Camp NaNoWriMo . . .

Welp . . . tomorrow is the official start of Camp NaNoWriMo. Yay! This time, I vow to do my very best. I have to. I need to finish Endangered. I need to get Gilbert out of my head!

I heard about NaNoWriMo a day before it ended. I was on Youtube, listening to some really great instrumental music and scrolling through the comments. I've always been curious. I can't help it! So when I read a comment saying, "This is a great song! It's really helping me with NaNoWriMo!" I couldn't help but google it. I read about it, and then signed up. That was the day I realized I could not write 50K in a single day. >_<

I was disappointed to learn that it only came around once a year. And then thrilled to learn they had CAMP NaNo. I signed up quickly for that one too. And vowed to make 50K both times. *cough* Sadly, I didn't write much in June. At least, not for NaNo. But that was before I discovered 750words.com. THAT is the one thing that keeps me motivated. And I will be using it for Camp NaNo this time. (I highly recommend it. Really, you should use it.)

One thing you will probably learn about me is that I am extremely competitive. I hate losing. Who doesn't? I don't go crazy and get upset and throw temper tantrums when I lose, but I don't like it. So whenever I read that someone has made so-and-so words today, I start writing. It's motivation for me.

It's tough being a writer when you're the oldest child in your family, have 6 little siblings (and counting), homeschooling, blogging, and more. All of those responsibilities. And you still have to find time to write. And read. Oh, and when you have thousands of writing ideas, but try to stick to the one you started a year ago, and yet that story isn't cooperating, that's tough too. Which is why I've been taking a break from writing the past two weeks. I'm saving it all for NaNo.

I think today I'll start warming up with a few writing prompts. What about you? If you're competing in NaNo, how are you warming up?

God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV 

Olympic Writing . . .

Hmm . . . Olympic writing? I know you're wondering, "What is 'Olympic writing'?" Well, I came up with this idea, and I'll get to that in a few minutes. First things first.

 It's time for the Olympics! It's time for us to root for our countries and favorite sports. I've been rooting for the good ole' USA in every sport. My favorite is the Gymnastics. And I've been cheering for Jordyn Wieber. You should have seen me and my siblings. We were having our own little party every time the USA won a medal.

Anyway, while watching the Olympics, I came up with an idea. Olympic writing. I haven't really fully developed the idea. But it would be something like NaNoWriMo, except it'd be for about 2 weeks. Well, maybe a month, we'll see. And we wouldn't try to write a whole novel in that short time. We'd have a set word count. Maybe . . . . try to get 25K in 2 weeks, or something like that. And the hosting blog would set the all-around word count. We'll do this once a month, or something like that.

Since I came up with the idea, I'll be the first blog to host.

I know, I know. I stink at creating rules. *eye roll* Okay, fine. Here we go.

The (rough draft) Rules:

1. To be a host, you have to have a blog. You don't need a blog to participate in the writing though.
2. You can be any age to join, but if you do join, you have to write. Please don't join and not write. 
3. You have (so-and-so) amount of time to reach the goal set for everyone. 
4. Everyone gets an Encouragement Buddy. One buddy per person.
5. If you want to be/want an Encouragement Buddy, please state so in the comments below. 
6. If you are/have an Encouragement Buddy, you have to keep in touch with them, anyway you can. FB, Email, blogs, phone, etc. Once you are an Encouragement Buddy, you must do just that.
7. An Encouragement Buddy does just that. Encourage. You can vent, offer advice, etc. 

Okay. So that is a rough draft. Not all that great, but not too bad either. 

Okay, so these are the awards:

Now, these can go on your blogs or etc. Hey, you could even print them out. They will be awarded to the top three writers. If some of  the top three are writer buddies, both Buddies will get the medal they won (duh).

 Now . . . . if you have ANY suggestions, trust me, I will not mind if you voice them. I NEED to hear them. Just comment below. Also . . . you HAVE to enter by August 15th. I've decided that the first Olympic Writing event will be 2 weeks long. Our word count goal will be . . . . . 15K. Let's start off easy. ;) 

REMEMBER, if you want a Encouragement Buddy, state so in the comment. Encouragement Buddies will be chosen with a Random Number Generator. We will start on the 16th. The winners will be chosen by word count (I guess). So, even if you've made 15K, keep writing! 

Anything else that needs to be addressed? I can't think of anything. Hmm . . . . well . . . . in that case, I declare The Olympic Writing Event OPENED!!!!!! WOOOOO!!!!!!!

God bless!

Galatians 6:9 KJV

Talking to characters. . .

So you've all read that I scream at books. And most of you probably know that I also talk to my characters. And my siblings think that's hilarious. They think it's just so funny that I talk to people in my head. Really, they do. 
    
I have everyday discussions with them all of the time. Here's one I had just yesterday . . . 

