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Tori Winning
19 June 2009 @ 12:07 am
Have I mentioned lately that I love BBC shows? First As Time Goes By and now, more recently (for me), Doctor Who and Robin Hood. (Not forgetting, of course, Showtime's The Tudors.) Three straight episodes of RH to induct myself into the series? Perfect way to spend a pre-birthday evening.

(Can you tell how psyched I am? )

How about you guys? Any favourite BBC series?
 
 
Current Mood: excited
 
 
Tori Winning
14 June 2009 @ 09:39 pm
I'm a bit of an LJ userpic addict. I'm constantly switching mine around because I want to use all the ones I've collected! (But some stay put for, like, ever.) Some of my favourites are quotes from awesome books, like the one I've used with this entry.

So, quick backstory to this entry.

I went to the library a couple of days ago (yes, yes, this is AFTER the trip where I took out 26 books!) and what leapt out at me as I ascended the ramp past the YA section?

None other than a fresh, brand new, unruffled, smells like teen spirit copy of Lament.

How could I resist?

I'm not as fast as some of you lot, but I'm now on page 86, and I'm getting the same feeling I usually get when I read O.R. Melling, which, if you knew how I felt about O.R. Melling, is an AMAZING accomplishment. *bows down to [info]m_stiefvater*

Ahem. Anyway.

I've hardly ever tried making an icon with just text before. Tonight, I felt compelled to. Here are the first of my efforts (the third one is my favourite and my latest, hence most polished):



So much fun, and OHMYGOSH what a wonderful book!!

p.s. On a sidenote ... I finally watched the first episode of Doctor Who last night, the new series that starts with Christopher Eccleston playing the Doctor. I could not believe how much I loved it! It's quirky British humour, awesome music, fabulous acting, and a spitfire story all rolled into one. I have a loooooot of catching up to do.

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Current Mood: bouncy
Current Music: Love Story - Taylor Swift
 
 
Tori Winning
09 June 2009 @ 04:13 pm
I know I already posted once today, but I couldn't help taking this quiz:


Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

J K Rowling (b. 1965)

-5 High-Brow, -23 Violent, -5 Experimental and -21 Cynical!


Congratulations! You are Low-Brow, Peaceful, Traditional and Romantic! These concepts are defined below.



J K Rowling is the creator of one of the present's great cultural icons, Harry Potter, and one of the best selling authors of all times. The Harry Potter books, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosoper's Stone (1997) and concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007), set off a re-newed interest in reading in general among children, as well as increasing the perceived commercial potential of fantastic literature for children. Rowling achieved this by returning to good old story-telling (owing a lot to Roald Dahl, the grand old master of British children's books) and by being unafraid of mixing grand emotions and serious messages with comedy and adventure in her fiction, a combination that has made her books equally loved by readers of all ages. Though the value of her books is sometimes questioned by critics, it's obvious that she has been able to entertain literally millions of readers of all ages all over the world. This makes her one of the most admired fantasy writers of all times.



You are also a lot like Robert Jordan.



If you want some action, try J R R Tolkien.



If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Mary Gentle.



Your score



This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs Traditional and 4) Cynical vs Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.



High-Brow vs. Low-Brow



You received -5 points, making you more Low-Brow than High-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, while a typical low-brow would favour the best-selling kind. At their best, low-brows are honest enough to read what they like, regardless of what "experts" and academics say is good for them. At their worst, they are more likely to read what their neighbours like than what they would choose themselves.


Violent vs. Peaceful



You received -23 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.



Experimental vs. Traditional



You received -5 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.



Cynical vs. Romantic



You received -21 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.


Author photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jk-rowling-crop.JPG Click the link for license info.



Take Which fantasy writer are you?
at HelloQuizzy

 
 
Current Mood: bouncy
 
 
Tori Winning
09 June 2009 @ 12:42 pm
I realised yesterday that, sometimes, the days where you eke out 500 or 1000 words (adjust to whatever is your average output) are infinitely more satisfying than the once-in-a-while-days where you write two or three thousand words that just fly off your fingertips. I think it's kind of liking eating a chocolate chip cookie warm from the oven that you've just baked, rather than grabbed off the shelf of the grocery store. The grocery store cookies can be delicious, yes, but the work that goes into those homemade ones makes them just delectable!

But I think there's another reason, too. It's because of how rare those many-thousands-of-words days are. As writers, we know we can't and won't have those days all the time. It's just not possible. Days like that are encouraging for me, yes, but they don't make me nearly as sure of my chances of actually finishing a novel as the days when I sit down, work through the plot/character/dialogue/research issues swirling around my head, and get out a reasonable number of words, because I know that that is a process I can repeat on a regular basis and get a similar result.

