Vampires Suck

So the whole book-writing thing is off to a pretty slow start. I didn't know where to begin, so I sort-of wrote an introduction. I can't say it's the introduction because I can't actually write that until the end. I just wrote an introduction so I don't forget what I want to write, if that makes any sense at all. It seemed like a good idea, but it was probably just a waste of time now that I think about it... When I'm finished I'll know everything that's going to be inside, and that's when I'll know just how to ease readers into the book (that is, if there are any readers... I don't think I'll have the guts to let anyone read it!). Besides, I hate it right now. I mean, I always hate everything I write until I proof-read and edit it 5000 times. I'm sure it's not that bad, but when I go back to edit my work I always go into it thinking it's terrible. It's just how I am. I'd be very surprised if that changed with this book, and I'm prepared for the millions of re-writes I'm going to make. I know it's going to be worth it, because after all of the scratching-out and ripping-out and stressing-out, my book just might turn out okay. And then I'll get it bound and Kinko's and set it on a shelf somewhere in my room and be done!

After I finished the introduction, I started in on the science in Harry Potter, because that's the best part for me. I love science. Give me a biology book or a House marathon and I will definitely be a very happy camper. Unfortunately, I knew readers would get bored with what I was saying so I stopped. I'm pretty sure I was wasting my time by droning on about things that only I find remotely interesting, so I want to figure out a way to write about them in a more creative way. I want other people to find them interesting, too, you know? So I decided I will definitely go back to it later.

Right now I'm working on the myths and legends behind the Harry Potter series, and I think these topics are a bit more intriguing to other people, so I'm really excited about them! There's a lot to write about, too. So I feel like I'm actually getting ahead instead of just taking notes and wasting paper and putting things off until 'later', whenever that is. Mermaids, dragons, giants, witches, wizards, sphinxes, pixies, and on and on it goes. So on and on I go.

I know I'm making this project sound painstakingly monotonous, but I'm so in my element right now--really. I love writing! It feels like I'm actually doing something. Like about ten minutes ago, I was sitting in the most comfortable chair in the house with my ten-cent notebook on my lap and my hand was just taking on the role of my mouth and going on and on and on (which is quite literally what my mouth usually does). I guess it's kind of like sign language, except the hand movements don't get lost in thin air and there's no time lag between your brain and your hand. That gets really annoying. I think much faster than my hand can move and sometimes I forget what I'm trying to write. My brain spits out one sentence after another, but my hand is a slug moving across the paper. But if it weren't for the slowness of it all, I might switch to writing over talking altogether. Well no, I wouldn't, because that would be stupid, but writing everything out stops me from rambling. I'm a rambler. I just need to get to the point so I don't forget what that point is. That's why I write everything out by hand because I can type a lot faster than I can write. The typing doesn't filter out the babbling. Thank God the pen ink doesn't fade, because when I do forget what I'm trying to say (which actually happens all the time) I can go back and read what I wrote before and get back on track. Unlike when I'm talking. I never get to the point, so just don't get me started.

Another bright side to writing? I can be as sarcastic as I want. Hopefully I'm nice in person, because I really do try to be, but I can be quite a mean writer. It's like there's a filter in my brain and all the bad gets sent to my right hand. But to me, criticism is far more entertaining than praise. Even if I don't agree with it, I like to read it. I like critics because they're honest and maybe a little prejudiced and they don't try incredibly hard to be politically correct about everything. They don't care about people liking them. Their pieces can be funny or insulting or make you think you're an idiot for actually liking something in the first place. No matter how you spin it, it's a lot more interesting that reading 57 pages of nothing but praise. I think a mean piece is chock-full of charisma. That's why girls supposedly like bad boys, right? Regardless, I can be quite the cynic and I love to mock everything. And I have actually written some of my anti-Twilight pieces even though I didn't finish re-reading the series. I had enough to go on from the 40 pages of the first book that I did read and what I remembered from the rest of them. Besides, I'm writing just for the sake of writing. It's not like there are any limits. This is very bad for Stephenie Meyer and very good for people who like things that are very bad for Stephenie Meyer.

There is no way I'm going to write an entire book in the next week so I guess in my next blog I'll just make connections based on what I've got. I hope everyone had a fantastic summer and I hope you all had fun with your projects!

-Erica Melkonian

PS: Vampires Suck wasn't that funny. All the best parts were in the commercials... I really hate when that happens! It was pretty lame. If you want to see funny Twilight satire videos you can probably find some good ones on YouTube. Hmmm.. I was so excited to see it, too. :(

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School Blog 6

Even though I started writing, I decided that I need to finish all of my summer reading before I get too wrapped up in all the work. I hope that doesn't put my project on hold for too long, because for history it's really not that much to read and the LA reading isn't taking as long as I thought it would. Hopefully I'll be done in 2-3 days. I'm working on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle right now and then I think I'll be able to write while working on the history reading concurrently.