Marc: If you believe that, you're a bloomin' ninny. 

Me: WHAT??!?!? WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO!?!!?

Marc: This 'Gilbert' you've created.

 Gilbert: I am not the bloomin' ninny, he is! 

Me: Will you two cut it out? I'm doing something!

Marc: You said you wanted us to talk to you more.

Me: NOT WHEN I'M DOING SOMETHING!!!!!!!

Gilbert: Liar. You never said that. 

Me: STOP. Please. JUST . . . JUST LEAVE ME ALONE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

Gilbert: Fine, we'll leave you alone for good. You don't want us to talk to you, that's fine. 

Me: AAAAAAAH!!!!!! Can't y'all talk when I'm writing? Or some other time when I'm not cleaning or doing something important?

Marc: Maybe you should write more. 

Gilbert: Touche.

Me: I don't think you're using that word correctly . . . 

Yeah, crazy, huh? And there are SOOOO many more. And it's always when I'm doing something important. NEVER when I'm writing. The conversation you just read . . . I was cleaning the bathroom. (Fun) When I sit down to write, I always say, "Okay, characters! Say something funny and witty and brilliant!" Their response? "Nah, I don't feel like it." or "Now? You should have started writing earlier! I had plenty of ideas then!"

I mean, like, really? The LEAST they could do is help me out with the dialogue and sub plots! I mean, I brought them to life! I am the reason they breath and think and speak! I am the one who created them! The one who puts up with them daily! And do they do anything except argue and complain?

No. Nada. You read right, folks. They do nothing. So, I have decided that every time they argue, I will come up with a scene where I kill them. Painfully. Creatively. And then I will post them on the blog. Maybe. 

Welp, that's all for today. Oh, I just forgot! Or, well, remembered. I did a guest blog post today!!! Over at my good friend, Emily Russel's blog!!! Yep! So click here to go check it out! And make sure you follow her! Thanks! Have a fantastic day! Oh, and don't forget to share your own experiences with your characters. Do you talk to them? Do they talk to you?

God bless!

Galatians 6:9 KJV

"Endangered" cast: Gilbert . . .

Hello all! Today I am here with my FMC Guinevere's fiance. *coughthoughnotforlongcough*

Gilbert: I beg your pardon?




Me: Nothing, Gilbert, nothing. Tell me Gilbert, why is it that you want to marry Guinevere?

Gilbert: *looks at fingernails* Well, you see her father . . . well, who I believed to be her father, owns a law firm, of sorts. I will partner with him, should I marry Guinevere. It helps that she is pretty and has a large dowry.

Me: I see . . . so this is not a love match?

Gilbert: No, but we shall come to love each other in due time.

Me: *blink* Okay. How does Guinevere feel about it?

Gilbert: I do not know, nor do I care.

Me: *flinch* That is a bit harsh, Gilbert, even for Guinevere.

Gilbert: Yes, well, you created me. You should know how I feel already.

Me: Yeah, right. Maybe if you people talked to me more, instead of complaining. But nooooooo. You can't talk without saying, "Well maybe you should give me a easier life! Maybe you should make me prettier! Maybe this- Maybe that-" I'm sick of it! Now, answer my questions.

Gilbert: What questions? You have yet to ask me anything.

Me: I've asked you two or three questions already. Seriously, pay attention!

Gilbert: I always pay attention.

Me: Good. Now, um . . . what is your main goal?

Gilbert: In life? Eeeeeh . . .  to make my fortune.

Me: Maybe you and Guinevere do belong together.

Gilbert: What makes you say that?

Me: You're both selfish and shallow.

Gilbert: *mouthdrop* You dare say that about me?!? Do you know who I am!?!?!?

Me: Like you said earlier, I created you, so yeah, I know who you are. And THAT'S why I dare say that about you!

Gilbert:: I. Am. Finished! *gets up to leave*


Me: DON'T you dare leave! We aren't finished here! *thinks* Well, never mind. You can't leave. This interview is in my mind. *grin* So, Gilbert, what did you do when you learned Guinevere had taken a "trip"?


Gilbert: Let me out of here now. 


Me: Nope. Not until I finish this story. Answer my question. 


Gilbert: I panicked at first. Who would not? And then I went to her family's manor, Clandestine Manor, and searched her room. I found her diary and am reading it now, since you have yet to write more. 


Me: Lovely . . . lovely. Great. So . . . what are you going to do?


Gilbert: Well, if everything goes as planned, and it does not most of the time, I shall take a ship to wherever she is. 


Me: *sarcastic* Wow, thanks for your confidence in me. I feel so much better. Anything else you'd liked to answer before I end this torture session?


Gilbert: No. 


Me: Okay. Well, bye. Thanks for reading!!! If you have any questions for Gilbert, go ahead and ask! I will force him to answer whatever they may be. 