Those days are my homemade chocolate chip cookie days.
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Current Mood: thoughtful
 
 
Tori Winning
08 June 2009 @ 09:57 am
The week I finished my latest university course, I had a plan.

I scoured my 'To-Read' list on GoodReads and picked out a wide variety of books that also happened to be available at my library.

I put said books on hold, as many were at different branches.

When I wasn't studying, I refreshed the library page to see how many were in transit and how many were ready to be picked up. Hm, I thought, I wonder what the librarians will think when they see that one person has taken up nearly an entire hold shelf? They might be delighted. They might ... no, better not to think that through. (Now, where did I hide those Groucho Marx glasses?)

On the day of my exam (June 5th), I toted a nearly empty backpack up to the university, stored it with the nice invigilator lady, and then, after finishing said exam (and exclaiming at the top of my lungs - or at least in my head I was - "I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEE!"), I took the bus downtown and trotted into the library.

Um ... I didn't take up an entire shelf (it's a very long shelf) but I did take up a good half of it. But that wasn't my first stop in the library! I ALSO had a handy list of books that were available AT THAT BRANCH to grab. (While browsing for knitting books, I eavesdropped on a girl who came up behind an at-least-college-aged male friend and said snottily to him, "What are you doing in the kids section?" Ducking my head, I smirked. Some people just don't know.)

So I returned to the hold shelf with a few books tucked under my arm, a backpack on my back, and started shuffling books off the shelf and into two tidy stacks on the floor.

I was barely halfway through when I realised I couldn't possibly lift all of the books at once! It was physically impossible. My arms are not that long.

Toting half of my precious cargo to the self-checkout without the stack toppling, I checked them all out, packed them away, and then surreptitiously returned to the hold shelf and retrieved the other half of my bounty.

Then I walked home.

Then I met Mum at Serious Coffee.

At which point I collapsed.

But I collapsed an ecstatic, FREE, ready-to-dive-into-books-that-don't-have-to-be-analysed-to-death girl!

Final count?

...

26. )
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Current Mood: accomplished
 
 
Tori Winning
01 June 2009 @ 12:56 pm
My earliest introduction to historical fiction was the American Girl series. I grew up reading about Addy's struggles with segregation, Molly's Lend-a-Hand project, and Kirsten's adventure with honeycombs. I spent hours poring over the catalogues, picking out the appropriate clothing and furniture for the dolls I pictured sitting in the corner of my bedroom.

Sadly, American Girl moved Samantha to the vault this year, a move that still saddens me. I loved reading about this Victorian girl, about how she befriended the servant girl named Nellie, and struggled through a mighty storm whilst paddling a boat.

It turns out that American Girl had a new addition up their sleeve, this time a young lady by the name of Rebecca, growing up in New York City during World War I.

I still miss Samantha dearly, but I'm willing to bet she'd be as excited to learn more about Rebecca as I am.
 
 
Current Mood: nostalgic
 
 
Tori Winning
29 May 2009 @ 05:29 pm
Well, I know what I'm going to see on my 20th birthday:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/toystory3/
 
 
Current Mood: swamped
 
 
Tori Winning
28 May 2009 @ 10:27 am
I'm emerging temporarily from blogging-hiatus to point out the subject of the 600th issue of Archie:

Prepare yourself before clicking!

Good riddance, in my opinion. I think you can see from my icon where my allegiance lies.

Note to self: scoop up this issue on the way home from June 5th exam. Proceed to scoop up the following five issues as soon as available.

(What do you think? Will this be another red herring, like the Love Showdown fiasco?)

ETA: Whoops! Leave it to me to miss the part about being released in AUGUST.
 
 
Current Mood: contemplative
 
 
Tori Winning
12 May 2009 @ 12:56 pm
I'm coming to the end of another course through Athabasca University, a literature course, and I just finished reading Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. It seems like a perfect example of how some people love a book and others want to toss it into a rubbish heap for werewolves and vampires and wee folk to dismantle. I'm in the former group, although the latter would make an interesting addition to the urban fantasy wave.

Hemingway's writing is spare, it's true, but the more I read, the more I felt I was partying alongside Jake in Paris, enjoying the simple, yet profound rituals of fishing with Bill, and marveling at Romero's passion. Something about this story sucked me in and made me feel. Reading about these expatriates who aren't terribly moral but awfully entertaining inspired me, both as a writer and as a person. I'm not saying I want to emulate them, far from it, but there was just something about it, about them ... and it reminds me of when agents and editors say that something beyond good writing, good plot, good characterisation makes them take a novel on, but they can't name it, they just know it when they see it.

If I were an agent, and Hemingway had queried me for The Sun Also Rises, I would have snapped it up and fought for it, hard.

What about you? What classics would you fight for?
 
