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Showing posts from December, 2014

Writing is Reading Insideout

I found this quote and thought it was very intriguing. When you read you're enjoying some else's work and just soaking everything up. Whereas when you're writing it's the complete opposite. Instead of soaking everything up you're letting everything leak out. Instead of reading someone else's creation, you're making your own.  What do you think of this quote? :)

Good Books Never End

I believe in this quote whole heartedly. If it's a good book and you love it then it will never end. Like the Percy Jackson Series for me (the first one). Those characters will never leave me and there will always be different endings popping up in my head. What are your favorite books?  

1 Peter 2:21

Jesus gave us an example to follow. He was kind, gentle, caring, strong, wise, and understanding along with many, many other things. We need to strive to be more like Him every day. Of course we aren't perfect but we can attempt to be more like Him.   Happy Monday!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

This is so true. If there's an idea that I would to read then I'd write. That way not only do you get to write an awesome book that you would enjoy reading but you have full control over what you want to happen and how the story is going to be shaped. Hope everyone has a great Christmas Eve.  Make lots of cookies for Santa, get all your stockings straightened and be sure to go to bed early so Santa will show! ;)  We're all going to be decorating cookies for Santa and my littler brothers will be using the Santa tracker to watch his progress. I will also be taking a small break from blogging the rest of the week but will be back on Monday. :):)  What do you all think my quote? And what are you doing for Christmas? 

Stories Stay With Us Forever

This is very true. I don't know who said this but whoever did knew what they were talking about. Every book that I've read will always stay with me. Especially the characters. There are countless characters that will stay with me forever because they gave me an escape from real life. A time full of adventure and danger and fun.  What are you're favorite characters and stories?  

God Always Has a Plan

God always has a plan. When you are feeling anxious turn to Him and He will give you peace and calm. I understand the appeal of wanting to know everything and wanting to be able to figure everything out but sometimes our problems are too big for us. Sometimes only God can help us and its in those moments that I am truly eternally grateful that He loves me and that He is willing to help me through anything. Have a great Christmas week everyone!

'Bout this Blogger

Hey so this is a Saturday Night Special! Just for you! I'm sure you're thrilled.  Anyways... Victoria Grace Howell (shout out to Stori Tori!) brought to my attention via Google + this thing called 'Bout this Blogger from the blog Paper Fury (previously known as Notebook Sisters) that I want to do. So she gives all these bloggers that want to participate 10 questions to answer and so I was like sure! This looks fun. How hard can it be. Well let's see.  1. Question number one! Why did you start blogging?  I've always kind of like blogs and I thought they were really cool. Plus they seemed like a lot of fun so I was like why not give it a go? And now here I am and here you are reading me ramble. P.S. I read most of her questions before hand and I feel awful because some of my answers are going to be more boring than others. But please! Stay with me! I'm not as boring as you think.  And with that pitiful plea onto the next question:  2. What is the story

First and Last Kiss-Flash Fiction Friday

Hey everyone! Sorry this is so late on the blog! I was super tired last night and feeling kinda sick and I woke up and didn't feel any better but I managed to get this small snippet of a story out of my head today hope you enjoy it. (And yes somehow this flash fiction came from this prompt. Probably because my mind is weird and because I would never leave if I loved someone this much.:)  Joslyn leans forward and kisses him on impulse. Her first kiss… and her last one. If she is to never see him again then at least they could have this small time together before she leaves.  “I love you,” she whispers. Nathan smiles and his hand comes up, stroking her cheek. “I have loved you since the moment I met you. Don’t go.” Joslyn sighs. If only he knew what she knew. Joslyn must go. For the good of the people. She kissed him one last time in answer as the door open and Keepers walked in.  “Your Highness, are you ready?” Nathan’s hand held on tight to hers which only made this mom

Plots, Plots, and more Plots!

So for the next five weeks I'm gonna be doing posts every Thursday on Plots so stay tuned for me. But for now I thought the best way to start this off would be if I identified the two types of writers that I know of. The Plotter and the Pantster. (I couldn't help myself for putting a little Christmas spirit on the blog today.:) I am a Pantster so I'll start with that one first.  Pantster:  We Pansters much prefer plopping down in front of the desk and writing without looking at any plotting sheets. For me I feel constricted and bound down when I have too much of a plot written down and that actually hinders my ability to write. About half way through the book though when I'm nearing the climax I do write about a few small plot points that I don't want to forget but that's it. Side effects of being a Pantster may include: coming up with crazy twists all of a sudden and/or backing yourself up into a corner because you didn't plan ahead. 

