Today I get to learn how to "co-lab" with my best friend. She is also a writer (everyone be watching for her!) and we have decided to co-write a novel. You see, we discovered that our characters, even before we knew each other, are very, VERY similar. So, through an hour-long conversation, we decided to co-write a novel involving two of her characters and two of mine. Only problem: I've never co-written a novel before and therefore she must teach me how to do so.
This could be a very interesting week, folks! Stay tuned for how this story goes and more updates on how to co-lab!
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Oh Happiness!
Yesterday, I attended my first official Prayer Pocket here at TBI. The focus of this week's Prayer Pocket was the Joy of the Lord. This whole thing made me realize how much I LOVE to be happy! In turn, I got started thinking of everything that makes me happy. The list is (partially) as follows.
1) Jesus - I mean, who can't smile about Jesus? Even His name makes me smile each and every time I say it.
2) I Love chick flicks! This one is pretty much self-explanatory as well. I mean, come on! Boy meets girl, Boy and girl fall in love, boy loses girl, boy and girl reunite, boy and girl get married. GREATNESS!
3) Writing - I don't know, something about when I'm writing just makes me smile. I love creating characters, places, and plots. I love watching the story unfold before me and I love knowing "who did it" before anyone else!
4) My family - I don't know how I would get through anything without the support of my family behind me. I also don't know how I would survive without them. They can make me mad and sad and emotional, but overall my family makes me HAPPY!
5) My friends - we're crazy and we know it. That's what makes us awesome :) Besides, I love watching my friends do weird things all the time.
So that's only a few of the things that make me smile and make me happy. There is a trigger that everyone has that makes them happy, so discover what yours is! And determine that today will be a happy day for you!
Quote of the Week:
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who doesn't read lives only one.
Fun Fact of the Week:
'Stewardesses' is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.
Story Starter of the Week:
Briana has never been happy before. What finally makes her happy and why?
1) Jesus - I mean, who can't smile about Jesus? Even His name makes me smile each and every time I say it.
2) I Love chick flicks! This one is pretty much self-explanatory as well. I mean, come on! Boy meets girl, Boy and girl fall in love, boy loses girl, boy and girl reunite, boy and girl get married. GREATNESS!
3) Writing - I don't know, something about when I'm writing just makes me smile. I love creating characters, places, and plots. I love watching the story unfold before me and I love knowing "who did it" before anyone else!
4) My family - I don't know how I would get through anything without the support of my family behind me. I also don't know how I would survive without them. They can make me mad and sad and emotional, but overall my family makes me HAPPY!
5) My friends - we're crazy and we know it. That's what makes us awesome :) Besides, I love watching my friends do weird things all the time.
So that's only a few of the things that make me smile and make me happy. There is a trigger that everyone has that makes them happy, so discover what yours is! And determine that today will be a happy day for you!
Quote of the Week:
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who doesn't read lives only one.
Fun Fact of the Week:
'Stewardesses' is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.
Story Starter of the Week:
Briana has never been happy before. What finally makes her happy and why?
Monday, October 1, 2012
Days Go By...
I can't believe that it has only been two weeks since I arrived here at college. On the other hand, I can't believe it has been two weeks since I arrived! If you look closely at those sentences, they are almost identical, but with a totally different thought pattern behind them. The first sentence denotes my sorrow and frustration and how much I miss home. The second denotes that the time is flying by so rapidly! You know, it's weird. I feel like I have been here for so long and yet I can't believe I've already been here this long. Time goes by in funny ways, and right now it feels like Thanksgiving is closing in way too rapidly but I'll never get home for Christmas at this rate. Is that weird? Have you ever counted the days until the end of school, only to find that they're going by too fast? Or is that just me? Sometimes I wonder if I'm normal or completely abnormal. Someone help me out here!
Quote of the Week:
"The Impossible could not have happened. Therefore, the impossible must be possible inspite of appearances."
-- Agatha Christie
Fun Fact of the Week:
Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. The average adult? 15.