 
Current Mood: busy
 
 
Tori Winning
11 May 2009 @ 02:42 pm
Like [info]kazdreamer, I wasn't here today. I am currently in the midst of polishing off a massive set of questions about The Sun Also Rises and beginning my analytical reading of Great Expectations, among other things, and the main recreational reading I am doing right now (although I do greatly enjoy classics) is listening to Joan Bauer's Peeled while washing dishes. Yes, I have discovered the utter joy of audiobooks, thanks to their availability through my library. *huggles library*

But!

I am super excited to join in Maggie Stiefvater's giveaway as part of Team Ravelda!

Maggie Stiefvater's novel Shiver sounds awesome:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.


Isn't that enticing? Possibly so enticing that you want to pre-order it?

I mean, come on ... just look at this cover:



I've borrowed the details about the giveaway awesomeness from Karen's blog:

We need at least 5 members to be considered, and we win if we get the most people commenting on Maggie's blog. Are there prizes? Yes indeed! If you're interested, please think about joining Team Ravelda today. I'm breaking out the old wolf eye userpic for this event. Limited time offer! Ends May 15!

Prizes:
-If Team Ravelda wins, each team member gets a critique of the first 5 pages of their manuscript by Maggie.
-Also, if we win, I will have 4 signed copies of Lament. I already own one, so... more book giveaway goodness!
-Even if we don't win, I will be giving away an ARC of Lisa Mantchev's Eyes Like Stars to a lucky random team member.

So how can you enter? First, check out Maggie's contest post. Second, post the cover and blurb for Shiver, along with a preorder link, on your blog. [see Karen's post for an easy way to post these details]

Finally, comment on Maggie's post saying that I (Karen Kincy) sent you. Thanks so much!"


I am now going to huddle back into my burrow for now, but I will emerge again soon!
 
 
Current Mood: busy
 
 
Tori Winning
06 April 2009 @ 09:11 am
Just two days past, I asked my mum, "What would grow well on a shaded balcony?"

"Why?" she said, hands twitching, perhaps ready to rub themselves together in glee.

"Because I want to plant something out there." Prior to this, I have been a strictly, Admire but don't get involved, kind of girl when it comes to plants, although I did grow some carrots when I was little.

"Really?" Before I knew it, we whirled away to our friendly neighbourhood grocery store, where she aided me in my search for the perfect plant. Better make that plants: we came home with five!



They had 24 hours to get over the shock before being transplanted into their new home.



And now, even as I wonder if I'll do right by them, I sit there and look at them in the early (early for me, okay?) morning sun and think, "Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.. I've dared to plunge my hands into the dirt and now I can begin to enjoy the beauty sitting right outside my door, growing under my careful care [and Mum's occasional supervision]." (Italicised portion borrowed from Johann Friedrich Von Schiller.)

Okay, so plunging my hands into the dirt was fun, too!



I can now say that I have carnations, oregano, platts black (leptinella), cerastium, and dianthus in my garden. Care to share what's keeping your thumb green?
 
 
Current Mood: hopeful
 
 
Tori Winning
21 February 2009 @ 01:42 pm
I love seeing what's on people's bookshelves, so I was ecstatic to see [info]m_stiefvater encouraging us to share just that! Taking a picture of just one shelf felt like picking among friends, so I took a few. (There's some overlap, I think. Feel free to click on any of the pictures so you can actually read the titles.) How about you? What's on your bookshelf?



Click for more! )
 
 
Current Mood: curious
 
 
Tori Winning
20 February 2009 @ 08:02 pm
So the other day, I helped out with three drama classes, ages 5 to 8, 9 to 12ish, and 12 to 16ish respectively. I walk up and cab home, because it's on the other side of downtown from where I live and, yanno, it's dark when it's time for me to pop home. Anywho, I forgot my cab fare and my cell phone wasn't charged and my ruby slippers were in the shop. When I mentioned this to one of the aforementioned classes, which group do you think had a student who suggested I ride a tiger home, but that I would need to find one first and then train it for several years?

...

Let's just say that imagination clearly does not dull with age.
 
 
Current Mood: accomplished
 
 
Tori Winning
04 February 2009 @ 06:07 pm
I am so behind on responding to comments and updating my blog that it's not even vaguely amusing anymore! I have not forgotten any of you. In fact, I have been reading your entries as often as possible and marveling in your joys and sharing in your sorrows ... just kinda quietly, is all.

What have I been up to?

