Three Bookish Things Tag

Hello friends! I have a bit of a shorter, more laid-back post for you this week, becaaaaause… I’ve been working on my newly announced movie review blog, getting some shiny new posts up and ready for the release date! I’m pretty darn excited about it. XD

But on to today’s post, a tag! Shocking! I know! I almost never do tags! XD I feel like tags are always what I fall back on when I have no ideas for posts, but I’M NOT ASHAMED. It’s nice to have a pre-planned post every once in a while, ‘kay?

‘Kay. Let’s do this.

I originally saw this on Cait’s blog, and she said she got it off of Instagram…so…not entirely sure about the rules…I know you list three bookish things…And that’s the extent of my knowledge. But let’s just jump into the questions, maybe I’ll tag a few people at the end, I don’t know, we’ll see.

ANNNNNNND GO.

• 3 Favorite Authors

Oh my word, HOW. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION. Maybe this tag was a bad idea…XD

Okay, let’s see…

• Marissa Meyer writes one of my most favorite series of all time, she’s pretty neat.

• I have to give credit to Shannon Hale, since she’s the one who got me into reading. Her Princess Academy books, and her Books of Bayern will always stick with me.

• Oof. I think the last one is a tie between Anne Elisabeth Stengl and Heather Dixon. I LOVE Anne’s Tales of Goldstone Wood, but Heather writes some AWESOME standalones, particularly Illusionarium…AGH. I can’t choose.

• 3 Weirdest Things Used as a Bookmark

Oooooh, this is an interesting question!

• I’ve definitely used napkins before. They weren’t dirty, of course.

• I use library receipts waaaay more than I’d rather admit to. XD

• Hmm…I think I used a popsicle stick one time. And it wasn’t a clean one. It was one where I had just finished the popsicle part. I was a little kid, okay? Don’t judge.

• 3 Series Binged

This one’s kind of hard, because I’m usually waiting for the next books to come out, so I really can’t binge read. But…

• I remember binge-rereading the Lunar Chronicles a while back. I should really do that again…

• The Bright Empires series (by Stephen R. Lawhead)! I can’t say I reeeally binged it, I remember reading a different book or two in between some of them, but I got through the whole series pretty quick.

• And when I was little one summer I zipped through the Magic Treehouse books in a matter of days. That was fun. Kinda miss that.

• 3 Characters You Love

This is so hard because there are so many characters I love so dearly! But here are some that stuck out in my mind.

• Carswell Thorne from the Lunar Chronicles is my favorite roguish bad boy in fiction. He likes to pretend he’s a hardened tough guy, but he’s actually just a soft marshmallow underneath.

• Rin from Forest Born (by Shannon Hale) was a really inspirational character for me when I was younger. She didn’t really know her place in the world, and she felt so alone and scared. I used to get really scared and anxious when I was a kid, and knowing that I wasn’t alone was a real comfort to me.

• I think this is a three-way tie for Kell (from A Darker Shade of Magic), Percy (from Percy Jackson), and Leo/Lionheart/Leonard (from Tales of Goldstone Wood). Kell is a character I’ve recently come to love, as is Percy, and Leo…well, he’s Leo. You know what I mean if you’ve read the books. He’s just a human. Trying to figure things out. Sometimes Usually making mistakes.

• 3 Unpopular Bookish Opinions

• Young Adult is an AGE GROUP, not a GENRE. It’s a category, like Children or Adult. It always annoys me on websites like Barnes and Noble or Amazon when they list all the book genres and then stick ‘YA’ at the end. 😛

• I…didn’t really like Archenemies (by Marissa Meyer). I loved Renegades, but Archenemies just felt like the same story over again, except with more romance between Adrian and Nova. 😦

• I don’t really like contemporary books. They seem really dull and boring to me. If I wanted to read about realistic life…why wouldn’t I just go out and live?

• 3 Popular Bookish Opinions

• I love deckled edges! I think it makes a reading experience even more magical!

• E-books will always be inferior to a real, physical book. Always. Not that e-books are bad or anything, I have like a hundred of them. XD I’ll just always prefer a real book.

• Nothing is better than a shiny new copy of a book! I will buy used copies, or get them from the library, but nothing beats a new book.

• 3 Favorite Book Covers

There are soooo many gorgeous ones…how can I choose just three?!

• 3 Book Goals for the Year

• Try to read 30 books!

• Read some more outside of my main genre (fantasy, in case you didn’t know, but you probably did). I’d like to dip into some historical fiction, some sci-fi, maybe even a bit of contemporary…despite what I said above. Just ignore that. XD

• Read some of the e-books I have on my Nook! I’m so bad about keeping up with these. I have so many I’ve gotten for free and there are so many I’ve bought too. I need to get through some of them this year.

Well, there you go, the Three Bookish Things tag! I think I shall tag Kenzie @ Smudged Thoughts, Laurel @ We’ll Be Fine, and Faith @ The Writer’s Song.

Here are the questions for easy copy-paste //

3 Favorite Authors

3 Weirdest Things Used as a Bookmark

3 Series Binged

3 Characters You Love

3 Unpopular Bookish Opinions

3 Popular Bookish Opinions

3 Favorite Book Covers

3 Book Goals for this Year

Do you have any unpopular bookish opinions? Who are your favorite authors? Let me know in the comments!

