NaNoWriMo and Random Things

Okay, so, for some reason my posts haven't been posting. I don't know why. I probably did something to cause that, but I really can't think of what. So, if this doesn't post . . . well, you wouldn't be reading it, amiright?

Anyway, NaNoWriMo begins in SEVEN days (and a few hours). Yay! Let's hope I can actually get something written. I'll be using "Changing Time" for NaNo, this year, in hopes that I can finish SOMETHING. Of course, it's really up to me. I just have to stay focused (Which is something I'm terrible at).

What am I doing to prepare? Ha ha. Really, unless you count writing fanfiction, nothing. I was thinking about finding a few writing prompts, so I'll have to do that before next week. . . November is just a really hard time of year for me. So much going on. We have my sister's birthday, and then my brother's birthday, then my dad's birthday, and then my mom's birthday (which falls around Thanksgiving), and then there's NaNo, so . . . it'll be tough. This will be my first (real) year. I found out about NaNo last year, right before it ended.

The hectic life of a homeschooling writer (Who just happens to be the eldest of seven kids). That would definitely be me. I suppose NaNo would be easier if I actually planned my story out, and I know I'll be sorry I didn't, but . . . I really stink at planning books. I've never liked planning a book, I prefer it to go wherever it goes. But, only the book. I hate it when my characters develop minds of their own. And then they start talking to me.

I hate it when characters talk to me. Unless they have a brilliant story idea. Which is rare to never. Gilbert (from Endangered) has become my biggest problem. He thinks he is so stinking smart, and tells me on a daily basis that I am definitely not as smart as him. I keep threatening to kill him. But we both know that I need him for chaos and drama. *cough* That's about all he's good at, though. *cough*

And he's fussing me out for writing that right now. Last night, I had lost a really important piece of paper for my fanfiction, and I could not find it! Gilbert told me I was an idiot for losing it. I told him I'd admit he was smart when he told me, word for word, what I have written on that sheet of paper. My oldest sibling, Randy, heard me talking to Gilbert and said Mama should stick me in a mental hospital. I told him they probably should, since a writer is only a socially accepted schizophrenic. I then had to explain what that was.

*sigh* I guess it's good, for my writing at least, that my characters talk to me. I suppose that means they're not flat characters. But I really wish they'd talk to me about important things. Things I need to hear. Not their gibberish.

Welp, I've rambled on for too long, so I'll end the post now. Thanks for reading!


God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Teen Read Week; Teen Book Blog Tour - Day 4

 

Happy Teen Read Week!

I'll begin with a paragraph about myself, a paragraph about the blog, and then we'll get to the post about YA books.

 

~~~

My name is Katelyn Marie Shear, and I turned 14 years old last week. I'm the eldest of 7 children. I'm a Christian writer, and I write Christian, Historical, Romance, YA, Fantasy, Dystopian, etc. I'm currently focusing on my first novel "Endangered", which is halfway to the word count goal. I love reading and writing more than anything else.

 

I suppose that's enough about me.

 

This blog is for writers and readers, and I share all about my writing experiences. The normal posts are about my writing progress and adventures, with an occasional personal achievement and/or story. I try to stay away from the debatable topics on my blog, but will address my beliefs should they be attacked. Hopefully, in the near future, the blog name will be changed from "Teen Writer" to "Teen Author".

~~~

 

 

So, the other day I talked about stereotypes. Everyone hates them, right? That's what I thought. Now, today I'm going to talk about being a teen in today's world.

It's tough, isn't it? I mean, look at us. We have it harder than ever. Everyone wants to be popular, and the only way they can do that is to do something big. And most of the time, it isn't a good thing.

To "get in" with the "cool" crowd, you have to do what they do. They'll probably convince you to smoke, drink, do drugs, sneak out, etc. Eventually, the things you do to "be popular" will get bigger and bigger. At first, it might seem small and harmless. "Oh, they're not really all that bad." "It's only one time." "It's not like I'll get addicted to *insert addictive thing here*."

But, before you know it, you're no better than a regular criminal. The "popular crowd" has gotten you into things that you promised you would never get into. And for what? To be called popular? To be able to talk to a few kids who are really no better than anyone else?

Of course, this is a stereotype. I'm not saying all popular crowds/people are bad. No! Not at all. But, there are the bad crowds. And, in this time we're living in, it's hard not to get drawn in.

Just look out, be smart, and stay careful. Never be tempted by the small things they have to offer you. Stick with your dream, and keep smart.


Sorry for the short post. I didn't have a lot of time to write this. *le sigh* Tomorrow will be my last day posting for the blog tour! Hope you enjoyed! I know I did.


