice in Wonderland
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Clash of the Titans
• Iron Man 2
• Despicable Me
• Inception

Yeah, so that was eleven. Whatever. In other words, we had some good ones this time. I just realized that I missed Dinner for Schmucks, Tron: Legacy, Megamind, and Shrek Forever After, but I can't push it too much...can I? I also have yet to see some of them, such as True Grit and Gulliver's Travels. Either way, I enjoyed 2010 very much. I got a saltwater aquarium in the spring, which is still amazing (though we seem to have an invasive anemone on one of the rocks); we got my sister a dog (sister Laura, dog Launa - Laura's REALLY clever); I met Cory Doctorow, who was a really cool bloke; we went to Disney World in late September and stayed into early October; and I this year took up the name of L.M. Winter.

Overall, this was probably one of my favorite years. I probably ought to write a poem on the year, but this will be off the top of my head:

From eyelash wishes

To marine crabs and fishes,

From Health-class antics

To a scene from The Frantics,

From writing group

To picking up dog poop,

From reading Stephen King

To some other thing,

And I suppose while this lasts,

I'll mention Doctor Who podcasts,

The year is nearly gone,

So now my music's on

As I write these words

And time flies like birds

To the worlds beyond ours

And soon there will be flowers

Sprouting from the soil

And then the sun will boil

Even icy water.

And then Harry Potter

Will conclude its epic story -

Viewing will be mandatory -

Somewhere in July.

Time still will fly:

Death and birth will both occur,

Of that we can be sure.

Then Old Man Winter and his Young assistant

Will come ready and persistent

To sweep away daisies

Pushed up by old crazies

And the year along as well - 

We see that there is no hell

Or heaven in the end;

There is only death, and life to spend.

But this year has been great

And is now getting late.

We had great snows early

And again at the end: surely

There will be more?

I hope to open the door

Next year to a field of white

Which glimmers quite bright

In the sun, bouncing off crystals

As I put away pistols

To bring out a seasonable

Weapon, one more reasonable:

A ball of white snow

To hit my rivals before they know.

No matter what year,

There, then, now, here,

No matter what splinter

Of summer or winter

Or spring or autumn,

Top class or bottom,

We are alive

And should always strive

To make the very most

Of the moment, whether writing ghost

Tales or tales otherwise tall,

Or if you're not writing at all,

You must pay heed to time, and yet

You must not by any means get

Sucked into its void,

Whether it's ever toyed

With your concepts of progression

Or makes you think of regression.

Time is complex, but do not worry:

Just live your life, for there is no hurry.

Man, that went on for a while! Like I said, it was written just now, so it probably needs some work. But what I was trying to convey was that time may fly, but while the future needs planning to a certain extent, I choose to focus primarily on the present moment.

All in all, the year ends soon, but what is it but numbered dates? Life moves on at any rate. I plan to do many things still, such as complete my novel, improve my piano skills (I think a teacher at my elementary school might still be teaching), learn guitar and maybe join marching band with some other third instrument, take Drivers' Ed, learn about filmmaking, et cetera. I have plenty of things I plan to do, but now is now, and I'm blogging. But not for long: I think I'll check my email and then read my first Jane Yolen story. Oh, and speaking of firsts: I watched a small part of a Doctor Who today, called "Midnight." I think it was a newer one, and that just might have been this David Tennant everyone speaks of.

What a long post (mainly due to the "poem")!

Happy New Year!

Lewis M. Winter

Thoughts About Drivers' Ed

Indeed I have been pondering it for over a year (almost two), but now I've decided to stop pushing it off; many of my friends and otherwise acquaintances are taking/have taken it. I always had the same primary reason: too busy. But I suppose that's always the case with me. I'm a busy guy for the most part, being a writer and whatnot. But if I'm going to take it, I might as well take it soon. I'm thinking of asking my C.A. teachers as soon as I get back from my holiday.

Other worries include the fact that auto-wrecks are a leading cause of teen death. I'll be careful...hopefully careful enough. I hear the lessons are super boring as well? I, for the most part, am not easily bored, but maybe I'll sneak a couple of books in just in case. I'm talking to Hannah, and she says it's not so bad (though she also says she wrote poems and stuff in there).

In other news, it is now New Year's Eve! A few hours ago (on New Year's Eve's Eve), Mother, Caroline, and I went to go see RED. It was exciting and funny almost simultaneously, and therefore awesome. For the first time in a while, I wrote an entire story by hand the other day. My computer was not working, but I didn't let that stop me. It needs some work, I'd say, but the idea of it intrigues me. Don't we all love things that fascinate us? I'm going to write more of my current novel now.