Writers are Strange

Admit it. Writers are their own special sort of strange and weird and maybe even whacky. I am just starting to find that out as I try to explain to my mom a first draft I'm writing with these plot holes.  I was saying how this one character is going to be very important to the plot but I'm not sure how yet and she said, "It's like the story is telling you what to do..."  And I was like, "Yep mom that's pretty much it."  To me having fake people tell me what to is completely normal but to others I probably sound like a nutjob that has some serious problems. Haha!  What are some strange things that you do that are exclusive to being a writer? :)

Reading Makes Everyone an Immigrant

This quote is great and so very true. Books take us to new lands where we can meet new people. It's a wonderful thing to get lost in a new book.  What do you think of this quote?  

1 Timothy 4:17

This is a very small and very yet powerful verse. The Lord will always stand by you in the hardest of times and will always give you strength when you are weak.  No matter what is happening in your life He will always be there for you. Have a great week everyone!  

Flash Fiction Friday!

Here is my first Flash Fiction Friday! Hope you like it!  Amnesia Problems   “So this is it. This is home…” Mckenna examined the huge blue and white trimmed house that faced the San Fancisco bay. Her supposed friend, Veronica, nodded cheerfully. “Yep. Do you… remember anything?” Mckenna’s lips twisted into a grimace. Everyone needed to stop asking her that. The point of amnesia was that she didn’t remember anything at all. And she wouldn’t. Not until Joshua… whoever he was got there and fixed her brain. Supposedly he was the key to her memories even though Mckenna had pointed out time and time again that she didn’t know him. Getting into an accident and having permanent brain damage sucked. Have a great weekend! What did you think of my flash fiction? I'd love to here your thoughts below.

How Characters Express Themselves

     Hey there! Hope everyone’s had a good week!  Now this is a subject that I am really excited to talk about. I think I’ve mentioned it before but I love reading those small clues and details of a character that hints at their personality. And I think a big part of showing a character’s personality is how they express themselves in different situations.  Everyone has a different way of dealing with anger, grief, or happiness and that should be true for characters too. One might breakdown over something sad while another will shut everyone out. You should know your characters well enough to be able to let them express themselves the way they see fit. Don’t force them to have a breakdown because you think it’s a good idea. Or don’t make them have a temper tantrum if that’s not their personality. One thing that helps you know your character’s better are character sheets. When I want to get to know a character better I go through each Myer Briggs personalitie

Villains

I really love this quote! It inspires all these great ideas and I've always wanted to write a villains story.  For all you writers come up with why your villain is the bad guy. What happened to him that made him want revenge or whatever he's seeking? Why does he feel justified to do what he's doing? And why is he the hero in his own eyes?  What do you think of this quote?  

5 Female YA Authors that Stole 2014

1. Melissa de la Cruz: She managed to Stolen, the sequel to Frozen, the Blue Bloods story Vampires of Manhattan (that I might just have to check out), and The Ring and the Crown in 2014. That's quite impressive that she came out with all three books in just one year and from what I've read she's working on many other projects also. 2. Sara Shepard: She's the author of Pretty Little Liars and just this year published the last book in the series along with beginning two new series this year as well, The Heiresses and The Perfectionists. Both have TV options. How awesome is that? 3. Maggie Stiefvater: She just came out with the latest book in her Wolves of Mercy Falls series, Sinner and released her newest installment of The Raven Cycle, Blue Lily, Blue Lily. She spent most of her free time touring this year for her devoted fan base. 4. Marissa Meyer: Her newest book, Cress, was released this year and was just as wonderful as the other two books in The Lunar

1 Peter 3:4

This is a reminder to all the girls out there. And even the young men. I have four younger brothers and want them all to grow up to be wise and strong and godly. But I just realized that there are tons of songs and books for girls saying how their beautiful and all this stuff but I haven't seen or heard of a lot of stuff that helps uplift young men to be warriors of the Lord.  Anyways I might be getting off subject... This verse is for anyone and everyone. Beauty lies inside. Not necessarily on the outside. To God having a kind and gentle spirit (even though that can be very challenging, trust me I know) and being pure is worth so much more than just clothes and jewelry and keeping up with the latest trends.  I hope this verse encourages and uplifts you all this week!  

Sorry Everyone!

Ok so tonight I was updating a few posts and... I may have mentioned before I am still kind of trying to figure out this whole blog set up stuff. So... most of my posts are now all messed up though I did managed to get Tuesday's Everblaze Review and Thursdays writing ramble back where their supposed to be. Everything else is kind of... scattered. Again I am so sorry! I tried to fix it all but those were the only two posts I seemed to be able to get back to the right place.  Thanks for being awesome!