God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Teen Read Week; Teen Book Blog Tour - Day 2.

 

Happy Teen Read Week!

 

 

I'll begin with a paragraph about myself, a paragraph about the blog, and then we'll get to the post about YA books.

~~~

My name is Katelyn Marie Shear, and I turned 14 years old last week. I'm the eldest of 7 children. I'm a Christian writer, and I write Christian, Historical, Romance, YA, Fantasy, Dystopian, etc. I'm currently focusing on my first novel "Endangered", which is halfway to the word count goal. I love reading and writing more than anything else.

I suppose that's enough about me.

This blog is for writers and readers, and I share all about my writing experiences. The normal posts are about my writing progress and adventures, with an occasional personal achievement and/or story. I try to stay away from the debatable topics on my blog, but will address my beliefs should they be attacked. Hopefully, in the near future, the blog name will be changed from "Teen Writer" to "Teen Author".

~~~



Now, yesterday, I explained what YA is and how it can be written. Well, today I'm going to be sparing with my post. In other words, this won't take too long.

Does no one ever get sick and tired of seeing teens texting and partying and just . . . wasting their youth? They have no imagination, no respect for their abilities, and it just makes me sick. I mean, you never know what the girl with a thousand piercings and fire truck red hair could do. She could cure cancer or become a *insert random important job here*. But, she's so stuck behind stereotypes, that she doesn't even bother to try.

Look at the guy with his pants hanging around his knees and walks like he's bow-legged, yelling "yo" and "dog" to everyone. He's trying so hard to fit in and be popular, that he forgets who he is, and what he wanted to be.

As a teen, I fight against the stereotypes and refuse to be boxed in with all the others. I say, forget what people say or think. Who cares if I'm not popular? Who cares if I'm "the weird girl"? Let it be! At least I stand out, in some way.

Never let go of your childhood dreams. Sure, they may have been silly, but there's something special about those dreams. When you were five, did you say, "I want to be a doctor when I grow up!"? Or, "I want to be an astronaut!"? If so, why did you let go of them? Because you couldn't do it? Because you lost faith in yourself? Because someone said it was crazy?

No matter what, never let anyone tell you that your dream is too crazy. If/when they do, just say, "Thanks! That's what I was going for!" Works everytime.

So . . . what is your dream? What was your childhood dream? Is it the same? Have you ever given in to peer pressure or felt you had to blend in?

Go ahead and tell me in the comments and/or ask me questions. I love hearing about these things. It sometimes gives me inspiration for a story. ;)


Here's the scheldule for today!

8:00—Inklined

10:00—________                                                                                                                                      

12:00—The Life of a Teenage Writer                                                                                                                              

2:00—Candy Apple Books                                                                                                                       

4:00—The Book Critic                                                                                                                              

6:00—________                                                                                                                                        

8:00—Inklined                                                                                                                                          

God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Teen Read Week; Teen Book Blog Tour

 

Happy Teen Read Week!

 

 

 

I'll begin with a paragraph about myself, a paragraph about the blog, and then we'll get to the post about YA books.

 

~~~

 

My name is Katelyn Marie Shear, and I turned 14 years old last week. I'm the eldest of 7 children. I'm a Christian writer, and I write Christian, Historical, Romance, YA, Fantasy, Dystopian, etc. I'm currently focusing on my first novel "Endangered", which is halfway to the word count goal. I love reading and writing more than anything else.

 

I suppose that's enough about me.

 

This blog is for writers and readers, and I share all about my writing experiences. The normal posts are about my writing progress and adventures, with an occasional personal achievement and/or story. I try to stay away from the debatable topics on my blog, but will address my beliefs should they be attacked. Hopefully, in the near future, the blog name will be changed from "Teen Writer" to "Teen Author".

 

~~~



 

Okay, so I'm going to start off by explaining the YA genre. YA stands for Young Adult. So, logically, this genre would be for young adults. This genre is also known as Juvenile Fiction. Now, the cool thing about Young Adult fiction is there are so many different ways to write it. There are endless possibilities with sub-genres. A few famous YA authors are listed below (In no specific order):

 

Sarah Dessen ~ Author of "The Truth About Forever" and "Dreamland", and many more (also one of my best friends' favorite authors.)

 

Marcus Zusak ~ Author of  "The Book Thief."

 

James Patterson ~ Author of too many books to list (Yes, he writes YA as well. Much to my surprise)

 

Katherine Paterson ~ Author of "Lyddie" and "Jacob Have I Loved" (I have read both books. They are good)

 

Lois Lowry ~ Author of "Number the Stars" and more (I have also read that book, if I remember correctly. Another very good book.)

