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'Martin' wrote on '11:
Ah, Tim Hortons brings back the memories. Nothing like a large double double to get you going in the morning!
Tim Hortons? Is that a cafe chain? (All we have were I live is one Starbucks and prolific hole-in-the-wall cafes.)
'Elfin' wrote on '11:I have stuffed animals too 😛
Even my twenty-five year old brother and twenty-eight year old sister keep stuffed animals! My brother keeps a stuffed husky dog from when he was six called Meesha. Apparently he wants to get a husky one day, just so he can name it Meesha like the stuffed one.
'aimee' wrote on '08:That is a big project! So did you write several drafts of the entire book??
Well, I wrote each draught as far as I could take it; each time I started over was either when the plot I had going wasn't working, or the plot took on a new direction that I wanted, but couldn't fit into that current version. It took several tries to get the plot exactly how I wanted. And now that I have (fully formed/completed the plot), that's the draught I'm working on now.
Also, the first two draughts were handwritten in notebooks; the first major upheaval was when I switched to typing on the computer! Haha.
Hello, Wendy! Welcome to Insomnialand; always nice to see a new member.
It's concerning that doctors aren't listening to your observations; I would think they'd take everything into consideration for treating your conditions. I haven't heard anything about myself about brain chemicals/signals and the spine, but I imagine there's someone here on Insomnialand who has (or is experiencing something similar). It would be an interesting discussion; perhaps you should start a topic on that sort of thing? There are a lot of knowledgeable, helpful members here.
Well, that's all I have for now. I hope you find what you're looking for here on Insomnialand; good luck with everything!
'MarinaFournier' wrote on '07:One time only, nearly ten years ago, I had such an awful dizzy spell for several hours. I had to call my husband, who worked 55 miles away at the time, to tell him I couldn't drive and needed him to pick up our son from school. Called my doctor, no other symptoms, no prior symptoms. Was given some anti-vertigo meds, never happened again. We think it was a migraine manifesting only as vertigo. Never had it again. Very strange.
My stepfather gets vertigo every now and then. It happened out-of-the-blue recently, and was a little scary. My father and I couldn't visit him while he was at the hospital (thanks to the wonderful laws that do not grant rights of visitation to sick mens' husbands and their stepchildren).
Thankfully my father's taking him to a doctor's appointment tomorrow, where they hope to get to the bottom of it.
'seenafterscene' wrote on '01:!. Caffeine (usually espresso or Diet Pepsi Max)
2. My Gadgets (I know this is cheating, but since I'm perpetually attached to BOTH my Blackberry and my iPod, I figured that would be easier.)
3. My stuffed animals (yes, I never grew out of that phase)
That's okay; I still have all my stuffed animals, too! (When you've kept a stuffed cat since you were seven, it's hard to give it up.)
'Martin' wrote on '21:Sun cream
Real ale
TV (on the blink)
I don't even watch much TV, but you sure do miss it when it's gone!
Oh, sun cream! How could I forget that in my own list? I never go a day without it, regardless of season.
'emmaree' wrote on '24:Caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine also in no particular order
Cheers to that, mate.
Three things I can't do without? This is a fun topic!
Personally, I can't do without…
1. Coffee and tea. (As much as I hate to admit;) A lot of it. I'm one of those people who always needs something to drink when I'm at the computer (which is pretty much all the time) and it has to be hot. Caffeine withdrawal= the bane of my existence.
2. My computer. All of my important work is done on here: writing, researching, comics, networking, website/blog upkeep, actual paid work (work-from-home type), etc. That, and almost all my leisure time is spent on here, too. (Online Scrabble, anyone?) I can't imagine how many hours on average I spend at the computer per week. Hm.
3. Youtube. I've made huge playlists of instrumental/classical music specifically to listen to while writing; I can't do without creative music! Especially when I'm home alone and the only sound is all the clocks' ticking. Music helps distract from some of that lonesomeness.
Those are the top three, but on second thought, I couldn't do without Friday karaoke or Monday LGBT group night at our local cafe. Those two times are the only time I get out of my house during the week (besides bi-weekly grocery shopping); they keep me sane from cabin fever.
'aimee' wrote on '07:Sounds interesting..I like cultural/psychological/sociological stuff. I got my bachelors in Sociology and still find it very interesting. I would like to read your book when it's all finished! How long have you been working on it?
Wow; I'm flattered that it sounds interesting to you. Technically speaking, I've been working on it for six years. But really, it's changed so much that what I have now is in no way reminiscent of the first draught (except for character's names, that is). I've rewritten it numerous times over the years, but kept trashing it because I didn't know exactly where I was going; I hadn't fully formed the plot or the characters back then. I guess you could say they were giant brainstorms?
Only these past two years have I been working on this version. (Which I'm finally happy with, and DO know where it's going/what needs to be done.) So far, there's 30 chapters, 461 pages… and I estimate 3/4s through the plot(s).
