NaNo Excerpts and Hunger Game Trailers

So, I don't have any pretty inspirational pictures for you today. I know. Sadness. BUT, in exchange, I have screenshots from the new Hunger Games movie trailer that prove I am at least half way to being psychic. Which, you know, is better than nothing ;)

I also have an excerpt from my NaNo piece at the end, inspired by Susan Dennard's own post with her NaNo excerpt. 

So, let's take a look at those predictions I made, shall we? 



1. Alright, let’s start easy. I predict that we actually will get to see all three main characters this time! 

Okay, pretty obvious, right? It happened. CHECK.

2. I predict we’re going to see Effie on stage at the Reaping, probably both a long/wide shot that shows the gathered children and a close-up

hmmm? ;) Okay, so Effie's not actually IN the shot in the first pic, but close enough, right? CHECK CHECK.

3. We’re going to hear someone (Effie? Katniss? Gale?) utter the words (or see as print on the screen) “May the games be ever in your favor.” (or whatever the exact phrasing is. I admit to being too lazy to actually go look it up)

The phrase is actually "May the ODDS be ever in your favor," and though it's not in the trailer, it IS written on the itunes page for the movie, which is where I went to see the trailer, so that counts, right?? ;) CHECK?

4. There will be a train scene with Katniss looking out the window--and then a cut to the splendors of the Capitol…or maybe the capitol skyline reflected in the train window

Train!

Okay, so it's not Katniss, it's Peeta. But close!

....and, cut to the Capitol!

CHECK-HALF and CHECK.

5. Katniss will shoot at least one arrow (again). What? It worked for me last time! Okay, okay, to make it more interesting…she’ll shoot an arrow as pre-HG Katniss (as a hunter in District 12)

Arrow number 1, pre-HG Katniss

Really, I should have known they might go for the parallel. But here's arrow number 2, as post-reaping Katniss!

CHECK!

6. One random non-District 12 tribute will be jumped (but camera will cut away before the blow lands)

No check here :( I hadn't expected the trailer would be pre-games-start only.

7. Haymitch will deliver the “Did they finally give me some fighters?” line (or whatever the wording is)

I'm still shocked this didn't make it into the trailer!

8. There will be fire. 

Okay, honestly, when I made this prediction, I was kinda grasping at straws for things to predict, but it came true!

Fire!

More fire! (it's in the spy-mirror, in the very back of the parade)

CHECK!

9. There will be a shot of Prim/random District 12 people watching the games on TV/some humungo screen and crying/reacting in shock

Looks like District 12 to me? Though I suppose it could be any district.

Umm, they look shocked to me? ;)

I'm not sure what Prim is actually looking at in this shot, but they showed it after the above shots, so I'm going to count it ;)

CHECK!

10. There will be the explosion from the bombing of the food (though the cause won’t be clear in the trailer)

Again, didn't expect the trailer to be pre-games-start only, so no check here :(

So, what do you guys think? Do I have the go-ahead to add "Sorta-kinda psychic" to my resume? :P

So, the second half of this post is inspired by my friend Susan Dennard's blog post today, in which she posted an excerpt from her NaNo piece and invited all her readers to do the same. 

Plus, you can think of it as a bonus for going through all the craziness that was the first half of this post, haha. 

So, funnily enough, though neither Sooz nor I usually write YA contemporary, we both decided to tackle one during NaNo. And ours are ALSO both about girls who have to react to boys they were childhood friends with coming back after an extended time away! How serendipitous is that? :)

Here's my excerpt in all its NaNo-rush, first-draft, never-been-edited glory:

I’ve never liked airports. Leah, who fancies herself a full-fledged psychologist just because she’s got a house full of siblings and enough neuroses among the lot of them to keep our school guidance counselor occupied for the rest of her life, says it’s because I formed strong connections in childhood between airports and my father leaving on business. Honestly, if that’s really the sort of thing people pay psychologists to come up with, I’m all for Leah getting her certification right now. At least she does it for free.

I can’t deny that Dad flying off on business was a frequent occurrence when I was a kid, or that it wasn’t exactly my favorite thing in the world, but I’m more like to believe that I don’t like airports because they’re so cold. Temperature wise and ambience wise. The gleaming silver seats. The glare of overhead lights against scuffed floors. The feeling of temporary that permeates everything, as if all the rushing to and fro has leaked into the very stuffing of the uncomfortable chairs.

We wait for Kevin and his mother next to a kiosk that sells stuffed bears and bouquets of flowers, all pink and red with sprays of white lady’s lace stuck in the middle.

“Do you see them?” Dad says as a crowd of people start spilling out of the terminal, moving toward us in one big rush of rolling suitcases and crushed hairstyles.

“Not yet,” I say and wonder if I’ll even recognize Kevin, if he’s supposedly grow so much. Does he still cut his hair the same way? Does he still dress like he’s stepped out of a prep school brochure?

It gets to the point where I start analyzing the faces of complete strangers, wondering if one of them could possibly be Kevin, changed by three long years in Chicago.

“There!” Dad says. “I see them!” He starts waving and smiling, and then, in the crowd, I see someone waving back. It’s Kevin’s mom, and she looks the same, at least. Her hair’s a bit frazzled. Her purse is slipping off her shoulder. She catches sight of me, and her mouth gives this exaggerated OH of surprise. Then she’s turning around, calling to someone, and a moment later, there he is.

He’s dragging two suitcases behind him, and they keep bumping into things and overturning. This is keeping him pretty occupied, so at first I don’t see his face. What I do see is the skinny black tie, the scuffed converses, the dark blue, almost black button-down shirt.

What do you know? We match.

Then he looks up, and he grins, and I’m pretty sure my smile matches his, too. Soon, all four of us are standing by the kiosk. My dad and his mom hug, saying all the things adults say when they haven’t seen each other in a long time: You look so good—not a day older—oh, stop it—I’m serious—

“Hey,” Kevin says, and that is all.

But he smiles, and I smile, and that is a conversation in itself.

Whew, that was a long post! Happy Wednesday, guys!