Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas break full of joy, and peace. (And if your lucky unlike me, SNOW!) Are any of you going to be writing like me?? =P Anyways, I hope you have a Very Merry Christmas!(:

Excerpt; from my novel

So...its been awhile. But I'm back! I finally found something to share with you all. Here is a very short excerpt from the novel I'm writing...(:

A tall pirate stood at the wheel of The X, his bright red hair blowing across his forehead.  Two leather straps were wrapped around his head, forming an X patch over his right eye, while his other bright green eye was staring straight at Luna. Freckles dotted his smoky cheeks and he held a cigar between his left fore finger, and left it part way between his smirked lips. His dark eyebrows were curved in determination. Smoke drifted up from his cigar, dissolving itself into the fog. “So that’s Maxx.” Luna said, raising an eyebrow. Behind him stood two others, both just as fierce-looking. The one on his right stood frowning, his bright blue eyes at a side-ways glare. His hair was lighter than Maxx’s, and only had a small tinge of red. He wore a suit that was almost identical to Maxx’s navy suit, but his was camo green. The man on his left had dark brown hair and a smile that almost seemed pasted to his face. His dark green eyes were partially closed and curved. He was waving, and seemed oblivious to the fact that Maxx meant business, not friendliness. “Sam. Stop waving.” Ian whispered to him, behind Maxx’s back. Sam slowly put down his hand, frowning. “They’ll shoot at us if we don’t seem friendly!” Sam said. Ian shrugged. “Oh well.” He said. Maxx lifted up both of his hands in surrender. “We have come in business only. We swear not to attack your ship!” Maxx yelled across the ship to Luna. Luna eyed him very closely and finally yelled back. “What do you want from us, then?” Maxx handed his cigar to Sam and walked to the rail of the ship. “Let down your bridge and we shall have a little chat.” Luna set her jaw. “I don’t trust you.” She growled. “Well, that is wise. But I didn’t ask you to trust me did I? I only asked for a little chat.” Maxx replied. Luna ran her eyes around The X. “Where are the rest of your pirates?” She asked. Maxx laughed. “Down under the quarterdeck. I didn’t want them to seem like a threat. Now can we have this little chat, or did I waste my time?” Luna began to play with her shark tooth. “You and your two quartermasters may come aboard by rope. I will not let down our bridge. Maxx shrugged. “So be it.” He grabbed the nearest hanging rope, and swung himself onto the ledge of their ship. Ian and Sam soon followed. Maxx stood in front of Luna, Ian in front of Ellie, and Sam in front of Brian. “We hear you’re after the alliance of Barnacle and Thimble. You’re wasting your time.” Luna shook her head. “That’s not any business of yours. We will risk what we must.” Maxx shrugged. “Maybe not. But Barnacle is one of our greatest enemies, and anyone else who teams up with him.” Luna raised her eyebrows. What was he getting at? “We want to defeat him. So, we are offering an alliance to help you do so.” Luna’s eyes were wide. “You’ve never before offered an alliance to anyone. So why now?” Maxx cocked his head to the side. “It takes an alliance to defeat an alliance.” He replied. Luna shook her head. “That’s not an answer.” Maxx smiled, and grabbed his cigar from Sam’s hand. “I haven’t yet gotten an answer from you, either.” Luna pushed her shaggy bangs to the side. “Fair enough. Let me talk with my quartermasters.”

 CopyRight 2010©

You want to write a story...but udk what to write about.

So you want to try writing a story?

Dunno what to write about?

Well I have tons of advice for you.


MY ADVICE STARTS HERE:

•  Come up with a genre. That is your first step.
• Go to a public place where you can sit and watch people. Make observations, write them down, and come up with characters. Ask yourself how the people around you interact with one another, how they walk, how they talk, their facial expressions. Not only can you come up with some characters, but you can also see the ways in which people live. 
• Read books that are in the same genre as you picked. Get a feel for how the authors write.
• Sit and think for a while. How would your characters feel in different situations? If you think of some good ones, write them down. 
• When would these characters be living? Where? This becomes your setting.
• Put your characters in that setting and figure out what they would do there. 
• Write a sentence about that character(s) beginning his/her story. This becomes your first sentence.
• Create a situation in which the character would be having struggles with themselves, another character, with society, with nature, with supernatural, or with technology. This becomes your main conflict.
• How would your character(s) deal with this conflict? The becomes your resolution or ending.
• Now fill in everything in between your beginning, conflict, and ending.
• You now have just created a story. That wasn't so hard, was it?

If your feeling in the blanks, and get writers block, go exploring or do something with someone, or take a nap, or eat. Take a break. You'll never come up with anything just sitting there, staring at your computer screen.