Story Starter of the Week:
Jenna had never seen such a beautiful forest. It stretched on as far as she could see. She took one step in and turned to go back out. Suddenly, she found that there was no way out. What happens next?
*Don't forget to post your stories in the comments!
Quote of the Week:
"The Impossible could not have happened. Therefore, the impossible must be possible inspite of appearances."
-- Agatha Christie
Fun Fact of the Week:
Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. The average adult? 15.
Story Starter of the Week:
Jenna had never seen such a beautiful forest. It stretched on as far as she could see. She took one step in and turned to go back out. Suddenly, she found that there was no way out. What happens next?
*Don't forget to post your stories in the comments!
Monday, September 24, 2012
"I Can't Like It"
Have you ever had a really bad day? Have you ever wanted to give up on what you're doing? Or been so frustrated that you wanted to scream? Yeah, me too. When something like that happens to my two-year-old niece, she looks at one of us and says "I can't like it." That is such a profound statement and she doesn't even know it.
When you find something you don't want to do, CAN you like it? Or are you choosing not to like it when you can find it in yourself to deal with it?
The Bible says that we can do all things in Christ, so next time you think you can't do something, do yourself a favor. Instead of saying "I can't like it", choose to do everything through Christ. He'll help you. You never have to be alone.
That was really short, I know. But it's all I have for today. So, without further ado, on to the fun stuff!
Quote of the Week:
"If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age."
- George Burns
Fun Fact of the Week:
Madam spelled backwards is still madam.
Story Starter of the Week:
Jordan is a brand-new resident of the suburb Malaris. Where did Jordan come from and why is he/she there?
*don't forget to post your short stories in the comments!
When you find something you don't want to do, CAN you like it? Or are you choosing not to like it when you can find it in yourself to deal with it?
The Bible says that we can do all things in Christ, so next time you think you can't do something, do yourself a favor. Instead of saying "I can't like it", choose to do everything through Christ. He'll help you. You never have to be alone.
That was really short, I know. But it's all I have for today. So, without further ado, on to the fun stuff!
Quote of the Week:
"If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age."
- George Burns
Fun Fact of the Week:
Madam spelled backwards is still madam.
Story Starter of the Week:
Jordan is a brand-new resident of the suburb Malaris. Where did Jordan come from and why is he/she there?
*don't forget to post your short stories in the comments!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
I admit it. I probably have too many stories/novels/books going at one time. I might be addicted to writing. And I definitely can't shut my brain off.
The story count in my folder on my computer = 25+
I can't go a single day without writing something!!!!
And it takes me a while to go to sleep at night because I keep thinking of interesting ways to spin a plot line.
HELP!!!!!!
Just for those of you out there who think I'm serious about the help part, I'm not. I may have all those "problems", but to me they're not problems at all. You see, I work better with a lot of stories to choose from. If I get writer's block on one, I just move on to a different one -- usually in a different category. Different category, you ask? I have stories in a lot of categories, ranging from love stories set a long, long time ago to modern-day suspense novels. They're all my babies, and if I didn't have a start on all of them, my brain would be way too cluttered with ideas for me to write clearly.
I can't go a single day without writing something because it's what I love to do. There have been many people who have said that you should do what you love so that you never have to work a day in your life. I'm one of those fortunate people who has found what I love and it happens to be something that can be a life career. I think that's what work should be. doing what you love and making revenue off of it. That's not "work", that's pure enjoyment.
As for the last one, I admit it might be somewhat of a problem. However, somehow the more I think about things -- the harder I think about things -- the faster I get to sleep. If I focus in on a storyline or a problem that needs solved, I end up going to sleep faster than if I had just lain there and went "OK. I'm going to sleep now"....etc.
So, you see, some people's problems are another persons life. A "problem" is different for everyone because everyone is different. Not everyone could sit down with an empty Microsoft Word document in front of them and see the wonderful things that can be spun onto it. Not everyone can look at a crawl space and think "hey, great place to hide a body." (note: If you are not a writer and you think that, most people would call you a psycho). On the other hand, I can't look at a page of numbers and say "the pattern is..." a math genius could. We all have our idiosyncrasies and we all have our areas of expertise. Some of us are just blessed enough to be able to do what we love as our "job".