God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Worldbuilding . . .

Hey y'all! Today, I'mma talk about one of my favorite parts of writing. WORLDBUILDING!!!! Yes! 

So . . . Let's start at the beginning. How does a person worldbuild? Well, I don't believe there is a right nor a wrong way to worldbuild. And it all depends on an individual's . . . eh, talents or comfort with technology, I guess you could say. 

If you are a person that can draw (I'm not talking stick figures here, people.), you can probably draw out everything in your mind's eye. And make it perfect for you! You could hang it beside your desk (Or wherever you write) and look at them, every time you need inspiration. 

And for us poor people who cannot draw to save our lives, there's the internet. Specifically, Pinterest. You see, Pinterest is the WONDERFUL website with tons of pictures. You have this board, and you "pin" pictures to it! It can be of anything at all. Even your own drawings. Click here to see my board. If you look at them, most of my boards are for my stories. I pin pictures of people who I think my characters look like, places and things that will be in my story, my characters' styles, etc etc etc. 

A pin of Adelaide, my character, of "Forbidden Love" 

A necklace from "Changing Time", one that I have yet to figure out  what it means yet.

One of my pins on Pinterest, of Guinevere of "Endangered" 

This one is a pin of Lacy Lee's style, of "Belonging".

Like I said earlier, there is no right or wrong way to worldbuild! And hey, you may not need Pinterest or drawing, you might be able to write down on paper (or computer) how your characters look. And you might be able to see them perfectly in your head, along with all the places they'll go and such. 

Sadly, I'm not like that. I'm a very visual/hearing person. I need pictures to imagine when it comes to my characters. 

How do you worldbuild? Tell me in the comments! PS: If you want to join pinterest (If you haven't already), it might take three months (That's how long it took me) to get invited. If you give me your email, I think I can get you up there in less than an hour. 

God bless!

Galatians 6:9 KJV

Fictional Characters . . .

Hey all! Lately I've been reading things by Jamie Carie. EX: The Guardian Duke, Pirate of my Heart, etc. Well, The Guardian Duke was terrific. Until I reached the end. That's when I started wearing my lungs out. You would not believe all of the screaming and shouting I was doing.

Once I got a few pages from the end, I was all, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ALEX!!!! STOP!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!! WAIT, PLEASE, NO!!!! IF YOU DO THAT . . . I'LL JUMP IN THE BOOK AND KILL YOU!!!!! STOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!" I jumped off the couch and began pacing. "DON'T DO IT!!! WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?!?!?!!!" It got to the point where my sister, Hannah, walked into the room and asked, "What is wrong with you?" I promptly answered, "HUSH, HANNAH!!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW!!! ONCE YOU LEARN TO READ, YOU'LL SEE!!!!!!" She walked out of the room, hands in the air. I continued my rant. "DON'T JUDGE ME AND ACT LIKE A VICTIM!!!! I'M THE VICTIM!!!! THE VICTIM OF EMOTIONAL TRAUMA!!!!!!!!"

Probably what I look like screaming at a book.

I seriously believe my family thinks I'm crazy (I am.). I mean, who wouldn't when I'm racing around the room, screaming at a bundle of paper and words? I also scream at my characters. Guinevere hears it a lot, since she's the worst one I have. She's always like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no . . . Oh, you didn't want me to do this? Yes!" (-_-)

Do you ever scream at your characters, or characters from a book? If so, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! Yes. Awesome. If you don't, YOU APPARENTLY HAVE NEVER READ A MADDENING BOOK!!!! I DARE you to read The Guardian Duke. Or something like that. Double dare. Triple dare!!! However many dares it takes you to read it! Go! Now! I will not take no for an answer!

Anyway, go ahead and share your experiences with a book/your character you've screamed at. :P Go ahead, I'm listening!

God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Endangered update and contemplating . . .

Hey all! Sorry for not posting for awhile. I've been busy with writing, but . . . I'm 1/3 of the way through to my word count goal! I wrote over 1300 words last night in writing sprints alone! And I've just passed 25K. My goal is 75K. Eeek! I'm so close! Okay, well, not all THAT close, but still. Hopefully it won't take me 2+ more years to write the next 50K. :P

But anyway, last night while writing, I was reflecting on how far my story has come. I mean, really. To tell the truth, on my first writing attempt, I didn't even really care about the story. It was just something I was doing to pass time, never for anyone else's eyes to see. But gradually, it began to push its way into my heart. I had never felt that way with any other story I had tried--and failed--to write. Also, the first draft didn't have a Breanne. Or a David. Or a Naomi, Braveheart (New addition I wrote in last night.), etc.

