Telling Your Story Through Transitions

The eighth season of So You Think You Can Dance kicked off its tour in Orlando on Saturday night, and as I do every year, I searched youtube, forums, and tumblr for videos on Sunday morning.

Having done this for six seasons, I thought I knew what to expect: The season's best dances, introduced by two of the dancers. I was surprised, then, to find the introductions eliminated from the show, and that the dances transitioned from one to the next as though it was all one story. I've embedded an example below, in which The Circus Sets Up transitions into The Vulture Dance (the transition happens between 2:57 and 3:15.)

There are two stories here: The circus, and in Jesse Tyler Ferguson's words, "the classic vulture stalks boy, boy almost succumbs to vulture, boy kills vulture story that we all know so well." Tadd (hot shirtless man) and  Jordan (vulture) are in the circus, so how do they get from there to their own story? The transition shows that Tadd gives his mask to Jess (ringmaster), and that makes him weak/compels him to remove his shirt (thanks Jess!) That's when Jordan notices him, and their story begins.

You'll notice the transition wasn't that Tadd went home, ate some dinner, and then found Jordan on his porch. The story continues though, and even hinges on, the transition, and it still gets the characters from point A to B. Beyond that, it also develops character--it shows that Jordan's curious and didn't just happen upon Tadd, as the dance by itself suggests--and creates suspense.

All of this translates to writing. We need to get our characters from the fight with their mom to the fight with their boyfriend, and sometimes it's difficult to know what to put in-between. It's tempting to have them take a shower and move to the next exciting incident, but there's no reason that shower can't be exciting, too. Why are they taking the shower? Are they thinking about what happened/what could happen as they do so? What does their shampoo say about their character? Answering those questions and ones like them ensures that your story continues throughout the text.

How do you handle transitions? 

Road Trip Wednesday: Do You Hear What I Hear?

Road Trip Wednesday is hosted by YA Highway.

This Week's Topic: The Five Senses. How you use them in your writing, how you are inspired by them, pictorial essays, that character with smelly socks, books that have used them well, the ones that are currently missing from your work, etc.

Guys, I'm so bad at this. Detail is not one of my strengths as a writer, so I rarely write passages which describe a sunset, the sound of a train, the texture of snow, etc. 

My current WIP, Duets, calls for description. My last novel was intentionally set in Nowhere Specific--it's a nice place--but Duets is set in the maritimes, where I've lived all my life and love too much to misrepresent. Also, the three main characters in Duets are musicians, so sound and how that affects all the other senses is incredibly important.

I'm going to share what inspired this novel in terms of the five senses, and hopefully it'll help me see what details I need to incorporate in this novel.

Sight

The ocean, especially when the waves are big

The inside of a cottage, where my characters stay

Smell

One of my absolute favourite smells: Sunscreen

 Touch

The texture of saltwater-hair

Taste

Barbecue!

Sound

Since Duets is about, well, duets, there are so many songs I could've picked for this. The Civil Wars' album Barton Hollow pretty much is my playlist for this, and I chose "Forget Me Not" to represent it because this video is adorable and captures everything I love about The Civil Wars. Most of the music in Duets is folk or country, and this is its playlist (which is also a work in progress) if you're interested: Duets' Playlist.

How do you use the five senses in your writing? 

Book Review: Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild-girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin. When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their Badlands town. Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal. (Summary and picture are from goodreads.)

Before Like Mandarin came out, I read its query  and fell in love with the premise. I stalked kept track of the book after that, reading every ARC review and interview, following Kirsten's blog, and counting down until March 8th.

  

Then March 8th came, and I was beginning to save money for my trip to Kazakhstan, and the library didn't have it in stock yet. When the library did get it, there was always another book to read, something else to do, yada yada yada. Finally, I began the book on Tuesday, and finished it yesterday.

 I'm a slow reader, and I enjoy being a slow reader. For me, reading is like taking a vacation in another world, and I want it to last. The last book I read as quickly as I read Like Mandarin was Courtney Summer's Fall For Anything, which is an all-time favourite of mine. In fact, since Like Mandarin was the last book in my pre-Kazakhstan TBR pile, I had to stop myself from reading it in one sitting. I was hooked.

Though Like Mandarin's premise intrigued me, as I read reviews, I wondered if I'd enjoy the book as much as I first thought I would. Not that the reviews were bad--they were fantastic, actually--but they complimented Kirsten on her setting, and mentioned it was an engrossing read despite the lack of romance.

Setting bores me, and romance is my favourite part of any novel. I was a little worried.

But, I had no reason to be. Though the details of setting tends to bore me, I love books set in small towns, and Kirsten captured one perfectly with Washokey. I felt as though I was in the town as I read, and I understood how it affected the characters, how the wildwinds made people go crazy. I didn't skim over the town's physical details, because I wanted to know everything about it. 

As for the lack of romance, the relationships in this book are so real, and thus engaged me as much--if not more--than a romantic relationship would've. Grace's relationships with her sister, mother,  "friends", and Davey--I loved Davey--all fascinated me, and I believed in all of them.


Of course, Grace's relationship with Mandarin is the focus of the book, and oh my gosh, it is perfect. I've been Grace. When I was fifteen, I met a girl who only ever became an acquaintance, but was my Mandarin. Like Grace is with Mandarin, I was infatuated with her. She was beautiful in a way I'd never seen before. She often came to class in the morning, hungover, from a city twenty minutes away, after spending the night with a boy or girl  in their twenties. When she dated someone, she flirted with everyone else. Every conversation I had her with her felt like--and even now, I assume was--a test to see how experienced I was. I'm straight, but she's the one girl who made me question that.


And sometimes she came to class crying, and I realized her life wasn't the one I wanted, after all. I wish this book was around when I was fifteen, as I may have realized that sooner.


Grace and Mandarin are both three-dimensional, real, relatable characters, and it's so refreshing to see an example of how, for lack of a better term, strange a friendship can be in high school, while still seeming normal and necessary to those involved in it.

I haven't even mentioned Kirsten's prose, which is simply too good to ignore. It's gorgeous without being pretentious, poignant, and fills me with writer-envy. Her dialgoue is wonderful, too.


I got this book from the library, but I can't wait to buy my own copy. I want to reccommend it to every teenager I know.

Like Mandarin is on my all-time favourites list, and I can't wait to read the books Kirsten releases in the future.

Best of 2010: Music and Television

I have a slight obsession with end-of-the-year specials, so it's only fitting that I do a Best of 2010 miniseries on this blog. Today, I'll talk about my favourite music and television of 2010, and tomorrow I'll talk about my favourite books published and read in 2010.

Music

Best Albums Released in 2010         

Taylor Swift - Speak Now
I wrote a post in November about how Taylor Swift is one of my inspirations, in which I talked a bit about my love for her newest album, Speak Now. Well, I've listened to it a lot since then, and it's become one of my favourite CDs to write to. It's just such an honest representation of a young adult's life. I've added the entire CD to my playlist for BUILDING FORTS, because at least one of my characters has felt what Taylor sings about.

Maroon 5 - Hands All Over

My love for Maroon 5 tends to surprise people, because I'm a bit of a prude, and...well, just look at the cover art. But, their slower songs are incredible (seriously), and to be blunt, the rest of their music turns me on. I'm a prude, but I'm human. Maroon 5 tends to release their worst songs as singles ("Give a Little More" is my least favourite song on the CD, and I'm not crazy about "Misery.") The best songs on the CD, by far, are "How" and "Just a Feeling." But as a whole, Hands All Over is a solid album, with the perfect mix of emotional and sexy songs.

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

I saved the best for last. Mumford & Sons are not only my favourite new band, but one of my favourite bands of all time. It's so refreshing to hear new music that really doesn't sound like anything else, and I don't know of any bands with Mumford & Sons' sound. My favourite thing about them, though, is not how unique they are, but rather how emotional their songs are. I feel every single note, to the point where it's almost uncomfortable, and I love that. They're just so brilliant.

Best Single of 2010

Whip My Hair by Willow Smith

I'm only half-kidding. Honestly, my favourite single of 2010 was probably "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, which is weird, because I have many issues with Katy Perry. But, it definitely has something to do with the fact that it's perfect for my novel, and I never fail to smile when I hear it.

Television
Best New Series of 2010

Parenthood
I don't understand why more people aren't watching and talking about this show, because I think it's currently the best show on television. The storylines are real and emotional, the characters are well-developed, and all of the actors are brilliant (how can you can go wrong with Lauren Graham?) Seriously, I cried during the pilot of this show. I cared about the characters that much after spending no more than forty minutes with them. It's first show I've seen that has as much heart as the next show I'll talk about.


Best Season of an Old Series

Season Four of Friday Night Lights
Clearly, I'm a Jason Katims fan, as he works on both Parenthood and Friday Night Lights. I'm counting this season as airing in 2010 because that's when NBC aired it, even though DirecTV started airing it in 2009. Friday Night Lights is my favourite show, but I was wary of a season with little Matt Saracen. Honestly, Matt makes Friday Night Lights for me. He's my favourite character of anything, ever. Well, "The Son" gave me everything I needed from Matt Saracen. I wrote a post about that episode, so I won't repeat myself except to say that it's my favourite episode of the series, and easily one of my favourite episodes of any television show, ever. "The Son" is enough to make season four of Friday Night Lights my favourite new season of 2010, but the rest of the season was solid as well. I loved that there was more focus on my second favourite character, Landry, and I warmed up to all of the new characters (especially Luke and Becky, though I know the latter is an unpopular opinion.) It was a solid season for an incredible show, despite the loss of multiple main characters.

Your turn! In your opinion, what was the best music and television of 2010?

Inspiration: Taylor Swift

Whenever someone asks me who my favourite artists are, my response is, "William Fitzsimmons, Mumford & Sons, Florence and the Machine, and Taylor Swift."

One of these things is not like other, right?

I was fifteen when Taylor Swift came out. I was fifteen when I had my first crush that went beyond, "Oh, he's cute." I honestly thought that I had a shot with this guy, but then he started dating his ex-girlfriend. I didn't know her, but from what others told me, she was pretty much exactly like me, just better according to him. It doesn't sound like a big deal now, but when I was fifteen, it completely crushed me. When I heard "Teardrops on my Guitar" on the radio, it was the first time as a young adult I'd heard a song and thought, "Oh my gosh, someone gets it." I quickly downloaded the rest of her music, and had the same experience with "Tied Together With a Smile", "Stay Beautiful", and "A Place in the World." Even though I couldn't relate to the other songs, I loved them just as much. In fact, "Cold as You" is still my favourite Taylor Swift song.

I didn't have the same experience with "Love Story" that I had with "Teardrops on My Guitar". I liked the song and thought it was cute, but it didn't strike me like Teardrops did. Still, I loved Taylor, and bought Fearless. I enjoyed it, but again, it didn't hit me like Taylor Swift did. That summer, I went away for a week to a random small town, where I met a boy. That boy was one of the biggest rushes I've ever experienced. We clicked and flirted like crazy (and until this point, I didn't flirt at all), but in a week, it was over. Suddenly, Fearless was the soundtrack to my life, just as Taylor Swift had been. "Love Story" and "Fearless" were my week, and "White Horse" was the rest of my summer. I also felt a connection to "The Best Day", "Change", and, unsurprisingly after reading the last section, "Fifteen."

The difference between Fearless and Taylor Swift was that I got bored with Fearless after my boy-drama ended, whereas I still love Taylor Swift. When Speak Now came out, I wasn't that excited. I thought I'd either outgrown Taylor or that she'd lost some of what made her first CD so magical. I didn't plan on listening to it, let alone buying it. "Mine" didn't change my mind. In fact, I rolled my eyes a little when I heard it: a cutesy love song from Taylor, how original. Her performance of "Innocent" at the VMAs also came off as little self-righteous to me, which didn't help matters (though, spoiler alert, I love the song now.) Taylor's performance of "Back to December" at the CMAs is what made me listen to the CD. Both the song and the performance itself were so honest, and for the first time since "White Horse", Taylor struck a chord with me. I listened to the rest of Speak Now, and now I'm in the process of falling in love with it. "Dear John" and "Sparks Fly" (yes, another cutesy love song, but now I know a cute boy to go with it) were instant favourites, but I'm sure as I continue to listen and continue to live, more of her songs will hit my heart.

Taylor Swift's success is no accident. She gets what it's like to be a young adult, and can capture moments of that with an almost uncomfortable amount of honesty in three minutes. In three albums, she's managed to capture the life of a young adult.

That's why, as a writer, Taylor Swift is an inspiration of mine.

Now, you tell me: what musicians inspire you as a writer?

