Writer's Camp--Day 1

Before I start talking about my cool completely and totally amazing writer's camp, I have an announcement to make! :D

I'M GOING TO BE A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR FOR "THE BOOK CHEWERS!!!!" :D

I just recently found out and I am super excited (if you haven't noticed from my constant use of emoticons)! :D I'll be starting my position sometime in July. I'll blog here whenever one of my posts go up (or, you know, you can just subscribe to "The Book Chewers." Just an idea).

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for.

Writer's Camp.

On the first day, the teachers and the students mostly just got to know each other. We played a few games (including "Balderdash," "Scattergories," and "Would You Rather") and got to know each other by doing this fun exercise.

We got to interview each other!

We learned about what makes a good interview before splitting up into pairs. Here are some tips I learned:

Do background research.

If you're interviewing someone about their career, do a little research on their job. You might be interviewing them to learn more, but you don't want to look completely clueless. Plus, this will save you time in the interview to ask more interesting questions rather than asking, "So, Mr. Garbage Man, when you pick up the garbage, where do you put it?"

Set it up.

Contact the person by e-mail first. This won't put them on the spot, rather than if you contacted them by phone. If the person lives close to you, offer to take them out for coffee/hot chocolate or brunch. You'll pay, of course. Ask them for 30 minutes of their time MAX. If they don't live close to you, do the interview over the phone, Skype, or e-mail.

TIP: If the person you want to interview doesn't respond within a week, feel free to follow up with another e-mail. If you don't hear back from them for another week, try calling (if you can find the phone number). If no one picks up, leave a message. If you still don't hear back, chances are this person is not interested. Be persistent, but politely persistent.

Write the questions down.

This seems like a given, but a lot of people don't write down their questions. They simply go with a notebook or a tape recorder and ask whatever pops into their head. This leads to a lot of "Um-s" and "Uh-s" and "Hold-on-a-second-s." This just wastes both of your time. Think of the questions before hand and write them down.

TIP: Some of the answers might take more time than others. Put stars or hearts or some other simple doodle next to the questions you want to ask first. This way you'll have plenty of time to ask the questions you really want to ask. If you breeze through all of questions with time leftover, feel free to ask any follow-up questions you might have had throughout the interview.

Be polite.

If the 30 minutes is up, it's up. Don't ask for extra time, don't pretend like you don't see what time it is, don't ask another question right when the time is up. If the person you're interviewing keeps talking after the 30 minutes is up, remind them of the time. If they don't care, go ahead and ask more questions. But they should be the one to initiate the extra time, not you.

Ask interesting questions.

Especially if you want people to read this interview. You don't want your readers to scroll through a long interview of answers to, "What's your favorite color?" or "Do you have any pets?" Think of some really interesting questions, like, "What book character do you think you're most like?" or "What are your quirks?" I've tried both of these questions and gotten great results.

Small talk is extremely helpful.

Some people might have a hard time opening up. A good way to prevent yourself from getting two word answers is to add a little bit of small talk in between. But just a little. If you use too much, you'll end up wasting half of your interviewing time. A little bit goes a long way. If the person you're interviewing mentions that they've always wanted to travel to Portugal, you could respond by saying, "Oh, my mom's Portuguese!" (She is, by the way).

Write and record.

While recording an interview is a good idea, always, always, always bring a notebook along, too. You never know when your recording device might run out of battery or just break completely. Bring a backup and take notes.

Pick out the important stuff.

You don't have to write the interview down word for word, but never ever change something the person you're interviewing said. If they said they hate pizza, they hate pizza. You don't necessarily have to include that when you're writing the interview down, but don't write, "I have a love-hate relationship with pizza," when they specifically said that they hate pizza.

Good quotes.

If you're taking notes and the person you're interviewing says something really cool, make sure you write the whole thing down, word for word. You wouldn't want to forget part of a really cool quote and end up butchering it later. But never ask them to repeat the last thing they said, because chances are they forgot it and it won't be the same. These will be your pull-out quotes, and should be related to your controlling theme (see below).

Use your observational skills.

Interviewing isn't just about asking questions and getting answers. When the person you're interviewing is talking, take a look at how they're sitting. What's their body language like? How are they speaking? Are they excited by this topic? Are they grinding their teeth as they give an answer? Take notes of these things, too. You can get a lot from a person just by the way their eyes look as they speak.

Be nosy.

This is your big chance to ask any questions that you want and actually get answers! Dig deep. What have you always wanted to know about this person? Don't ever be rude, but you can be politely nosy.

The hook.

You're going to want a nice hook at the beginning of your interview. Really grab the readers. Entice them. Why do they want to keep reading? The reader should be reading this of her own free will. Some might just glance at the first few sentences and move on, but if you have a nice hook, a lot of them will stick around and see what you have to say.

The controlling theme.

What is your controlling theme? Bring out the person's personality in your interview. When I was interviewed at the writer's camp, the person who wrote the interview really focused on my dream I had as a little girl--I wanted to grow wings and fly. Throughout the whole interview, that person kept giving little hints about my dreams and my love of fantasy. It made for a really enjoyable interview. Figure out that person's personality and focus on it.

Language.

When writing your interview, add a little bit of description in between. These descriptions should not be what shoes the person has on or what the coffee shop looks like around you, but should focus on the person's face: the way their eyes sparkle at the mention of their dog, the way they bite their tongue when you ask them about their boss. These descriptions shouldn't just be boring, "she smiled-s" or "her eyes sparkled-s." They should be poetic and flow together, such as, "Her eyes looked as if they were sprinkled with glitter," or "her smile could have powered a city."

Your three gold coins.

Your three gold coins are your pull-out quotes (see above). Whether you have two or three or four, you should have a few of them and they should be spread out: one towards the very beginning or your hook (see above), one in the middle to keep your reader interested, and one at the end to wrap it up and leave your reader happy and content. If you use them all up at once, it lowers your chance of having people actually read your interview.

Now that I've bombarded you with tips, tricks, and tools of the trade (and no, alliteration isn't on there, though it can be extremely helpful in poetry), let me show you the interview I wrote that day. I had fifteen minutes to interview my partner and 30 minutes to write up my interview with her. But she wasn't a student.

Somehow I was the odd one out, so I got to choose which teacher I wanted to interview (there were three). I chose Ms. Savage, and boy am I glad I did! Ms. Savage gave me plenty to work with, and I loved the interview she wrote up after she interviewed me.

Here is my interview:

Interview With Daina Savage

Daina Savage--who is 50% Latvian on her mother's side--starts off by saying that her name is often mispronounced and means--roughly translated--the poems of the people. This is the perfect introduction for Ms. Savage, because that's exactly what she is: a poem for the people. Journalist, optimist, and lover of learning, Ms. Savage says that she is very much like Hermione Granger.

"There isn't enough time to learn everything about the world," she says. "That's why I'd want a Time Turner."

I ask her what she likes about journaling and if she'd rather be doing anything else.

"Oh, no," she says. "I have the best job. I was going to be a dentist, but that's not what I was passionate about."

At this point you can see the hopeful gleam in her eyes. I know this gleam well, because it matches the one I have. I, too, am an idealist.

"I like bringing people together," Ms. Savage says. "I like effecting change."

Daina believes that there is good in the world and that kids can be empowered. She is the epitome of an optimist.

Daina also writes poetry. Her love of adjectives, alliteration, and people reacting in a positive way to the natural world just highlight her hopefulness, her attitude of, "the sky's the limit." Her writing is very romanticized and inspirational, much like her personality.