I hope this helped(:

The Mockingjay; BookReview #2

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year. -Back of The Book

  

I bought this book because, (obviously) I read the first two. The first two, (I must start on a positive note) are my favorite books ever. EVER! Needless to say, I was extremely excited for the third one. I even bought "The Mockingjay Pin" At Hot Topic. Guilty, yes. I found the book utterly amazing and intense, but nowhere near as good as the first two. The last four chapters and Epilogue ruined any chance it had of being just as good as the first two. COMPLETELY OBLITERATED! A lot of the book was expected...but a lot of it was just frustrating. It may have not been so frustrating if it weren't for the completely rushed and poorly written ending. Not to mention throughout the whole book, Katniss just keeps getting put back into the hospital over and over and over again. Also, there were too many deaths, that were unnecessary. Dare I mention a special little girl. At the end, you are still left with too many questions to count. Why is that necessary? So much for Suzanne Collins being my favorite author. I was depressed for days after reading this. So much that I couldn't get on here to write the review. Well, now I am. I have so many mixed feelings about this book that I have no idea what to do with them. If you read the first two, and not yet the third, I have a piece of advice for you. Either, just don't ruin what you have read and don't read the third at all, or just read up to the last four chapters. Don't ruin the awesomest books ever just to find out what happens in the end! Who wants to read about Katniss's "Happily Ever After" when its so obvious that her heart is ruined from everything? I wish I didn't. 

Rating: Three Spoonfuls of Pixie Dust.

 

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1.03.01

Eyes Like Stars; BookReview #1

The Théâtre Illuminata is the only home Bertie has ever known. It's a magical place where The Book, which contains every script written, resides along with countless players who are not born, but written into their parts. Bertie is an outsider, a human orphan, left at the mercy of the Theater Manager and raised by the players. But when her endless tricks and tomfoolery drive some at the Theatre Illuminata to the end of their ropes, Bertie is given an ultimatum: become uniquely useful, or get out. But there is much more at stake than Bertie ever realized...  -Back of Book

I bought this comedy/drama by Lisa Mantchev, for three reasons.
1. The cover.
2. The Fairies.
3. The statement "All Her World's A Stage."

I was very intrigued by the idea of her whole world being the theater, although the story could have been stronger. I was able to finish it quickly, which dumbfounds me because I didn't much care for it. I loved the fairy's funny and witty conversations, but the conversations between the others I didn't connect to. I want to connect to everything in a book, not just some of it. Some of the description was also very poor, and occasionally hard to follow. Overall, I was extremely disappointed. Should you read this book? Well, it really depends. On what? I'm not sure yet. I found that lots of people have reviewed this book and seemed to enjoy it. I on the other hand, didn't. So if you are like me, and want to connect to a book completely, and loves description, stay away from it. Although at some points, I was pleased to be accompanied with a good laugh from the fairies. If you're desperate for something like this, than go ahead and buy it! You might enjoy it more than I did.

Rating: Two spoonfuls of pixie dust.

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1.03.01

The Nook

Yeah...I just spent all my money on a nook. It might have been one of the best things I ever did. I had a very happy moment when I turned it on, and played with it, but it got smashed not a moment later. I didn't have any money to buy a book for it with! My mom ended up letting me buy one for it...but now I'm really in need of "The Mocking Jay." Oh, how I hope I get more money soon...In the meantime I can finish the other books I haven't yet finished. Like Inkheart and The Starlighter. Do I recommend the Nook to you? Yes, but only if you have enough money to buy some books too. If someone else has a nook, you can borrow books from each other for two weeks per book. I love that feature, though none of my friends have yet bought the nook. I am having a hard time managing all the books I have to read, and the ones I want to read. Hopefully the nook will help me organize this. Since I got the 3G version, I can take Barnes and Nobles with me everywhere I go! Finish a book on a car trip? Problem Solved. I can buy another book right then and there.

Is it your turn to buy a nook?

My new button

Settings =]

Something a little difficult, is writing a good setting. This comes as more of a challenge to me, but it may come easier to others. I am best at describing characters, and actions, but for some reason I have a hard time with settings. So to prevent this from troubling you, I have some tips. Above all else, plan ahead. A good setting has been planned ahead of time, before being collaborated into the story. This is something I often fail to do, which causes the book to turn out poorly. That is why I am suggesting it to you!
      One of the books I am currently writing, is set on a pirate ship. This is an easier setting, because most everyone knows what a basic pirate ship looks like. I just have to fill in the details.
    Even though settings are difficult, they can be a lot of fun as well! If you do it right, you can play and have fun with them.