 

Shannon Hale ~ Author of "Princess Academy".

 

Meg Cabot ~ Author of "The Princess Diaries" (Who has not at least watched the movies?)

 

There are so many more, but I don't have time to list them all. So, now I'll just list my favorite YA authors. Oh, there are so many on that list too. But, I'll just list a few. *wink*

 

 

So, my favorite YA authors are listed below (In no specific order):

 

 

 

Jill Williamson ~ Author of "Replication" and "The New Recruit" and more. (LOVE her. Her books are AWESOME.)

 

 Betsy St. Amant ~ Author of "Addison Blakely - Confessions of a PK". (SO good.)

 

 Suzanne Collins ~ Author of "The Hunger Games" trilogy (AS WE ALL KNOW)

 

 

These are only a few authors, but it would take me forever to list them all.

 

 

Now, YA goes along with anything. Romance, fantasy (especially Fantasy), dystopian, etc. The three authors I've listed above are an example of that.

 

"Addison Blakely - Confessions of a PK" is a Christian YA Romance. Here's the back cover: "Sixteen-year-old Addison Blakely has tireless played the role of PK—preacher’s kid—her entire life. But after Wes Keegan revs his motorcycle into town and into her heart, Addison begins to wonder how much of her faith is her own and how much has been handed to her. She isn’t so sure she wants to be the good girl anymore. Join Addison Blakely as she attempts to separate love from lust, facts from faith, and keep her head above water in her murky, fishbowl existence."

 

"Replication" is a Christian YA Fantasy (of sorts). Here's the back cover: "When Your Life Is Not Your Own . . .  Martyr---otherwise known as Jason 3:3---is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to 'expire' in less than a month. To see the sky. Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars. As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures---the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he's ever known." As you can tell, it has some romance elements, but it doesn't overpower the storyline.

 

"The New Recruit" is a Christian YA Adventure-Action story. Here's the back cover: "Forced to choose between military school and a Christian spy organization, skeptic Spencer Garmond signs on with the Bible geeks. But before he even boards the plane for Moscow, Spencer realizes this is no Bible club.

These guys mean business.

Stumbling onto a case involving a gang of homeless boys, a chilling tattoo, and the always beautiful Anya Vseveloda, Spencer struggles to find the faith needed to save the Mission League from enemy infiltration." I wrote a review on this book a few days ago, and you can view it here. Anyway, this book was amazing.

 

Now, "The Hunger Games". Um . . . okay. Here's an overall summary (taken from Wikipedia): "A young-adult dystopian adventure series written by Suzanne Collins. The trilogy consists of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. The first two books were each The New York Times best sellers, and the third book, Mockingjay, topped all US bestseller lists upon its release." This trilogy made me cry and I'm still depressed. But it was amazing.

 

 

As you can see, YA is pretty popular, even among people who aren't considered young *wink, wink*. As a teen, this is a genre that you should read during National Teen Read Week. So, go out to your public library, visit the YA shelf, and pick a good book (Emphasis on good). I don't consider Twilight a good book/series (I doubt many do), so . . . skip that one. *grin*

 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Make sure to visit the other blogs on this blog tour!

 

 

Schedule:

 

8:00—Inklinked

10:00—The Life of a Teenage Writer

12:00—Candy Apple Books

2:00—________

4:00—Paulina Czarnecki

6:00—The Writer’s Way

8:00—Inklinked

 



Blog tour! "The New Recruit" review and something;

Happy birthday to me! In honor of my 14th birthday, I have a very special review and . . . something planned for you!

First off, I give this book five stars. It's exciting, adventurous, a real nail-biter. Everyone, Christian or not, needs to read this book. It's not preachy. It's not overbearing. It's perfect! If there are any aunts/uncles/mothers/fathers/grandparents reading this, you should totally buy this book for that teen in your family (Everyone has one. Don't pretend you do not). It's perfect for birthdays, Christmas, whatever. Hey, maybe you would even enjoy it. *shrug* Ya never know.

When Miss Jill Williamson asked for reviewers, I jumped at the chance. Who would ever want to miss one of HER books? Not me. And besides, this is my first (official) blog tour. Anyway . . . let's get to the review.

Meet Agent-in-training, Spencer Garmond. He's a pretty cool guy. Doesn't really fit into any stereotypes I had formed while waiting for the book to arrive at my door (it felt like yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaarsssssss). He doesn't try to get into trouble. Well, maybe a little. But not too much.

He goes to a Christian school, though he doesn't care at all for the Christians there. He would much rather play PoP on his Macbook all day and shoot some hoops. He loves basketball, and hopes to get into a good B-ball program.