 

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2018 in Review

Well guys, we made it. Another year has passed, gone like a blink, like 2017 was just last week.

But then again, 2018 has felt like the longest year of my life. So much happened, and I’m still trying to process what being an adult feels like…

Time is weird, amiright?

Anyway, I wanted to highlight some of the great things that happened this year, as well as some tentative goals for 2019. Oh, and stick around for a fun announcement! 😀

My 2018 Goals //

My loose plans are to work on outlining a TON. I don’t think these ideas can stay in my head for much longer. I need to write them all out so my brain isn’t so strung up on details. XD

Welp. Didn’t…quite get to that…I did some outlining, but it wasn’t with a new project, I was fixing an old one. Guess I’m still strung up on the details.

I have no plans to do JuNo or NaNo, but I’m not against it. I’ll have to see how open my schedule is at the time and decided from there.

Whoot-whoot, I did NaNo!! And it was INSANE.

And as a last goal, I really want to try and not put too much pressure on myself. I’ve found that I am VERY hard on myself and I don’t know when to stop. So if I need to take a hiatus, then I will. If I need to rework my blog schedule, then I will.

And that’s not just for blogging. Reading, writing, and life too.

Hmm…well…kinda majorly failed this one. I’m still incredibly hard on myself. But maybe I’m getting better. I can’t really say, myself, honestly. I think I did take several hiatuses this year, and I reworked my blog schedule to a post every two weeks for a bit there…So…I guess I kind of achieved this goal? XD

So I half completed my loose goals last year, half not really, but I think I did fairly well. But enough of that, let’s get into the details (that I’m apparently strung up on XD)!

Life Stuff //

Now that I’m looking back, all of these things happened in the summer. Huh. I had kind of a crazy summer…

• I made it through my very first Summer Reading Program as a library aide! It was…utter insanity. Kids, books, paper, they were everywhere. And even though it’s a part-time job, I was still exhausted. I worked almost every day, aside from Thursdays and Sundays (and every other Saturday).

It was intense and I may have desperately wished to quit on a few occasions, but in all, it wasn’t bad! I stayed busy, came home tired, but fulfilled, and really savored the time I had to myself.

• I went to a week-long Bible camp as a cabin counselor in June. It was the longest I had been away from home, by myself, essentially. My dad and brother were there with me, but we were apart for most of the time. The first few days were awful. I wanted to cry quite a few times. And I don’t cry. Hardly ever.

But as the week progressed, things got better. I got to hang out a bit with an old friend, and I met lots of new people. I’m glad I did it, but if I ever go back, I would ask to be a worker, helping cook in the kitchens or cleaning. I’d feel much more comfortable that way. 🙂

• And last but definitely not least, I attended Realm Makers for the first time!!! It was so amazingly fun, and I really hope to go again this year! I so enjoyed meeting my blogging buddies! It was so nice connecting with you in person, and just talking to other writers! It was lovely and I highly recommend attending if at all available.

Some of my wonderful peeps! (picture courtesy of Deborah)

• Also, I turned 18. That’s. Kind of scary. I’m an adult now, guys. I got my braces off, I have a job, a car…I’m so close to reaching peak adulthood! XD

GUYS. I’VE GOTTEN INTO THIS SHOW. IT. IS. SO. GOOOOOOD. I will now proceed to use as many gifs from this as possible.

Writer’s Desk //

Nothing really significant happened on the writing scene this year, but…

I WON NANOWRIMO FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!

I’ll link to my experience post so you can see the insanity I went through the month of November. It was so much fun, and the novel I was writing was actually a rewrite of Imprint, a book I’ve been working on for SO. DARN. LONG. I think I’ve gotten it to how I like it, so, after I let some close friends give it a run-through…I may consider sending it to some beta-readers. Sometime this year. Hopefully soon. So. Keep an eye out for that.

I spent a lot of time perfecting Imprint this year, but I still somehow I managed to come up with two new ideas (one about two prince brothers who rule the kingdoms of light and darkness, and the other about an alternate dimension involving cartoons, magic, and mischief (note: EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT THESE), and worked on some character profiling for my superhero trilogy I want to get started on.

Book Nook //

Another exciting thing… I won my reading challenge for the first time, since I joined Goodreads!!!

I only gave myself 20 books, but I’m still kind of happy with my accomplishment! 😀 I suppose this is a year of firsts for me, huh…?

Some highlights of this year //

Renegades by Marissa Meyer // SO. EPIC. I love so much superheroes, so this was a fantastic read!

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard // So many twists and turns, plus amazing characters and a neat setting!

A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews // I always thought the first book Cait would publish would be an epic fantasy, but instead she came up with this genius contemporary Beethoven retelling that I love to bits and pieces.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater // I can’t recommend this, since there’s quite a bit of content, but SERIOUSLY. THIS WAS AMAZING. I immediately read the second book, and I’m itching to read the third book!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab // Dark, twisty fantasy with alternate dimensions and magic and THE CHARACTERS. THE CHARACTERS ARE EPIC.

Movie Theater* //

I saw a lot of movies this year, but here are a few I really had an opinion about //

Black Panther // I loved this movie, but I could be biased. It’s a Marvel movie. I’m going to love any of the MCU movies. That’s just how it works.

Avengers: Infinity War // WAIT. NEVER MIND. I CHANGE MY MIND. MARVEL YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME. *quiet sobbing*

Incredibles 2 // This was really fun! The action sequences were soooo gorgeously animated, and the humor was delightful! I didn’t quite like it as much as the original, the villain in particular I didn’t enjoy, but…the original just really can’t be topped, in my opinion.

Ant-Man and the Wasp // Loved it. So much. Scott and Hope’s relationship is so adorable, and I thought the villain was really interesting, more like an anti-hero than anything else.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation // These are older, but I just recently got into them and WOW I’m a fan! I really need to see Fallout…

Star Wars prequels // These were…interesting, I’ll say. I disliked the first one, (except for Qui-gon, he’s legit), the second one was better, but then…I could barely watch the third one. The dialogue was just too cringe for me…At least with the originals you’re expecting the cheesiness…

Wreck-It Ralph 2 // I…wasn’t a fan of this one. It…didn’t work as a sequel for me. It seemed to go backwards in character growth, and it almost totally disregarded the events of the original. It was one of my least favorites of last year. That ending…man…

My face while watching the end.

Christopher Robin // This was so innocently adorable. It was such a nice, fresh change from what people have been putting into theaters lately. Watch it to be filled with sweet nostalgia.

Aquaman // I technically watched this one this year, but since it came out last year, I’m counting it. Oh gosh…it was not for me. I thought the story was bland, I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and most of the action scenes were underwater, making them blurry and hard to understand.

Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse // AAAAHHHHH JUST WATCH IT OKAY. MY FAVORITE OF 2018!!!! *cries over beautiful animation*

*Okay, small aside, but is it just me or does it seem like all Hollywood puts out is sequels, reboots, and book adaptations? Is it just me?

Goals for 2019 (oh my word, just typing ‘2019’ scares me…) //

• Try to do one, big thing that’s outside of my comfort zone.

I feel like I miss out on so much in life, just because I’m scared to do it. I’d love to be able to just dive right outside my comfort zone. Even if it’s something simple. Like going somewhere I’ve never been, or taking some college classes, or even getting another job somewhere. I don’t know what to do just yet, but I’m going to try to be brave in the coming year.

• Send Imprint to some beta-readers and then…possibly…start querying for an agent?

This kind of terrifies me, but I think I’ve worked hard on my novel, and I want to get it out there. I want my writing to inspire and entertain others, like it does to me.

• Read 30 books.

If I can do 20, I can do 30, so help me.

Alright, remember what I said about making some kind of announcement? Well, here it is…

• I’m going to attempt to start a movie review blog.

That’s right. Another blog. Movies have always been special to me, and I have a lot of opinions about them. So I decided, why not start reviewing them?

This idea is still pretty new, but I’ve always had it in the back of my head that I’d like to start another blog. I would probably have to work out yet another new schedule so I don’t die trying to churn out so many posts a weeks, but I think it could be worth it!

It’s called… Reel Thoughts | Honest Opinions on the Latest in Entertainment

I’d like to include some game and music reviews as well as movies, but nothing is for sure yet. I’d also like to get this brainchild of mine up by Short & Snappy‘s anniversary, which is sometime in March. We’ll see how that works out. But keep a look out!

How was your 2018? Do you have any amazing goals for 2019? Share your thoughts with me down below!

Pitiful Prose // Bad Guys…?

Hey guys! Oh, and…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I can’t believe it’s already 2019…It sounds so…futuristic. XD

The past few weeks have been pretty busy for me, with Christmas and New Years and trying to get back into the normal way of life. I’m planning on posting a 2018 year review, along with some goals I have for this year sometime this month, so you can watch out for that. 🙂

Anyways, I’m back with a pitiful bit of prose just for you! This little scribbling is what partially inspired my superhero trilogy that I’ve had in the back of my head for years. It’s really clunky, really cheesy, and I hope you laugh.

Two men came in.

I knew those two baddies, so I hid behind a table.*

*Stellar opening, 10/10.

Jake, the boss, went up to the water park*, while Jasper, the asisstant, stood guard at the bottom.

*…up?

I decided to have some fun. I walked up to where Jasper was guarding (which was Manager Hofsteads office)* and said, “Hiya, Jasper!”

*Okay, but, like, what exactly is he guarding? The entrance to this manager’s office? Or…the water park that is apparently on top of it? Couldn’t he be used in a more useful way? -_-

Jasper whipped his head at me* and stuttered, “M-M-Melody,”

*”Right in the head, he just smacked me with his face.” XD

I held back a giggle. “I didn’t know you had a job as asisstant manager!”

“I….d-d-don’t,”

“Then why are you standing in front of Mr. Hofsteads door?”

“I…..”

“What are you doing Jasper?”

“I……he…..”

“He who?”

“Jake,” he said slowly.

“I didn’t know he was out of jail,”

“He is……”*

*I’m…really, really unsure what is supposed to be so funny about this exchange. What……was I……..thinking………..with…..all……..of………these………..ellipsis…….?

“What was that?”*

*Is this supposed to be a sarcastic remark? Or did she actually hear something and we just don’t get to know that?

Jasper stopped talking, and let me through.

Mr. Hofstead was in there, and I decided not to worry him.* His office is like a door into a room and then another door in the back that leads up to the water slide. So his office under the Water Slide.

*Another thing: what is there to worry about? So far, these two dudes, bad guys, whatever, have done absolutely nothing to indicate that they might be doing something nefarious. Melody is just assuming that because they’re bad guys…they’re going to, I don’t know what, blow up the building? Rob from…the waterpark? I really just don’t know.

I tried to walkd Stealthly* to the door but he was walking out. I was thinking that Jake must have used the ladder on the side of the office.*

*Grammar, little me. Grammar.

*…why is there a ladder?

“Melody, can I help you?”

“um, going up this way?”

Mr. Hofstead looked reprimending, but he said “Alright.”*

*Did I think I sounded smart? And also, really dude? You’re going to just let this kid…use your office to…get to the top of the…waterpark…? I’m done. I can’t figure this out.

I raced up to the rood* to listen in on what Jake might be saying.I had flipped on my side and was using the little hole at the top to listen.* I heard Mayor Galvin, Wait and his daughter!*

*I’m assuming this is supposed to be ‘roof’, but with the way this story is going, it really could be anything.

*..little hole…? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!

*Feels like I should acknowledge this development, but just really doesn’t care at this point.

I gt off the roof and sneaked in. Jake must have seen me sneaking under the second floor, because he stepped on my hand, which threw him a little off balance.*

*That…that wouldn’t throw you off balance. That would just hurt your hand really bad.

I ran up to the second floor, the highest spot in the park.*

*What even is this place? What’s the layout? Where are we??

“I have got to get a new asisstant.” Jake said grabbing his knife. “Oh, well, you’re too late anyway!”

I saw the Mayor and his daughter, hanging on to the ledge of the slide, but Jake was in my way.

“Let them go!” I said.

“Never!” he said, cutting the rope.

I had to stop him. “Wait!” I shouted. Jake stopped. “What if I took there place?”*

*… … … what?

Jake looked at me, “You would do that?”

“Of course I would! If it would save there* life,”

*PLEASE JUST USE THE PROPER WORD PLEEEASE.

Jake thought, then said “It would be funner, but I have to do them in for other purposes.”*

*Can Jake talk like a normal human being? Answer: no.

I took a deep breath. Here goes.*

*…”My sanity.”

The rope snapped. I leaped to grab it, but then Jake grabbed me. He wasn’t strong enough, so I managed to grab the rope, But then we were dangling by a hand. My hand.*

*…I’m so confused. What happened here? I have no idea what happened here.

Jake came closer and said “Wonderful! I’ll finish you all off!” and then he stepped on my hand.*

*See, it DOES hurt.

I had to think fast. Then I remembered a trick I had learned. It’s called the Switcheroo.* I mustered up all the strength I had, grabbed Jake’s foot, and swung the Mayor and his daughter up to safety.

*For some reason this reminds of something a cowboy would say. Not exactly the feeling I wanted to invoke here, I’m pretty sure.

Now I was dangling with Jake hanging on for dear life. I pulled myself up and pulled up Jake too.

Jake was to flabbergasted to speak but the Mayor thanked me and decreed that Jake and Jasper go back to jail.*

*JASPER HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. WHAT ARE YO U DOING.

The Mayor left happily with his daughter. As I handcuffed Jake, he didn’t struggle.* As I walked him down and handcuffed Jasper, strangly, he smiled.*

*And just like that, folks, he’s given up. Why? …We don’t really know!

*Strangly…he wants to strangle you. Is that what that means?

I brought them outside and called the police. Before they got hauled away, Jake quietly said “Thank you.” and then he was gone.

I felt a little twinge in my heart. I didn’t know what to do.

Okay. Yup. That was. Wow. Okay. If you read this entire mess, you deserve a cookie. ^_^ It doesn’t really make sense, but…I was really proud of it when I first wrote it so…that counts for something, right? Let me know if you enjoyed this ridiculousness down below!

Christmas Time is Here // A Smattering of Poems

I will love Christmas songs forever.

Forever I will sing songs. I will have a Christmas love in my heart.

Love is forever a Christmas tradition that I will sing with songs of joy.

Songs I love will forever be remembered and I will never not love Christmas time.

Christmas songs I love shall I sing forever with a passionate will.

Will Christmas be around forever? So I may sing songs of love?

Forever will I treasure them. I love Christmas songs of love and joy.

~

Gingerbread sensations tingle on your tongue,

The smell of warm sugar and familiar spices

Sweetening an icy interior.

~

There’s a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy.

When smiles are genuine and the world feels lighter.

There are colored lights spread across the town, and life feels merry.

When gifts are situated under the tree, shiny with bows and ribbons.

There are hearts all aglow, filled with love and joy.

Christmas time is here. Fun for all. The most wonderful time of the year.

~

Quiet heart. Careful hands.

Rosy cheeks. Soft embrace.

Peaceful night. Touching scene.

Wondrous sight. King of kings.

~

Just a bit of Christmas poetry for you. It’s nothing fancy, but I think it’s kind of nice. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday! ❤

Know the Novel: Part 3 // Writing and Beyond {NaNoWriMo 2018}

Hello guys! It’s been a good while since NaNo, and I’ve enjoyed my guilt-free solace of reading books and watching movies so far. Plus, CHRISTMAS IS COMING. How is it upon us ALREADY?!

Anyway, today’s post is a writer’s link-up created by Christine, and I…unfortunately, missed out on the second part of this challenge. I had taken a little hiatus during the month of November, and so I didn’t get the chance to answer the fabulous questions about the writing process.

But! I’m here now! And I can’t wait to answer these questions!

Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around?

For the most part, I think it went really well. It had its crazy up and down moments, but I’d call it a successful NaNo. And it’s my FIRST TIME WINNING. So yeah. Still pretty stoked about that. 🙂

That’s my novel in the background. XD

Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome?

It mostly went according to plan. I had my outline all typed up and ready to go, and the first half went really great!

But then, as the month ambled on, new ideas started springing up out of nowhere. And by the time I reached the ending, there were choppy, cut-up bits of story, text pasted in random spots, trying to piece the story together, and my main character had basically gone insane. (Okay, not really, but she took the strangest turn, let me tell you.)

I don’t regret it too much. I got the general ideas down, and now they just need to be rewritten and polished so it all goes smoothly. And I probably need to cut…a lot of stuff in the climax. But other than that, I’m very happy with how it turned out!

What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

Characters for sure. I always love my characters the most. They’re what motivate me to keep going. Plus over the years and years of writing about them, I feel like I’ve come to know them so well. They feel like old friends. I know exactly how they’ll react to things, what they love. It’s a good relationship. (I sound like I’m crazy…XD)

 

How about your least favorite part?

…I hate to say the plot…but I’ve gotta say, it was probably the plot. My project was to rewrite Imprint, which I’ve been working on for years. I was proud of my outline, and I was really excited about it…until I started finding little plot holes.

Those put little ruts in the whole process, which was kind of frustrating. I wish I could spot those little suckers easier, and before I take the leap into writing the story for the whole month. But I kept track of them, and I’ll just have to go back and fix them, along with some rewriting and editing, hopefully in January.

What do you feel like needs the most work?

Well, I kind of just answered that in the question above. XD But rewrites and edits aside, I really think what this novel needs…is a voice.

I’ve always had a hard time with finding my ‘writing voice’, and I still don’t know exactly what that is. I’d like to say I’ve gotten better with practice, but when I read over my work, I notice how devoid of personality the prose tends to be. It’s almost robotic.

I could really use an editor…

How do you feel about your characters now that the novel is done? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

Oh man, such a hard question. XD Of course I love them all, even the villains. My favorite character is probably one of my main characters, Markus. He’s hilarious, and tends to goof off, but also really caring and unafraid to have an optimistic attitude.

I don’t think I could choose a least favorite, honestly. I love all my characters too much! I will say, Zyke, a side character, has been a bit of a challenge for me. It’s not like I don’t like him, I love him… It’s more like I can’t figure him out. He just won’t let me into his head. I’ve been trying to find his motives and stand on things for a long time, but he remains a mystery to me. 😛

A character that really surprised me was actually my villain, Zedidiah. He’s so much more than your typical villain. He’s human. He cares about things. He just wants what’s best for people. Sure, he’s out to rule the world, and he’ll stop at nothing to get to the seat of power, but it’s only because he doesn’t want to see people suffer. (…Even though…he’s the one making them suffer…)

What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

Let it settle for a bit longer, then rewrite, edit, do whatever needs doing to get it polished, and then…let my family read through it, consider their edits, revise, and send it to some beta-readers. And then after that…maybe considering pitching? idontknowimscared. :S

If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

I want to share this story with the world. I write what I want to read, and if I love this story, then I know at least one other person will too. And if it ends up in bookstores, has a sizable fan-base, and people absolutely love it and want more…that’d be great too. XD

Share a snippet of one of your most favorite scenes!

*wades through trash to find something suitable*

Here’s a conversation between my two favorite reaper boys. It’s nothing much, but it’s really a testament to their relationship.

“You’re an actual idiot.” Celthic slammed his dagger down on the tile. It left a jagged mark, right where Paige and the boy had been.

“Me?” Zyke shouted indignantly. “It was your idea to try to snag them here!”

“What a load.” Celthic whipped around to glare furiously at his friend. Though right now, he would’ve rather referred to Zyke as colleague. Or maybe associate. Definitely not friend, by any means. “This was your idea that I agreed to. I never said it was good.” He crossed his arms. “This is why I don’t let you lead.”

“Well aren’t you just the king of clever,” Zyke said scornfully. “You think you’re so amazing, Celthic. I’m surprised you even fit through that door with your head being so big.”

Celthic scooped up his dagger and held it dangerously close to Zyke’s neck. “Look, I’m done arguing. Either we do this together, or we don’t do it at all. And that’s not going to cut it.” He nimbly slid his blade into his scabbard. “So stop being mouthy and let’s get this stupid thing over with.”

Zyke whipped out his scythe, leaning gently on it and examining his nails. “You’re something, Cel,” he muttered.

Celthic ignored the statement. He ignored a lot of things. Life was easier that way. “We’ve given ourselves up. They know what we look like now. From now on, we work discreetly. In, out, done.” He wind-milled his arms, opening a gaping violet portal. “We’re splitting up. Let’s go.”

They’re two huge dorks, in case you were wondering. And I love them.

Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

Never think that your work is stupid. Even if it is. XD Because if you don’t have confidence in your own work, why would anyone else? Own your novel, and don’t worry about it being perfect, because we all know that’s not possible. In fact, imperfections are sometimes what makes a novel great.

And also, don’t slack off on the last week of NaNo and in a fit of panic, barely make the 50,000 mark on November 30th, 11:45 PM. Really wouldn’t suggest that. Not a smart choice.

This was me at the end of the month. XD

There you go! A little glimpse into my newly rewritten Imprint! Thank you again for this awesome link-up, Christine! Tell me about your NaNo experience in the comments! And also MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Look out for a special little post on Christmas Eve! 😉

Pitiful Prose // The IM Conversation

Hello guys, and welcome back to the latest installment of Pitiful Prose, the segment where I belittle and bemoan my younger self’s writings.

I wrote this little ditty back in…2013, I think? Phones and texting were really becoming this huge thing, and I was eager to try my hand at writing an IM chat log. (For…some reason that I don’t know…)

It’s quite cringey, it will possibly make you laugh, and I hope you enjoy! 🙂

_________________________________________________

MaddieGladdie* –  R U coming 2 Mi house?

*This was back when I self-inserted myself into my stories. I changed her name to Madel, and gave her my nickname, so this was…really not that subtle.

JackinaBox* – I’ll be there @ 6. Kay?

*I actually kinda like this one for a username? It’s kinda cute. XD

MaddieGladdie – Sounds good. Is any1 else online?

JackinaBox – dont know.*

*Can I just say, it took a lot of willpower to make myself misspell words on purpose. So. Give me a round of applause.

MelMel – Hello??

MaddieGladdie – Mandy! u’re here!

MelMel – u’re here 2!

JackinaBox – any1 else?

MelMel – ummmmm….*

*Who writes an ‘um’ that long? Seriously? >_>

SmartCookie – Im here.

MaddieGladdie – hey Anna!*

*Why are you even bothering to use usernames if you’re just going to call each other by your names?

SmartCookie – hi. Sorry Im late.

MaddieGladdie – no big.

CoolKate – Hi!

MaddieGladdie – hey kate! Is Lia there with U?*

*…Why did you capitalize Lia…but not…Kate…?

CoolKate – just a sec, BRB*

*…where are you going?

JackinaBox – So… R U all coming 2 Mad’s house?*

*Nobody shortens Madeline, or even Maddie, to Mad. Literally nobody has ever done that to me.

MelMel – I am!

SmartCookie – me 2.

MaddieGladdie – Kate?

CoolKate – Im back! and Lia is logging in right now.

MaddieGladdie – kay!

XOLiaOX* – hey every1!

*Could I be more creative with these names? XD

MaddieGladdie – hey Lia! so is every1 here?

MelMel – yep.*

*Why are you taking the time to use punctuation, but still not capitalizing words and misspelling them?

MaddieGladdie – ok, great I need all of U @ mi house. can U make it?

CoolKate – Im free.

XOLiaOX – me 2!

MaddieGladdie – SO U’ll all come? CYA there!*

*I think my eyes are bleeding.

_________________________________________________*

*{Insert graceful cut here}

I log off and race to the door. as usual, Lia is here first. “hey Madel! Whats so Important?”

“I’ll wait till the other are here.” I say.*

*Ooh, who is the other? Are they the bad guy?? :O

Its just after dinner so everyone has to ‘wash up’ and clean themselves.*

*Wouldn’t you do that…before dinner? I’m so confused. -_-

There you go, my first chat log! I don’t think I’ve ever written one since then…probably because even I thought it was cheesy and…pretty much pointless, plot-wise. Like, what even is happening in this scene? This whole thing could’ve taken less than a paragraph if I cut out all the ridiculous filler. XD

Does this look like a realistic text exchange to you? Or like an automated robot trying to be hip wrote it? Let me know in the comments!

NaNoWriMo 2018 in a Nutshell // I DID IT!!!

Hello guys! Wow…it feels like ages since I last wrote a blog post…or even interacted with the outside world…XD But I’m back, and currently swimming in tons of other blogger’s posts that I need to catch up on.

Don’t let anyone tell you NaNo doesn’t take over your whole life. They are liars.

Has anyone did their yearly re-watch of this one yet? *raises hand*

But anyway, I am SO STINKING EXCITED to announce that…

I DID IT!! I REACHED 50K WORDS!!!

That really doesn’t seem like much, when I see other writers hitting word-counts up into the 100ks…Seriously, you guys are speed demons. XD

BUT. This will mark my first ever year of actually winning NaNo! I’ve been doing WriMos since the year 2015 (or 2014? My memory is foggy…), and I have NOT ONCE completed the challenge. I’ve come SO. SO. CLOSE. But those last 10,000 words were always out of my reach.

BUT NOT THIS YEAR!

I’m definitely going to be setting my mess of a novel aside for the month of December and focusing on some more casual writing (like blogging 😉 ) for the rest of the year.

It was such a crazy time, let me tell you.

I started off pretty strong, staying far ahead of the daily word goals for the first couple weeks. But then it’s like a massive wave of nothingness flooded through the rest of the month. I was 10,000 words behind schedule, at one point. That was a terrible feeling.

I stayed fairly low, wordcount-wise, through the Thanksgiving weekend and fretted that I wouldn’t be able to make it.

But those last few days…oh my gracious. I was pounding out as many words as possible, not quite caring if they even made sense or not. I just had to get these words on the page.

Does anyone else remember this short? XD

And so, at no later than 11:45 on November 30th, I hit 50k.

Batman approves.

And then I immediately went to bed, my brain half-dead with exhaustion, half-hyped-up on the fact that I had won.

So…yeah. That was my experience. And now I have this dandy little badge to prove that I did it.

 

Isn’t it just BEAUTIFUL??

I would share some snippets, buuuut…I haven’t dared to look through my manuscript just yet. XD I’ll probably do an aesthetic post with some of them sometime in the middle of December, but for now, I’m glad to just let it rest.

Sorry if this is kind of a shorter post, I’m still kind of reeling from last month’s insanity. XD CONGRATULATIONS to all you writers who completed NaNo!! Tell me a bit about your experience down below! I’d love to hear I’m not the only one who kind of went a bit crazy… 😛

Important Update // I Am Not Dead!

Hello guys! This is just a quick update to let you know

I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THIS BLOG!

Halfway through the second week, I realized, oh darnit, I never announced I was taking a hiatus ARGH. So…it’s a bit late, but…I’ll be taking a hiatus this month. XD

As far as NaNo goes, it’s been moving along fairly well for me. I’m trying to keep my word count above the required amount of words for the day, and I’ve actually been doing it, which is so shocking to me. XD

So, yeah. I’ll have my next real post out early December. (MY WORD HOW IS DECEMBER COMING SO FAST >_>) How is NaNo going for all you other writers so far? Have you died yet? Are you doing better than you thought you ever could? Let me know down below!

Probably the Scariest Story You’ll Ever Read // Spooky Story Link-up 2018

Hi guys! I have a spooky story for Jenelle’s contest! I think it will properly send a little shiver down your spine…It will probably be the scariest story you’ll ever read, so…be prepared…*ominous music begins to play*

The trees spindly fingers snapped in the wind, an eerie tune that whispered in the back of one’s head, inescapable.

It prickled across Grace‘s skin, making her shudder. Her heart thumped viciously. She stood quietly, fearfully on the porch, nervously twiddling with her apron strings, watching as a man kneeled in the cemetery, his cloak fluttering in the gale, his pale skin illuminated by the moon’s glow.

The wind fluttered crisply through her fair hair, blowing it into her face, obscuring her vision. She felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped around to see George.

“George,” she said, quivering. George said nothing, but gripped her harder. She imagined his knuckles to be white as snow.

They both watched as the man stood abruptly and slowly ambled away. They promptly lost sight of him.

“Why did you bring us here, George?” Grace cried indignantly. “Why couldn’t we have picked a better home? Somewhere far away from any cemetery or mysterious man?”

George sighed shakily. Though it was dark, Grace saw the fear in his eyes. “You know why, dear one.”

Annie and Alice slowly crept out from their hiding place beside a potted plant that had been long dead. “Mother? Father?” Annie whispered. “What is the matter? Are we in danger?”

The wind picked up, whistling angrily, clouding the world in a dark, confusing blur. It swept through the gravestones, singing its eerie song under the moonlight.

“Get in the house immediately,” George snapped, his fingers like ice.

The ladies shivered and whimpered as they hoisted their skirts up and hustled inside.

George followed closely behind them, and then locked the door behind him when they were all safely inside. The night was growing darker and the moon seemed to focus on the graveyard, giving it a ghostly spotlight. The wind howled, begging to enter the house, rattling the half-shattered windows.

A sudden, ferocious clabber at the door pierced through the irritated wind.

Annie and Alice screamed, and Grace snatched their wrists and dragged them away from the door, holding them tightly. Her face was pale as death.

George seized his pistol from a small drawer in a rickety old nightstand, cocked it carefully, quietly, and slowly made his way to the door.

“I don’t like this place,” Alice cried, her voice shaking with sobs. Grace hugged her daughters firmly.

The door burst open, filling the house with the cold, angry wind. The man from the graveyard stood in the entrance, furiously rubbing his hands across his arms, shaking violently from the cold.

George roared and pointed his gun at the man’s heart.

The man’s head shot up, and his screech overwhelmed the drone of the wind.

The Taylors vanished without a single sound.

The wind continued to pound against the windows, filling the house with a haunting symphony.

The graveyard looked distant and watery, like a dream.

Brian unsteadily took his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed his friends’ number.

“Come and pick me up.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Now.”

“What? What’s wrong, I thought you were visiting your grandpa’s grave?”

“I saw…I saw…”

The world faded to black.

 

 

 

“…Hello? Brian? You still there…?

Quite spooky, right? O.O On a lighter note, what’s your favorite Halloween candy? Let me know down below!

Know the Novel // Part One: Introductory

Hello guys! So…I have an announcement!

I’m doing NaNoWriMo!!!

I just really love this GIF. XD

It’s going to be a little different from my previous novel writing attempts though, since I’m going to be rewriting my novel that I wrote waaaaay back in 2014, my very first month-long writing experience (I was inspired by Mirriam way back when, so I did it for JuNoWriMo, rather than NaNoWriMo).

You might know about this novel, I’ve been calling it Imprint forever, but currently, I’ve titled it Rewritten, which I think is quite fitting. XD I’ll probably keep referring to it as Imprint, because I can’t help myself, but on my NaNo page, it says Rewritten.

I’ve been slowly working on this book for nearly FIVE YEARS now, and…well, I’m putting my fist down. This will be THE FINAL REVISION. THE REVISION TO END ALL REVISIONS. Maybe not, but I am going to be done with this book after the month of November (I mean, I’ll probably still do SOME editing, but nothing huge).

I’M SO EXCITED GUYS. *does a little happy dance*

You may have seen Christine’s new linkup on her blog, or from other bloggers, and since I think it looks like the coolest thing since Liv’s linkup, I’m going to give it a shot!

Basically, it’s a three part challenge October through December, this first part being an ‘introductory’ type of deal, where one can acquaint others to their novels through a series of ten questions.

Let’s jump in!

• What first sparked the idea for this novel?

I’ve always loved fairytale retellings, they were my main source of inspiration for my stories when I was younger. I liked the idea of a girl being able to travel into books, fairytales specifically, and what would happen if she messed up the story.

That was when I was ten, and though the story has morphed incredibly since then, I’ve still kept the idea, though very loosely.

• Share a blurb!

Since a young age, Paige Turner has been able to read herself into books. She never thought it would get her into trouble. One day while she’s at the bookstore, a cloak-wearing man tries to slit her wrists. Things only grow worse after that. Soon Paige and her friend Markus are caught in the middle of deadly feud between a vengeful wizard and a mysterious man. If they want to make it out alive, they’re going to have to have to use more than their booksmarts…

• Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

Half of the time it’s in a contemporary world, much like in real life. The other half takes place in my own little fantasy world, Nore.

I think my favorite part about Nore is that there are so many opportunities to spin things on their head it’s modeled after book genres, with realms like Contemporalis, Fanastasia, Mythologia, and such. To us, it appears to be the world of books, but to the inhabitants there, it’s just everyday life. Every realm is unique, and playing with different literary tropes found in different genres to give the realms their customs and culture is so, so fun. 😀

• Tell us about your protagonist.

Paige is a bookworm all the way. She loves reading in all genres, but fantasy and science fiction in particular. So…I mean, I kind of love her just for that? XD

She’s a tad reserved, quiet, but can be feisty if she’s really worked up. I’ve classified her as an ISFJ, if that means anything to you. She likes things just so, and she can get really anxious about things that don’t really need worrying about. She’s very empathetic and compassionate, which can (often, actually XD) get her into trouble, especially when it comes to the villains she has to deal with. She also has a major crush on the other main character Markus. They’re a cute couple, in my opinion, which doesn’t really count for anything, but… XD

• Who (or what) is the antagonist?

There are a few different villainous persons in this story, which is revealed more in the next books. The main antagonist is an evil wizard named Zedidiah.

He has crippling OCD, to the point where he’s willing to (and does) murder his own brother to be on the throne, since he thinks his brother ‘wasn’t doing a good enough job ruling the realm’. He’s a vengeful control freak who has very little feelings toward anyone (at least that’s what he tells himself. He has a… very, very sad but interesting backstory).

• What excites you the most about this novel?

I would have to say the characters honestly. I’ve fallen so deeply in love with them and their snark and sarcasm and painful pasts and I could just hug all of them (including the villains) to bits and pieces. ^_^

• Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?

This will be a trilogy. Hopefully. That’s what I’m shooting for and what I’ve always imagined it would be since the very beginning. We’ll see!

• Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plansting?

I will be plotting. I have my shiny outline all finished and just waiting to be implemented. It’s actually a mess of a thing and I’m SO SCARED about what on earth is going to happen during November. But I think I’ll be okay. Kind of. For the most part. Maybe. Pray for me, guys. XDDD

• Name a few things that makes this story unique.

Ooh, I like this question! It really makes you think what will make your story stand out to editors and agents. My novel, in a way, is magical realism, since a good portion of the story takes place in our world, and that’s not something you see very often.

It bends lots of genres, especially once you get into the second and third books. Though…I’ve heard editors don’t particularly like that, unless it’s done crazy well… It makes it harder to market or something like that… O-O But it does make it unique!

• Share a fun “extra” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

Ooh!! I have a playlist on Spotify, a Pinterest board, and a collage!

That’s all, guys! This is such a great idea, Christine, thank you for coming up with it! 😀 Are you guys doing NaNo this year? What’s your novel going to be about? (And if you want to be one of my writing buddies, just look me up, Madeline J. Rose and add me! I think I’ve friended a lot of you already, but if I haven’t, send me your link, please!)