Quote of the Week:
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads."
- Francois Mauriac
Fun Fact of the Week:
No matter how hard you try, you cannot lick your elbow.
Story Starter of the Week:
Put yourself in a homeschooler's point of view. Why do you like/not like homeschooling and why?
The story count in my folder on my computer = 25+
I can't go a single day without writing something!!!!
And it takes me a while to go to sleep at night because I keep thinking of interesting ways to spin a plot line.
HELP!!!!!!
Just for those of you out there who think I'm serious about the help part, I'm not. I may have all those "problems", but to me they're not problems at all. You see, I work better with a lot of stories to choose from. If I get writer's block on one, I just move on to a different one -- usually in a different category. Different category, you ask? I have stories in a lot of categories, ranging from love stories set a long, long time ago to modern-day suspense novels. They're all my babies, and if I didn't have a start on all of them, my brain would be way too cluttered with ideas for me to write clearly.
I can't go a single day without writing something because it's what I love to do. There have been many people who have said that you should do what you love so that you never have to work a day in your life. I'm one of those fortunate people who has found what I love and it happens to be something that can be a life career. I think that's what work should be. doing what you love and making revenue off of it. That's not "work", that's pure enjoyment.
As for the last one, I admit it might be somewhat of a problem. However, somehow the more I think about things -- the harder I think about things -- the faster I get to sleep. If I focus in on a storyline or a problem that needs solved, I end up going to sleep faster than if I had just lain there and went "OK. I'm going to sleep now"....etc.
So, you see, some people's problems are another persons life. A "problem" is different for everyone because everyone is different. Not everyone could sit down with an empty Microsoft Word document in front of them and see the wonderful things that can be spun onto it. Not everyone can look at a crawl space and think "hey, great place to hide a body." (note: If you are not a writer and you think that, most people would call you a psycho). On the other hand, I can't look at a page of numbers and say "the pattern is..." a math genius could. We all have our idiosyncrasies and we all have our areas of expertise. Some of us are just blessed enough to be able to do what we love as our "job".
Quote of the Week:
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads."
- Francois Mauriac
Fun Fact of the Week:
No matter how hard you try, you cannot lick your elbow.
Story Starter of the Week:
Put yourself in a homeschooler's point of view. Why do you like/not like homeschooling and why?
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
I Have Discovered I'm Weird
Today I realized that I don't write like any writer/author/journalist that I have read. In more ways than one. Of course, we all know that each author has his or her own voice, so that makes them different. However, I have discovered that I'm "weird". Why? Let me explain.
In each and every book that I have read about the craft of writing (and I've read a lot) they tell you to do certain things to build a novel. First of all, they tell you to build an outline of your plot and characters. I hate outlines. I have never used them (except in school, when I had to) and I'm pretty sure that I will never use them. Ever. I'm just not a detailed person in that sense. So, you may ask, how do I get through writing my novels? It's all in my head. I can't really explain it all that well, but usually it's just that I know where I want to start and I know where I want to end, and anything that happens in between is in the hands of my characters. I let them lead the story. I know my characters and their backgrounds, but I just open up my mind and let the story unfold. God guides my thoughts and my hands as they type. I guess it just comes easier to me than to some other people. I never understood why anyone would think that writing a novel is all that hard, because to me it isn't. I just sit down and let the story spill out. Is that bad? I don't think so. I just think that each and every writer has their own technique of developing a story. Mine is just different. And that, folks, is why some people would call me weird. Are you weird too? If so, I would love to talk to you. :)
SO...
Quote of the Week:
"I never set our to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird."
