Interview With The Notebook Sisters!

Here it is! The much awaited interview! As promised, we have some fantastic guests! These two girls make me laugh every time I read something of theirs. They are both teen writers and have some interesting things to say regarding Planning and Pantsing! So without further ado; Cait and Mime!

Do you consider yourself a planner or a Pantser? Tell us why! 

MIME: I’m a mutant. I plot to a certain degree, but I don’t outline. I usually have an idea of what’s going to happen in the book, but I don’t always know my theme, or my climax. They come as I write.

CAIT: Yes, Mime, you are definitely a mutant.

MIME: Go X-Men!

CAIT: I used to be a full-out-plotter (down to outlining every scene! My outlines were up to 10,000 words long. Yeah. It was…intense.) Now I write as it comes because a) I’m too lazy to outline and b) I’m too lazy to brainstorm.

What does your writing space look like? 

MIME: Either Cait’s beanbag on the floor of her bedroom or Cait’s bed. I can steal her inspiration from the air that way.

CAIT: I write at my desk, when I’m feeling industrious. Usually, I write on my bed because it’s cold here. I usually have to kick Mime off. But that’s okay.

If you could choose any author (dead or alive), which would you most want to have coffee with? 

MIME: None of them. I’d be too afraid to say something totally stupid.

CAIT: Mime! You scaredy-cat! Gmail chat is a viable option. I’d pick Joan Aiken, because she’s dead and it’d be a seriously interesting conversation. (Plus, she was a teen author and wrote steampunk before it was cool!)

Do you prefer writing in 3rd or 1st person? (Or maybe second?)

MIME: First—definitely first. I used to write in third when I was little, but I like first better because I feel like it’s more personal. I like reading it better, too.

CAIT: I looove first person. Reading it. Writing it.

Favorite tense? (Past or present?) 

MIME: I’m not fussy. I like present better, but I read a lot of past tense, too, so it flows for me when I read it. I gravitate to present when I’m writing, though. One of my WIP’s is in present and past, which is a bit of a challenge, adjusting in between.

CAIT: Present!! All my books are in present…so far. I should expand my horizons. Present is so fun because you’re “in the moment” instead of recounting. Some of my favourite books (A.K.A The Hunger Games and Divergent) are in present tense.

What is your favorite thing to snack on while you write? 

MIME: Chocolate is always my answer to anything that involves food. Enough said.

CAIT: Sultanas! I think in the USA you call them “raisins”, but same difference. They are delicious and small and you can line them up when you have writer’s block.

What does your writing playlist have on it? Or do you prefer to work in silence? 

MIME: That really depends on which book I’m working on. I love writing with music—music is one of my most favourite things ever. Right now I listen to a loop of the Piano Guys for my WIP Graffiti Bible—the music is kind of classical, but with a modern twist. I love it.

CAIT: Music all round! I usually have a movie soundtrack going – Inception, Batman Begins, Avatar, Gladiator. Basically if Hans Zimmer wrote it, it’s a good soundtrack.

Do you ever have conversations with your characters in your head? 

MIME: All the time, they just won’t shut up.

CAIT: Now, Mime, that’s called insanity and it’s frowned upon in most societies.

What time of day do you write the best in? 

MIME: Night—always night. If I had a theme song, it would be a Nocturne.

CAIT: Any time. I used to be quite picky, but now I just write. Five minutes spare? Write.

Writing; by hand or typing? 

MIME: I haven’t written by hand for ages. I wrote half a book by hand—three volumes of exercise book later… and one of my other ones I wrote half by hand and half by typing, because I was writing it in school, and it was more convenient. Now I type, because I find it easier to wring in the word counts that way.

CAIT: Typing. I can’t read my own handwriting.

Who or what first inspired you to write?

MIME: The Boxcar Children and Meet Molly. Interesting combination, I know.

CAIT: Mime did! I didn’t like to think of her penning novels and getting famous without me. It wouldn’t be fair.

What is your favorite genre? 

MIME: I try not to get stuck in one genre, because it’s not good for my writing. I love a good dystopian or contemporary, but some of my favourite books are historical fiction or fantasy.

CAIT: Dystopian! I like to read anything YA, though. So contemporary, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, and even the odd bite of steampunk.

What genre does your current WIP fall under? 

MIME: Chaos.

CAIT: I think Beth meant something a little more specific.

MIME: Okay, okay. YA Christian Contemporary Fiction Chaos.

CAIT: Sci-fi. Simple and to the point.

 Tell us about your WIP?

MIME: I have a whole page on my blog for it—It’s called Graffiti Bible and it’s about one dork, one graffiti artist, and one girl who’s not swallowing any of the stuff the pious boy next door is throwing at her.

CAIT: Currently I’m working on an idea. It’s being difficult. It’s mostly sci-fi, but I’m throwing in some carnivorous grasshoppers just to shake things up.

Do you prefer rainbows or penguins? ;)

MIME: Unicorns.

CAIT: Being difficult are we, Mime? Penguins. Like from Madagascar. “Just smile and wave, boys, smile and wave.”