I ask Ms. Savage more about her career and she says, "It's hard to be a critic. I don't like to bring down peoples' work. I love telling a story. I hope my writing motivates people to make a difference."

After we had a lunch break, we did some creative writing. We experimented with different sayings, like, "every cloud has a silver lining" or "the early bird gets the worm." Once we had one we liked, we had to take that saying and twist it around. That would be the theme of our poem or story.

But that's not all. Then we had to include five different words in our stories or poems. These words didn't have anything to do with each other. Our list was:

Mother
Blackberry
Whir
Needle
Clouds
Cliff

We had to include at least five, but we could do all six, if we wanted to. I took the phrase, "A cat has nine lives" and wrote a poem about it. Here it is:

They say a cat has nine lives,
But mine only had one.
My mother told me not to let her go outside.
I didn't listen.
Blackberry didn't hear the whir of wheels against the concrete as the bus came by.
She was deaf in one ear,
You see.
Seeing her broken body on the pavement was like a needle to the chest.
The killer didn't even look back.
I see Blackberry's face in the clouds sometimes
Gentle and sweet,
Never squashed.
It wasn't until a black kitten wandered into our backyard that I was able to love again.
I kissed his nose,
He licked my ear,
And blackberries never tasted so sweet.

And that concludes day one. What do you think? :D

I have a challenge for all of you. A fun challenge. I challenge you to find someone you've never met and interview them using the tips I wrote about in this post. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying so along with your e-mail (in this format: themagicviolinist(AT)gmail(DOT)com). Then find someone else in the comments that you'd like to interview and contact them through e-mail. Have fun! :D (I'll be awaiting your interviews)!

If You're Mean To Me I'll Write You Into My Book--TCWT Blog Chain

This is my first time participating in the "Teens Can Write, Too!" Blog Chain and I am VERY excited! :D

The prompt is: “How have both the people in your life and your own personal experiences impacted your writing? Do you ever base characters off of people you know?”

The honest answer is, I don't normally take things from real life for my writing. People say to write what you know, but I always think that's a little narrow-minded. I write what I don't know, and it usually turns out okay.

Of course, sometimes I--without meaning to--take a few personality traits from people I know in real life and write a character based on them. It wasn't until the third edit of Fantasya: A Giant Problem was finished when I realized that I had taken my personality and my best friend Kirsten's personality and created two characters that were based on us that were also best friends. And not only two characters, but the main characters. The characters weren't completely like us, but just close enough that people who knew us might notice some similarities.

The book I wrote for NaNoWriMo last year (Secrets) was mostly a book with just characters based off of people I knew. Some of my closest friends were the main characters while one person I do not like is the villain. It got hard after a while, though, to just write characters that already existed in the world, so I branched out a bit and changed their personalities. I added a few extra characters that had been completely made-up. The book was fun, but I don't think I'd ever do something like that again.

But all of that aside, I do get inspiration from conversations around me, my observations, and my experiences. I'm constantly writing things down on a piece of scrap paper, the notes on my iPod, or a notebook. If I'm really in a pinch, I'll write on my hands or try really hard to memorize the thing I needed to write down. I got a whole book idea just from watching a documentary about space. I also wrote a short passage about a woman I saw at the park one time that I managed to write into the same book.

          I walked by a woman holding a leash that was not attached to a dog, but her child, who was laughing and trying to chase a butterfly that was just out of reach, thanks to her restraining mother. The woman checked her phone, scrolling through Facebook, and barely glanced up when the little girl yanked free of her grip. The woman gasped and chased after her.

          “Come here!” she yelled. “No! Come here!”

          The woman dropped her phone in her attempts to catch the toddler. When she did scoop up the girl, she carried her over to a park bench and tied the leash around the armrest.

          “Sit!” the woman said, completely forgetting herself. Didn’t she know that she was talking to a human being, rather than a canine? “Stay. I’ll be right back.”

            The woman grabbed her phone, brushed some dirt off of it, and scolded her child for being a kid.

I now invite you all to answer this question in the comments! :D

5th – http://alifeonmission.wordpress.com/

6th – http://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/

7th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

8th – http://miriamjoywrites.wordpress.com/

9th – http://katiathewritergirl.blogspot.com/

10th – http://charleyrobson.blogspot.com/

11th – http://fida-islaih.blogspot.com/

12th – http://www.indianawriterblog.wordpress.com/

13th – http://charlieeatmybook.blogspot.co.uk/

14th – http://notebooksisters.blogspot.com/

15th – http://dearsaul.wordpress.com/

16th – http://bloodoverithaca.wordpress.com/

17th – http://realityisimaginary.blogspot.com/

18th – http://weirdalocity.wordpress.com/

19th – http://insatiablebeforedeath.wordpress.com/

20th – http://theloonyteenwriter.wordpress.com/

21st – http://myswordandpen.wordpress.com/

22nd – http://dreamerheadquarters.wordpress.com/

23rd – http://www.documentaryofateenagewriter.wordpress.com/

24th – http://www.brookeharrison.com/

25th – http://themagicviolinist.blogspot.com/

26th – http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (We’ll be announcing the topic for next month’s chain.)

 

I Swear I'm Not Dead . . .

. . . I've just been at a writer's camp all week!!!!

I promise I'll post lots about that very soon, but for now, I'll just post two links to blog posts I wrote (one is for "The Write Practice" and the other is for "Positive Writer").:

"How To Stop Procrastinating Before It's Too Late"

"How To Stay Focused On Writing"

A Poem For My Dad

A while back on Mother's Day I wrote a poem for my mom. I saw it yesterday and realized I hadn't done one for my dad yet. Perfect timing! Here it is.

This is a poem I wrote for you.
You can read it when you're happy and sad,
Cheerful and blue.
You're funny and helpful,
Loving and smart.
You are a dad who is close to my heart.
And this is a poem where I want to say,
Have a wonderful Father's Day!

I love you, Daddy! :D

Favorite First Lines

I've seen this prompt on multiple blogs now, some of which are, "The Edge of Precipice" and "The Book Chewers." I thought it was a fun idea, so I'm going to steal it from them. ;)

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." -- "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling (I bet you saw that one coming).

"I knew it would begin with the end, and the end would look like death to these eyes." -- "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (This book is surprisingly good. You should all read it)!

"There were only two kinds of people in our town. 'The stupid and the stuck,' my father had affectionately classified our neighbors." -- "Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Yes I know it's two lines, but the two go together so well that I couldn't leave them out).

"There is no once upon a time in this book." -- "Fantasya: A Giant Problem" by Me. ;) (I had to include it).

What are your favorite first lines? (Psst! You can use your own, if you'd like). Leave a comment! :D

ABCs of My Awesome Life

I completely ripped this off of multiple other bloggers (but to be fair, they were ripping it off of someone else, too). If you want to learn more about my awesome life, please continue.

Ambition: To become a published author. And neaten up my handwriting (seriously, an aspiring author should have neat handwriting)! Oh, and become a witch (the Harry Potter kind, not the double, double toil and trouble kind). I'd also like to own a broomstick (preferably a Firebolt). And a Niffler. A room of requirement would be pretty handy. And a magic wand.

Bad Habits: I procrastinate (but I'm working on that). I also bite my nails (and I really do want to quit. Anyone have any tips? I've tried everything).

Celebrity Crushes: Hmm, I've never really had a celebrity crush, but I guess I'll say Adam Levine because he's cute, creative, talented, and geeky (he is)!

Drink: Butterbeer. (There are some awesome recipes out there. Go look one up)!

Education: Real education: homeschool. Dream education: Hogwarts. (*Sigh*).

