College is the New High School

shirt: maurices
key necklace: key an antique from flea market
jeans: target
bag: gift (i know it doesn't go with my outfit very well, but i love it lots.)

I have my class numbers scribbled with black pen on my wrist.  My jeans are new and not yet broken in - they crease uncomfortably when I'm sitting in science lab.  My shoulders erect, chin up, trying to look several years older than my sixteen.

I'm not just a homeschooled highschooler going public for the first time.  I'm a homeschooled highschooler going to college for the first time.  Where as before I only had one person in my English class - me - I now have twenty or more, and most of them are college students.

What's up with that? 
PSEO.


Do those letters mean nothing to you? 
Post Secondary Enrollment Option.

Do they still mean nothing? 
PSEO is a program for highschool juniors and seniors, which makes it possible for them to earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree at the same time.  Imagine having a four year degree by the time you're twenty!

And best of all, if your state offers PSEO and you are qualified for it, they will pay for your tuition and necessary books.  Do you know how much a college textbook is? We're talking $135, give and take.

Two years of free college may sound pretty good, but PSEO is not for everyone....

How do I get qualified for PSEO? 
Firstly, you must make sure your state offers it.  I believe only sixteen or seventeen states do.

Then, in MN at least, they will examine your high school transcript and check your grades.  Then, you take a PLAN test.  Mine had four sections - reading, English, math, and science.  After getting a passing score on that, you will take the Accuplacer test at the college you hope to attend.  If you score high enough on that, you should be set for PSEO.

But it isn't just your academic scores.  During PSEO, you will be surrounded by college students, using college language, etc.  Will you be able to handle this? So far, I haven't had a hard time at all, but it is only the first week. :) It depends on how "sheltered" you are and what school you have attended before.

If you are mature, firm in your beliefs, and able to get passing scores on the various tests, I would heartily recommend PSEO for you.  It's a great way to get ahead in life. (And save money.)

If you have any questions about PSEO, or advice about past experiences, please let me know.


- Ellyn

Worldbuilding Tips

Worldbuilding - what is it?

Building a world.  Duh.

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Usually, fantasy novels take place in a different country, land, or universe.  But what is the point of that if the country / land / universe is exactly the same as Earth? This is where authors can take advantage of a whole, new clean page and just....create.

Beware, though - it's not always a picnic.  What's involved in this worldbuilding thing?

Here is the 3S list that I made up.  The three s's are Setting, Sociality, and Structure.

Setting:
Terrain
Living quarters
Style of Architecture
Climate
Geography
Overall description of surroundings

Sociality:
People relationships (foreigners to natives, etc.)
People description
Accepted etiquette, ethics, and customs
Religion
Superstitions
Fashion
Language
Food
Education
Crime system
Waging war
Imports / Exports
Relations with other countries / planets / tribes
Magic

Structure:
Dating system
Keeping time
Years, months, weeks
Holidays

That's a lot, right? I know - but it's meant to get you thinking and blossoming out into categories of your own.  There are many creative ways to worldbuild - drawing maps, cooking up a gourmet meal typical in court, sewing clothes, testing fighting techniques live, whatever.
I myself don't like worldbuilding that much and tend to insert random pieces into my manuscript whenever I need it.  That's muffing Tip 1, below.

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Tip 1:  The writer should know more than the reader.
A writer I know loves building her world even more than she does writing her story.  She knows everything about her world, she has pictures of outfits, maps of cities, diagrams, you name it.

But do readers really want to get bogged down in all this while they are trying to follow the story? No.  That's why I believe the number one rule of worldbuilding is this - the writer should know a lot more about their world than they let slip to the reader.

Why is this? First of all, the more you know about something, the more confident you can be in writing about it, which means what you write will be pretty believable.  You won't sound shaky or unsure.  And if you happen to need extra details, you have them right there to snatch up.


Tip 2: Don't overbuild.

On the flip side, you don't want your worldbuilding to get in the way of writing your story.  Don't worry about the little details that don't add to what you're putting into your manuscript.  Act like you know them.  Your reader will believe you, and you'll be a lot more productive.

Worldbuilding can turn into procrastination.


Tip 3: Be realistic.

Even if your world may not hold to the laws of gravity, you can still make things realistic.  To help with this, try thinking of disadvantages of not having laws of gravity.  How do they get around these disadvantages? This will make your readers think, and make you look like you know what you're doing.

A friend of mine who created a world where it never stops raining.  She shared this in our Inkblots writing club, and another member said, "So...where does all this water go?"
That's a prime example of questions to think of when trying to be realistic.

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If you've got any questions or ideas for future writing tip posts, let me know in a comment.  I'd also love to hear about the world you may have created.

I hope this post about worldbuilding educated you and helped you somehow with your novel - I hope you also appreciate a bit more the power that fantasy authors have, as opposed to some others.  Heh, heh, heh.

Not that I'm biased or anything....


- Ellyn

Spring Shots

It's that time of year again.  Indy was so scared when I led him into the stall for his shots that he was shaking all over.  The vet said she didn't even need to take his heartbeat because it was already leaping out of his chest.  Poor thing - sedation was in order for teeth floating anyway.

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Some recommended shots: (I've put in bold the ones Indy got.)

The Coggins Test: Needed only if you're going to take your horse in contact with lots of other horses.  Like trail rides, campgrounds, or shows.  Most of these things require a Coggins, so it's not an option.  It checks for a kind of virus that spreads ever so easily among horses.

Strangles: Only needed if your horse will be in contact with young horses, because the disease "strangles" usually affects horses aged 1-5.  It involves the lymph nodes swelling up, and it's not fatal, but...do you really want to pay a $65 vet's farm call again?

Potomac Horse Fever: This one protects against a disease carried by water snails, mayflies, and possibly other creatures that live in bodies of water.  In MN, we have water almost everywhere, so it's recommended - but for the first time your horse gets it, he'll need a booster shot after three weeks.

Influenza:  Combats a viral disease with these clinical signs: fever, coughing, disinterest in eating, depression.  An upper respiratory disease.

FLU/Rhino: Also an upper respiratory disease.

Rabies: Horror of horrors! I'd say this one is a must.  I'm sure I don't want Indy going rabid.

West Nile Virus: This protects against disease mosquitos carry.  *shudder*

Tetanus:  Tetanus usually enters through open wounds (including puncture wounds) and starts to reproduce via bacteria.  This results in stiff muscles, which means dangerous riding, possible lockjaw, and breathing problems.  Treatment of tetanus is very hard to do and expensive.

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Besides these shots, your horse will need to be dewormed every six to eight weeks, but you can do that yourself.  Just get someone to help hold your horse's head and squirt that stuff into the side of his mouth.  (That way he can't spit it out right away.)

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Teeth floating essentially means "teeth filing" and that will need to be done every two years.  Your horse will be sedated, put into a special cranking halter  (see above) that holds his mouth open, and the vet will take a grinding drill to those troublesome teeth.  (Just an FYI - the smell of burnt teeth is awful.)

We just learned that Indy will need his teeth floated once a year now, because he has a missing tooth on top, and the tooth on the bottom keeps growing up into the gap.  This hinders him from eating properly and I think it's most of the reason that he gets so thin.

If you're not sure if your horse needs his teeth done, watch him eat corn or grain.  Does he drop it out of his mouth as he's chewing? If so, you want to think about calling the vet.


What vaccinations do you get for your horses? Was this post helpful?



Have a wonderful day.
Ellyn

A Fencing Lesson - Part 2: Posture and Armor

Alek raised his sword.  "On guard, sir!"


Deryn hefted her own weapon, studying Alek's pose.  His feet were splayed at right angles, his left arm sticking out behind him like the handle of a teacup.  His fencing armor made him look like a walking quilt. Even with his sword pointed straight at her, he looked barking silly.


"Do I have to stand like that?" she asked.


- Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld




Yes, you do have to stand like that, and don't expect to look sophisticated, because you won't.  
Posture is a very important part of fencing, so much so that in the above lesson, Alek tells Deryn to stand completely still in the right position for one whole hour.  She gets out of that, of course.  And don't worry, that's not what I'll make you do.  First, I'll take apart Scott Westerfeld's lovely paragraph about the fencing position piece by piece, because you cannot overlook posture if you want to learn how to fence.  So.  Ready?


Feet splayed at right angles


That's exactly right.  If you're right handed, you want your right foot horizontally perpendicular to your left foot.  (I'm doing geometry this year :D) To get in this position, you want to stand like this:

....And then take a wide step forward with your right foot.  Now that you've put a few feet between your right angle position, bend your knees so that they are plumb with your toes (meaning, they are right above your toes) and rest your weight on your back leg.  

Your knees are bent so you can move faster.  You are also lower down, making you a smaller target.  Also, about that - you want to keep your side facing your opponent, not your torso.  Especially if you're fighting with a foil, standing straight on with them is like presenting yourself on platter with salt and pepper for flavoring.  Sound appealing? Maybe for them it does.


Left Arm Sticking Out Behind


All right, here we have a few options.  You can go with the "handle of a teacup look" if you wish, but while fighting foil, the "aimlessly muscular" look is much more stylish. 

Aimlessly Muscular

Handle of a Teacup

See? It's cool.  Just don't put your hand behind your back like you may have seen some Spanish movie conquistador do, or you'll get whacked - that's what my brother did to me :D


Sword Grip


Also, when you hold your weapon, you want your wrist straight with the hilt, like this.  Remember to keep your grip firm, yet relaxed.

YES

NO

Perfect! Now look at my checklist.