 ---

About the sisters: Cait and Mime blog at Notebook Sisters. They like to read books so much they decided to write their own. Mostly they snack on tasty novels, have Avengers movie marathons, and thump the piano. Though not all at once. You can find them on twitter and facebook and Cait blogs as Hulk on YAvengers. They are currently plotting to take over the world. You can sign up to be a minion on their blog (there is cake). 

Picture Prompt

Hello again! I completely forgot it was Thursday! Prompt day to be exact! I didn't know what to do because I had already posted something long and with lots of words so I figured this prompt should be different. Quick as a wink I flew off to Pinterest and found three pictures. The prompt is to choose a picture and write for 15 minutes. Remember to write how it makes you feel and what you can see as though you were there. Got it? Good!

Rules:

-Pick a photo

-Write for 15 minutes about it.

-Post your piece in the comments. (You may have to post half in one comment and the other half in another. Blogger is weird.)

-Comment on other's pieces and tell all your friends about it!

Okay here are the pictures! I know I'm going to have a hard time choosing!

How Do I Write? Glad You Asked!

First order of business: I got a new background. You noticed? Good! I hope you like it! I finally decided the other one didn't really fit my theme so it was time for a change. I am the kind of person who needs new scenery every once in a while so this is by no means permanent. If you don't like change, I'm truly sorry. That's just how it's going to be.

Second order of business: The last couple of days we've been talking about Planners and Pantsers. We've talked about the different ways to do it, now I'm going to tell you something shocking about the way I write.

I don't plan or pants.

That's right. I'm neither planner nor Pantser. I am a little bit of both though. 

When I first started my novel, I followed all the rules. I planned it out, thinking it would make it that much easier. At first it helped! I was doing NaNoWriMo for the first time and the idea of actually finishing scared me. I didn't finish my novel that November. Or the November after that. And I still haven't. 

When I got to the middle, I didn't know what to write. I made up a lot of random stuff that didn't make sense and will most likely have to come out later. (My poor baby is going to have to have major surgery...*sniff*)

In April, I did Camp NaNoWriMo. I didn't win and I still didn't finish. I tried to plan the rest of my novel but I got bored within the second sentence of planning. 

I cannot write out my plans. That's where I get stuck. It bores me so I don't write it but I need an outline to follow!

I read somewhere that some people take 5 minutes before they write to write an outline of the scene they're writing. Sounds boring to me. I tried that and it failed too. (This should be called the post of shame...) 

I haven't found my magic method yet but I'm going to keep trying. I really hope I find it soon. I'm getting to the important part of me novel!

Maybe I just have to keep the outline in my head and not write it down. I have a pretty good idea of what will happen eventually but right now I'm stuck. Like REALLY stuck. I hate being stuck. I'm sure if I just start writing that something will come to me. Probably. Hopefully.

I'm an in betweener. I keep stuff in my head. A "Plantser" as dubbed by the Magic Violinist. ;)

What are your thoughts on "Plantsing"? Any tips for me? I can use all the help I can get!

P.S. Tomorrow is the big day!! I'll be posting the teen writer interview! It's going to be fantastic and I know you don't want to miss it! I'll give you a hint though; It may involve two teen writers! You heard me. Stay tuned!

Snippets of Story (Spring)

Oh I'm excited for this!!

This post is part of a link-up I discovered on the blog Whisperings of the Pen! The idea is to post "snippets" from your various WIPs all in one post and link it to the original post. I thought it was a splendid idea so here are my "snippets"! (Some you probably have read.)

~My Medieval Idea With No Name~

"Hail!" Replied the crowd. 

Arthur took his seat and the rules were read. The audience grew more and more tense. Soon it would start. Soon. 

Rachel looked again at the tall knight on the dapple grey stallion. Her heart gave a little flutter. He was looking at her. She waved shyly. He nodded almost imperceptivly. 

A wide grin spread across her face. 

Soon, the rules were finished. The knights went to their places in the lists. Her knight would be the first to joust along with one of the toughest looking others. 

The flag was dropped and both horses thundered along the track. Lances came up. Rachel held her breath. Her knight set himself. The impact. Oh! The big knight flew backward off his saddle. Her knight had won! 

Rachel let out her breath and laughed. It was a moment fitting for a laugh. 

~The Unicorn~

"You're weird Daniel." Said Nathan. 

Daniel bowed, Mountain Dew in hand before sauntering to the TV room. 

"We could put it in the basement." Said Laura after a moment of thoughtful silence between the two. 

"I thought about that. But how will we get it down the stairs?" 

"Magic!" Laura replied. Her eyes glinting with mischief. 

"We don't have any magic Laura! And even if we did, we wouldn't know how to use it!" 

Laura furrowed her brow. She was biting her lip in that adorable way that Nathan loved. 

~To Save the Lost~ 

The silence grew so heavy that they could almost hear it. occasionally, a bird would screech, startling them all and shattering their thoughts of safety. Ria's heart would race knowing that they had finally been caught and she would be forced back to her castle. The plight of her father would remain unheeded and she would likely die of misery. But every time, it was just a regular bird. 

"Cooper?" She called. "Would you help me with this?" 

He looked up with a scowl but seemed to decide it wasnt worth it to fight with Ria. He walked over. 

"What is it?" He asked. 

"You tied my rope too tight." She said, tugging on the rope as if to prove it. 

Cooper sighed and set to work undoing the knot. 

"you don't seem okay." Ria said after a pause. Her eyes were full of concern as they looked unflinchingly into Cooper's. 

he dropped his gaze first. 

"I just...I need time Ria." 

"I know. But maybe talking about it will help." 

Cooper rolled his eyes. 

"you are not my mother. I can handle myself!" As he said this, he pulled hard on the rope. Instead of coming free, it snapped in his hands. He sighed in frustration.

"Did you really think you could beat me Victoria Eadell? I am darkness. I am the core of every nightmare. I am death herself. Your quest is doomed to fail. Your father will die and you will live your entire life haunted by the knowledge that you could not stop it."

~Thursday's Writing Prompt~

I see ahead the glistening sight of my savior! Water! I begin to run toward it as fast as I can, it's hard in the sand of the desert but I manage. Water is ahead and I can taste it already. I run directly into the glittering pool, expecting to feel the cool water on my legs. Instead I feel sand. Endless sand. I collapse on the ground and sob. This is the last straw. I give up. I just want to die already. Nothing has gone right for me the past few weeks. Kidnapped, beaten, interrogated, then finally left in the desert to die. 

Only I haven't died. It's been days and I have no water. Yet I live. I cannot believe my bad luck.

~My Slice of Heaven~

The small flashes of white, brown, red, blue, and black dart through the trees before me. Never have I seen so many birds. The symbol of hope in any world. I take a deep breath and lie down on my back. My eyes are closed but I can feel my surroundings. 
The soft green canopy tints the light, giving the air a fairy like feel. The brown of the tree trunks adds a perfect contrast to the vast number of flowers that blanket the forest floor. I can smell the laziness of the air. It's warm and full of scents and tastes wafting past my face. The smell is intoxicating. 
So many flowers in one place mixed with the scent of damp earth and growing trees is enough to make anyone want to stay forever.
I can feel the trees growing. They are whispering secrets to one another. I can hear them. Another sound, the most prominent, is the birds. Twittering and chirping. Their songs perfectly embody happiness. The light, lilting feeling, and the sharper almost laughing aspect.
This is happiness. 
My little place in the woods. 
My little slice of heaven. 

~A Write Practice Piece~

I can't believe it. After all I've done for him. After all we've been through he still says nothing. He knows we both feel the same way. Yet he remains mute. 
"I give up on you." I say. "You don't care about anyone." 
Chris jumps up. "No Meghan that's not it! I do care...I just..." 
"Are a coward." I reply. I don't give him another look. I know I've crushed him. I know it's going to be painful for both of us. But I can't remain mute. I can't stay silent after this. It's for the best. My eyes fill with tears but I turn away so he doesn't see them. He must never know how much this hurts me. Gosh, can't do it. I turn around and bury my face in his shoulder. My arms are around his neck as tight as they will go. I can't give him up now. After a surprised pause he wraps his strong arms around me. 
"I love you Meghan. I always have." He whispers into my neck. I don't reply. I am being suffocated by my feelings. 

As you can see, I do a lot of random stuff! Hope you enjoyed them! And don't forget to check out the original post! 

P.S. Sorry for the random different fonts and formats. I have tried and tried to fix them but they're  stubborn and I am not.

By The Seat Of Your Pants

I've been going through the differences in story writing this week. (I simply adore series'!) Planners were discussed in a previous post and today's topic is Pantsers! (It was only logical.) 

The term "Pantser" comes from the phrase, "by the seat of your pants". Spontaneous. Pantsers don't use an outline. The just sit down and write the story. They don't worry about what's going to happen a few chapters away, they just write. 

It's a lot of fun to write this way! You never know what the characters are going to do. You may write the whole novel around your MC's wish to go home, but in the end, it may just end up that she dies without ever seeing her family again. (I'm morbid...)

Even you as the author didnt see this coming. 

Pantsing can take away a lot of the time spent outlining before you even start, but without a clear path, you may end up writing yourself into a plot hole that you can never hope to escape from. 

Overall, I think Pantsing is great fun but I've only ever tried it once, and while intriguing, I soon gave up. I'm kindof an in between. But you'll hear more about that in another post!

In the meantime, what did I leave out? Have anything to add? Have your charries ever done completely unpredictable things? Tell me about it in the comments! 

What is a Planner? (Also Known As Plotter)

When you sit down to write a story, do you map out the whole thing before hand? 

If you answered "yes", you are a planner. (Also known as Plotter)

Planners know what needs to get done. They have a clear plan in mind and may feel guilty when their story strays from this plan. 

Not all if them of course, but a lot of them. 

You may be asking, well I haven't actually written anything yet. Should I be a planner? Is that a bad thing? Should I see a therapist? 

Good question! I can't answer it. 

The way to write is not a formula. It's what works best for you. You are the writer, you get to decide. 

If you are working for a publisher, that's another matter. They usually want an outline of some kind so they know this story isn't going to flop big time. Not that I know this from experience. I'm just parroting. But just because you wrote an outline for your publisher doesnt mean you have to follow it.

