I did indeed work at Chehaw on Fri. Sorry this post is so late!! i will nor bore you with a long list of what i did, but i will tell you my favorite part.
I got to hand feed two rhinos!! I gave them apples and pears and sweet potatoes all cut in quarters. i stand back (never lean forward when feeding a rhino, their horns will hook you!), hold out my hand, and say 'target.' They lift up their heads when you say this. Then i gently 'fist bump' their upper lip and open up my hand and hold it, and the treat, beneath their mouth. Their lips are like the end of an elephants trunk so they are able to pick up the fruit very easily. It is really slobbery, but it is still so cool. The downside to this is that I had to clean out the rhino's exibit afterward, and this took 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Oh well, i think it was well worth it:)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Volunteering at Chehaw = Always Exciting
I am a junior zoo keeper at Chehaw park. I worked there yesterday, and i am working again tomorrow. If you are a teenager living near Albany Georgia, i REALLY recommend looking into volunteering at Chehaw! Here is what i did last time i was there;
1. Cleaned all of the animal viewing windows in the whole park.
2. Raked the leaves by the Serval exhibit.
3. Cleaned more windows.
4. Raked out the Donkeys pen in the petting zoo.
5. Cleaned up after all of the animals in the petting zoo (alpacas, a pig, ponies and donkeys) and replaced the Pony's and Donkey's water.
6. Went to the zoo 'commisary' and prepared food for the following animals; 3 Duikers, 2 Bongos, 1 Elk, 3 Kangaroos, 2 Bison, 17 lemurs, 2 Rhinos, and about a dozen chickens. Each animal get several cups of fruits and or vegetables. That was a TON of chopping and cutting to do!!
7. Washed some of the feed dishes from yesterdays feeding.
8. Cleaned out a refrigerator.
9. Went and fed the lemurs. I got to pet them and one of the Red Ruff lemurs ate out of my hand! 10. Went into the bobcat exhibit (with the bobcats!) and picked up the bones left over form their meal.
11. Went home.
I think i did some other stuff too, but i really can not remember everything:)
I will post again tommorow if i do anything interesting. (if i am not too tired:))
1. Cleaned all of the animal viewing windows in the whole park.
2. Raked the leaves by the Serval exhibit.
3. Cleaned more windows.
4. Raked out the Donkeys pen in the petting zoo.
5. Cleaned up after all of the animals in the petting zoo (alpacas, a pig, ponies and donkeys) and replaced the Pony's and Donkey's water.
6. Went to the zoo 'commisary' and prepared food for the following animals; 3 Duikers, 2 Bongos, 1 Elk, 3 Kangaroos, 2 Bison, 17 lemurs, 2 Rhinos, and about a dozen chickens. Each animal get several cups of fruits and or vegetables. That was a TON of chopping and cutting to do!!
7. Washed some of the feed dishes from yesterdays feeding.
8. Cleaned out a refrigerator.
9. Went and fed the lemurs. I got to pet them and one of the Red Ruff lemurs ate out of my hand! 10. Went into the bobcat exhibit (with the bobcats!) and picked up the bones left over form their meal.
11. Went home.
I think i did some other stuff too, but i really can not remember everything:)
I will post again tommorow if i do anything interesting. (if i am not too tired:))
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
I Finished!
I finished my embroidery project:) Tell me what you think of it!
This has made me realize how much time people put into sewing clothes before sewing machines where invented! This project probably took about 5 hours. And it is only 6in tall! I can not imagine the time involved in sewing an entire dress! I think i will appreciate modern technology a lot more from now on.:)
Accident Prone? You better beleive it!
I am accident prone.
Accident Prone: having more accidents than average.
Don't believe me? Here's a list of accidents that have befallen me;
1. I broke my arm decorating cookies. I was trying to reach the sprinkles and fell. My foot opened the oven door (no i do not know how) and my arm hit it. Hitting the oven door dented the top of the door, knocked it off its hinges, and knocked the glass out of it. All that hit it was my arm. Accident prone? yep.
2. I have 3 scars on my toes from my house's doorstops. (those things are dangerous!)
3. Coming home from one of my first soccer games i slipped on the porch. My head hit the ground rather hard and i managed to split my entire knee open on the only protruding nail on the porch.
4. While ice skating at a rink in NY state, i fell and hit my head and got a concussion. I was skating very slow, i was also holding on to the wall. I still have no clue how i fell!