Food: Favorite: Sushi. Least favorite: Raisins and most nuts (excluding cashews and certain types of peanuts). I also love popcorn (when I don't have a stupid orthodontic appliance in, which I do now--braces, ugh), chocolate, and berries of any kind.

Guilty Pleasures: Why do we call these guilty pleasures again? Should we feel bad for enjoying life? Anyway, I'd say chocolate and peanut butter (Reese's anyone?), video games (mostly Webkinz and Minecraft), reading, writing, and good TV shows (new favorites include Friends and Gilmore Girls, but don't ruin anything for me because this is my first time watching both)!

Hometown: I was born in Arizona, but I've lived in a small town in Pennsylvania for ten years now.

Ice Cream: Chocolate and peanut butter. All the way. (My second favorite is the "Double Dunker" flavor, and, as my mom says, it tastes like Dunkin Donuts smells).

Jonesing for: (I'm not positive, but I think this means what am I craving--?). Then I guess right now I'm "Jonesing for" a sequel to the Harry Potter series, Allegiant by Veronica Roth, the next two books in The Host series, and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (but I'm "Jonesing" for that all the time).

Kryptonite: Cute puppies. I just have to pet every single one of them.

Look-a-like: Hermione Granger, when I first get up in the morning. (One of the perks of having thick, brown hair. I can easily dress up as her for Halloween, after messing up my hair, which I did a few years back).

Movie: Favorites: Any of the "Harry Potter" movies, "The Hunger Games," "The Help," "The King's Speech," "Wreck-It Ralph," and any of the "Toy Story" movies. Movies I think could have been better: "The Host." It was good, because I loved the book, but some of the actors and actresses were really bad, and some of the scenes weren't realistic to the book. (In one scene, a character is forced to cut herself with a knife, and she doesn't even flinch when it happens. She just stares at the blood).

Nickname: I don't have any nicknames, seeing as the only nickname that could come from "Kate" is "Katie" (which I hate. It sounds condescending to me, but I don't know why). The nickname I love from being online is MV which stands for Magic Violinist.

Obsessions: Reading. Writing. Harry Potter. Taylor Swift. The Civil Wars (the band). Indie music. Chocolate and peanut butter. My family. My Friends. My dog Scout. Cute puppies. Yellow. Sunflowers. The beach. Fantasy novels. Etc. . . .

Perfume: Yuck. I hate perfume. And scented hairspray. But I do love how Taylor Swift describes her perfume ("Wonderstruck") on the Ellen show. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a video of her talking about it, but I was able to find a "commercial" for it.



Quirk: I straighten any crooked object. If three pencils are next to each other on a table, but one of them isn't completely aligned with the others, I'll fix it. It bothers me if things aren't perfectly straightened like that.

Regret: I have no regrets. I won't do anything that I think I might regret later.

Starbucks: Is okay. I really don't like coffee (unless it's a pumpkin latte), and the only drinks I like there are hot chocolate and their hot apple cider drink. I do like their big cookies, though.

The Last Book You Read: Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It was surprisingly good, and I can't wait for the next installments in The Lunar Chronicles.

Unique Feature: I can't think of any unique features I have. I don't have any freckles, scars, birthmarks, or any other unusual marks/spots/features.

Vacation: My favorite vacation was the one our family took to Florida to go to Harry Potter World. Best. Amusement. Park. Ever.

Wine: I don't know anything about wine. Or any kind of alcohol.

X: I am Xtra confused about this space.

Years: Years I've been alive: 13. Years ahead of me: ??? (Hopefully many).

Zen: Reading and writing makes me calm, as does hot chocolate and Scout.

I tag you all! If you read this post you are now doomed to write an ABC post about your life! (Mwa ha haaaaaaa).

The Versatile Blogger Award and a Search For a Critique Partner

I'm happy to announce that I recently received the "Versatile Blogger Award" from Karoline at "As a Teen Writer." Thank you, Karoline! :D














Unlike some other awards, all I have to do for this one is accept it and pass it on to a few of my favorite bloggers. I will pass it on to . . .

My parents at "Sushi and Pizza."
My brother at "I Don't Eat My Drumsticks."
nevillegirl at "Musings From Neville's Navel."
Miriam Joy at "Miriam Joy Writes."
Bethany at "Rainbows and Penguins."
seventytwofishes at "Seventy-Two Fishes."

It seems as if a bunch of my favorite bloggers have quit blogging. :/ What a shame. (Carla and Cici, if you're reading this, please keep blogging)!

As you can see from the title, I'm looking for a critique partner. For those of you who don't know what a critique partner is, I will explain.

A critique partner is a writer you can depend on to help you with your writing (whether it be books, short stories, poetry, etc.). You can count on them to be honest, kind, fair, and invested in your work. If you happen to find a great critique partner, you will become theirs and, therefore, will have to do your best to be honest, kind, fair, and invested in their work. You and your critique partner critique each other's work and help each other to perfect your writing abilities.

So . . . any takers? Please leave a comment if you're interested! :D

You Know It's Summer When . . .

I can't stop skipping everywhere I go.
I wear my friendship anklets daily.
I walk around barefoot outside.
I can't seem to find enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do.
Menedy's (my stuffed cat) scarves come off and are put away in a box somewhere.
I stay up extra late reading.
We put the air conditioning units in the windows around the house.
Songs like "Call Me Maybe," "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "22," and "Brighter Than the Sun" sound so much more appealing on the radio.
Scout starts to lay on the cool, hardwood floor rather than in her crate or on the couch.
I eat Popsicles and ice cream sandwiches daily.
We see our friends almost every day, if not twice that day.
I have a huge pile of books to be read.
The laundry in my hamper is towering high, the clothes dirty with sweat, dirt, and grass stains.
I blog more often.
I write more often (if that's even possible).
Fruit tastes even sweeter.
I feel all bubbly inside my stomach.
I can't stop smiling.

Facebook?

I--as well as my parents--have been debating on whether or not I should get Facebook. The only reason I want to get it--or maybe I don't; I'm not sure yet.--would be to promote my blog. I think this could be the next big step in my writing career. I could reach out to so many people at once. It seems like a no-brainer, right?

Wrong.

My parents and I spent 2-3 hours in the car talking about this. We debated and talked and debated some more, but all we did was confuse ourselves even further. What should we do about this?

Here are some pros to getting Facebook:

1. I could promote my blog.
2. I could reach out to so many people ate once.
3. I could build a bigger and better community.
4. I could meet new people through Facebook.

Now for the cons:

1. Anybody can go on and comment whatever they want on my page (though this could happen on my blog, too).
2. People might comment on Facebook rather than my blog.
3. I might not reach the audience I want (such as random teenagers who have all the time in the world to post cat memes).
4. It could be a huge time suck for me.
5. My posts might get buried so nobody sees them.

As you can see, I'm stuck. Should I get Facebook or not? Will people even find my page? Am I just going to waste my time?

What do you think I should do? If you have any ideas/input, please speak up! I value your opinions.

The Awkward Conversation

Awkward conversations are a part of life--and writing. Many TV shows and books are littered with them. They can be helpful for humorous occasions or just to make your readers cringe with sympathy when the characters begin to ramble.

What are the different stages of an awkward conversation?

Well, usually it begins with:

The Awkward Silence

This is when both characters involved in the conversation (usually the MC and someone else) realizes that they have no idea how to talk to each other. They usually start to fidget, look around the room, or check their watch. This usually leads to:


The Rambling

Most of the time, the MC is the one doing the rambling. They're the one trying to fill the gap by talking about whatever comes to mind: their families, a TV show they watched recently, or some other topic. Normally this ends with something funny they heard that day, which doesn't turn out to be that funny the second time around. The other character will give a fake, feeble laugh, and then the silence falls again.