PS: The guy I liked when I was fifteen? Turns out he was a jerk. The ex he was dating when I liked him? She's now one of my best friends. Amazing how things turn out, huh?

So You Think You Can Dance: Thoughts on the Top Eleven Showcase

On the Playlist: Paris is Burning - St. Vincent

Welcome to the first So You Think You Dance recap! From now until the finale, I will post my thoughts on each week’s performance and results show on this blog. I will rank (from worst to best) and comment on all the routines, as well as give out super prestigious awards for the best music, all-star, and dancer of the week.

So, let’s get started!

Season seven is different from all the other seasons, because instead of having the dancers partner each other, all-stars from previous seasons will partner them. Thursday night’s show was an introduction to the eleven finalists, and a re-introduction to the twelve all-stars. As excited as I was to see the likes of Mark and Allison on my television again, I wish the showcase would’ve just showed the new dancers, as it was hard to watch them and not the old favourites. However, the inclusion of the all-stars, the superb talent of the top eleven, and the incredible choreography made the showcase one of the most enjoyable hours of SYTYCD since season three. So, who knew I’d ever say this, props to Nigel. The all-stars twist is not without its flaws, but it’s nice to see that he realized SYTYCD needed a change after the failboat that was season six.

Now, the routines, dancers, and choreographers that made this such an incredible show:

6.Broadway– TASTY OREO a.k.a Tyce Diorio
Dancers: Alexie and Melinda / All-Stars: Lauren and Allison

How awesome is it to see Allison on stage again? She’s so fierce, and I can’t wait to see her in a contemporary piece. This routine, though not bad, was just a bit of a snore. And, I’m one of the few SYTYCD fans I know who loves Broadway numbers and Tyce’s choreography; it just didn’t do it for me this time. The dancers all did what they were supposed to do, and did it well, but the piece wasn’t memorable. I believe Melinda and Alexie are both capable of much better than this, and I look forward to seeing it.

5. Hip Hop – NappyTabs a.k.a Napoleon and Tabitha
Dancer: Jose (Full Deck)/ All-Stars: Comfort, Dominic (!!!), and Twitch

NappyTabs, unlike the other choreographers (with the possible exception of Mia), understand the point of this show: to showcase the finalist, and use the all-stars as supporting dancers. The all-stars killed this dance. I was especially impressed with Comfort; sometimes the awful memory of he contemporary routine with Thayne blocks out the amazing one of her hip-hop with Twitch. Jose, however, just couldn’t keep up with them. This is one of my fears about the all-stars twist: the all-stars may make the dancers look worse than they actually are. Keep in mind that most of these all-stars have been dancing professionally for a few years, and were not at the level they’re at now when they were on the show. Of course, this could work the other way and force the top eleven to raise the bar, but that’s now what I saw tonight. I always love the untrained b-boys (what’s up Dom, Gev, and Legacy), so I still have hope for Jose, but he’ll need to step it up. Also, I know that many find Dom to be annoying and obnoxious, but I absolutely love him, and loved seeing his bit with Cat again.

4. Ballroom – Jason Gilkinson
Dancers: Cristina / All Stars: Pasha (!!!) and Anya

From here on, I love all of the routines. How hot was this routine? It’s always a treat to see Pasha and Anya dance together; they have so much chemistry. Plus, Pasha took his shirt off! Always a good move, Pasha, always a good move. However, Pasha and Anya were Cristina’s downfall. It was hard to buy her chemistry with Pasha next to Anya’s chemistry with him, which is understandable as Pasha and Anya have danced together for years. Also, Cristina just doesn’t have the technique that Anya does, which Nigel pointed out (I need to stop giving Nigel props) in regards to their feet. That doesn’t mean that Cristina’s a bad dancer, but rather that Anya’s a fantastic one. If Cristina gets ballroom with Pasha alone, it may be more of a success. I also look forward to seeing her in different styles, as she proved in Vegas that she’s a pretty s-i-c-k (that means sick. I wish Chelsie could’ve gotten out of DWTS to be an all-star, she’s my favourite female to ever be on SYTYCD) contemporary dancer.