I've sketched out what the Harry Potter half of my book will be like. I'm starting with sort of an opinion piece at the beginning, and then I go into the myths and creatures and science of it all. I wanted to dedicate an entire chapter to JKR's witty naming of the characters and locations, but I'm not sure if that would interest anyone. I think they're pretty clever though. Here are a few:

Character Names:
Voldemort = vol de mort
"Thief of death"

Fleur Delacour = fleur de la cour
"Flower of the court"

Albus Dumbledore
"White bumblebee" (White symbolizes purity, bumblebees are hard workers)

Rubeus Hagrid = similar to Hagrid Rubes
"Giant of the jewels"

Professor Binns
-suggests that history is rubbish (belongs in the bin)

Minerva (McGonagall)
"Wise"

Professor Quirrel = similar to Squirrel
-suggests the professor acted fidgety and nervous like a squirrel

Severus (Snape)
"Strict/Severe"

Sibyll Trelawney = similar to "Sibyl"
"A woman who can look into the future"
---Sibylla means 'seer'
---Trelawney means 'for God'

Professor Vector
-Vector is a mathematical term. Numbers are used in arithmancy.

Malfoy = mal foy
"Bad faith"

Narcissa (Malfoy)
-suggests the character is narcissistic. Narcissus was a man in Greek mythology who was so vain he stared at his reflection in a pond for so long that he eventually turned into a plant called the narcissus.

Lucius (Malfoy) = similar to "Lucifer"
-Lucifer rebelled against God and was thrown into hell, becoming Satan.

Draco (Malfoy)
"Dragon"

There are more but I didn't want to go on forever. :) And I really want to add a chapter on how the HP books are used to help kids recover after they have experienced the loss of a family member or friend, but I'm not sure if it will fit well.

Oh, and I found this quote somewhere. I think it's funny... and true.

"When you read the book," says Pattinson, looking appropriately pallid and interesting even without makeup, "it's like 'Edward Cullen was so beautiful I creamed myself.' I mean, every line is like that. He's the most ridiculous person who's so amazing at everything. I think a lot of actors tried to play that aspect. I just couldn't do that. And the more I read the script, the more I hated this guy, so that's how I played him, as a manic-depressive who hates himself. Plus, he's a 108-year-old virgin, so he's obviously got some issues there."

My blog: ericamelkonian.blogspot.com

Robert Pattinson Hates Twilight, Too

I wish my project was going swimmingly...

I filmed my video on chapter one of Twilight but I can't edit it yet... So if anyone read my last blog and clicked the link expecting to see a video of my rant, I'm sorry. It actually took me a long time to film it because I was scared of talking into the camera and I kept switching to a British accent. Which is stupid, but I was just really nervous and I like talking to people way more than a camera. They don't make for particularly interesting conversation... So until I can edit the video and post it, I'm just going to put Twilight on hold and begin writing the Harry Potter half of my book. Which is heartbreaking, really...

I'm not going to say I bit off more than I can chew, because I don't think this assignment is exactly about finishing a project. At least I hope it's not. Because if it is I'll have a mental breakdown. (Anyone who knows me knows that this is very true.) Not to mention, I would have to say "I bit off more than I can chew." Which I hate saying. However, I do believe that it's about progressing as much as you possibly can. Obviously, because without progress there's no point in documenting it along the way. Even though I've finished nearly all of my research (I say "nearly" because I know I'll do more along the way), it'd be beyond wishful thinking to say I'm going to finish Wizards vs. Vampires by the time summer is over. I won't even come close. It is a bit sad because I was really hoping this would all just come to me and I'd sit down and sneeze out a book with a glossy cover and a boring little autobiography on the back. I'll still have plenty to write about in my final blog so I'm sure it doesn't matter too much, but I'm worried that once school starts I'll lose my drive to write. Especially with all the homework and ACT prep. I'm going to try to keep going with it throughout the school year, because I really want to get it bound at Kinko's. I've always wanted to get something bound at Kinko's. And I'd like to say that I've written a book. I mean, even if it sucks I'll be able to say "I wrote a book. Have you written a book? Oh..." (Awkward pause) "...well, I did, too."

