Scandalous

I heard awhile back about Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" plagiarism scandal, and thought I would do some reading up on it, just because I happen to adore Coldplay and am not fond of the idea of them plagiarising a song.
So I did a little research, and it turns out that Joe Santriani has accused Coldplay of stealing parts of his song, "If I Could Fly". I listened to the song a few times, just to be sure, and I can't deny that the choruses of both songs are very similar, and other parts sound close if you're really listening for it. That's about a good as it gets, though.
There is also another band, Creaky Boards, who has decided to accuse Coldplay of stealing their song, as well. Apparently, Chris Martin was at a Creaky Boards gig in Brooklyn, where they performed their supposedly stolen song. Funny thing is, Coldplay was not only in recording in England at the time of the gig, but they had demoed "Viva La Vida" months before. Odd.
And then I stumbled upon this song and, if you listen to the instrumentals, it is also similar. Now, this song happens to come from some little French pop band, Alizee, and their song was released before Santriani's.
My point? There are only so many notes you can play and only so many ways you can arrange them. Similarities are bound to happen, and I'm not going to say who's innocent or guilty. But this is just what I found.

I Feel A New Season Beginning.

This morning, I woke up in fantastic spirits. I had spent last night working on editing my short story and writing a synopsis for my novel-in-progress, because I'm entering them both in the PNWA literary contest this year. That idea is both daunting and exciting.

I debated for a long time, though, on whether it would be wise to enter them. When all is said and done, I'll be competing against authors twice my age with twice my experience, and after entry fees, I'll be dropping close to one hundred dollars on this contest that might get me nowhere. For someone who is paying her way through college, that's a big deterrent.

But, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that I really should enter the contest. It feels right, and since I've never been one for sensibility, "it feels right" eventually won out over "that's your tuition money".

And so this afternoon, I was driving to class and admiring the positively gorgeous day it has been, and I was thinking about the fact that I'll have enough money for next term. I'll have barely enough, but I'll have enough. And, looking back, that's how it seems to always work out for me. I somehow manage to get by. Somehow, everything always works out, no matter how close it ends up being.

Now, if I were a more anxious person, I don't think that would be okay with me. I think that would cause me some major stress. And I do worry. But it seems like when I let go, and just leave it to God, that's when things work themselves out. So, I figured I'd enter this contest, and just let what happens, happen.

That's essentially the gist of my story, but the following bit is somewhat of a newsflash that I just felt like sharing, because some of you might want to know.



Deborah Reber, who has become a bit of common name in my posts recently, emailed me again today. This time, she asked for a 1-3 page outline of my memoir, and a 1-2 page excerpt. If I understand correctly, she asked me for a book proposal and sample. And I think that might be kind of a big deal.

So, I'm trying to not get too excited, because nothing is in any way final, and right now I don't want to have any expectations at all. But she's shown an interest, and that alone is a major morale booster.

So tonight, after I get home, I'll be working on a book proposal. It kind of goes without saying, but if you could be praying for me, that would be tremendous. I need God to keep me level-headed and focused, because I'm not great at either on my own.

That's all for now.