5. I stub my toes on a near daily basis.
6. I sprained my arm on a slip and slide. It was one of those huge inflatable ones with a wall and a roof and 5 years olds had been going down it literally hundreds of times a day for a week and not one of them got hurt. I went down it one time, got my arm tangled in the hose, (which happened to be Velcroed to the roof of the thing) and sprained my arm.
7. I have jammed a finger every time i have ever lifted a football.
8. 9 times out of 10, i sprain something playing basketball.
9. I frequently run into doors and support beams.
10. Shut the door on my own fingers.
Well there you have it. i am accident prone.
Accident Prone: having more accidents than average.
Don't believe me? Here's a list of accidents that have befallen me;
1. I broke my arm decorating cookies. I was trying to reach the sprinkles and fell. My foot opened the oven door (no i do not know how) and my arm hit it. Hitting the oven door dented the top of the door, knocked it off its hinges, and knocked the glass out of it. All that hit it was my arm. Accident prone? yep.
2. I have 3 scars on my toes from my house's doorstops. (those things are dangerous!)
3. Coming home from one of my first soccer games i slipped on the porch. My head hit the ground rather hard and i managed to split my entire knee open on the only protruding nail on the porch.
4. While ice skating at a rink in NY state, i fell and hit my head and got a concussion. I was skating very slow, i was also holding on to the wall. I still have no clue how i fell!
5. I stub my toes on a near daily basis.
6. I sprained my arm on a slip and slide. It was one of those huge inflatable ones with a wall and a roof and 5 years olds had been going down it literally hundreds of times a day for a week and not one of them got hurt. I went down it one time, got my arm tangled in the hose, (which happened to be Velcroed to the roof of the thing) and sprained my arm.
7. I have jammed a finger every time i have ever lifted a football.
8. 9 times out of 10, i sprain something playing basketball.
9. I frequently run into doors and support beams.
10. Shut the door on my own fingers.
Well there you have it. i am accident prone.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
My Sister Grace
I overheard this scene and had to share!:)
Scene: Me in the dining room happily typing away. Ian (a 7 year old neighbor and Andrew's BFF), Andrew (5), and Grace (9) are all playing in the hallway. Ian has just called Grace a lady, hardly an offensive term, but lets see how Grace takes it;
Grace: (indignantly) I am NOT a lady. I am a tomboy.
Ian: (surprised) No you are not. You are a lady!
SLAP
Grace: (offended) Do not call me that again!
Ian: (earnestly) But you are a lady!
PUNCH
Ian: (shocked) Grace! That actually hurt!
Grace: (menacingly) Now will you believe that i am a tomboy?
Ian: (defiantly) Nope.
SLAP, PUNCH
Ian: (angrily) Andrew will you hit your sister for me? I would but i am not allowed to hit ladies.
Grace: Hey!
Then everyone ran outside. They must have figured it out because the next time i saw them they were all happily racing their bikes and scooters around the neighborhood. My little sister is one tough cookie!
Scene: Me in the dining room happily typing away. Ian (a 7 year old neighbor and Andrew's BFF), Andrew (5), and Grace (9) are all playing in the hallway. Ian has just called Grace a lady, hardly an offensive term, but lets see how Grace takes it;
Grace: (indignantly) I am NOT a lady. I am a tomboy.
Ian: (surprised) No you are not. You are a lady!
SLAP
Grace: (offended) Do not call me that again!
Ian: (earnestly) But you are a lady!
PUNCH
Ian: (shocked) Grace! That actually hurt!
Grace: (menacingly) Now will you believe that i am a tomboy?
Ian: (defiantly) Nope.
SLAP, PUNCH
Ian: (angrily) Andrew will you hit your sister for me? I would but i am not allowed to hit ladies.
Grace: Hey!
Then everyone ran outside. They must have figured it out because the next time i saw them they were all happily racing their bikes and scooters around the neighborhood. My little sister is one tough cookie!
Newest Hobby!
Today I am taking up embroidery. I am emboidering a pretty picture of a girl in the rain with an umbrella:) Below is the 'Before' picture. I will post the 'After' picture when i finish! (that is if i finish. At times i can have the attention span of a squirrel)
I have pricked my hand and fingers so many times i have lost count! I have also jabbed myself undeneath my fingernail and once on my arm!
I have pricked my hand and fingers so many times i have lost count! I have also jabbed myself undeneath my fingernail and once on my arm!Saturday, December 22, 2012
X-mas break
I will most likely not post again until after x-mas, but i might:) See you in the new year!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Maps
I sat down today to create a map of the land my fantasy novel happens in. I did not think it was really needed, i just needed something to use for an excuse to ignore my writer's block:) I was thinking, "This won't be hard at all! I'll just put a mountain here, river here, the town there, no problem." I was dead wrong.