Should you be a planner? 

Well;

Do you like lists? 

Do you like to know what you're going to be doing before diving into a project?

Do you like to have a clear map of where you are going? 

Yes? You would probably like being a planner! 

What do you have to do to be a planner? 

Planners write outlines. Sometimes the outlines are somewhat vague. "Clara is going to find out the boy she's been slowly falling in love with the past few months has only weeks to live. Heartbroken, she turns to music to free her mind of the grief." 

Or they can be specific; "Chapter 12: Clara calls Roger who is clearly her soulmate and talks with him for a while. They talk about track and hurdles and how much they hate their coach. Roger lets it slip that he would love to go on a date with Clara but is held back because he doesn't want to hurt her in the end. Curious, Clara presses him and within minutes has the truth. Roger is dying of cancer. Her world shatters. Days of mind numbing grief follow. 

Chapter 13: Clara begins to write music on her guitar. Soon, she has a series of songs specially dedicated to Roger." 

The choice is yours what to use. Beware, detailed outlines take time and you may end up losing interest in your book before even beginning to write it. 

On the other hand, vague overviews are hard because you may end up stuck in the middle of the rising action with no where to turn (like me) because your outline didn't go into much detail. But the good side of that is, I've come up with SO many good ideas because I got stuck and forced myself to think up something for my charries to do. 

Planning can be rewarding. But it is a lot more work up front and tends to spoil the surprises your characters can spring on you while you're writing. They can be fun! I found an evil witch's enchanted castle quite by mistake the other day. It was quite a pleasant surprise and was fun to write. 

Whatever kind of outline you choose to write, I hope planning suits you well. 

Do you have anything to add? What are your best planning tips?

Planner? Pantser? (Upcoming Series)

As a writer, I've heard the terms "planner" (or "plotter")  and "Pantser" many times. I'm sure you have too.

But what are they? If you don't already know, you soon will! I'm going to be talking about them here! If you do know, I'm glad! You can lend your insight because I will probably miss something!  

Whatever the case, I hope you join me! 

I'll be talking about: 

•Planners/Plotters (What would you prefer I call them? I can't decide.)

•Pantsers

•The way I write 

•An interview with a teen author! (Nope. Not telling who it will be!) 

Maybe you've been a planner your whole life and you'd like to try pantsing for a change. I say go for it! It's always fun to mix up your writing a little bit. Maybe it's the other way around. Whatever it is, try something different! It may just open your eyes to a "magic" new way of writing that may just be the push or the help you need. 

Personally, I've been a little bit of both, and I'll cover that in one of the posts but I just want to say, in the past hour my brain has been bombarded, really bombarded, with crazy plot twists that I think might just work. I've had a lot of the novel planned, but this is golden. I never would have thought about this possibility before and it's blowing my mind with how awesome it is! (Sorry, had to ramble a bit. I'm so excited for this idea!) 

So anyway, stay tuned! 

And if you haven't already, consider subscribing to this blog so you don't miss a thing! It would make my whole day if you did! I probably would throw a party. Likely involving mountain dew, oreos, ice cream, pixies, a hobbit or two for songs, a fire eater, and possible a friendly grey wizard who could supply the fireworks. It wouldn't be a party you'd want to miss! You can subscribe by e-mail in the sidebar! Or for other ways, go check out my "follow" page at the top of the page! 

A Poem About Music To Make Up For My Failure

Hello my friends! I regret to tell you I don't have the sequel to my unicorn story. Because I fail hardcore. But I have a poem of mine that I can share instead! 

Here it is! (Maybe I'll share the story tomorrow if I get it written by then?) 

Music. 

Beautiful

Haunting

A string of words

Happy, heartwrenching. 

Angry. 

Powerful. 

Gentle. Soft. 

Echoes of a long lost love

A far away memory

A recent loss. 

Music is meaningful. 

It can do anything. 

Change a life?

Check. 

No lyrics? No problem! 

A wordless melody

Beautiful. 

Emotional. 

The orchestra creates pain,

Sadness, fear, joy. 

A wonderful thing. 

How could we live without it? 

So many kinds. 

Classical, jazz, hip hop. 

Country, pop, rock and roll. 

Endless possibilities

Endless singers. 

Composers, artists, guitarists, 

All masters. 

Creators of feelings. 

Music can bring life. 

Beauty. 

Pain. 

Joy. 

It can create pictures

With no more than piano and cello. 

It's spinners are intriguing. 

Magicians. 

Spinning tales. Emotions. 

What is life without it? 

Nothing. It would be nothing. 

Music is life. 

Hope you enjoyed it! (and aren't too disappointed in my failure...;)

The Plot Rollercoaster

So you've got an idea for your book. What now?

How about an outline? Something to get you started so you don't lose your way! Sound good? Good.

If you've read the NaNoWriMo workbooks, you will be familiar with this plot Rollercoaster.

It goes something like this.

Introduction. A lot of people say, start with an introduction of sorts. Meet the characters, get to know them (if only for one chapter) before throwing a curveball at them to get the story moving.