The only problem . . . Grandma.

Spencer's grandmother only wants him to be a good boy. And . . . possibly one of the Mission League-ers. And ol' granny knows how to get what she wants. So, once the opportunity to give him an option she knows is none too appetizing to him pops up, she grabs hold of it and doesn't let go.

When Spencer is told he must either choose the Military school his father went to, or the Mission League, he chooses the Mission League, figuring all he'll have to do is feed the homeless in Moscow and scrub a few toilets.

But he soon finds out, the Mission League is no Bible Study group.

 

These guys are for real. Their mission: Bring down Satan's churches (AKA: cults), and show others Christ's love. Spencer isn't interested in any of that though. He just needs to get through the summer with a bunch of Bible nerds who won't leave him alone about his soul.

 

Spencer gets to Moscow. He's excited about this now (sorta). It's all like some Jason Bourne thing, now. He would totally be into this . . . except for one thing. Er, person.

 

Nick.

 

Nick is a total jerk. It's apparent to everyone that Nick and Spencer have some . . . background together. And Nick isn't about to make this mission thing any easier on his old 'pal'.

 

 

 

Now, I can't tell you too much more without giving this story away! So I won't. But . . . I will tell you one thing.

 

You need to buy the book. Or, at very least, enter this giveaway that Miss Jill has generously offered.

 

Now, I'm going to show you a bunch of cool stuff.

 

 

 

There's this contest going on over at Miss Jill's website.

 



Okay, so all you have to do (I think, if I'm not as computer stupid as I'm starting to believe) is click the picture. Then, you watch the video, follow the rules, and voila! Entered! ;)

 

 

 

You can also buy a necklace like the one Spencer's grandma gave him.

 



 

 

Again, just click the picture and it should pop up in another tab. If not, leave a comment and I'll add the link or comment it back to you.

 

 

Click here to watch the book trailer. Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to get it ONTO my stinkin' blog. So you'll just have to click that.

 

If you want to read the first chapter (do it, do it, do it, do it!), click here!

 

And, in case you're wondering, authors need tons of help. They need all the help they can get. I mean, really, they write books for us to enjoy, and, unless they're really famous, don't get paid nearly enough for these lovely works of art. But there is one way you can help.

 

No, I'm not asking for donations or whatever. All I'm asking you to do is go to Amazon and/or Facebook, like the author's page on each (if you have an account). It helps. Also, like the books too. EX:

 

 

 

 

 

See? Nothing too hard and it'll take you less than . . . ten seconds to do it. The links for these places are . . . here, here, here, here, and . . . . here! Whew! That wasn't too hard, now was it?

 

Oh, and fellow Goodreaders, click here.

 

Alright, now that you've helped one lovely author, on to the ABSOLUTELY FUN STUFF. The giveaway!!!!!! ^_^

 

 

 

 

 

Here we go!

 





a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'd like to thank Miss Jill Williamson for this awesome chance to review her book, and for offering a book to give away. Now, be polite and thank her in the comments. ;)


God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

"Accidental Meeting" by Susette Williams

Accidental Meeting is a fantastic novella by Susette Williams. It's a Christian Romance full of fun and godly love. The characters jump from the page.
Abbey is a terrific character, her standards are high even when her job is at stake. She refuses to bend her morals for anything or anyone.
Bruce is an ideal hero. He's kind (though a bit annoyed at first) and handsome. He has a good heart, and loves the Lord.


I give this book 4 stars. It was awesome! After reading this book, I started on another of her books, "Winter Chill." 

You can get this book for FREE on Kindle, TODAY!!!








Now, all you have to do is click here and buy it! It's completely free. Once you finish reading it, please leave a review on Amazon.com, Goodreads, blog, etc.

And . . .While you are doing that, click the little "like" button for the book, too. We authors need all the help we can get. ;)

Click here to check out her Amazon Author page. Please click the "like" button on this too. The more likes she has, the more people will want to check her books out!

Now, you can go to www.susettewilliams.com to check out her current books, and more.


Back cover: Abbey Martin isn’t willing to be the kind of ‘player’ her boss wants her to be. When he threatens to not promote her because she refuses to get in ‘compromising’ positions, she quits. If a day can go from bad to worse, it does for Abbey. She runs into Bruce Harrington on her way home—literally. Bruce Harrington was on his way to a very important meeting. That was until a raving lunatic with brown, bouncy hair spiraled towards him in her car and then on foot. Maybe he should count it a blessing that when she sent him cascading over the side of the embankment—he wasn’t in his car. To make amends for causing Bruce to break a leg, Abbey becomes his chauffeur and helpmate until he recovers. When his cast is about to come off he has to face losing Abbey. There has to be some way he can keep her from walking out of his life forever. If a job offer won’t do it then perhaps it’s time for a proposal.