3. Jazz – Sonya Tayeh
Dancers: Adechike, Robert, and Ashley / All Stars: Neil (!!!) and Courtney

This routine was set to the SONG OF THE WEEK, which is Freak by Estelle and Kardinal Offishal. The song hasn’t left my head since the show. Plus, it’s so fun to dance to (after SYTYCD airs, I always go back and dance to the songs, because I’m just that much of a dance dork). As for the routine, I loved it. Sonya’s been boring me as I feel like her pieces all look the same, and though this was very clearly a Sonya routine, it still felt new. But, Sonya, why did you highlight Neil? We already know and love him. Highlight the newbies! The dancers werked this routine, both the finalists and all-stars. I feel bad for Ashley though, as it was hard to tell her and Courtney apart, and we don’t even know her from auditions. Hopefully she can prove to be more than fodder! You know who’s trying really (too) hard not to be fodder? Robert Roldan. I wish he wouldn’t have grabbed the microphone at the end, because it was a little obnoxious. His dancing in that piece, I think, was more than enough to prove that he’s more than fodder. In fact, he’s my DANCER OF THE WEEK. He shone in that piece like no one else, including Courtney and Neil (and trust me, it’s impressive when I love someone more than Neil in a routine). Not only did he execute it well, but I felt as though he was the most expressive of all the dancers, and really dancing in the music as opposed to with the music. So, Robert is well on his way to becoming one of my favourites. Last but not least, we have Adechike. I was impressed with his leaps, but otherwise, I felt that Neil and Robert out danced him. And, Adechike, you’re not an underdog at all. You’re a favourite. Big difference.

2.Contemporary – Mia Michaels
Dancers: Billy and Alex / All-Star: Ade

Oh, Mia. I’m so glad you’re a judge, but I’m so sad that means we can only get group routines from you this season. This routine was genius, moving, and heartbreaking. The roles were perfectly cast; Billy’s flexibility (not to mention his appearance) makes him a great child, Alex’s maturity makes him a great adult, and Ade’s incredible quality of movement makes him a great senior. Billy is just incredible. Like Mia, I was in awe of what he did with his body. Alex’s technique is impeccable, and unlike in the auditions rounds, I felt his passion. He played the character perfectly. Ade is such an underrated dancer, and it’s a shame, because he’s absolutely insanely incredible (yeah). This will sound strange, but it’s not easy to quiver and shake well, but he did. The music was a perfect fit for this routine, too. I have absolutely no complaints. I loved it.

Contemporary – Travis Wall
Dancers: Lauren and Kent / All-Stars: Mark (FANGIRL EXPLOSION) and Kathryn.

What a great way to start season seven. There is something really inspiring about seeing Travis sitting at the judges’ table after being a contestant on the show. I am so, so happy for all his success; he is an incredible dancer and choreographer, as tonight proved. I love me some dark routines, and this certainly was one. The dancers nailed the feel of this routine. Mark’s performance wasn’t a surprise, as this has always been what he does best. He’s my favourite dancer to ever be on SYTYCD, and I just love seeing him in his element. Honestly, I had to watch this routine about a billion times to watch the other dancers; the first few million times I watched, I only watched Mark, which really says something as I love Kathryn, and Lauren and Kent are my favourites from the audition rounds. So, naturally, Mark receives the ALL-STAR OF THE WEEK AWARD (and I promise he won’t always win it. Neil might too! I’m kidding…kind of. It’s hard to beat Neil and Mark, because I’m that much of a fangirl). When I finally looked away from Mark, I wasn’t disappointed. Kathryn was creepier than I thought she could be. Lauren was fantastic. The biggest surprise for me was Kent. When I read what the concept of this dance was in the spoilers, I worried for him. How could the sweet, small-town boy pull off something so dark? But, did he ever. He was creepy, and it was awesome. The strong cast of dancers and amazing choreography (set to the perfect piece of music, may I add) made this the best routine of the night for me.

As of now, this is my ranking of the dancers. I really do like all of them at this point. It’s going to be a great season:

1. Kent
2. Lauren
3. Billy
4. Alex
5. Robert
6. Melinda
7. Alexie
8. Adechike
9. Cristina
10. Jose
11. Ashley

What did you think of the top eleven showcase? Do you like the all-stars twist? Who’s your favourite dancer/all-star? What was your favourite routine? Do you, like me, have hopes that this season will redeem SYTYCD after The Season That Should Not Be Mentioned (minus Jakob, who should've been an all-star)? Let me know in the comments!