I discovered that maps play a HUGE part of a book, especially fantasy. I realized that where the 'Oceen's' territory was would determine the way the wars where fought. A mountain setting and a seashore setting would result in very different warfare! Also, you have to consider how far apart everything should be. Should the civilized town be just 5 miles from the Oceens or 50? Do the Bellums live near the town or not? Where is the trading post? If there is a river, who is allowed to boat down it? Who is allowed to trap and fish on it? Are there bridges? If so who controls them? See what i mean, maps are hard!
All of those little details like who controls the bridges on the river can make or break a novel's setting. I discovered several plot problems while thinking out my map. I also realized how little i really knew about my newly created world. Making a map may seem unnecessary, but it is NEEDED! They are incredible helpful. So, even though it will take a long time and a lot of thought, i am going to finish my map:)
I discovered that maps play a HUGE part of a book, especially fantasy. I realized that where the 'Oceen's' territory was would determine the way the wars where fought. A mountain setting and a seashore setting would result in very different warfare! Also, you have to consider how far apart everything should be. Should the civilized town be just 5 miles from the Oceens or 50? Do the Bellums live near the town or not? Where is the trading post? If there is a river, who is allowed to boat down it? Who is allowed to trap and fish on it? Are there bridges? If so who controls them? See what i mean, maps are hard!
All of those little details like who controls the bridges on the river can make or break a novel's setting. I discovered several plot problems while thinking out my map. I also realized how little i really knew about my newly created world. Making a map may seem unnecessary, but it is NEEDED! They are incredible helpful. So, even though it will take a long time and a lot of thought, i am going to finish my map:)
Two poems by me. (i know there not very good, but hey, i only spent 5 minutes on them)
Sorry this is so terribly written, but i felt like writing a bit a poetry, so i did.
More valuable then gold,
filled with stories, untold.
Sweet and bitter, both together,
sometimes they hold you back, as if they were tethers.
They cause smiles, and heartache too,
they make you cry, out of the blue.
They can get you into trouble,
they can burst your bubble,.
But I'm thankful for memories,
when push come to shove.
Because without memories,
I could never love.
Just to lighten the nostalgia, here is a haiku i wrote; (A haiku is a Japanese style of poem that has three lines with 5,7, and 5 syllables.
Hippopotamus
They're big, fat, and ugly.
Hippopotamus
More valuable then gold,
filled with stories, untold.
Sweet and bitter, both together,
sometimes they hold you back, as if they were tethers.
They cause smiles, and heartache too,
they make you cry, out of the blue.
They can get you into trouble,
they can burst your bubble,.
But I'm thankful for memories,
when push come to shove.
Because without memories,
I could never love.
Just to lighten the nostalgia, here is a haiku i wrote; (A haiku is a Japanese style of poem that has three lines with 5,7, and 5 syllables.
Hippopotamus
They're big, fat, and ugly.
Hippopotamus
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
More on Editing (there will be a ton of these posts!)
A good way to start your third draft is to read your novel again. This time through write in the upper margins which characters appear on that page and a sentence or two that tells what happens. Example: Alex and Penny. Alex discovers Penny is in the secret service.
When you have finished all of this compile them onto flashcards, one flashcard per scene. Then lay out the scenes from start to finish. Look them over. Put a blue dot on all of the scenes that you LOVE, a green dot on the ones that you really like, but still think they need work, a pink dot on the ones that are o.k. but you wish were very different, and a black dot on the scenes that just need to go. Throw out the black dot ones and place blank note cards where they were.
Finally, work on all the cards that are not blue. Try and discover new scenes to put in place of the black ones of any are needed. Have fun with replacing the black ones. You are basically writing a first draft of a few (or more than a few) scenes.
Just for fun; randomly mix up all of the cards. You never know, you might discover that scene 12 goes great just before scene 7!
When you have finished all of this compile them onto flashcards, one flashcard per scene. Then lay out the scenes from start to finish. Look them over. Put a blue dot on all of the scenes that you LOVE, a green dot on the ones that you really like, but still think they need work, a pink dot on the ones that are o.k. but you wish were very different, and a black dot on the scenes that just need to go. Throw out the black dot ones and place blank note cards where they were.
Finally, work on all the cards that are not blue. Try and discover new scenes to put in place of the black ones of any are needed. Have fun with replacing the black ones. You are basically writing a first draft of a few (or more than a few) scenes.