'MarinaFournier' wrote on '07:Yes, if I'm in the hours-long throes of nausea, wondering when…the Pepto speeds up the process! I learnt this in college when I had a really bad migraine.
I steer clear of Pepto no matter what. Or, rather, anything that might induce nausea. If there's anything I hate most, it's the sensation/act of nausea. It seems childish/overdramatic, I know, but nausea always makes me feel like I'm dying inside-out. (shudder)
'aimee' wrote on '07:Really I would like to work with a major animal advocay org like HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) or ALDF (Animal Legal Defense Fund). I am going to be working on an article that I am going to try to get published next semester, so we will see how that goes. Well I think you will get your work published in due time! What type of writing do you do? Novels?
Good luck on that article, then! (Knocks on wood; literally)
What type of writing? Ooooh… depends on the project!
But really, my primary work/concern is my book, which is indeed a novel.
The novel is literary fiction, with a single element of fantasy. It's set in an alternate world similar to our own; the technology is most comparable to the Renaissance era's, and the culture is a hodgepodge of Scandinavian, Asian, and European influences. I implement a lot of psychology and sociology into the book, too, so it's a mental workout each time I write.
The story itself follows five different characters whose lives are somehow connected. Put simply, following two couples and a quasi-widower. One couple is Sarikah and Hayaku: the Empire's crown princess and a village pariah who met/are now eloping. The other is Aya and Yusu: the Emperor and a peasant woman who were lovers before Aya's crowning, separated for many years, and are now back together since Aya is soon to leave his throne (technically, an affair). The quasi-widower is Amaya; the Empire's crown prince. He had a very strong love-relationship with one of his stepfather's concubines (who died), and since has refused to show interest in others (be it acquaintances or his arranged fiancée, Sarikah).
We follow each of the couples/characters through their paths to either put pasts to rest or find redemption/peace.
>Sarikah herself had a troubled childhood; her mother was murdered by her elder brother when she was very young, and she was taken in by her uncle right afterward, who refused to shine light on anything to do with her brother/mother/father. So her struggle begins as one of finding answers. When she does, and her character merges with Hayaku, their struggle becomes eloping and living free. In the end, they do find peace.
>Aya and Yusu are a little… complicated. They don't have a goal as a couple, and they fight each other more than anything else. Aya's individual goal is simply to be with Yusu. Yusu doesn't have a distinct goal involving Aya; she doesn't fully trust him to leave his wife. Her character just “goes with the flow”.
>Yusu actually spends more time trying to help Aya's son, Amaya (mentioned earlier), out of his drug abuse and grief. (Which Aya resents.) Even though her character has no set goal, she frequently helps out and worries for the others.
As far as redemption/peace for Aya and Yusu, they find both, but it's rather bittersweet.
>Amaya has more… malicious goals. When his lover (Abhi) was alive, he was much different: his goal then was to rescue her from his abusive stepfather by banishing him and then to live with her. When Abhi died, Amaya sought revenge on his stepfather (who was the hand of fate), the Empress (who ignored Amaya's pleas for banishment) and Aya (who also ignored pleas). He ended up murdering his stepfather (early in the book) and now does anything to ruin Aya's goals. (Which catches Yusu in their crossfires constantly.) He's quite the tragic character, who dabbles in a lot of vice and sin. In the end, he doesn't find peace or redemption.
Even with all these characters, there's smaller, secondary/tertiary characters who have mini-plots thrown in here and there to support the main fives' plots.
It's… it's interesting. And a headache! I've been with these characters so long, I feel very close and protective of them (I often use a metaphor to describe this- I call them my children.) Don't get me wrong, I love writing this book, but I hate some of the emotions it drags me through. When the end of the story comes and I have to write three of the five main character's deaths, I'm going to be devastated. (How's that for obsessive? Haha.)
I apologize for the length of this purge, too; I tried to format it to be easier on the eyes. My friends and family never ask about my book, for fear that I'll rant for days. (Which I have. 😉 )
'aimee' wrote on '06:Yes 5 was definitely too much, especially since they were ALL worth 100% of my grade! Animal law is a newer and growing field. The class in particular that I have is more of a broad overview of animal issues from a legal perspective. It ranges from issues with service dogs, valuation of dogs, anti-cruelty statutes, and federal laws like the Animal Welfare Act, etc.. to issues of the protection of animals in the context of things like factory farming and animals in experimentation. I actually hope to do something with Animal Legal issues when I graduate so I have been pretty involved.
I saw that you are a writer. Do you write full-time?
Sounds very interesting. I know my sister was once interested in Animal law, but instead she went on to Veterinary medicine. Either way, it's still beneficial to animals! (That and when my cat Hannibal gets sick, I can simply call her.)
In loose sense, yes, I do write full-time. Loose sense being that I write daily and consider it my passion; I've been working on a literary fiction novel for the past six years. It might as well be a job- it sure feels like it! I'm not published, though; that's a landmark I have yet to reach. Fingers crossed!