In each and every book that I have read about the craft of writing (and I've read a lot) they tell you to do certain things to build a novel. First of all, they tell you to build an outline of your plot and characters. I hate outlines. I have never used them (except in school, when I had to) and I'm pretty sure that I will never use them. Ever. I'm just not a detailed person in that sense. So, you may ask, how do I get through writing my novels? It's all in my head. I can't really explain it all that well, but usually it's just that I know where I want to start and I know where I want to end, and anything that happens in between is in the hands of my characters. I let them lead the story. I know my characters and their backgrounds, but I just open up my mind and let the story unfold. God guides my thoughts and my hands as they type. I guess it just comes easier to me than to some other people. I never understood why anyone would think that writing a novel is all that hard, because to me it isn't. I just sit down and let the story spill out. Is that bad? I don't think so. I just think that each and every writer has their own technique of developing a story. Mine is just different. And that, folks, is why some people would call me weird. Are you weird too? If so, I would love to talk to you. :)
SO...
Quote of the Week:
"I never set our to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird."
- Frank Zappa
Fun Fact of the Week:
The King of Hearts is the only card king without a mustache.
Story Starter of the Week:
Janie has been kidnapped by a serial killer. How does she get out of it? Or does she get out of it at all?
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Miracles Happen
Hi again to all you people out there in blog-land! I know my blogging is sporadic at best, and I'm sorry! Today, I'm on here to let you know that -- miracle of miracles (cue "Fiddler on the Roof" music) -- my first novel is finally published! It is titled "Precious Jewel" and can be found in print here or in an Amazon Kindle format here!
I am so extremely excited that it is finally out there for you to read! I can't wait to hear your feedback on it :)
Best of all, I now know that miracles do happen. my book is out there and I'm so excited to share it with you!
I am so extremely excited that it is finally out there for you to read! I can't wait to hear your feedback on it :)
Best of all, I now know that miracles do happen. my book is out there and I'm so excited to share it with you!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Busy Life and Government Sites
yes, I do realize that I haven't written in nearly a month. I've been busy! Our family is planning both a wedding and a graduation (for two separate people, for you smart-alecks out there) and I have senior pictures on Sunday. On top of that, I am the maid of honor in the wedding and therefore must write a speech! EEP!
My life is also always busy with my writing. It is my passion, after all. For those writers out there, I have been very busy researching for my newest novel. Let me tell you, the Freedom of Information Act is my friend sometimes. Also, the Border Patrol website and the CIA website. They are all quite handy. In case you're thinking that I'm crazy, I'm not. I just write suspense novels. This usually includes -- oh, I don't know -- something to do with government agencies and PIs. Still think I'm crazy? Try writing a suspense novel without doing research on government websites. I'm telling you, they give you the most realistic look into the life of their agencies, agents, and protocols. So, for all you who are even thinking of writing a mystery or suspense book. Be prepared to go to the websites of the FBI, CIA, and Border Patrol AT LEAST!!!!
Quote of the Week:
"Ten percent of marriages end in divorce, but 100% of ice cream sunday bars end in happiness."
My life is also always busy with my writing. It is my passion, after all. For those writers out there, I have been very busy researching for my newest novel. Let me tell you, the Freedom of Information Act is my friend sometimes. Also, the Border Patrol website and the CIA website. They are all quite handy. In case you're thinking that I'm crazy, I'm not. I just write suspense novels. This usually includes -- oh, I don't know -- something to do with government agencies and PIs. Still think I'm crazy? Try writing a suspense novel without doing research on government websites. I'm telling you, they give you the most realistic look into the life of their agencies, agents, and protocols. So, for all you who are even thinking of writing a mystery or suspense book. Be prepared to go to the websites of the FBI, CIA, and Border Patrol AT LEAST!!!!
Quote of the Week:
"Ten percent of marriages end in divorce, but 100% of ice cream sunday bars end in happiness."
-- Unknown
Fun Fact of the Week:
Popsicles were invented by an 11-year-old boy. He left his soda and juice outside all night. It froze. He decided to sell it.
Story Starter of the Week:
Imagine yourself as a foreigner in a brand new world. You don't speak the language and you don't know how else to communicate with the "sophisticated" civilization there. How would your first day pan out. (tip: write it in the first person)
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