LeakyCon and the Eternal Wait

Seeing as this is the next big event in my life, I feel the need to blog about this.  That's right.  LeakyCon, the biggest Potter convention that still operates regularly.  Why is this such a big deal?  Two reasons:  One, it's freaking LeakyCon, and they're doing TWO this year.  Two, I'm actually planning on going.  Some of you will have already seen my vlog on the matter.  Well, there's a lot more to it than that.

Here's the deal:

LeakyCon has been held every year since 2011, though there was one in 2009.  Officially, I think it's the biggest Harry Potter convention in the world at the moment.  Most other convetions/get-togethers have fizzled out.  Remember WrockStock?  Yeah, cancelled.  The only big thing Potterwise besides Leaky next year is the World Cup.

Now, those of you who know all about LeakyCon, you can all take a five minute break as you skim what I'm writing.  LeakyCon 2013 will be held in Portland.  That's right, Portland.  For those of you who don't know, that's in Oregon.  The other Leaky will be held in London, and that's already sold out.  If that doesn't tell you how big Leaky is, you must be Martian.

Now, while I'm still saving up the money to get to Leaky, the wait is killing me.  Next summer cannot come soon enough!  For those of you who are planning to go, I'll see you there.  I'm sure you'll find me with a camera in hand.  For those of you who aren't going, sucks to be you.  I tease, of course.  I'll try to get every moment on camera for you all!

YouTube, Vlogs, and Fools

I finally did it... I can't believe it.  I finally uploaded an official vlog.  Yeah, it was all of a minute, but hey.  It's up.  It's out there!  Pardon me while I freak out.  While I do that, feel free to watch me make a fool of myself.


Alright.  Now... Now I can maybe calm down.  Maybe.  I doubt it.  I have a feeling I'm going to be changing some things around as I get going, especially around here.  I'm trying to figure out my public image, so be warned... Some things may change big time.

SO!  Life lesson!  Don't post anything on the internet you aren't alright with everyone seeing.  Blogs, vlogs, anything.  Once it's up, there's not a lot you can do to take it back.

Oddest Sources of Inspiration

Normally, I try not to blog two days in a row, but right now, I can't help it.  I have to brag about one of my oldest friends.  This guy is amazing.  You have no idea.

So, long story short... one of my best and oldest friends is now a published author.  I don't mean just online, writing fanfiction like I do, and derping around.  Nor do I mean blogging like an insane person because he doesn't have the inspiration to finish a novel.  He is actually a published author, as of August.

This man is amazing.  He really is.  I've never met a guy who was so talented in so many different fields.  The best part is, he's so humble about it.  He did an interview recently about his book and in it, he said he was nothing special.  He may not see it, but some of us do.

So, just wanted to say that this guy is my inspiration.  If any of you want to know who I'm talking about, the link to his book is below.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Basement-Sickness-trilogy-Volume/dp/1479203351

Internal Struggle of a Writer

Well, look at that.  Too much free time again, and I really don't feel like doing chores.  This is a problem I've found I've had a lot lately, even with finals looming next Friday.  It's not exactly something I enjoy admitting, but I've been bored out of my mind.  In light of this, I decided to let you all know my writing process.

WARNING:  This may show up on my YouTube channel at some point over the next week.

It all starts with an idea.  That idea can come from anywhere, though I do try to avoid writing ideas that spawn from dreams.  All these ideas--and trust me, there's a lot of them--are written down in a notebook.  I've found it makes it so much easier to refer back to them then, and most of them never get any sort of attention until I've hit a block on the novel that I've been focusing on (mostly) for the past two years.

Character development is next.  Yeah, I actually develop my characters.  I have several different exercises I do for this, including, but not limited to, a character interview, writing diary entries for them, a complete profile of them, and various other things.  There are a bunch of character development worksheets I've found recently that I've taken to using, too, to keep everything organized.  All of that goes on loose leaf paper to be put in a folder/binder/portfolio for the book/series that I'm currently working on.

Next is setting.  Sometimes, I'm terrible and don't think this through all the way.  However, especially with what I'm currently working on, I have to have some sort of visual aids to make sure that I can accurately describe what I see in my mind's eye.  I take pictures, I make maps, I scour the Internet for strange names and plants.  I do everything I can to build the towns, countries, even houses, down to the last detail and I make sure I have records of it all.

Finally, finally, I start writing.  I may occasionally skip around, depending on who is in my head at the moment.  Yes, I know, it sounds crazy, but that's how it is.  The characters have to be alive for the writer if the writer wants to have any chance at them living in the readers' minds.  I may go through eight or nine different drafts of the same chapter before I move on.  Sometimes, I may end up just rewriting the whole novel four or five times.  It all depends.  The most important thing, though, isn't just to finish it.  It's to make sure I've enjoyed every moment of it.

Ravenclaw Pride

Ah, the thrill of waiting for the Pottermore House Cup... and the dread of coming in last.  That's right.  I'm a Ravenclaw.  Oh, that's not the best part.  The best part?  We've been trying so hard to keep up.  We just lack the students.

The biggest thing I've noticed with Ravenclaw is that we're very proud to be who we are.  We know we're intelligent.  That might actually be why we're lagging.  We've all got other things going on and don't have time to "brew brew brew" like everyone else wants.  We're all still human, and we've only got so much we can actually do.

As for duelling... I give up on it.  Everytime I go to duel, the letters go up, I press the buttons, and they fall.  Why?  Because it's not accepting that I'm pushing said buttons.  I'd rather brew potions anyway.  Part of the problem is I'm a Ravenclaw... I'm trying to be grammatically correct and capitalize the letters.  I'm sorry.  I'm a nerd.  Kinda hard thing to break.

Anyways... the point is, I'm proud to be a Ravenclaw, even when we're losing.  There's nothing better than knowing you're exactly where you belong.