To all a good night,

Lewis

Christmas 2010: A Summary

I got up pretty early yesterday--sixish, I'd say. Apparently my sisters were also awake, so we woke our mother up and waited for our dad to arrive. He brought Launa (the big dog) over, and she and Coco (my Chihuahua) played around on the floor for ages. As it got lighter out, we began to open gifts. The most notable of mine, I think, was an Amazon Kindle (which I think I wrote my thoughts about a while back, in the post "Conversion"). I  tend to buy more books than I have time to read, and this was no exception. Just today I finished Cecelia Holland's short story "Dragon's Deep" in The Dragon Book, edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. I really liked it, and it even inspired a future project of mine. I love dragons - I always have - and they were among the first things I wrote about.

My sister Laura received a marshmallow shooter...do I really have to describe what went down after that? We pretty much stayed at my mom's house the whole time, although at the end my father took us children over to his house. I woke up this afternoon (I had chatted with Hannah until two in the morning) and saw that it had indeed finally snowed. I ran around in it with Launa for a while, and then walked to Laura's friend's house to see their new kitten. I must say, this snow was worth the wait: Even at the end of the day, after people have been running and driving in it, the white blanket is still a beautiful sight. It actually looks kind of like the background image at the time of this post, what with ice and snow clinging to the skeletal branches.

I've probably mentioned something before about expanding my media (reading/watching/listening to more genres), and I'm now reading a graphic novel, namely, Preludes and Nocturnes, the first of twelve volumes in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I love Neil Gaiman; he's a very clever man who has done a variety of things in his time. My aunt met him a while back, and I plan to someday do the same. Hannah has been acting as my guide in helping me choose comics/graphic novels to read. Maybe I'll even try Manga sometime. I hope I don't lose reading focus; I am still reading Philosophy for Dummies, along with Olivia's NaNo book from last year. Perhaps I'll remove The Vampire Archives 1: Blood Suckers from my plate. It's not bad, but the others I've been planning to read for a while.

Another thing I have been planning on indulging in is also by Mr. Gaiman: The Graveyard Book. I bought it on the Kindle section of Amazon, and should get around to it sooner or later. We saw Tron: Legacy on Christmas Eve, and I loved it, even though I've not seen the first one. I plan to watch it soon. Coco and Launa both seemed intent on the Christmas ham, especially after we caved and gave them a few pieces. (Note: LAUNA is my sister LAURA's dog. It was her clever idea to give the animal such a clever name.) I talked to my mom on the phone today, and she said Coco wanted to go outside, however, when she opened the door, he felt the wind and ran the other way. Last night, at my dad's house, we watched David Cross (whom I was new to)--he is hilarious, but curses quite a bit. Wow, this was a long post. Seeing as I read faster when off of school, I shall go an do that now.

To all a good night,
LMW

Oh, and here is a link to the video in which I discuss winter holidays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4SzkwngskU

Of Pirates and Ninjas

Today, my school had us dress as either pirates or ninjas. Unfortunately, I was able to do neither: I had a tricorner hat (Jack Sparrow's, to be exact), but left it at my mother's house. I saw several of each, however, and felt envy for much. I could tell the ninjas I saw were really only costumes. Figure it out.
They are both interesting subjects, yet neither have I written of. Why? I really do not know. Perhaps I have not submerged myself properly. I dearly love the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and await the prequel. I don't know much about ninjas. I ought to read up on both and then create tales; I think they would do well.
I told a friend that I might try to make up by being a pirate some other time, to which he replied: "You'd get beaten up." I questioned this, and he said: "This is high school." True, this is high school. But that's the thing! We should be over our childish squabbles by now. People seem to be very ignorant that different does not equal bad--not necessarily. Sure, I acted up in elementary and middle: the former because I was a kid and the latter because I did not agree to school rules (they were baloney). But now, I'm making a mark--one that shall last into my adulthood. These years matter. All years do, but these are crucial to success from what I hear. Yet, I see kids acting like toddlers left and right. Am I just more mature than most people my age? I do like to have fun, but psychologically I like to analyze things from various angles. That is why I do not think we should have God for a Judge; He would be inclined to His own perceptions of good and evil, and those are just points of view.
The whole religion thing fascinates (and infuriates) me, but I'll save it for another post.

For Horror Writers

I found this interesting: http://writinghood.com/writing/10-cliches-horror-writers-should-try-to-avoid/

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.