Attempted Small Talk

After the rambling ends, the MC sometimes tries to thaw the ice by talking about something neutral and meaningless, like the food they're eating, the clothes the other person is wearing, or the weather that day. This doesn't usually end well, but the MC was brave enough to try, and for that we must applaud them . . . halfheartedly. (Really, you couldn't think of anything else)?

"I gotta go . . . this has been fun!"

This is when the other character pretends to receive an urgent phone call or text to get out of the conversation. Sometimes they suddenly remember a dentist or doctor appointment. Either way, this is when the MC realizes that this meeting has not gone well.

Some TV shows that are brilliant at this are Gilmore Girls, especially the conversations between Rory and Dean, and Friends.

Have your characters ever been in an awkward situation? If so, how did they handle themselves?

 

My Word Count Buddy

I have a new friend. His name is Ivan Idea. Ivan helps me keep track of my word count and mirrors my emotions. Here's what he looks like now.

Ivan Idea

I'm doing pretty well right now, so Ivan is typing away at the keyboard. I just barely passed my 50% milestone. But if I'm stuck and not really doing much, he might look like this.

Ivan Idea Destroying a Computer

Where did I get my new buddy? On Writertopia. I was looking for some word progress meters when I stumbled upon Ivan. (And, yes, he admits to stealing his name from a character off of an old computer game my brother and I used to play, but it fit so well he wanted to keep it). Ivan is hanging out on the side of my blog right now, if you'd like to check him out.

(What's that? Okay, I'll tell them).

Ivan wants you to adopt his siblings and add them your blog. Some of his brothers and sisters are . . .

Penny Foryour Thoughts
Wright Ersblock
The Count of Words (A.K.A. Bob Smith, but don't tell the Count that I told you that)!
Ms. Cuppa Coffee
Dr. Chock Late (If you really want to make the doc happy, give him some dark chocolate)!

Some of Ivan's siblings are *gasp* unnamed! Do you have any ideas for some possible names? Leave them in a comment! :D

Blog About a Quote

I'm doing this blogging exercise as a practice for Bryan Hutchinson's guest post on The Write Practice. For the exercise we need to pick a quote and blog about it. Here's the quote I picked:

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars." -- Martin Luther King Jr.



The reason I picked that one is because, well, there are a lot of reasons. First off, I just love the quote. I think Martin Luther King Jr. had a lot of great things to say. Secondly, in my current WIP, Cosmo, I always have a quote at the beginning of a chapter. The quote always has something to do with what happens in that chapter, which is difficult a lot of the time. There's a chapter where something truly awful happens--I won't give away what--and this quote is at the beginning of the chapter.

So what does it mean?

Well, one could take it literally and say, "It has to be dark outside for you to go stargazing." And while that's all good and true, I don't think that was what Dr. King was going for when he said this.

To me, this quote means that in your darkest and most awful times, you can find something good. It might not pop up right in front of you, singing a TV jingle, and dancing in a sparkly dress, but you'll find it eventually, and when you do it'll be great.

Here's a chapter excerpt from that particular chapter (don't worry, there aren't any spoilers):

     Celeste hugged me even tighter.
    "I'm so sorry."
    Celeste didn't ask me any questions. She just sat there next to me on my bed for hours while I cried, holding my hand. I got up to blow my nose in the bathroom and when I came back, there was something written on Celeste's hand.

     Only in the darkness can you see the stars.

    "I can't see any stars at the moment," I said quietly. Celeste gave me another hug.
    "Maybe the city lights are blocking them out."
    "I wish they wouldn't."
    "Give it time. Maybe by then you'll see the moon."

How to Recover From a Book Hangover

Stuck in a book's world? Can't start another one because the last one was just too good? I have a few solutions for you in my latest guest post on "The Book Chewers": "How to Recover From a Book Hangover." Check it out! :D

The Blank Page

It's taunting me. With its white-as-snow perfect color. It's laughing at me.

"Ha ha!" It's saying. "Nothing is smudging my perfect color! There are no pencil marks, no letters, nothing that prevents the white from showing!"

I'm grinding my teeth at it, but that only makes the blank page laugh louder. I crumple it up and stuff it in the trash can. It's not as satisfying as I thought it would be.

My mind is empty. Just like the blank page. Words aren't coming as easily as they should be. I have ideas, but I can't find a way to use them. How infuriating.

I get distracted and walk away. When I come back, the page is still blank. Of course it is. It would be too easy, too unrealistic to expect the words to blossom without any water to make them grow. I haven't even planted the seeds yet. Why should I expect tomatoes when all I have is dirt?

Now I'm thinking about gardens, which is making me hungry.

Focus, focus, focus.

"You can't write. I'm a blank page. I'm supposed to just sit here and look pretty."

"Shut up!"

"I can't shut up. I'm a blank page. I'm supposed to taunt you."

"I said shut up!"

"La, la, la. I'm a blank page. You can't write on me, you can't write on me, you can't--"

"ROAR!"

I rip the page, but the taunts are still ringing in my ears.

Focusfocusfocus.

Who am I kidding?

I'm having one of those days. Inspiration, anyone? ;)

An Interview With Celeste Smitherson

A while back I interviewed Cosmo Moonshine, the main character of my current WIP, Cosmo. I took a short break so I could finish up The Sorceress, but when I came back I found a new character waiting for me. Well, maybe she wasn't new, exactly, but her personality had changed. Cosmo's best friend, Celeste Smitherson, was no longer just the funny, goofy, new best friend for Cosmo. She still is, but then I realized that she had more depth to her. Her childhood was hard for her in many ways and I discovered some new hobbies of hers. She has quickly become one of the most interesting characters in the book.

Cosmo Moonshine, here, interviewing my new best friend (since Vanessa is no longer talking to me) Celeste Smitherson!

Celeste: Thank you, thank you.


*Celeste takes a bow*

Please introduce yourself.

Celeste: My name is Celeste Smitherson, I'm fourteen years old, and I'm a complete and total spaz.

We can see that . . . very easily, might I add. Tell us about your family.

Celeste: Well, there are my parents who I don't see very often because they're always working, and that's it. Unless you let me adopt Polaris. Pleeeeaaasseeee?

Absolutely not. That little, white fuzzball of a kitten is mine.

Celeste. Aww.

Can you tell us more about your hobbies?

Celeste: I like to read, but writing's not really my thing. I really like art: painting, coloring, sketching, pottery, anything that's creative and involves using your hands a lot.

Writing involves using your hands.

Celeste: You know what I mean. Oh, and I also like acting, but that's just a hobby, while art is going to be--hopefully--my career someday.

Who do you think is more in control: Yourself or Kate?

*Celeste laughs*

Celeste: Oh, so definitely me. My dialogue practically writes itself! I know what I'm going to say before Kate does. It's hilarious to see the look on her face when I say something.

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

Celeste: Anyone who is a bully. I've been transferred to fourteen different schools due to either bullying or having to move for my dad's job. Sometimes I've had to move to different states because of bullying problems. I've lived in five different states and I haven't ever lived in a house for longer than a year. It sucks.

Who (or what) do you think inspired Kate most when she was creating you?

Celeste: I honestly don't know--and I don't think Kate does, either--but I know that I inspired her to put a quote at the beginning of each chapter she writes. We have some pretty good quotes on there: lots of song lyrics, book quotes--including stuff from the Harry Potter series and stuff from The Wizard of Oz--, and quotes from people like Martin Luther King Jr and Neil deGrasse Tyson. The Wizard of Oz is my favorite book. Ever.

Mine, too. What is your biggest dream?

Celeste: To be a famous artist. I'd like to do book covers, I think. I should do the book cover for Halley's Comet.


It's not even finished yet!

Celeste: But it's awesome so far! You need to put up another blog post, soon. Your followers are waiting.

You're my only follower.

Celeste: Yeah, but did you check your stat counter? Your getting hits from places like India and Japan!

Yet no one has commented on my posts except for you, yet.

Celeste: Maybe they're just a little shy.

Kate: Okayyyy, we're getting a little off topic here. Sorry, guys, but I need to wrap up the post.

Celeste: Aww, just a few more minutes? Plleeeeeaaaassseee? This is as famous as I'll ever get when it comes to blogging. You have way more subscribers than I do (*cough* four *cough*).

Kate: Maybe next time. Now scoot!

Celeste: See ya'!

Bye!

Let's spice things up on here. Do you have any questions for Cosmo or Celeste? How about Cassandra or Cornelia? Katherine or Kristen? Leave a comment and they'll get back to you as soon as possible! :D

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, everyone! :D Click HERE for a fantastic chocolate chip cookie recipe!

And be sure to check out my guest post on Positive Writer (see below)!

My First Guest Post On Positive Writer

Yes, I got another guest post job! :D Positive Writer's Bryan Hutchinson has offered for me to do a monthly post for his blog and my first post went up today! Click HERE to read it.

Exciting Events and Summer Reading and Writing Goals

Ahhhhhh, summer. What do you think of when someone says the word "summer?" I think of flowers, the park, my friends, my family, my dog, the beach, the ocean, animals, ice cream, the pool, bare feet, friendship bracelets, the sun, and books, books, books. Books beyond books. I think everybody reads more in the summer, and not just because things are less busy in the summer, but because there's a wonderful feeling when you read underneath a tree in the summertime or by the pool under the sun.

Courtesy of martinlieberman.com

I'm planning to read and write a lot this summer, not that I don't during the winter, fall, and spring. ;) This is also the first year I can participate in the teen summer reading program at our libraries. Some books that I'm planning to read this year are:

1. Any book in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.
2. Catching Fire and possibly some other books from the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.
3. (Maybe) The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
5. The Rising by Kelley Armstrong.
6. Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale.
7. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.
8. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins.
9. I would say Allegiant by Veronica Roth but (sadly) that doesn't come out until October 22 of this year (SQUEE!!!!) (Wow, the 22 must be a good date for books and movies that I like. Did you know the "Catching Fire" movie is coming out on November 22? !!!!)
10. Many, many, MANY other books.

My writing goals for this summer are:

1. To finish editing either A Cherry Pie, an Iguana, a Silver Dollar, and a Spitball Fight or The Sorceress.
2. Write a new novel.
3. Win a writing contest.
4. Write a short story.
5. Write a poem.
6. Query agents until I (hopefully) find one willing to represent my book.

Some exciting events this summer:

1. I'm taking a writer's workshop in June!
2. I'm going to Taylor Swift's "Red" concert with my parents, little brother, and BFF in July!
3. Some of our best friends are (hopefully) moving here this summer! If not this summer, then probably sometime later this year!

How about you? Do you have any reading or writing goals for this summer? Do you have any exciting things happening? Leave a comment! :D

The 10 Most Ridiculous Things I See In Minecraft--A Post By M.O.R.O.N.

First, I'd like to say, Happy Mother's Day to my awesome mom! :D I love you and I can't wait for next Saturday so we can watch "Gilmore Girls" again!

What is M.O.R.O.N.? A new blog post series I just made up. ;)

M.O.R.O.N. stands for My Outstanding Rants On Numbskulls. Every month (usually on the 12th) I--or another member of the M.O.R.O.N. team--will post a rant/post/few comments about idiots. It can be a poem, a funny meme, a short post, or some other creative thing about idiots. Here are the members:

1. The Magic Violinist

Yup. I'm the only person. If you would like to join, please post a comment with your e-mail address (unless I already have it) and I will contact you.

Without further ado, I give you "The 10 Most Ridiculous Things I See In Minecraft!"

Minecraft is an awesome game! In fact, it's one of my favorite computer games (along with Webkinz and Wizard101). Unfortunately, most everyone on there is stupid. Seriously. I've yet to see someone who can capitalize their "I's" or can actually spell out the word "you." (And, seriously? You should know the difference between your and you're by now. Yeah, I'm looking at you, college kid)!

1. Bai and Hai

I sort of get don't get why people use "u" instead of "you" or b4 instead of "before," because it doesn't take that long to type out whole words in the first place! But this . . . this is just absurd. If the whole point of spelling things wrong is to "use ur time affectively" (and I saw someone type this as their excuse), then why in the world would you use "bai" instead of "bye" or "hai" instead of "hi?" "Bye" and "bai" each have three letters! Now you're just coming across as stupid (not that you were doing any better earlier). And if you're really trying to save yourself time, typing "hai" instead of "hi" is not a good way to do that.

2. Imma

"Imma go to dinner." "Imma let my dog out." "Imma cool." I've seen all three of these things (and more!) on Minecraft. "Imma" means "I'm going to," apparently, though some have used it just to "sound cool" by typing things like "Imma love chocolate" or "Imma in love with Justin Bieber."

I'm just waiting for the day when someone says, "Imma idiot."

3. Excessive Swearing

Swearing is used, supposedly, to make a point. But when you use the "F" word five thousand times over about every little thing (whether it's a good thing or a bad thing), you really lose all of your power. I like what my parents have said about swearing:

"You should be able to express yourself well with the billions of different good words in the world before you go around using the small handful of bad ones."

4. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!

"Obama's a Muslim." "Taylor Swift kissed Justin Bieber." "Gays use witchcraft." To that I say, "You obviously know nothing about our president," "No she didn't, otherwise she'd be in every entertainment magazine known to man," and "Stop being ridiculous."


5. Spamming

Most people on Minecraft just want to play. That's why it was invented in the first place. For entertainment. We don't want to see the message, "OMG I JUST ATE THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EVER" pop up on our screen twenty times while trying to build a house or kill a zombie. It's distracting, annoying, and rude.


6. "I'm bored."

You're bored?!?! Then get off the freaking computer and read a book or go outside! You know, there's this really cool thing that's been invented. You might not know about it yet, since you've apparently been on for the past forty-eight hours, but it's called 'nature.' There are other living things that are out there, and trees, and grass, and all sorts of other things just waiting to be discovered! We don't even know you, so why should we care that you're bored? If you want me to be your personal entertainer, I'd better be getting paid for this. I love this quote by Louis CK. 

“I’m bored’ is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you’re alive is amazing, so you don’t get to say ‘I’m bored.'”

7. Stalkers

These people just creep me out and usually end up getting banned for being inappropriate. I've seen guys try to get girls to go to the prom with them. I also saw a girl try to get a guy's phone number. One guy tried to get someone's address, and succeeded, might I add, because the girl thought the guy was "hot."

By the way, you can't see people on Minecraft. You get fake avatars!

8. Phone Numbers and Skype Usernames

People go around giving out phone numbers and Skype usernames all over the place! They obviously don't know anything about being safe on the internet. If I had written down every bit of personal information that I've seen on Minecraft, I could contact enough people to form my own private army. Well, maybe not that large, but I could probably contact a good few dozen people.

9. Putting In Your Two Cents . . . Or A Whole Dollar

You could make a fantastic point, have the most incredible idea, or have a world-changing plan and I wouldn't take you seriously if you didn't spell anything right. If you want to talk about your opinions, talk to your friends and family, or start a blog! That's part of the reason I love blogging. I can write about anything I want and if people care enough to read it, they will, but they don't have to. It's not being shoved in their face like it is on Minecraft. I absolutely love the servers where you can turn off public chatting so you can just play. That's why I play single player, too.

And for the last time: OBAMA IS NOT A MUSLIM.

10. "I really shouldn't be on here . . . but . . ."

"My mom grounded me for a month because I stayed up playing Minecraft instead of doing my homework, which means no more Minecraft for a month, but I got on, anyway." "My colage [sic] won't let me use the dorm wifi for video games, but they don't know. ;)" "I called into work sick so I could play Minecraft all day."

?!?!?!?! You know your boss, your college, and your mom can find all of this out, right? One screenshot or one click of the "show all history" button will cause you to lose your job, your computer privileges, and get you into some serious trouble with your college. Though, you spelled "college" wrong, so I'm not sure how much you care.

This rant was brought to you by M.O.R.O.N.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Yes, I know this is the second post of the day (and be sure to read the one below this) but I just had to tell you all something!

I'm writing another book! :D But not just any old book. I'm writing this one with my best friend Kirsten and her sister Avery. This will be one of the first books I've written with other people. It's called Can You Keep A Secret? What's it about? Read on.

Our Lovely Book Cover

Indie Snow, Amber Jones, and Kaitlyn Wate are the best of friends. They're all fourteen, they all go to Willow High, and they all have a secret of their own. One that they haven't told anyone.

In Willow High, secrets are treasure. Secrets get passed around the high school faster than wildfire. Sometimes the secrets even trickle down into the middle school. Indie, Amber, and Kaitlyn have heard the most dangerous and the most wild of secrets, but none of them will ever have the same effect that their secrets will have.

Can you keep a secret?

Kirsten, Avery, and I all created a character for the story. There are three different points of view, so we switch off every chapter. My character is Indie Snow. I got to start off the story and I am sooooo excited to see the finished project!

Want to see the first chapter?

Indie

          "Can you keep a secret?"

          The five most feared and highly anticipated words in Willow High, where secrets are treasure.

          If you say no, it either means you're a freak, you're too popular for such petty nonsense, or you're too scared of what you'll hear.

          If you say yes, it means you're either so desperate to be in with the popular group you'll do or say anything, or you'll listen and try your best not to blab, though everyone does at some point.

          It also means that you're ready to brave the unknown.

          I have a secret. No one knows what it is. Not even my best friends, Amber and Kaitlyn. Not even my family, though I think they suspect that something's up. I've told them I don't have a secret. They said they believed me, though I don't think they do. I'm sure they have secrets of their own, too. They just haven't told them yet.

          It's not a deadly secret. Just a crazy one. No one would believe me if I told everyone what it was, anyway. I wouldn't be any worse than Holly Barrow, who said she had kissed Liam Michaels, who is the cutest, most athletic, buff, and most popular boy in junior high. He's in tenth grade at fifteen-years-old, and totally out of Holly's league. Liam is on the football team and dates ditzy cheerleaders that have big hair and no brains. Holly is a Mathlete and wears Harry Potter glasses.

          I've heard deadly secrets before. One secret got passed around so many times, no one knew who it was about anymore. All anyone knows now is that someone's brother had murdered somebody. Rumor has it he had killed his girlfriend for cheating on him. For months after the secret was told, everyone jumped if someone tapped them on the shoulder. Girls shot suspicious looks at their boyfriends. No one walked home alone. (Enter names here) and I slept over at my house nearly every night, including weekends. My dog Sprout--a large, German shepherd who barked at every noise he heard--made us all feel safe. Nobody calmed down until everyone heard another secret, one about the murderer getting caught and going to jail.

          No, my secret's just crazy. Sometimes I don't believe it myself. It's like a recurring dream that haunts me with each passing day. I try not to think about it, and most of the time I'm able to shake it off for a few hours. But after the lights are out and moonlight comes streaming in through my windows, I remember everything all over again.

          "What up, Indie Snow?" It's Kaitlyn Wate, the spaz of our trio. Kaitlyn is a tiny thing, at 4'9" and 98 pounds. I often feel like a giant when I'm next to her. Her head looks too big for her body, but her large hazel eyes take care of that, along with her long, straight, strawberry blonde hair. She gets more attention than Amber and I do, but that might be because she's so much louder than us. She's wearing a tank top today, yellow, as usual. If it's not yellow, it's white. If it's not white, it's yellow. Kaitlyn's predictable that way. She has a cute pair of bright purple shorts on with pink polka dots. She's wearing black leggings underneath. Complete that image with a pair of boots, her hair in a long ponytail that bobs up and down, and a little bit of makeup and you have Kaitlyn Wate, age fourteen.

          As for me, I'm a bit calmer in the stuff I wear. Actually, I'm a bit calmer, period. Today I had on my square glasses (of course), jeans, a pair of gray, Converse knock-offs, and a T-shirt that said, "Misuse of the word literally makes me figuratively insane."

          Now you might think I'm a nerd, but I'm really not. I'm just a grammar nerd. I read, I write poetry, and I get straight A's in English. Other than that and the D's and C's I get in math--no matter how hard I study--I'm the middle of the middle. I'm not too smart, not too dumb, not too skinny at 123 pounds, not too fat, not too short at 5'4", not too tall, not too athletic, not a couch potato, not too popular, not a freak. I'm recognized by most everyone in the ninth grade, but not because I'm loud like Kaitlyn or a geek like Holly, but because I'm just Indie. I'm not trying to be someone I'm not.

          "Hey, Kaitlyn," I say. I fiddle with the combination lock on my locker. "Amber around?"

          "Haven't seen her." Kaitlyn twirls a loose piece of hair around her finger. "Saw Holly, though."

          Kaitlyn rolls her eyes.

          "Another one?" I groan. "You'd think she'd quit by now."

          "Nope." Kaitlyn gives a loud sigh. "This time its Taylor Matthews."

          I laugh and shake my head a little. Taylor Matthews was Liam Michaels's best friend.

          "Taylor Matthews wouldn't let her come within ten feet him, much less let her kiss him."

          Kaitlyn shrugs.

          "Hey, it's more believable than saying his brother kissed her first."

          "We're way too young to be kissing boys," I say. "We should wait at least another two years."

          Kaitlyn smiles and tucks the strand of loose hair behind her ear.

          "I've kissed a boy," she says in a sing-song voice.

          This time I roll my eyes.

          "I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again, kissing a poster of Adam Levine does not count as kissing a boy."

          "Oh, you spoil all of my fun." Kaitlyn shoves my shoulder playfully. "At least I'm not kissing my poster of Demi Lovato."

          "Eww!" I say. Kaitlyn just laughs and bursts into song, singing "Skyscraper" so loud that people turn to stare.

          "Move it." I push Kaitlyn down the hallway. "We're going to be late for English."

          "And we know what you'll do if we make you late."

          Amber catches up to us and walks by my side.

          "Yeah," I say. "I'll pound you both to a pulp."

          Amber Jones looks as different from Kaitlyn as I do, if not even more so. She has long brown hair with curly ends, eyes the color of dark chocolate, and is wearing black Converse, skinny jeans, a plain, blue T-shirt, and the locket from her mom with a picture of the two of them inside. She wears if every day, all the time, and only takes it off when she's going to get wet or super dirty. She's super close to her mom, Maria Jones. Amber's 5' exactly, and 105 lbs.

          "We wouldn't want to miss the 'announcing of the winners.'" Amber says these last words with the air of a king making a grand speech.

          "Yeah, but we both know that Indie's gonna get first." Kaitlyn winks at me.

          "No," I mumble, my cheeks heating. "We don't know that. Emily Grace told me that Olivia Carmen's poem was about her cat's death. Emily said it made her cry."

          "Hoooo boy." Kaitlyn sucks in a big breath of air. Our English teacher, Mrs. Meyers, told us every class that if we were to impress her with our writing, we need to make her feel something powerful, whether you were making her feel inspired, elated, or depressed. She said a writer's hardest job is to fill their readers with tears of either sadness or joy.

          "But your poem about Sprout was really sweet, too," Amber said, placing her hand on my shoulder. "I loved how you used the word 'frolicking.' That's such a fun word!"

          Kaitlyn immediately began to chant, "Frolicking, frolicking, frolicking."

          I hit her on her arm. Kaitlyn says, "Ow!" and laughs.

          We dart into the English classroom just as Mrs. Meyers takes out a piece of paper.

          "You're just in time girls," she says, beaming at us. "Sit down. We're about to announce the winners of the poetry contest."

          I sit in the middle of Amber and Kaitlyn, holding my breath. The first place winner of the poetry contest not only received admiration from the rest of their peers, but also got an automatic A that counted for twenty percent of their overall English grade.

          "You're so going to win!" Kaitlyn whispers from my left.

          "There's zero competition," Amber says from my right. "Our poems sucked!"

          The whole classroom sounds like a beehive. The buzz and whispers of the classmates wishing each other good luck surrounds me with such ferocity, my stomach feels like its closing in on itself. My heart is pounding two times faster and harder than usual. Amber and Kaitlyn squeeze my arms.

          Mrs. Meyers clears her throat. It's loud, but not loud enough. She does it again, but everyone ignores her. My hands are shaking.

          "Class dismissed!" she finally shouts. Everyone stops talking and looks up, confused.

          "I know how hard it is for you all to refrain from chit-chatting," she says. "But we need to get on with this."

          An eerie silence falls over the classroom. Someone drops a pencil. No one laughs, like everyone usually does.

          Mrs. Meyers clears her throat one more time and looks down at the list of winners.

          "Third place goes to Payton Hayes."

          The class applauds as Payton gets up from his desk to receive his printed and framed poem. He tries hard to hide his smile as he hangs his poem up on the wall. It's titled "Homeless Man" and is about a man he saw on the streets of New York, which is only two or three hours away from Willow High in Pennsylvania. Payton's buddies slap him on the back and congratulate him as he sits back down.

          "Second place goes to Olivia Carmen."

          Emily's squeal is so high-pitched, we can hear it over the smattering of applause. Olivia leaps up from her desk as if she sat on a pin. Her face is paper white but she grinning from ear to ear. Mrs. Meyers whispers a congratulation and hands Olivia her poem. Olivia hangs it up next to Payton's. Her poem is called "Tiger." Emily had been right, it was about Olivia's cat's death. I see a tear trickle down Olivia's cheek. She wipes it away hurriedly. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed.

          "Told you!" Kaitlyn hisses. I shush her.

          "We don't know I won yet!"

          "First place goes to . . ." Mrs. Meyers pauses with a smile for dramatic affect. Kaitlyn and Amber grab my hands as if they're watching a scary movie and need someone to hold on to.

          "Indie Snow!"

          "Now we know!" Amber says as I get up slowly from my desk. The applause makes my ears ring. Mrs. Meyers hands me my poem and says, "Congratulations. Your poem was spectacular!" My hands are still shaking and for a minute I'm scared I'm going to drop the frame. I hang the poem up next to Olivia's and stare at it. The title is "The Meadow" and is about Sprout running through a meadow filled with flowers.

The  Meadow

by Indie Snow

Floppy brown ears,

Eyes filled with joy.

There's nothing more he'd rather do

Than play with his toy.

Sunflowers,

Tulips,

And dandelions yellow.

My big scary guard dog is happy and mellow.

Frolicking through the meadow so green,

Makes me forget about people so mean.

I grab his favorite ball and it's hurled.

Sprout runs through the grass without a care in the world.

We roll around under the midday sun.

We are happy and content.

My work here is done.

          I beam with pride and spend the rest of the day walking on cloud nine.

Thoughts? Leave a comment! :D

Liebster Blog Award

Thank you, Cait and Mime!

Cait and Mime from "The Notebook Sisters" tagged me for the Liebster Blog Award. Here are the rules:

Rules

1. Each nominee must answer 11 questions.
2. Create 11 questions for the next nominees to answer.
3. Link back to who nominated them.
4. Choose 11 people and link them to your post.
5. Go to their page and tell them.
6. No tag backs!

Cait and Mime's Questions:

1. Favourite character in your work-in-progress?

Probably Anya Perriwinkle from The Sorceress. I finished the first draft, but I'm still editing it, so technically it's a WIP. ;) The best explanation I can think up for her is that she's a cross between Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series and Alanna of Trebond from The Song of the Lioness series with some additions from me, of course. I also like Indie Snow, who is one of the main character's in the book I'm writing with my best friend, Kirsten, and her sister, Avery. It's called Can You Keep A Secret?

2. Does music influence your writing? What's a song that's inspired you?

Absolutely. As I've mentioned HERE, I love to listen to music when I'm writing my books (or blog posts!) as much as possible. One song that's inspired me is "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars. I talk about it HERE. Of course, there are more songs that have inspired me, but the list would be really long if I mentioned them all. ;)



3. Do you prefer writing in present tense or past tense? Why?

It's hard to say, but I think I prefer writing in the past tense. Though it could just be because ever time I try to write in the present tense I end up writing in the past tense again. I think the present tense is cool, though, because it makes the reader feel like you're there right as everything is happening.



4. Name a random fact a book taught you.

I found these two facts (I couldn't choose one) from The Perfectly Useless Books of Useless Information by Don Voorhees.

1. The average American home contains $90 in loose change.
2. It is illegal to use the American flag in advertising.


5. Favourite foods to snack on while reading/writing.

Chocolate of any kind (but preferably in the form of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Peanut Butter M&M's), hot chocolate, and/or popcorn. Though I know it's a popular choice among writers (along with chocolate), I absolutely can't stand the taste of coffee. I'll have to get my caffeine elsewhere.

6. Name 3 books you can't wait until are released.

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth. (The third book in the Divergent series).
2. The Soul by Stephenie Meyer. (The second book in The Host series).
3. The Seeker by Stephenie Meyer. (The third book in The Host series).

7. Name a sequel that outshone it's predecessor.

I've been reading a lot of post-apocalyptic books recently, and I think they all follow a similar pattern. The first book sets everything up and shows how everyone is in danger because of an evil president/government/evil species. The second book show the main character starting some sort of rebellion along with her friends. The third book wraps up the series by showing the rebellion succeeding and the government getting destroyed. Most of the time the first book is the best in these series (such as The Hunger Games, Matched, and Delirium).

I'm reading the Darkness Rising series by Kelley Armstrong and I've almost finished the second book in the series: The Calling. I'm not sure if I like The Calling better than The Gathering or not, yet, but they're both pretty close in quality (which is awesome). I think Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets outshone Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, though.

8. Best side-kick/secondary-character you've read this year?

This year? I haven't read a lot of awesome secondary characters this year (except for Harry Potter characters), but I'd have to go with Four from the Divergent series and Daniel, Rafe, Annie, Sam, Corey, and Hayley from the Darkness Rising series. They all have such great personalities without outshining the main character.