Your Character's Voice

     The other night I was watching The Vampire Diaries (my latest TV show obsession) when this random thing popped into my head. I stopped the show and contemplated on how each of those characters expressed themselves different. Then, being the whacky writer I am, I sat there and tried to describe all their different voices in my head. In the process I realized just how important it is to describe a person’s voice and how fun it is.  I’ll use my characters from the first book in my Star Times Trilogy as an example.      Lindsi Stargazer, my main character, is an inventor and lives in a tower of a castle. And so when she talks she usually sounds unsure and often rambles. Also she’s only come in contact with people she could trust her life with and so Lindsi is also very naïve and trusting. Which means that doesn’t ever lie. She always tells the whole truth. “I don’t know. We’ve been making plans but you know how it goes. Dad can never settle on one thing… plus

Book Review: Everblaze by Shannon Messenger

     First of all let me just say how AWESOMELY AMAZING Shannon Messenger is. Her two first books were just beyond fantastic but Everblaze? Totally took her writing to the next level.     You’d better read the back cover copy blurb before I start raving on and on about how great this book is so here it is: Sophie Foster is ready to fight back. Her talents are getting stronger, and with the elusive Black Swan group ignoring her calls for help, she’s determined to find her kidnappers—before they come after her again. But a daring mistake leaves her world teetering on the edge of war, and causes many to fear that she has finally gone too far. And the deeper Sophie searches, the farther the conspiracy stretches, proving that her most dangerous enemy might be closer than she realizes. In this nail-biting third book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must fight the flames of rebellion, before they destroy everyone and everything she loves.     Now that yo

5 Things I've Learned while Writing a Trilogy

So over the course of this year I've written three books and I'm working on my fourth while I edit the first in my trilogy. Here are some tips on writing that I've learned:    1. Stay Organized: At first I wrote my plot ideas down on scraps of paper and in random journals but a few months ago I realized that that just wasn't working especially since I had done all this worldbuilding and character sheets. So I got out a binder (I have tons) and put tabs in for each book I've written and put all of my stuff in there so I won't loose anything. Unless I lose the binder of course... which is definitely a possibility with me.  2. Know that the first draft is for you: Don't stess about getting the first time right. I sometimes can get very caught up in a sentence or saying something just right but that can hold you up. Just remember that you can always edit afterward. My first book is three times better now that I've gone through it a few times. 

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

   Here's the back cover blurb for The Young Elites:   I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside. Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites. Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Y

Nanowrimo

     So this month I decided to do my first nanowrimo which stands for National November Writing Month .  Starting on November 1st you write, write and write some more until November 30th. Your goal is to write 50,000 words. At first I thought that was going to be impossible for me but now I'm already at 21,000 something.  This post is really just about what you can learn during nanowrimo.  - You learn how to pace yourself: you have to write a certain amount of words a day and keep track of your words and how many more you need to get to 50,000 words.  - How to stay on an idea: all through that month you have to stay on that one idea you have and stick to it  - You learn more about your craft in general: If you write a few thousand words a day to accomplish your goal then you are bound to learn how to improve your writing And that's all I've learned so far and it's only 13th day in nanowrimo. I highly suggest trying it next year. It doesn&#

The Importance of Character Appearances

So first of all Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all are having a wonderful day!  And onto the importance of Character Appearances:       For some reason the apparel of my characters or any character that I read about or watch sticks out to me. I don’t know why. Maybe because clothes can tell a lot about a person.       Usually the first thing I do when I have a new character in mind I go on pinterest and pin, pin, and pin some more clothes that my characters would wear.      It helps me to get to know them better and get a feel for the world. The clothing of people shows their lifestyle, their personality, the world they live in, and especially the time.       My Star Times Trilogy (my latest creations)  is set in a steampunk/medieval world and therefore Lindsi wears dresses but with bright colors and steampunkish accessories.      Whereas in the book I’m working on now for nanowrimo it is being set in more of a 1800s setting and so my main character, Victoria,

Ranting Thursdays

So I have decided that Thursdays shall be Ranting Thursdays where I rant about stuff I like and do not like. Book posts will be coming in too but I've been short on books and therefore short on reviews. Thank you so much those of you who follow me. You are awesome!

Writing Exercises

This is such a great, inspiring quote. You don't have to be writing your novel to pratice. Some days you just need to write about your character, or do some brainstorming or even just write a letter.  And by the way I will hopefully have up a flash fiction next Friday if I can get it edited and revised by then. :) What do you think of this quote?