Right now I'm writing all that I can. And even when I'm not writing I try to sketch out what the rest of the book will be like. I know all the points I want to cover and every time I get a new idea I jot it down. It's not a great system, because now I have a gazillion pieces of paper and sticky notes and index cards to deal with, but that's okay, I'm used to it. I'm just glad I'm not going to forget anything. I'm going to be focusing on the characters, lessons, and plots in Harry Potter for now because those will be harder to write about. It's easy to write about all the myths and legends and magical creatures JKR used or created because that's what I focused on while researching. I want to save the easiest chapters for last, because I know I'll be working on them during the school year and I don't want to deal with the stress of it all. When I'm writing about JKR's characters and morals and everything else, it's more difficult because I'm trying to prove my point while writing from an entirely objective point of view. I don't want my book to be "Why Erica Melkonian loves Harry Potter" (But everyone will eventually find out, whether they read the book or not, seeing as I'm blogging about it). I want it to be "This is why YOU should love Harry Potter". Which you should, by the way. But if you don't, that's okay, too. You'll change your mind.

-Erica Melkonian

PS: I have 2 followers. One of them is me. Please help me out and follow :) Wizards vs. Vampires

PPS: All of my blogs have been ridiculously long... Like 700+ words. I'm sorry.

Hehehe

Twilight is stupid.

I know this is going to sound really lame, but I just can't concentrate on Twilight. I've already made bazillion comments using sticky notes, and I gave up using those because I didn't have enough room. So I bought a note pad. It's working quite well, because I can write all I want, but the problem is I can't stop finding reasons to hate the book, so I never stop ripping into it. It's become a lot more work that I thought it would be. And since I'm on vacation right now, it's not like I'm bored enough to sit down and read it... So, to spice things up a bit, I'm going to start video blogging about it instead of writing everything down as I read it. Talking is way easier.

So my main problem with Twilight is Bella. She is so depressing. I mean, her life is just so hard. No one understands her. And I'm only on page 41, so I'm sure it's going to keep getting worse. She "exiles" herself to Forks (It's called Forks because of all the forks in the nearby rivers, by the way. I looked it up...) because she doesn't feel like making her mom and stepdad miserable. Instead, she's making herself miserable. Poor thing. She's just the epitome of selfless. She calls herself noble in the preface, which you would think would make her a bit conceited, but of course she's not. Bella gives a million reasons for why she hates herself. But by some miracle, everyone absolutely adores her when she shows up at school. Except Edward Cullen, who glares at her. Grr. He may or may not hate her, and she just dwells on it. Reading this is beyond annoying. And it makes absolutely no sense at all. Everyone thinks shes amazing and beautiful and wonderful, etc., except for him. (Stephenie Meyer calls Edward "him" and the Cullens "them". I think she even used italics for dramatic effect once or twice.) I think Bella must be a colorful blend of things like pancake batter, bacon, and money, because it makes zero sense that everyone loves her so much. Except Edward. Which I'm only mentioning twice, but Stephenie feels the need to write about it five hundred times. I mean, she uses the most blatant foreshadowing I have ever seen in my life. "It couldn't have anything to do with me." (Wait 3 pages) "I just couldn't believe that this was about me." (Wait 3 sentences) "It was impossible that this stranger could take such a sudden, intense dislike to me." (False. But wait 2 more pages) "I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove my suspicions false." "He didn't come..." (Another page or so) "I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't there." (Blah blah blah) "It was ridiculous and egotistical" --true-- "to think that I could affect someone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet I couldn't stop worrying that it was true." I mean honestly. This book is so terrible! This guy is literally nothing to her. At all. They've never spoken to each other. He just looked at her like she forgot deodorant that day. No big deal to any normal person, but to Bella it's like the end of the world. She doesn't care that she has all these new friends. She only cares about Edward Cullen. It makes no sense at all. Page 38: "I tried not to think about him..." --liar-- "...but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his absence." If I hadn't already read these books I would be totally unsurprised if she stabbed herself with a spork at the end.

So that's why I hate Twilight. And that's why I've only made it to page 41. And that's why I'm going to start making videos instead of writing everything down. I'll be posting them all on my wizards vs. vampires blog, which I really really really would like you all to follow, please please please! Just click this and check it out. I've got some extra gadgets on there like a poll and some links and whatnot. It needs followers. I just feel stupid right now posting things that no one will ever see! So please check it out and watch my videos, my goal is to get one posted by the time I get home on Saturday. So keep an eye out for it. And if you love Twilight, I'm really really sorry about this. But someone has to do it. Or not. But I really want to. :)

HP7 Movie Trailer Stills

Ron vs. Riddle

In the original trailer, Hermione's hands were covered w/ blood.
Hopefully it's only gone for the trailer...

Shell Cottage :(

I don't know about the Priori Incantatem thing, but I like that

there are quite a few dead bodies littering the courtyard. :)

Is Hagrid stunned? Hmm...

Into the forest...

<> 

The Boy Who Lived

Voldemort and his Death Eaters

Filch

Gregorovitch

Bellatrix flinging a dagger :(

I wonder why Harry's tied up...? 

Dragon in Gringotts