Endangered then and Endangered now are two whole different stories. You see, then Marc was a pirate who was rude and hateful and had no reason to be so. Guinevere was a sweet, godly young heiress who wanted to help others. Now, Marc is a merchant ship captain with a broken childhood and hidden fears, but still a good temperament. Guinevere is a spoiled rotten brat who I want to strangle sometimes, and she only thinks of herself. QUITE a long way, huh? And I was only planning for one book. Not a whole trilogy!

But after awhile, I figured, "Well, there's no way on earth I'll ever finish this all up in one small book. I know! I'll make another book! It can be about Marc and Guinevere AFTER they're married!" But little did I know that Guinevere had already decided there was no stinkin' way she was going to marry a "lowly sea captain". She's been making it harder and harder for me to end the book (Though it really doesn't need to end YET.) But I believe I've bested her. I've come up with a perfect plan while writing a scene last night. ^_^ Yep.

Anyway, on my second--or was it third?--rewrite, I created Breanne. I figured, "Hey, what rich girl doesn't need a personal servant? And they can be friends! Guinevere needs a friend!" But I hadn't even gotten through four paragraphs before I had a "fight" break out between them! Breanne had decided she wasn't going to be as I had imagined her. In my head, she had been sweet, kind, godly, honest, and all the other good qualities. In the story she became rude, hateful, troublemaker, provoking, and, oh, so many others!

At first, I didn't know why she was acting that way! So I tried over and over to make her sweet, only to fail. And then I realized *BING* she wanted her own story. She was demanding it! She said no to a Guinevere sequel, and yes to a book about her! I immediately said no. Who on earth would read about her? What would I write about? Haha, no. Well, she didn't like that. Nuh-uh. So she started her own love story. With David. I thought, "Great. Now her and David are falling in love. HOW DO I FIX THIS?!?!?!" And it hit me. I had to give her her own story. And that is what "Threatened" will be about.

Has this happened to anyone else? Small characters become big? They decide they need their own story? They ruin everything you planned and twist it all around? If so, comment with your experience, I'd love to hear about it!

God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

"Endangered" cast: Villain . . . . .

*Whispers* Hello, all. Why am I whispering? Because today I am interviewing my villain. I have to be very careful around him. You should be too. He's VERY dangerous. Here's a list of what NOT to do around him . . .

1. Do not make any sudden movements
2. Do not try to touch him, especially his shoulder or head. (Bad memories.)
3. Do not make any loud noises.
4. Oh, good grief. Just don't make ANY noises.
5. Do not blink. (If you value your life, DO NOT BLINK.)
6. Do not make any eye contact with him. 
7. Well, just to be safe, don't look at him at all. He senses your gaze.

If you follow these few rules, you have a good chance of making it out of here alive. K? You got it? Great, let's proceed. DON'T MOVE!!! Look, just . . . . stay there. He might go even more nuts if he sees someone walking towards him. Now, slowly sit. That's good. Great. We're all set. Oh, and if he asks you something, just call him Villy. Short for villain, because I can't let his real name out or it'd spoil the story, right? Great. But chances are that he won't, as long as you don't draw any attention towards yourself. PUT THE GUM DOWN!!! NO CANDY NEAR VILLY!!! The wrapper sound makes him anxious, and when he's anxious he might attack. Thank you. *clears throat* Villy, are you ready?

DON'T STARE AT HIM!!!!

Villain: Where is my mother?

Me: She's safe, I promise. Now, how are you today?

Villain: I want my mummy.

Me: *in so-so British accent* Now, now, Villy, your mummy is fine. She's--er--busy. *gives up with the accent* Now, if you answer the questions, she'll come back. How are you today?

Villain: Good.

Me: Great. Um . . . . this is harder than I expected. How does one interview someone who's crazy?

Villain: I do not know.

Me: No, that wasn't a question for you. I was just wondering out loud. Let's see . . . . Okay, what motivates you to protect your mother?

Villain: I won't let Father hurt her again.

Me: Again?

Villain: Yes.

Me: Have you ever hurt anyone?

Villain: Yes.

Me: Can you tell me who?

Villain: No.

Me: I'd appreciate if your answers were longer than one word.

Villain: No, I cannot tell you who it was.

Me: Let's say someone tried to take your mother, what would you do to them?

Villain: *jumps up and glances at audience* ARE THEY TRYING TO TAKE MY MOTHER??!?!?!!??! I'LL KILL THEM!!!!

Me: No!!! Just breath. I was just saying, you know, if someone tried to do that. What would you do?

Villain: I'd bash their heads in and feed them to dogs, alive.

Me: I didn't need to sleep tonight anyway. Even if I had, the mental image was enough to give me nightmares for months. Um, could you tell everyone about yourself?

Villain: I am . . . . unsure of how to answer that. 

Me: Villy, PLEASE. Just . . . . say something.

Villain: I have nothing to say. I want my mummy.

Me: Fine, you may go. Sorry everyone, but my villain refuses to respond and answer my questions. *sigh*

God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV