A LATE Participation in a Blog Party Which I Couldn't do Earlier Because I Was Sick

In case you weren't able to read it, Elizabeth Grace Foley from The Second Sentence (a very interesting blog to read, btw) hosted a very lovely blog party on the 19th, in which she introduced her storyboards on Pinterest to her readers. I think that's a wonderful idea, and so here I am to show you my boards, and also take the opportunity to discuss some of my stories with you (though I don't have as many as hers, I only have two at the moment...) because I was a bit under the weather on the 19th, and unable to do it then. Ok, well I'm not THAT late. :P It's only the 20th. Whatever.
Here I go!

The Hidden Queen:

Yes, I know that's a cheesy title. I'm no good at naming things, so give me a break, ok?

This is what you would call my 'main story'. I got the idea from a dream I had about a year ago, and I've been plotting and writing ever since. I hope to publish it someday (someday... whenever that is...) so that all of you lovely people can read it. Since it's November, I've been trying to be faithful to the fact that this is National Novel Writing Month, and while I'm getting some stuff done, it's definitely NOT as much as I had hoped, blast it.

I think this is my favorite storyboard, because I find it colorful and vivid, and very adventurous, even daring. Take a look, and I hope it makes you want to read the story, hehe! :D

Follow Phoebe's board Writing: The Hidden Queen on Pinterest.

My Pirate-y Ship Story That (sadly) Never Got a Name:

Looking back, I'm not really sure where I got this story idea from. Could it be a dream... or a book I read...

Anyways, since the coming of the Hidden Queen, this story has been sitting on my shelf neglected and a little bit dusty. I actually took some of the ideas from this story to use for the Hidden Queen, so I know if I ever end up actually finishing this story, I will have to change a few things around, or it will be just like the Hidden Queen and everyone who reads my books will get suspicious.
 I do sometimes pick up this story occasionally to write in it whenever I'm in the mood, but that's only sometimes.

I find it ironic that I don't really care for pirates, or pirate stories, movies, or anything pirate-y at all. But, I had this story idea, and I liked it, so I decided to write it. We'll see if it's ever finished.

This Pirate Storyboard is one of the first Pinterest boards I created, so you can imagine how long it is, since I've been adding pins all this time. 

I really like how this board is fresh and breezy and historical looking, with the pictures of old letters and beaches and such. It makes me feel blissfully nostalgic because I just adore the seaside and I have a special soft place in my heart for nautical things in general. 

 

Follow Phoebe's board Writing: Pirate Story on Pinterest.

So there it is! I hope you like my story ideas. :) Someday, you may get to read the books. Keep hoping. :D

Oh, by the way, this particular Pinterest board of mine used to be a storyboard, but then I just recently turned it into a random prettiness board, so here it is as well, in case you can use the pins for your stories. :)
 

Follow Phoebe's board {House of Dreams} on Pinterest.

Funny Face...?

So, I just watched Funny Face.

And... I really thought I would simply adore it, like I do Roman Holiday.
 My friends, I did NOT.

While I can't say I completely despised the movie, I must say that I didn't really understand it (Hence the title of this post).
Let me start at the beginning.
Dick Avery (Fred Astair) is a big photographer for one of America's leading fashion magazines: Quality.
The magazine has been sagging a bit lately, so the president has decided to go all out with the new styles to influence the women of America.
During a photography session, they are using a dismal old bookstore to contrast the bright colors of the models, much upsetting the clerk, Jo Stockton, who is played by Audrey Hepburn.
Needing still a fresher look on the content of their magazine, Dick wants to make Jo the clerk a new fashion model, to represent the styles of Quality Magazine.
In other words, they take a plain old ragamuffin and turn her into a beauty model. We've heard it before. Jo finally agrees when she finds out that becoming a model for the magazine would mean a trip to Paris, where her idolized philosopher lives.

And so, they go to Paris, and there's some singing, and some dancing, and some kissing, a few 'Bonjour!'s here and there, and all that stuff.
It ends, of course, with the same 'happily ever after' that we all expect from most old movies.

I LIKED: The Costumes
Audrey plays a model, so that means dresses, and firs, and hats, and shoes, and make-up jobs, and hair styles, and I could go on and on.
We had some lovely outfits here, let me tell you! Edith Head did the costumes, so you KNOW they're good.

 I love this dress because it's so SUNSHINY, you know?

 This dress. THE SWISHY-NESS.

I really like the veil that goes with this dress.