9. Favourite quote!

These are my two absolute favorite friendship quotes (EVER!!!!). I think they describe my friendship with my best friend, Kirsten.

"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." -- Aristotle

"If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me."-- Anonymous

10. Do you have any reading goals for 2013? Are you on track?!

Nope. I don't set reading goals for myself. I do the summer reading program for our local library each year, and this is the first year I can do the teen program, but other than that I just read whenever I feel like it. Oh, and I'm in two book clubs.



11. If you were a superhero would you wear a cape?

No way! I'd probably trip over it! ;P

Some writing/book related questions:

1. What is your least favorite book and why?
2. Have you ever read anything that made you laugh so hard people stared? What did you read?
3. Who is your favorite villain and why? (He doesn't have to be likable for him to be your favorite).
4. What is your favorite movie that was based on a book and why?
5. What is your least favorite movie that was based on a book and why?
6. Which of your book characters is most like you?
7. Have you ever based any of your characters after people you know? (Have you ever based any villains after people you know)?
8. Which book has inspired you in your writing the most?
9. When do you feel most inspired? Morning, night, Saturdays? Why?
10. Do you write more description or dialogue in your stories?
11. What annoys you most in books? How about in your books?

11 People I Will Tag:

1. Kirsten at "Tacos, Dolphins, and Friends."
2. Rich at "X Marks the Spot."
3. My dad at "Sushi and Pizza."
4. My mom at "Sushi and Pizza."
5. My brother at "I Don't Eat My Drumsticks."
6. nevillegirl at "Musings From Neville's Navel."
7. Cici at "Meredith and Callixta."
8. Miriam at "Miriam Joy Writes."
9. Whoever wishes to do this tag at "Get Well Jake."
10. Whoever wishes to do this tag at "The Book Chewers."
11. Carla at "Redpunzel."

Two Books I'm Reading and One Book I'm Writing (Or the Post Where I Talk About Williamsburg Before Even Getting to the Other Things That I'm Supposed to Be Writing About)

Writing and reading. Reading and writing. I bet you're thinking, "Is there anything else this girl does?"

Actually, I do do other things besides reading and writing . . . just maybe not as often. I get together with friends, I eat food, I go on field trips . . .

But how about rolling all of those things into one fantastical trip?!?!

Just yesterday, our family--as well as a few other families from our homeschool group--got back from a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia!!!! And, yes, our family ate quite a lot of food.

We're all about the food.

When we first got to Williamsburg, it was pretty late and we checked into our hotel . . . only to leave that same night and switch hotels.

Why? Well, I'm pretty sure my mom is going to do a post all about that, and I wouldn't want to give everything away. You're just going to have to wait. Don't worry. I won't torture you with hints about that disastrous night. (Hyperbole? Nope).

(Did I mention my brother and I were dripping wet when we left)?

We spent the first two days at Colonial Williamsburg. Some of my favorite things there were listening to Martha Washington talk about her life (and hearing my mom talk about her afterwards and accidentally calling her "Martha Stewart"), seeing everyone in character, and seeing a jail and hearing about all sorts of means of torture they used that gave me some ideas for my books. Yes, we were pretty gruesome back then. Some torture methods I heard about:

1. Cutting off feet or toes
2. Branding their hands (though they used this to let people know that they were criminals)
3. My personal favorite: Sticking a nail in their ear, leaving it there for four hours, then cutting their ear off

No joke.

The third day, we went to Yorktown Battlefield where we could drive around and look at the different places where the Revolutionary War was fought. This was really nice, because it was freezing cold that day and we could look out the windows of our heated car while a warm puppy sat on my blanketed lap. After Yorktown Battlefield, we went to Jamestown Settlement. This was one of my absolute favorites because we got to learn about the different people living there. I especially loved the Native American part of it, because I took a lot of the skills they used and fit it into a book I'm writing (more about that later). An interesting fact about the English that settled there: when the English were starving and couldn't leave because of the Native Americans surrounding them, they ate all sorts of things, including:

1. Dogs
2. Chickens
3. Horses
4. Their leather shoes
5. Dead bodies

Yes, there was cannibalism in Jamestown. After someone died, the others would eat their body for the protein. Well, not the ones who dug their own grave and let themselves starve to death in it. They weren't as desperate.

The fourth (and final) day, we started driving home, but stopped at Monticello (the cello part is pronounced like the musical instrument) to visit Thomas Jefferson's house. Our tour guide was excellent and told all sorts of interesting stories about the rooms we were in. Did you know that back then everyone made appointments on the hour rather than, say, two thirty or three forty-five? No one kept track of the minutes (except for Jefferson, apparently), so if you made an appointment for one o'clock and you got there at one thirty, you weren't late! You were still on time! That sounds like a much better system than what we're doing right now.

So now that I've rambled on about our trip, let me talk to you about the books I'm reading.

Unless you follow "Adventures In YA and Children's Publishing," you wouldn't know that I won a book giveaway! Two, actually. The second one I won is called Quintana of Charyn, but the one that I'm reading now is the first book in the Darkness Rising trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. It's called The Gathering.

 

A blurry and poorly taken picture that I was forced to take with my iPod rather than my camera due to lack of battery.

Admittedly, I didn't think I'd like this series very much. When I entered the giveaway, I was hoping to win one of the other bundles. This series sounded very much like one of those paranormal YA romance books that has crappy writing but everyone loves because two characters kiss and there's this love triangle that really doesn't even exist.

But the author surprised me. The writing is actually pretty decent compared to some other stuff I've read recently, the characters are likeable, the romance is minimal and hardly even matters in the story, there's no love triangle, and I read two thirds of the book on the way back from Williamsburg because I couldn't put it down! It's not post-apocalyptic, though the author could have made it that way if she wanted to, and it's a nice break from the post-apocalyptic books I've been reading. Books of that genre are all pretty predictable at this point, and I'm enjoying having no idea where this book is going.

Oh, and it's set in Canada! That's also a nice change of scenery, considering most of the books I've been reading are set in America.

Here's the book description:

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students–for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.
Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya’s determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya’s home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts experiencing “bad vibes” about certain people and things. It does’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret…and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

Another book I'm reading is called Wonder by R. J. Palacio. I'm reading this with my whole family, and we all love it. It's very easy to get into, it's funny, it's sad, and there are very few characters I don't like. We've laughed and cried too many times to count. Wonder is simple, but extremely enjoyable. The author makes the characters so alive, you're surprised to find out that they're fictional.

Here's the book description:

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.
August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

Now for the book I'm writing.

I wasn't planning to start another book . . . not yet, anyway. But after completing a writing prompt to create a new character, the character sort of . . . took over. She forced me to open a new document and start writing a new book that--for now--is titled Perfect. I only have 3,400 words typed up, so I'm no where near finished with it. I do, however, have a book description:

Raven doesn't have a last name. Why? Because she has no idea who her parents are. Her father is most certainly dead, The Survivors informed her of that, but her mother is no where to be found. Raven doesn't know if she is alive or dead.

The Survivors are a group of homeless people driven out into the Wilderness. They aren't allowed a home because they are imperfect. The president is striving for perfection, and if you are imperfect you must be executed. The few that managed to escape formed The Survivors. The president and his Patrollers--or policemen--are hunting them down. Between trying to survive and keeping everyone else alive, Raven is trying to figure out her past.

Stay strong, stick together, and survive. The three S's of The Survivors and the rules Raven must follow. It's harder than it looks.

Questions? Suggestions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a comment! :D