Others say to start right in the middle of conflict. Or at the inciting incident. But that doesn't need to be a battle. The conflict could be an argument with their little sister, an internal battle going on in their soul, it could be the MC (main character) racing through town to fetch the doctor to heal her ailing sister.

 This is to add that element that makes readers want to stay with your story, that will glue the book to their hands.

But personally, I think either way works. As long as the introduction stage doesn't last longer than 2 or 3 short chapters. It could put people to sleep. Just sayin.

Next is the point of no return. The inciting incident.  The point where the character is thrown into the dangerous mass that is your story, never to return the same. If they even come back alive.    

"Can you promise that I will come back?" "No. And if you do, you will not be the same."

This part should be gripping. Don't skimp on those epic writing skills I know you have! 

"This is the time, to show them everything."

Rising action. Ah rising action.

This is the middle of your story. The longest part. Sometimes, you get lost in it, you don't know if you're going to make it to the end alive.

But you are coming up with something for that right now. Because you are smart and are writing an outline. You know what's going to happen in the next chapter. You brought a flashlight for the long, dark tunnel. And most likely, you will finish this part of the story quicker than those with no outline.

That isn't to say it's going to be smooth sailing. Writing a book is hard. There's no way around it. It will test you, humble you, and altogether give you a different view on life.

This stage particularly. You might face monsters such as, self-doubt, self-pity, laziness, lack of motivation, "lack of time" (please. How much time in a day do we spend doing nothing? Go write! This is no excuse!), and perhaps the biggest of all, the inner editor. (I'll save his explanation for his own post later.)

Next; Climax. This part should be the most gripping. The part where no one wants to put the book down for fear of going mad without knowing the end. This is where you give it your all.

Next in line, falling action. This part should be short. Imagine this is a real rollercoaster. The climax is the part where you're right on the top of the hill. Falling action is just after that, when the coaster goes into a dive. That's how quick it should be.

Then, resolve. Don't just stop after the falling action. Your readers won't be able to function after finishing. As readers, we want solutions and the tying up of loose ends. We want the story to feel finished. When you end abruptly, or even semi-abruptly (*cough*suzannecollins*cough*), it leaves your readers dazed and without a clear understanding of what just happened. Give us closure! Epilogues only sort of count.

Of course, like any good Rollercoaster, that's not all there is. There may be loops, curves, turns, TWO hills, whatever. As a writer, you can play with it as much as you want.

But whatever you do, Have. Fun! :)

What would you add?

Of Failure and The Beauty of Life

Good day to you all! I must apologize for my fail on the writing prompt yesterday. I will get my piece written. I fully intended to get it done yesterday but pretty much right after I published it, my day kindof went into a downward spiral and I couldn't find the time or will to do it. You can still participate in it! And last weeks as well. There's no deadline or specific timeslot to do them in. I would love to see what you can come up with!

I was thinking about yesterday, and overall, it was an okay day. There were plenty of ups. But it was the downs that I remember the most vividly. Why is that? 

Why do we as humans allow ourselves to get caught up in the bad things in life? Why are we so caught up in our struggles instead of rejoicing in our victories and triumphs? 

I've often wondered about this. We're constantly talking about and thinking about "what could go wrong?". And not in the sarcastic sense. 

We seem to be paranoid. There are plenty of people who are optimistic! I wish I was one of them. But even optimists get the grumps. Even they can start seeing things for worse than they are. 

It makes me sad that it's so easy to see bad in people and around us. We see how polluted the skies are and we wonder what we did for it to be this bad. Why don't we remember the fields and the meadows. The untouched places where silence can seem so loud. The beauty stuns us. Let's remember those. 

Let's dwell on the good things in life. Let's remember the fields and the lilies. The sun and the great big blue sky. The people in our lives who build us up. Because life should be enjoyable. Not full of worries and cares. 

Life is a beautiful gift. Have you ever just thought about it? We are so blessed to be able to love! To see colors and appreciate beauty. To feel and to touch. Wouldn't life be boring if everything felt the same? Taste. I love food! Life would be sad if things didn't taste different. It would be bland. Smells are glorious. How different would it be without smells? We can enjoy being around our friends. We can create art. We can enjoy and play music. This is life. So why shouldn't we enjoy it? Why shouldn't we dwell on the good things? 

Your thoughts? 

The Desert: A Writing Prompt

Guess what today is?! Thuuursday! Which means the second weekly Rainbows and Penguins writing prompt! I'm excited! Are you? Good. Let's get to it! 

Remember the rules? (They're fairly simple.) 

1. Write for 15 minutes using one or both of the prompts below. (You could write two pieces, one for each prompt if you want. 15 minutes each.)

2. Post the unedited piece in the comments. 

3. Give honest (but kind) critique to other's writing. A good formula would be; two or more things you liked, and one or two things you think could be improved upon. Again, honest but kind! 

4. Check back often to see if someone has talked about your writing! I will try to reply to all the comments so you'll at least get my opinion! :) 

5. Share this with your friends! Twitter, Facebook, Google +, real life, we love it all! I adore new faces and it would be fantastic to see some! :) 

I think that's all the rules! Here are the prompts! 

•You have been stranded for four days in the desert. You've run out of supplies and it's only a matter of time before you die of thirst. What happens? 