My second tip, is to never give up on it! In fact, never give up with a story, period. Maybe take a break, but never completely quit.
My third tip of course, is be descriptive. I might ALWAYS say this, but its really important for stories. Over describe at first if needed, and then go back and take some out. Exaggerate everything! That makes for a really sturdy setting.
   A setting is more than just a place, right? Its Where, When, Who, Why, and What. For example... Where: The Hollow Tree. When: April second, 2002. Who: Lily, and Rose. Why: They need more fairy dust! What: Two bags for their dust.
   Now, you have something to base it off of. Here is the paragraph, that makes the setting.
   Rose smiled and flitted towards the large hollow tree, that stood in the center of a huge meadow. Surrounding it, where a few other scraggly trees. It was a sunny day on April the second, 2002 when Rose decided to meet Lily here. Lily stood at the large hole in the middle of the tree, waiting. "Rose!" She shouted, smiling and waving. Rose flew up, and hugged her. "Do you have your bag?" Lily asked. Rose nodded, and pulled a small brown leather sack from her pocket. Lily also pulled out hers, and then they held hands and flew into the dark tree.
   It's not the best, but it at least shows what I mean.
      So what are you going to do when you need a setting?
Plan ahead, never give up, and be descriptive! =]

Ramona And Beezus (Mov. Review #1)

Last night, I went and saw Ramona and Beezus. Of course, I was really excited because Selena Gomez was in it. And let me tell you, I'm the biggest Selena Gomez fan...EVER. But that ended up not being why I like it so much. I shall explain =]

   Ramona Quimbly has a huge imagination. She imagines everything around her, differently and more interesting. I found my inner self really relating to her. I also have an overactive imagination, still. XD. As Beezus said, "You tend to color outside the lines." Sometimes though, her family sometimes gets annoyed with her antics. Because of her overactive imagination, she causes a lot of problems, when trying to help. At one point Beezus was all upset and embarrassed, and Beezus said to Ramona, "I mean, who could love a name like Beezus?" And Ramona replied, "Uh, Jesus?" I loved that line! There were quite a few great lines, and that made it even better. I found that this movie had a really good message, about not giving up, being secure in yourself, and family relationship. It's a great family feel-good movie.

  Although, seeing the previews, I was hoping for more of a sister bonding. There was a little bit of it, but the name IS "Ramona and Beezus"  not "Ramona." So I figured there would be more of that, and there wasn't. I thought a few of the things, hadn't been resolved real well either.

     Over all, I found that this ended up being a favorite movie of mine, and I do recommend you see it. =]

One more thing. Imma say a bad word. GUTS!! =P

(I will get better at these reviews, I promise!!)

Characters =P

Characters are one of the most important elements in a story. They are what causes the action. So what makes a perfect character? Emotion. A reader who can feel the character's emotion, will connect more with the character. You really want your reader to connect with the character in some way, because it makes them want to read on. Since the reader "becomes" the character, they get experience the story, which causes them to not want to stop reading. They get to enjoy disappearing into the book. What helps create emotion? Description. Description is the key to success in a character's emotions. So if you're looking to make a perfect character, that captivates the reader, use description and emotion together. Its like peanut butter and jelly, making a wonderful sandwich. Be sure not to overdo it though, because that too, can become messy. Too much peanut butter and jelly can make the eater sick =/ Or in other words; Too much description and emotion can make the reader frustrated. You have to find your happy medium. Here is a paragraph about a faerie character:

Jolie combed the last strand of her blond locks into the bun. She tied the short vine around it and sprayed it with dew to keep it in place. She smiled with her tiny red lips at herself in mirror. Her navy blue eyes darted to the door, as the door bell rang. She dusted off her petunia-petaled skirt, and flitted over to the gray leaf door. She opened the door and smiled, highlighting the freckles across her nose and upper cheeks. This was going to be the best day of her life, for sure. She tried not to cry a tear of joy. Her best friend stood at the door, smiling her big, sparkling smile. "Amber!"

See how I gave plenty of description and emotion, without going over the top? I blended it in with the story instead of just describing her. For example:

There once was a blond haired faerie named Jolie. She had blue eyes, and freckles. Her lips were thin and red. She was expecting someone, and was super excited. There was a knock at the door, and she flew to it and opened it. "Amber!" 

Notice how much more choppier and boring that was? It doesn't take much more effort to make the story play in someone's mind like a movie. Plus, you don't understand one of the most important elements of the story. The character. Which one did you actually connect with? Yeah, the first one. 

I hope this helps with character intros! =]

Welcome =]

I am currently writing two novels, one I started about 4 months before the other I have just recently started. I decided that the second one I'm writing would be EXTRA descriptive, since most likely the first one will be a series, while the second won't. As a writer, I find that Its really hard for me to just start writing whenever needed. I really like to be in a creative mood, but of course you kinda have to push that aside if there is indeed a deadline.
I notice that a lot of writers have a very different view on things then most people. A whole other writer's perspective. We see things the way that they could be, should be, shouldn't be, and never really are. It's a thing that really helps when it comes to creativity. 
So I created this blog to share my creative writing perspective with you. I hope you enjoy my writing ramblings! Be sure to explore, comment, follow, and more! Thanks lots =]