God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Plagiarism.

 

Plagiarism stinks. Let me just say that right now. Stealing other people's work is low and terrible. But you know what stinks even more than plagiarism?

Being falsely accused of it.

That's right. I, Katelyn Marie Shear, have been accused of stealing work off the internet. For a stinking character study.

Now, I do character studies every single day with my own characters. And characters from other books. There is nothing I love more than tearing a character apart and learning what makes them go. So, this came as a surprise.

My darling English teacher didn't even have the decency to notify me of my charges. I wouldn't even know if I didn't keep such a good eye on my grades. When I say my English grade go from 94% to 93%, I went straight to my teacher comments.

My online school doesn't notify me when a teacher comments on a certain assignment/test/essay. I have to look through them all to find out if they did. So, I looked through tons of comments and found it. "You have committed plagiarism, blah blah blah." So I went to my messages and emailed that teacher.

I tried to tell them that I did not plagiarize. I tried to explain that this must be some sort of mistake. All they said was, "Really? Well, that's too bad. Go read our policy on Plagiarism."

I was getting angry by this time. But I went to read anyway. All it told me was why it's a crime and that if I do it TWICE, I WILL be expelled. That made me even madder. I emailed her back and told her there was no way I was going to be expelled.

It's been about a week or two since then. I've re-written the character study twice. They're still not happy. So, I have to call my teacher and talk to her about it. I can't guarantee that I will be exactly nice and polite, since the only trouble I've ever had in English happens just after she's hired. Of course, I'll try, but . . . . we'll see.

My teachers are set on giving me a hard time. Probably because I've corrected their grammar. And I've told them they need a whole new staff if they can't tell the difference between "Their" and "There", and make tons of spelling mistakes.

I can't help it, really. It drives me crazy when I see a mistake. I HAVE to correct it, ESPECIALLY if it's on my school. So, this is probably why they hate me. Not that I mind. I'm not exactly fond of them myself.

So, this is why I have been so edgy this past week. Now you know.



God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Week #4, Day #3 of the 100-4-100 Challenge . . .

Wow, things are going great with the 100-4-100 challenge. I haven't missed a week yet.

So, far, this week I have written 2,358 words. And it's only Wednesday. Yesterday, I was at a dry spot. And I killed off a character. I have found killing my Endangered cast is heartbreaking, but it must be done.

I have written a total of 6,946 words in the last 4 weeks. Well, by the time you read this, hopefully I've gotten myself to 7,100 - 7,200 words. If not, I'm still going through my dry spot.

I don't exactly know how to deal with Writer's Block/dry spots, as I've tried every suggestion. I've thought about doing a writing prompt or something to help further it along or refresh my creativity.

I might write a little on Changing Time to give Endangered a break. I wouldn't count the words I write on there for the 100-4-100 thing, but it might help me get past this horrible Pit of No Words or Ideas.


Well, this was a really short post, but I need to write.


God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV

October and Writing Goals . . .

Wow, it's already October! Where has the year gone? Time flies by so fast now.

Well, I have ten days until my birthday, and my birthday happens to fall on a Thursday. Hopefully, that Thursday there will be a new Person of Interest episode on. How else to make a birthday more perfect?

Also on my birthday, there will be a review and something (!!!!!) of "The New Recruit" by Jill Williamson. Tons of fun stuff planned for that post! So be sure to check back here on October 11th.

I think I am going to start making writing goals for myself. Once I finish my daily school work, I will force myself to pound out 1,500 words before getting on Facebook, Email, Pinterest, or any other social network (and whatever else) sites.

If I stick to that goal, I should make at least 9,000 -10,500 words a week. I'm not always able to get on a computer on Sundays, which is why I put a dash.

I'm starting this goal today. Maybe I'll finish the first draft of Endangered in a couple weeks, if I keep with this. That's my goal anyway. Once I finish the first draft, I'll take six weeks away from it (To clear my mind, of course), like everyone else.

I'll use that six weeks to work on my other writing projects. And I'll continue my writing goal, and maybe bump it up to 2K a day, to further my writing production. We'll see how it all works out when the time comes.

The reason I am informing you of this is so I will actually carry through with it. I tend to work better when I tell other people what I'm doing. If I just make a promise to myself, I'll most likely break it. But, if I tell a few other people, they think I'm going to do it, so I have to.

Brilliant plan, if I do say so myself. I look forward to starting this goal and challenge others to do so. ;)

Does anyone else here have a writing goal?


God bless!
Galatians 6:9 KJV