•"I see/saw ahead the glittering sight of my savior. Water!"

Set your timers for 15 minutes and get writing! See you in the comments. :) 

So You Want To Write?

Many say it.

"I want to write a book."

Writing a book (though I've never actually finished one. Working on it.), is difficult. But it's fun and you will definitely learn something from it. I know I've learned a lot from it!

Why should you? In the words of Jeff Goins: "Because it's hard."

Everyone should have to do at least one hard thing in their lives.

So writing a book. What do you need?

Well you have to have an idea for a story of some kind. Novel, novella, short story. It doesn't matter. You'll be writing and that's enough.

Finding ideas can be easy too, you just have to know where to look.

Did you have a dream about rabid monkeys invading an ice cream shop and stealing all the cones from the poor nerdy girl who works there? Hmm. Sounds interesting!

Do you see fairies and goblins in the gardens and forests outside your house? Bam! Story idea! (Or mental illness. Get yourself checked out, then proceed with the story writing process.)

There are stories all around us. I was reading a blog a couple weeks ago written by a girl who had just published a novel set in the aftermath of the Japanese Tsunami. She knew where to look for a story, our world. (www.siennanorth.com for anyone curious)

So now, you have a story idea. What next?

Now you'll want to add your main character.

She/he might have come pre-packaged with the idea (I.e. nerdy girl who works in ice cream shop), or you may have to create your own main character (I.e. fairies and goblins are all well and good but you probably want a main character to interact with them).

Next, side characters.

You don't have to come up with them all now. Just one or two sidekicks and/or a love interest. 

You'll want characters who can be charming, 3D, and believable. And by that I mean, the sidekicks need to be pretty in depth people. We shouldn't be able to see that you threw them in for added humor or to kill later. (Guilty...) They need to be developable. Three dimensional. And they need to be relatable. Or they'll fall flat.

They need goals and motive just as much as your MC.

Dustfinger. Will Turner. Annabeth Chase. Murtagh. Halt. 

The sidekicks. The ones the MC can't live without. (Or maybe they'll have to! *evil laugh*)

You need a world to put them in. Are they going to live in Texas present day? During the reign of Queen Elizabeth? In the land of Cacklmaginklefas? Whatever you want! But if the place is real, make sure you do your homework. It would be pretty embarrassing to set them in Romania but not know that Romanians drive at alarming speeds all the time and the country is still recovering from a communist rule. Those are pretty big things! Do your research!

You'll need a plot as well. You can either sit down and just start writing, (the Pantser method), or you can map your way first (the planner/plotter). Find the right fit for you and go with it! I find it easier to do a little bit of both honestly.

So what's stopping you? Anyone can write a book if they really try to. It'll be fun! You comin?

Go, live your dream. -Ruffian, Tangled

Top Fictional Guys I Fangirl Over (Movies And TV)

If you remember, last week I did a post with a list of the guys from books that I fangirl over the most. Today's post is the same but with movie and TV guys instead! Possibly more lengthy...we shall see. 

•Gilbert Blythe. Cause he's Gilbert Blythe. You know?

•Sherlock Holmes. Both. Movie and TV. But mostly Mr. Cumberbatch. :) (sorry Robert!) "You were thinking. It's annoying." 

•Rory Williams/Pond. Nuff said. 

•Edmund Pevensie. Only in the later two  obviously. He's so little in the first one! 

•Loki! Duh! This is a no brainer. I don't care if he's the villian. 

•The Doctor. Any of them really. But Mostly Matt Smith. :) "Beans are evil. Bad bad beans."

•Captain Jack Sparrow. "Nobody move! I dropped me brain...", "How far are you willing to go to save her?" "I'd die for her!" "Oh good!"

•Riley Poole. See, this is more how I am in real life! I like the nerdy ones! Although, I did put Loki on this list...

•Dustfinger. Paul Bettany's voice. Nuff said. 

•Jarvis. (Iron Man's computer.) okay, this one is only for Paul Bettany's voice but seriously! He's awesome!

•Finnick Odair. Yeah, Catching Fire isn't out yet. I still love Finnick. Cause I know they're going to make him awesome!

•Peeta Mellark. Though he wasnt quite as epic as in the book. I still love him! Just a teeny tiny bit less. 

•Murtagh. Him and Brom were the only redeeming qualities to this movie. The ONLY good things. (Except maybe the fact that Robert Carlyle is in it. But he doesn't count cause Durza really creeps me out.) 

•The Mad Hatter. (Once Upon A Time) Again with the creepy guys...hmmm...

•Merlin. (From the TV show) 

•Arthur. (From aforementioned TV show.) <3 

Here's why those are mentioned: 

Hehe. I love them. :D

•Bofur. (The Hobbit) He is so talented! Not even because of looks or whatever. I adore his voice and his talent and his personality...:) "Think furnace, with wings!" 

•Bruce Banner. Weird I know. But his character is one of the best in the Avengers! He makes me happy! 

•Hawkeye. I love him. All my friends think I'm crazy. But I still do. :) 

•Aragorn. Because honestly, who doesn't like Aragorn? (Actually...I take that back. I have a friend who thinks he's whiny. But then again, said friend has strange taste in movies...)

•Laurie. (Little Women.) Ah. Christian Bale. I get absolutely giddy at the part when Laurie and Jo are discussing him going to college and he puts the book up to his face and say, "a glove!" If you've seen the movie, you know what I mean. :) 

•Mr. Bingely! (From the Kiera Knightely version) This man is so adorable! 

I do believe that's all! 

Who would you add? 

The Power of Weather

Weather is amazing. I'm constantly in awe at how quickly it can change and how it can make you feel. Weather is indispensable when you're trying to set a mood. 

When you're reading (and writing) a book, the weather around the characters can often alter the way you perceive the scene. 

For instance, in Inkheart, in the very first chapter, it's raining. At first it has a cozy feel, but then Meggie sees a man standing in the yard. Immediately, the tone turn ominous. The rain mixed with the sight of a strange man fills you with dread. Something bad is about to happen. 

Weather can be critical to the feel, and even the plot to a novel. Where would Dorothy and Toto be without the tornado? Still in Kansas. The entire plot depends on that tornado. 

When we think of scary stories, there's almost always a storm. Thunder, coupled with the anxiety and suspense is key in how it makes us feel. 

On the other hand, sunny skies and puffy clouds make us feel that the world is perfect. Nothing could go wrong. (Famous last words perhaps? But that's a post for another day.) 

Yesterday was my best friend's graduation party. It was going really well, the rain had held up all afternoon. It only had to keep away for a couple more hours and we could have our bonfire. That didnt work so well. Before all the regular guests had even all left, it started raining. 

Not regular rain though. This rain was coupled with ridiculously strong winds, hail, and tornados. A tornado touched down just a few miles from us. 

Now, my friends are not quite normal. They were cracking jokes and not taking it very seriously. Which would have been okay if just one or two were, but it was a lot of them. It didnt really help the anxiety. 

The "mood" had mixed signals. On one hand, we could very well be hit with a tornado. On the other, it was just another day with my favorite people, having fun and laughing. 

The point of that story? I'm not absolutely positive. 

Maybe it's this: when you're writing a scene, think about how weather can help you set a mood. Thunderstorms, sunny days, regular old rain, snowstorms. All can do wonders. But if you want a feeling of panic and confusion, have your characters laughing and making jokes, but all the while, panic is growing in all their hearts. They don't know if they'll make it and that makes them want to laugh all the more. It could be interesting in the least. 

So when you're writing, remember the weather, and then manipulate it to fit the mood you want to set. 

Have something to add? Has weather helped scenes you've written? Share in the comments! I really would love to hear about it! 

The Unicorn: A Story in Episodes

So this is my story that I'm going to be posting every Sunday! (Hopefully. Can't promise anything in the summer.) 

I would love your honest opinion! 

The Unicorn

The unicorn didn't fit in the room. He was just too large. 

"How are we ever going to manage this?" Asked Laura. 

"Hush!" Said Nathan. "I'm thinking!" 

"Well that's an annoying thing to do." Put in Daniel. 

"Shut Up!" 

"Fine. Grumpy face." Daniel stuck out his tongue. 

"So, if we put the unicorn in the yard, everyone will see it. And those pesky Mr. And Mrs. Davis will call the police and we'll go to prison for illegal possession of mythical creature and if Mom and Dad see it, we'll get worse than prison. Possibly worse than death." 

Daniel shuddered. "Lecture."

"Sounds about right." Said Laura. She crossed her arms over her chest. "So whatcha gonna do about it?" 

Nathan sighed. "I don't know." 

"We could put it in the garage!" 

"No Laura, my dad's car is in there. He'd kill me if something happened to it." 

"Hey I know!" Exclaimed Daniel. "The treehouse!" 

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Genius." He replied, raising his eyebrow. 

"Fine. Whatever." Said Daniel. He was tired of this whole mess. "I'm going to go watch The Avengers." 

"Again?" Asked Laura. "Haven't you seen that like, five gazillion times?" 

"Maybe." Replied Daniel. "But it calms me down. It's like an old friend that will always be there when I need a pick-me-up." 

"You're weird Daniel." Said Nathan. 

Daniel bowed, Mountain Dew in hand before sauntering to the TV room. 

"We could put it in the basement." Said Laura after a moment of thoughtful silence between the two. 

"I thought about that. But how will we get it down the stairs?" 

"Magic!" Laura replied. Her eyes glinting with mischief. 

"We don't have any magic Laura! And even if we did, we wouldn't know how to use it!" 

Laura furrowed her brow. She was biting her lip in that adorable way that Nathan loved. 

"It seems you mortals are in need of some help." The deep voice had come from the living room and brought Nathan back to earth. 

Laura looked at him. Her grey eyes betrayed her fear. 

Nathan glanced around the room but could see no one. 

He cautiously moved to sit by Laura in case he needed to protect her. 

"Who's there?" He asked. 

"Are you afraid? You really shouldn't be. I've been here the whole time. If I wanted to attack you, I would have already." 

"The whole time?" Said Laura. "But how? We searched the house before bringing the uni..." She trailed off. She looked at Nathan with wide eyes. 

He seemed to have come to the same conclusion. 

"Launem? Is that you?" 

The unicorn tossed it's head. 

"About time you figured it out my dear boy. But my name is Gerald. Launem is the most ridiculous name I've ever heard. Where did you get it?"

Laura stayed silent. She had been quite proud of the name. It was original. 

"Uhh..." Said Nathan. He glanced at Laura who gave a slight shake of her head. "It doesn't matter." He finally decided. "Can you help us?" 

"Perhaps." Answered the unicorn. 

"We need to find a place to put you." 

"Why can't I just stay here? The grass is positively delightful!" Gerald took a huge bite of the carpet and began chewing it thoughtfully. 

"No!" Exclaimed Nathan, jumping from his seat. "Oh no...my mom's gonna kill me..." He ran his hand through his thick dark hair in dismay. "Why would you do that??" He demanded of Gerald. 

"Becauf it tazes good lil' hoomen." Gerald had his mouth very full. 

"Dont chew with your mouth full." Muttered Laura. 

"Well excoof me!" Gerald was trying for indignation but it failed when a bit of chewed up carpet fell from his mouth. 

"Ewww!" Exclaimed Laura, moving as far away from it as she could. 

"Forry" 

"You are a disgusting creature." 

Gerald just looked at her with disapproval. 

"Umm, guys. Why is the unicorn eating the carpet?" Daniel had come back. 

"What happened to the Avengers?" Laura asked. 

"Needed a snack. But why is it eating the carpet?" 

"Because it tastes good." Replied Gerald. 

Daniel dropped his Mountain Dew. "Launem can talk??" 

"Daniel!" Nathan exclaimed, leaping forward. "My mom just bought this carpet! Oh man..." He rushed to the kitchen for some paper towels. 

"Sorry." Muttered Daniel. 

"His actual name is Gerald." Said Laura. 

Daniel raised an eyebrow. 

"Gerald? What kind of a unicorn name is Gerald?" 

"An honorable one!" Protested Gerald. "I'll have you know puny human, my great-great grandfather had the name Gerald and he did many mighty deeds in the war of-" 

"Yeah, we don't care. Shut up Gerry." Interrupted Daniel. 

"Humph. I was going to offer to solve your problem for you but since you can't be nice, I think I'll let you figure it out yourself." Gerald said. 

"Fine by me!" Said Daniel turning his back and crossing his arms. 

Nathan came rushing back into the room paper towels in hand. 

"Daniel!" Laura moaned. "We need him!" 

"Oh man oh man oh man..." Nathan muttered. 

"Nathan! Are you there?" Called a voice from the front door. "Could you come unlock the door for me?" 

"Mom!" Exclaimed Nathan. He turned to the unicorn. "Get yourself out of here Gerald! I don't care how just do it!" 

"Well you don't have to be pushy." Gerald replied. He tossed his head and instantly, all four of them were in a place  they'd never seen before. 

"What did you do??" Cried Nathan. 

"I saved your hide. Go ahead, thank me." Replied the content looking unicorn. 

Nathan gave Gerald a look. "Not on your life." He mumbled. "This is the most ridiculous place I've ever been to! Nothing looks normal! Where are we?" 

"Nathan," Daniel said, picking  a starburst from a nearby tree nonchalantly. "Did you have no childhood? We're in candy land!" 

Writing: Third and Fourth Drafts?

When I write, I try to write as fast as possible. I don't worry about what I'm writing so much as, I'm writing. 

It sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. 

For instance, if I'm listening to a soundtrack as opposed to a playlist with lyrics, I tend to get things down faster and I think more clearly. But not always. It just depends on the day sometimes. 

One of the things I constantly see when I'm reading writing tips is this; revise revise revise. 

They say sometimes you need to write up to four drafts of your piece. Maybe even more. 

In the words of a very wise and applauded woman of our day and age..."Ain't nobody got time fo dat!" 

I hate revising. A lot. It's not at all my cup of tea. I can do the proof reading. That part is easy. But changing the words I've worked hard on? That's tough. 

Usually, I only have two, sometimes three drafts. The first draft is obvious. It's sometimes good, sometimes not. 

The second is my proof reading. Spelling errors? Grammatical? Did I a word out? Does that paragraph need to stay? Do I need to expand on that point? How can I improve the flow? 

These questions are forefront in my mind when I edit. 

I also add things here and there. Maybe I missed a point or I need to rewrite something to clarify it, but that's usually in the second draft as well. 

After that though, I don't do much. I re-read like crazy. Sometimes I wonder why I'm reading it this many times over, but I do it anyway. 

I think it's my way of being insecure about my work. I'm constantly trying to read it from the eyes of my potential reader. 

But I don't really do much more in the revising department. I don't know if that's a lack of insight, or if I'm just too prideful about my work. I just KNOW it's perfect. It doesn't need anymore help. 

But what do I know? Usually, the author is the harshest critic. But in my case, I think I give my work too much credit. 

Pride. My fatal flaw at times. (Other times I don't even have an inkling of regard for my work, much less pride for it. I flip flop.)

This post was written in just two drafts. How do you think I did?