Abbey Stellingwerff's Blog

My, it's a little dusty around here. And there goes a tumbleweed. I haven't been around my blog (or anyone else's) in quite a while. That's because of school. It's hard to fathom, but each semester is busier than the last. Only seven weeks left until summer, but before then, I have three research projects to finish, several more books to read, fall classes to sign up for, and more. 
But my friends and I watched Julie & Julia yesterday, and it reminded me of how much I enjoy blogging,...

2018 happened in three chunks for me. So much happened in each of these chunks that it's as if I lived three separate years in one.
January-MaySpring semester is so far away that I can hardly believe it happened only this year. I took Writing of Fiction, Writer's Style, History of the Christian Church, Epic Literature, and a host of other classes, including a course about the history and geography of Israel to prepare for the spring break study trip to Israel that I went on!  In the s...

In the Tintin books by Hergé, the opera singer Castafiore always sings "The Jewel Song" from Faust by Charles Gounod. If fact, she never sings anything but "The Jewel Song" from Faust. In the Tintin movie, however, Castafiore does not sing her signature song; rather, she sings something from Romeo et Juliette, which is another opera by Gounod. Seven years later, I still wonder why the movie makers decided to change her quintessential song from one opera by Gounod to another. Was it lazin...

An audience mills about in a field. They talk in low murmurs, as only confused and slightly annoyed people do. Everyone wears black tie attire and some hold glasses of champagne. Fifteen minutes ago, the audience sat inside a luxurious ballroom, watching the award for Least Competent Henchmen be presented, but they had been herded outside because of the fire alarm. Since there was no smoke or flames, they assumed some mischievous imp had pulled the alarm, though why anyone would do something...

I'm a busy college student, so I wanted to share some productivity tricks that I've learned that have helped me a lot. I can't say that I follow these tricks all of the time, but when I do, I feel healthier, happier, and less stressed because I know that there is time in the day to get everything done. These are some healthy habits that I'm cultivating:

1. Get up at the same time every morning.
Over the summer, I had a job working Facilities at my school, and I had to give up at 5:30 every morn...

Thanks for all of your voting and seconding last week! There were 33 nominations! Five imps, however, were more mischievous than the rest... Here they are, the top five nominees for the Most Mischievous Imp Silmaril:

1. Peter Pan and his Lost Boys from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (15 nominations).
Peter Pan is happy-go-lucky and it often seems as though he cares for no one but himself, but it is only because he has no mother to set him right. He refuses to grow up and, instead, leads his Lost Boys...

It's Silmaril Award season, which means that your favorite fantasy characters are in the running to win a Silmaril (see my last post for more details), but I figured I deserve an award, too. I survived the longest week of my life, so I am giving myself a trophy.


I have class from 9-2 and work from 2-4ish on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I have class from 8-12:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since I am taking mostly upper level classes, almost all of my free time is reserved for homework,...

Welcome back to the Silmaril Awards!!!  As you can see, we have a name change this year, but we are the same in our third year as we were in our first year. And just what is the Silmaril Awards? It is a celebration of J.R.R. Tolkien and fantasy. It's sort of like the Oscars except held online, and the awards are to be won by a fantasy character and not by an actor!
I'm hosting Most Mischievous Imp, so look out for shenanigans!
Here are the rules:All nominees must be from a fantasy...

Kendra E. Ardnek has released a new book! 
Princess Obsidia’s father was killed the night she was born. Since there was no male heir, the crown went to the man who killed him, by Dialcian law. This never bothered her, growing up, and when it comes time for Obsidia to choose her husband, she chooses Prince Delaney, the son of that man, with little hesitation. Only then does her life start crumbling around her.Adrian expected to live a normal life, taking his father’s place at the print sho...

Here's a fun fact: one of my close friends is also named Abby (though she spells her name without an E, so does it actually count? XD), and we are the exact same age and in the exact same major. We decided to watch Netflix's Lost in Space series together, and let me tell you... when two storytellers who have taken classes in literature and writing for two years watch a show together, boy, do they have opinions.


*These opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Abb...