  • Plowing through essays like OF STUDIES (Francis Bacon) and short stories like THE LAMP AT NOON (Sinclair Ross) for my latest AU course, English 211: Prose Forms
  • Reading books like 13 Reasons Why, Sword of the Rightful King, Heart of Darkness, and William Lyon Mackenzie King : dreams and shadows
  • Writing articles like Resolve to Resolve: Books for the New Year, Music Mix for a Fresh Start, and Finding Balance in Your Life for SparkLife
  • Helping my drama teacher with her class(es)
  • Listening to the Beatles and wondering how it is that I ever disliked their music


I will also soon return to one of my other jobs, as it has begun to pick up after a post-holiday lull.

Oh! I've also started curling up on Friday afternoons with season one of The Tudors. Sam Neill's performance as Wolsey I could do without, but I adore Natalie Dormer's portrayal of Anne Boleyn and OHMIGOSH the genius that is Jeremy Northam (aka Thomas More)! There are some actors that just fill you with total bliss when you watch them because they exude this kind of magical quality. Maria Doyle Kennedy is so fabulous as Catherine of Aragon, too.

How are you doing, friends?
 
 
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Yesterday -- The Beatles
 
 
Tori Winning
29 December 2008 @ 01:59 pm
It doesn’t take a million dollars to change the world, or even a million minutes. Some of these suggestions (one for each week of the year) are basic, but charity—and change—starts at home. You can change the world, starting with you and your relationships with those around you!

Home

1. Wash the dishes—without being asked—after a meal.
2. Let your sibling have the remote.
3. Call a relative.

School

14. Trade that homemade cookie from your lunch for a friend’s cracker.
15. Return an abandoned headband to the lost and found.
16. Pick up that wad of paper in the hall and recycle it.

Neighborhood

27. Play Frisbee rather than surf the Internet.
28. Bake a batch of blonde brownies for the family suffering from colds down the street. If it’s January 22 (National Blonde Brownie Day), all the better!
29. Shovel your neighbor’s walk, and don’t forget to leave a snowman on their lawn.

Anytime, Anywhere

40. Organize a Free Hugs event.
41. Donate books and comics you don’t enjoy any more to the local children’s hospital.
42. Attend a talk by a visiting activist or human rights spokesman, like Craig and Marc Kielburger. Be an active listener: Make notes and ask questions!

If you'd like to fill in the gaps on this list, head over to SparkLife and read Fifty-Two Ways to Change the World!
 
 
Current Mood: excited
 
 
Tori Winning
24 December 2008 @ 04:49 pm






Happy Holidays!







(click photos to enlarge)
 
 
Current Mood: energetic
 
 
Tori Winning
22 December 2008 @ 10:37 am
Okay, so! My soap opera writing gig with SparkLife has come to an end (not enough readership) but I am still writing for them on other topics. Need ideas for a classic holiday flick to watch? Look, Christmas movies! Itching for a new Christmas CD? Forsooth!

Over at the Teen Voices website, my review of My Tiki Girl (Jennifer McMahon) has been posted, and my constructively critical review of Amy Lavere's CD Anchors and Anvils has been published in their latest print issue:



And to top off that good news, we not only STILL have snow but we have even MORE. Mum and I went out late last night and dinged street signs with snowballs and made snowmen and snow angels. Such fun!
 
 
Current Mood: creative
 
 
Tori Winning
14 December 2008 @ 11:48 am
Late last night I looked out the window. There, on the balcony, was:



SNOW!

Awesome! thought I. But it'll probably be gone in the morning, so I better savour it now.

What did I find when I woke up this morning?



MORE SNOW!

Considering that we hardly ever get snow, in spite of the fact that I am a huge fan, I was and am ecstatic. Upon going to the library website, imagine my shock when I saw:

Due to weather conditions throughout our service area, all branches of the Greater Victoria Public Library will not open today.

When I was a girl, we didn't let snow dictate our reading habits! My mother bundled me up into warm clothes, plunked me on a cherry-red toboggan, and pulled me all the way to the library. We picked up our books, loaded me and our treasure back onto the toboggan, and trod back home. You might even say it was uphill both ways!

(That is a true story. Well, except for the uphill both ways part.)

Anyways, I know safety is paramount, and I know Victoria isn't exactly equipped to deal with more than a pittance of snow, but it still makes me giggle. And squee at the snow.

Anyone want to make snow angels?
 
 
Current Mood: ecstatic
 
 
Tori Winning
02 December 2008 @ 02:51 pm
In a few hours, my stage managing gig will be coming to an end. Please wish the youngsters many broken legs (you know what I mean) and wish me luck and grace, so that I can fulfill my desire NOT to trip when moving props and boxes around between scenes.

Now, back to reading James Joyce. (Me, not you.)
 
 
Current Mood: busy
 
 
Tori Winning
01 December 2008 @ 11:44 am
Do you write in the fantasy genre?

Check out these posts by an insightful reader:

The Ten Rules of Magic

Revisiting the Ten Rules
 
 
Current Mood: interested
Current Music: Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer - George Strait