I DISLIKED: The Music. And the singing.
I'm not completely against musicals. I promise, I'm not.  I like 'Singin' in the Rain', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'The Sound of Music', and a few selected others. 
But, I think that some musicals would be vastly improved if they just weren't musicals. 
This movie.
This was one of those. 
Though I love Fred Astair, and you can't rightly have a Fred Astair movie with no dancing,  sometimes, to be honest, there's just too much. 
Every time I watch a musical, I can't help thinking of all the story development that could be happening during the time it takes to sing all those songs! I felt that way while watching Funny Face during more than one scene. We had scene after scene of dancing, with characters talking like normal human beings only whenever there was an opening in between dance numbers.

 

I LOVED this dress though. :)

Which brings me to the next problem. A lot of musicals, I feel, don't have the best (or a lot of) plot. Why? Because they sing for half the movie! It's like they don't have time to tell a good story because they're too busy dancing. 
That's the trouble I had with Easter Parade (which is also and Astair movie... don't get me wrong, I LOVE Fred. It's not HIM I have trouble with at all). Singing, and dancing... and then more singing and dancing...  eeesh.
I want plot and characters, people.
Occasional dance numbers? Ok. 
But stop singing so much, golly! I mean, sttttaaaahhhppp.

And THIS PART. In the Paris cafe with those weird guys and all the smoke and the lights, and then Audrey started dancing...in a very strange way... it was SO WEIRD. 
We skipped most of it. :P

 
I LIKED: Audrey and Fred. :)
I don't think I'll ever dislike these two... no matter what movies they are in. They both posses so much talent. Fred with his dancing and singing, Audrey with her charming acting abilities. Really, they are two of my favorites. :)  
 

I love this pic. :)

 

Those LASHES. My gosh!

I DISLIKED: The Plot. Or, most of it. And not just the lack of it.
In spite of having very little plot at all, like I mentioned above, unfortunately what plot there WAS, wasn't very intriguing.
 I'm sorry, but when I watch a good romance, it should be really... really romantic, you know? It's the story that makes you love the characters, and then you love it when they fall in love, and you cry when something comes between them (or when one of them dies). 
You want to see them happy together.
I mean, when I watch a movie that says it's a 'comedy romance', you better give me comedy and romance that will make me melt into a puddle of blissful happiness, or you have failed your objective! 
 

Pretty sure this line has been used a hundred million times in all kinds of stories.

THIS PICTURE. THAT BLUE. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Ok, one last thing. I LIKED: All the lovely photography scenes.
The sessions when Fred is taking pictures of her, and we're going from one beautiful scene to the next, while she's posing in gorgeous costumes, and there's NO SINGING OR DANCING. I just loved those parts. They were just so colorful and blissful and gosh I loved them. I was sad when they were through. :(     

SO. You see my thoughts.
 Overall: Very colorful movie. Great talent and a few enjoyable moments, but I don't think I'll watch it again. :P
-Phoebe  
To finish, I'm giving you a dancing gif of Fred. Because I can.

Not sure what movie this is from . : /

 Have you seen 'Funny Face'? What do you think of it? Do you think that it's wanting something?

Jane Austen Week Tag

If you haven't heard, Naomi Bennet at Wonderland Creek is hosting a blog party for Jane Austen week. There are tags, games, and general JA period drama stuff. I saw the tag she was doing, and I instantly formed the answer to the questions in my mind as soon as I read them, so I thought YOU GUYS might be interested to know what I think of Austen and her novels.

So begins Jane Austen week, and the tag:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a Jane Austen fan do you consider yourself?
Wellll, I actually haven't read/watched all of her works yet, and therefore I can't say that I am completely 10, so I'm gonna give myself an 8. Because I really do enjoy other authors like Dickens and Bronte, and they are all considered 'period dramas'. :)

2. If 'they' would make a new Jane Austen movie, and you would be able to be cast in it, which Jane Austen character would you most like to play?
Probably Jane Bennet. I'm not good looking like she is, nor do I have blonde hair like in the movies, but I find myself to be more like her than others. And her part is neither too big, nor too small, so it would be just right for me because those are the kind of parts I like. Not huge, but still important.

3. Is there any felicity in the world superior to a walk?
First: Thank you Naomi for phrasing this question the way you did. It is quite... 'superior'. *clears throat*. I must say, 'no'. There is no felicity in the world superior to a walk. I adore walking. It motivates me, encourages me, makes me feel better, and even inspires me. Would you believe some of the best story ideas I've imagined came to me while I was walking? It just gets my juices flowing!
Fresh air... leaves... breezes... birds... clouds... quiet thoughts... prayers...
What's not to love? I only wish I had a larger space to walk in.

4. Who is your favorite Jane Austen Villain?
I can't say I have a 'favorite'. For one, I don't think there are a lot of what you would call 'villains' in her novels (other than a few exceptions, such as Mr Wickham...). I find that the struggle her main characters face is usually some sort of situational conflict (for example: being in love with someone but they don't love you, having the fear of being thrown out of your house by Cream of- excuse me, MISTER Collins, etc.). But, if you're speaking of horrid and all around NASTY characters, there are plenty. I found Caroline Bingley from the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice to be MOST repulsive. That vulgar, insufferable woman! She's ugly, too. *shivers in disgust* In 2005 she's at least tolerable.
So that's my take on the 'villains'.

Yes, I mean YOU, Caroline.

Next question, please.

5. What/who introduced you to Jane Austen?
A few years ago, I took a British Literature class at a co-op. We were to read Emma, by Jane Austen, a few Poirot mysteries by Agatha Christy, and some Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
I came out of the class indifferent to the mysteries, but IN LOVE with Emma. Ever since then, I've been watching/reading JA things. I don't have a favorite book or movie/series, so don't ask me. I have favorite film VERSIONS, but that is all.

6. Did you love/enjoy Jane Austen immediately, or has there been a time when you hated (prejudged) it?
I can't say I've ever hated or prejudged Jane Austen. I only didn't know who she was or what she wrote about until my British Literature class. I had heard people talk about Jane Austen before, but I was indifferent to it.
Now, I understand all the Austen talk completely. I don't like being called an 'Austenite', and I'm not 'Austentatious', or anything like that, however.

7. Who, in your opinion, is the funniest Jane Austen character?
MRS. BENNET from P&P 1995! I laughed so much at that woman and all of her  'flutterings and spasms', and her indefatigable gimmicks to get her poor daughters married. She was indeed hilarious.
Oh, and one more thing: I haven't seen any of the Sense and Sensibilities yet (shocker, I know), so I have no idea how utterly hilarious Mr. Palmer is, but I shall soon see! :D

 8. Do you quote Jane Austen randomly in public?
By 'in public', do you mean out in the store rather than at home? I usually do all my quoting at home. When I'm in public, I try to be a more or less 'normal' human being. Imagine if I walked around the store saying how much better Lady Catherine's grocery list is than THAT one.

9. Are children allowed to eat cake on weddings? 
But of course, they are, really. Anyhow, they shall eat cake at MY wedding. But please be a doll and don't tell Mr. Woodhouse.

10. What is your reaction when you hear that an acquaintance (e.g. a lady at church) of yours loves Jane Austen?
Well, my eyes would probably light up with pleasure, and I'd say "Reeeaaallyyy?! Is that so! Well now, do you prefer Mr. Darcy 1995 or 2005?"
I'm serious. That would literally be my first question.
*p.s. I happen to prefer 1995, thank you*

11. Who writes better letters, Mr. Darcy or Captain Wentworth?
Hhhmmmm dash it all, I don't know! I'm having trouble remembering the Captain's letter. I guess I like Darcy's. I admire him to go straight home and write Elizabeth that letter in a very poised and collected manner after what had just occurred between them. If it were me, I would've been much too shaken to write anything, much less an entire and thorough explanation of the things she accused me of.

12. Which Jane Austen hero do you relate the least to?

Lydia Bennet. Her and I are exact opposites. While I do think there are some men who are very nice and (more or less) attractive, I am not a crazy flirt who would do ANYTHING to show myself off... I do think military officers are quite nice, though, I do.

13. What's your favorite Jane Austen house (from one of the movies)?
It's between Emma's house and Pemberly... I just adore the sunny, cheery air of Emma's house, but I think Pemberly is so sophisticated and decorative... they are about the same, I guess. Yes, I like them both the same.
BTW, there is a new line of jewelry from Bead Landing, and it's called 'Pemberly'. It's all kinds of gorgeous vintage looking cameos and pearls and charms and pendents that look like they came straight out of an Austen novel. Here is a necklace I made from one of the pendents:

Pemberly worthy. To be sure.

14. What's your favorite Jane Austen dress (from one of the movies)?
I reeeaaaalllly like all of Emma's (Romola Garai's) clothes. She just dresses sssoooo nice, all the time. I think I like the yellow one with the little bluish flowers on it. It's just so cute.

15. Can you turn off lit candles with your fingers? 
Why yes, I can! And it's quite fun, too. I first saw the guy in Fireproof do it, though. Not Darcy. And it doesn't hurt a bit!

And that, my friends, is all. Isn't it a lovely tag? Isn't it a lovely Jane Austen week? Isn't it a lovely new blog look that Naomi has got? Isn't it all just lovely?
Isn't it true that I have to go now and write my book before November ends and December comes altogether unexpectedly? Why yes, it is.
Have a marvelous day.