- Feet at right angles

- Knees bent over toes

- Left arm in the Aimlessly Muscular position (yeah, I did make that term up...*blush*)

- Right hand holding sword with wrist straight with the hilt

- Grip firm and relaxed

The Walking Quilt


We don't wear fencing armor when we Nerf fight - but it would be a good idea.  I've gotten stabbed in...an uncomfortable place to be stabbed :D  I'd wear it, I just don't have it.

I'm not going to go into all the electronic scoring systems and stuff, because that just...takes away the medieval charm of fencing, and it would take too long.  So, the typical fencing armor consists of a canvas-like jacket like this.

not my photo

 That strap does go between your legs, yes.  I've seen two kinds of jackets - one kind snaps up the front and one kind zips up the back.  But there could be more than that.  At fencing class we always had to zip each other up before practice :)


A helmet...

not my photo

The rule in fencing class was: no touching another person's blade with your own blade unless you are wearing a helmet.  It's a smart rule.  But the helmets do get to be kind of a pain, especially when you have to take them off and put them back on again for salutes and such.  Talk about helmet hair...I should have had mine tied back every time.

The last thing you need is a heavy glove to protect your sword hand.  Some use gloves on both hands.  It doesn't really matter, but you want to keep your fingers lily-white, now don't you?  :)

not my photo

For your next lesson, we will discuss the actual technique.  In the meantime - practice that posture ;)


P.S.  Random: I drove a car for the first time ever today! Just to the end of the driveway and back, but still...

- Ellyn

A Fencing Lesson, Part 1 {Weapons}

Hasn't every Narnia / Lord of the Rings / fantasy reader wanted to learn swordplay? I hope you know that staged swordplay is just that - STAGED.  When I took fencing class with two of my brothers, the teacher said that any professional fencer would be...well, rolling on the floor laughing at Pirates of the Carribean or Princess Bride.  (Princess Bride especially in my opinion.) All the same, I would love to learn how to do fake swordfighting like that :D

But fencing is next best.  This will be part 1 in a series of fencing tutorials.  I do not know very much about this art, but I know a little and hope to learn more through these posts.  :) Me and my brother Eli have resolved (with Nerf swords pointing high in the air) to fence more this year, and so far we have been nerf-fencing almost every night I don't have lots of schoolwork.

not my image

The Deadly Weapons (kinda)

Now, it's time to get serious.  In our fencing class, we learned three weapons: foil, sabre, and épeé (pronouced "ep'ay").

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The foil is a light weapon and it is the one beginners start out with.  (That's why I'm listing it first. :D) I like the foil.  It's easy to handle and it's not quite as scary as the sabre or épeé.

Target areas: Torso, abdomen, and back.  Think of the area a long vest would cover.  (No legs, head, or arms!)
You may notice that the handguard on the foil is not very large.  That's because hands don't count either.

The foil is a jabbing weapon.  This means that you cannot slash around like heroes in the movies do.  If you don't touch your opponent with the point, or "button" of the foil, the touch does not count.

To score a point, you must have the right of way, which I'll explain at the end of this post.

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The sabre is a little more complicated than the above foil, but it was the favorite in our fencing class.  Every time we went to grab our weapons, everyone scrambled to get a sabre before they were all gone.

Target areas: Same as foil, but with arms and head.  No legs.  (When we nerf-fence sabre, we don't count the head.  Just thought I'd mention that. :D)

Unlike the foil, the you must use the sides of the sabre.  No jabbing! You slash / cut with the sides of the weapon.

Sabre also uses right of way.

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I think that the épeé is the hardest weapon to remember how to use, and personally it's probably my least favorite of the three.  You can remember part of how to use it by remembering that is the most lawless weapon.  If you were fencing in a real battle, épeé would most likely be used because any touch counts.  Anywhere you manage to touch a person, it counts, as long as you use the point of the weapon.  (It's a jabber, like the foil.)  There's no right of way, either.  Yes, my friends, the épeé is a dangerous game...


Target areas: Again, EVERYWHERE!

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So, What's Right of Way?

Right of way is - I think - hard to remember as well, but I'll try to explain it as best I can.  Say you are fighting foil.  As your opponent comes in toward you, your sword point jabs him in the stomach.  Even though you may have touched him first, it does not count unless you have taken the right of way.

How do you take the right of way? You extend your arm, so instead of standing in position like this...

huge sword, ain't it? my dad got it for Christmas :)

You have your sword like this.  Also, you must have your tip pointed at the target area.

Now, you can take your point.  But, there are a few strings attached.  Your opponent can take your right of way for himself by

- Parrying your blade
- Knocking it away so it isn't pointed toward the target area
- Or get in right when you bend your arm - even a tiny bit - to make a thrust.

Of course, you can do that too, if your opponent already has right of way.
The below video is EXCELLENT and explains right of way really well, so I'd encourage you to watch it if you want to learn fencing.  And it's only three minutes long!

Right of Way in Foil Fencing -- powered by eHow.com


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Next time, I'll talk about posture and other equipment needed.

Love,
Ellyn