Just for fun; randomly mix up all of the cards. You never know, you might discover that scene 12 goes great just before scene 7!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Things that may show up on this blog:
1) Farm animals and a lot of them!
I am a farm girl who adores animals! My pets and livestock will probably by frequent post topics!
2) Crafts and Hobbies.
I take up a new hobby every other month or so. While it lasts i am totally obsessed with it. Last summer was calligraphy, the Tibetan alphabet, and camels. This school year it has been novel writing, candle making and llamas. (yes these are random, but hey there fun!)
3) My siblings frequent adventures:)
My five younger siblings are constantly doing something crazy, often with my help.
4) Random things that pop into my head.
There is no way to guess what these will be. 10 min. ago it was frizzle chickens. Yesterday it was tie dye. You just never know.
I am a farm girl who adores animals! My pets and livestock will probably by frequent post topics!
2) Crafts and Hobbies.
I take up a new hobby every other month or so. While it lasts i am totally obsessed with it. Last summer was calligraphy, the Tibetan alphabet, and camels. This school year it has been novel writing, candle making and llamas. (yes these are random, but hey there fun!)
3) My siblings frequent adventures:)
My five younger siblings are constantly doing something crazy, often with my help.
4) Random things that pop into my head.
There is no way to guess what these will be. 10 min. ago it was frizzle chickens. Yesterday it was tie dye. You just never know.
Blog's name
FYI: This blog's name will probably change often until i hit on something i really like:)
I Want One! (Yes it's random. But it's cute!!)
Writing Drafts
This post, as the title suggests, will be about the drafting process for novels. However, this is not everything. Hopefully I will find time to post more on this before long.:)
1st draft: Just get the words on paper A.S.A.P! Do not edit as you go, don't delete anything, just type, type, type! Set a words count goal, 50,000 works well, and a deadline. I recommend 1 month. it may not seem like enough time, but believe me, i have done it and it is possible. After you have reached 'The End' set your load of literary genius aside for 6 weeks. You may not want to, but you need to!
2nd draft: Change the font of your novel and print it out. Changing the font will help to give you a fresh perspective on your book. The first time you read it don't edit anything, mark anything, or highlight anything. Just read. The read it again. This time through mark all grammar and spelling errors. Even after doing a spell check, this should take hours. Then hop on your computer and fix all the errors you found.
3rd draft: The third time get a pen and go through and mark the big stuff, plot hole and character problems. Then fix those. Getting another writer's opinion on characters can be a help here, but it depends on the person. Find another writer who understands your writing style and genre to help you with this.
4th draft: This is the slow part. Now you get to go word by word, sentence by sentence, making sure you have picked the perfect words. This will take a long, long, time, but it is well worth it.
When you have finished this your novel is ready to be sent to a professional editor who will give you pages and pages of stuff that needs to be changed or improved before it can be published. Don't be alarmed when this happens! Books that have reached the top of the New York Times best seller list had pages of edits to do too!
1st draft: Just get the words on paper A.S.A.P! Do not edit as you go, don't delete anything, just type, type, type! Set a words count goal, 50,000 works well, and a deadline. I recommend 1 month. it may not seem like enough time, but believe me, i have done it and it is possible. After you have reached 'The End' set your load of literary genius aside for 6 weeks. You may not want to, but you need to!
2nd draft: Change the font of your novel and print it out. Changing the font will help to give you a fresh perspective on your book. The first time you read it don't edit anything, mark anything, or highlight anything. Just read. The read it again. This time through mark all grammar and spelling errors. Even after doing a spell check, this should take hours. Then hop on your computer and fix all the errors you found.
3rd draft: The third time get a pen and go through and mark the big stuff, plot hole and character problems. Then fix those. Getting another writer's opinion on characters can be a help here, but it depends on the person. Find another writer who understands your writing style and genre to help you with this.
4th draft: This is the slow part. Now you get to go word by word, sentence by sentence, making sure you have picked the perfect words. This will take a long, long, time, but it is well worth it.
When you have finished this your novel is ready to be sent to a professional editor who will give you pages and pages of stuff that needs to be changed or improved before it can be published. Don't be alarmed when this happens! Books that have reached the top of the New York Times best seller list had pages of edits to do too!
Hi!
Hello! Welcome to my first attempt at blogging! This blog will mostly be about writing and horseback riding, but i will probably throw in some pretty random posts every once and a while:) Enjoy!
Raquel Battaglia
Raquel Battaglia
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