Twilight *READ* poster

Wow. Now this is my kind of poster. Wouldnt mind having that in my room...

*Groan*

Did I ever tell you that the only reason I write is to keep my blood from shrivelling?

Seriously.

Otherwise I would have gotten a good deal more than 5 hours of sleep last night.

So today I'm going to be a walking zombie or something, but at least I'll have healthy blood.

More thoughts on Twilight, (Eclipse and Breaking Dawn)

I just finished re-reading the Twilight series. I didn't anticipate that I would be doing it so soon, but they just have a magnetic draw to them that I can't resist.

Anyhow. Thoughts.

Romance has been a lot on my mind lately- for various reasons. More so, I think, then when I first read the series. So re-reading the books (particularily New Moon and Eclipse) was a bit more of an emotional experience this time.

I'm still not an Edward Cullen fan-girl. But I got closer this time. I found myself being unhappy with how perfect the romance is, because I know so many girls are going to be dissatisfied by it.

And then, it hit me.

Edward Cullen is far from perfect. But the way he unconditionally loves and protects Bella is very much a mirror of the love that Christ has for us. Even the way he sings her to sleep...the very night I hit upon this realization I found myself stumbling across a Psalm about God watching over us while we slumber and singing over us.

Bella's love for Jacob actually builds up this viewpoint. Jacob is her human love. Edward is her very soul. Jacob can never fill the hole that Bella feels when Edward leaves her (as a human love can never replace the need we have for Christ- of course, it is us who fall away from Christ, rather than Christ leaving us), but he can give her much needed emotional support. And we do need human support to keep us grounded. It can never replace Christ, but Christ gave us human love because he knew that it was not good for us to be alone physically (though he is always with us spiritually, just as Edward's warning voice never left Bella).

Taking that one step further...why does Jacob love Bella? If we carry this through to Breaking Dawn (spoiler alert) we know that Jacob's love for Bella is only fulfilled when she is united to Edward. It is their daughter, the product of their union, that is Jacob's true love. Just as, sometimes, we fall in love with people because we see Christ shinning out of them. And really, all good qualities are reflections of our Creator and God, in whose image we are made, rather than anything we manufacture ourselves.

I'm not saying that Edward himself is a Christ-figure. He's not. But what I'm proposing is that Edward and Bella's relationship is healthiest when viewed through the lens of the eternal romance of Christ and the Church. Which is indeed the relationship that all human romances are supposed to reflect.

Realization...

I realized something tonight.

I don't want to write action adventure stories. At least...that's not what I want the focus of my novels to be, although it must appear in some form.

I want to write romance. Not fluffy romance, but deep true romance that shows what love truly is. And I think I can write it.

Maybe.

The hitch is, I don't want to write ordinary romance. It has to take place in some shade of the universe that is not normal. I've come to discover that while the characters themselves must be most important, the world that they dwell in must also be uniquely mine, a place which I can explore and invent in. Not one that takes over the story, but enriches it.

I don't know if I've discovered that place yet. But I think I understand what I'm waiting for.

See, fanfiction is useful.

Haunted by words...

Do any of you ever find yourselves haunted by words? Sentances forming themselves in your brain that you cannot get rid of, even if it's 3:00 in the morning and you must get to bed?

I get that from time to time. My mind just starts spinning and words connect together, rearranging themselves as necessary. I'm practically dizzy with all of them, to tired to sit down and make sense out of them.

I wonder why it comes at some times and not at others. Is it because it was a day, like yesterday, when I spent a lot of time working with differant writing projects? (As you probably noticed, I posted on this blog quite a few times). Is it because I had a pile-up in my brain after all the time I've spent drawing?

I get it with pictures too. And with costume design. The ideas come and overwhelm me and I can't focus on anything else. And it's most annoying in a place where I can't do anything about it. Clothing ideas in the middle of a Church Service. A picture composition while playing with the kids I nanny. A string of words at 3:00 in the morning when I'm so tired that I can't think straight.

And it's not something that the rest of the world understands or accepts very well.

Nemesis

I just finished reading Nemesis, by Agatha Christie. It didn't have enough happening in it for it to really be one of my favorite Christy novels (too much retelling of the same things over and over), but it was defientely more original.

What I found most interesting was it's insight into human character. The Miss Marple mysteries tend to have more of this than the others- such as "The Mirror Crack'd". And I appreciate that. It gives the book...more purpose than merely reading an entertaining novel. It's a look into the human nature.

In this particular installment, Miss Marple is brought onto a case by...a dead man. Before his death he left her a letter, asking her to investigate a crime...simply a crime. He gives her no other clue than the word "Nemesis" although as time goes by further directions appear. By following his directions (blindly, I must say) Miss Marple is able to uncover the truth and redeem an innocent life.

What struck me as I was reading what that Miss Marple's way of solving this case was much like the way we must go through our lives. The future lies rather hazy in front of us, and we really have no idea what the next day will bring. Those of us who are followers of Christ watch and wait for his direction...even though we rarely recieve explanation for why we are supposed to take that particular path. Like Miss Marple we often seem to run into dead ends and wonder if we're on the right path after all.

But I've been finding lately in my own life that the paths are often not so random as they may seem...and that the answer to the mystery really does become a little bit clearer every day.

So anyhow, I felt this was one of the Christie novels with a bit more depth to it that simply "Whodunit."

A Welcome...

I would like to welcome my friend Janny (also known as Ella or Froggy on the FT Forum) to the Blogosphere! Her blog, which is going to have a bit of a Jane Austen focus, has been delightfully Christained "A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings".

So, Janny, welcome! Your blog looks so lovely and I am anxiously awaiting future posts from you!