Library Fun

Hey! Sorry I'm posting a little later than usual today. Me and my mom were editing all morning and having all kinds of fun with that.


Now, I don't know about you guys, but when I was in the drafting stage of my novel, I really didn't have time for anything else. (Well, that's if I wanted to get any writing done.) Unfortunately, that meant using up my precious reading time at night to write instead. In fact, I think I only read two books over the entire summer! Whenever we'd pull up to the library, I never went in, knowing that even if I picked out a book, I wouldn't be able to finish it.


That has changed. Ever since I finished my first draft, I have had more free time (not a lot more, but still, more)! So anyway, when me and my family went to the library over the weekend, I decided, 'hey, why not? I'm not drafting anymore, I can spend the time to read a book.' When I walked in and looked at all the books, a strange realization hit me: all of them were written by other people!


Now, wait just a second. I knew that all of the books were written by people before (no I'm not that clueless!), but it never really hit me! Now that I know how hard all of those people had to work to just get the first draft out of their heads, it all meant so much more! To think that they had to deal with the same things I did was amazing and exciting! That was probably the best experience I've ever had at a library!


Of course, I've got all of you guys to look up to and learn from, but realizing that there are that many people out there on the same journey that the rest of us are... it was unbelievable!


And who ever thought I could have that much fun?


--Jess

More Awards!

Okay so yesterday I received the 'Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award' and the 'Versatile Blogger Award' from Laila Knight at The Untroubled Kingdom of Laila Knight! Today I received two more Liebster Awards! One from Isis Rushdan and one from Jillian's blog at Writing on a Limb! Thanks so much everyone! If you haven't been to their blogs, go give them a nice big 'hi'!

I think you're supposed to award this to five people with less than 250 followers, so here I go:

1. Liesl~ Over at Write Ropes and Hopes
2. Shiraz Akhtar~ Over at Vantage Point
3. Sarah~ Over at Today I'm Reading
4. Prerna Pickett~ Over at The Sands of Writing
5. Francesca Zappia~ Over at The Lobster Tank

So head on over there and give them a nice welcome!

Once again, I'd like to thank all of my new blogger friends for all the support they've given me! It's so nice meeting all of you!

--Jess

P.S.

Does everyone like it when I post a poem on Tuesday as well as Saturday? Or is posting only on the weekend okay with everyone?

Campaign and Awards!

I have been having so much fun these past few weeks! I've been able to edit quite a bit of my novel and have actually found some time in my day to read! I've been playing my violin more often and all of those blogfests were awesome! I'm also signing up for the blogging Campaign over at Rachel Harrie's site! Signup closes on the 31st, so be sure to go over there to meet new blogger friends!

Also, I have been awarded by Laila Knight these two awesome blog awards:

They both came from Laila Knight over at the Untroubled Kingdom of Laila Knight! Go stop by her awesome blog and give her a nice 'hi'. Thanks so much Laila!


I should probably pass these on now. The rules are:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominates you
2. Share seven random facts about you
3. Pass this award to five new blogging friends
4. Contact and congratulate the awarded bloggers

Okay so seven random facts, here I go!

1. I love Japanese food. I'm like, obsessed with it. (I wonder if it's because I'm a quarter Japanese...) My least favorite food is fried onions. I can eat plain ones, as long as they're not cooked in any way!
2. I am a very artistic person. I love to write (duh), paint, draw and play violin. By the way, I love any kind of music. (All of the kids at my old school thought I was crazy because I actually liked Opera.) It really just depends on the song for me.
3. I'm TERRIBLE at writing romantic scenes. And they're not even kind of good, they are actually terrible! It's really funny :D
4. I used to like a guy in 6th and 7th grade and ever since then I decided that I would wait until college before ever having to go through that again. (That's probably why my romantic scenes are so bad!)
5. I don't really follow any particular religion. I just choose the good things from each one and that works pretty well for me. (As long as you're a nice person it shouldn't matter too  much right?)
6. I love dreaming! I don't care if the dreams are scary or fun... as long as I'm dreaming! More than once have I found inspiration for my stories and poems in my sleep!
7. I'm in love with science. I want to be an astrophysicist when I grow up (as well as a writer of course!) but any kind of science I think is awesome!

The five people I'm giving this award to are:

1. Anna Saikin at http://annasaikin.blogspot.com
2. Teralyn Rose at http://teralynpilgrim.blogspot.com/
3. Ellie Garrett at http://elliegarratt.blogspot.com/
4. Isis Rushdan at http://isisrushdan.blogspot.com
5. Alyssa McKendry at http://lifeisgood-forever21.blogspot.com

So go check out those awesome blogs! Hope you enjoy :)

--Jess

Poem The Day: If You Were Lost

If You Were Lost


If you were lost,

I'd go to sea,

And journey the world,

In search of thee.

I'd battle a hydra,

Yes, that is true,

In a cold dark valley,

Just to be with you.

I'll fly with the dragons,

That control the skies,

And I'll dance through the flames,

Just to glimpse your eyes.

I'd climb every mountain,

I'd search every plain,

For only you,

Can heal my pain.

But if where I look,

Is not where you are,

I'll sail off the Earth,

And search every star.

If you were lost,

I'd look for thee,

But would you come,

To search for me?

--Jess

Last Day of Sparfest and Going Back To School

First of all, it's the last day of Sparkfest! I'd like to thank Christine Tyler for hosting such a wonderful Blofest! If you missed the sign up days, you can still post for the Sparkfest on Saturday and make sure to read other people's entries!


For my last Sparkfest post, I would like to say that my biggest inspiration hasn't come from a movie, or a book, or even a song. My biggest inspiration is all of you! I can't believe how supportive and friendly everyone is! So thank all of you, who thought this blog was cool enough to join or comment on, or even glance at! Because you guys are awesome inspirations!


Now with that being said, let's get to the second title in this post. School starts on Monday. I'm not exactly thrilled about that, though I don't actually have to go anywhere because I'm homeschooled, which is awesome! Unfortunately, I'm going to have much less time to write than I usually do, which will be pretty sad since I've hardly done anything else this summer. (Writing forty four chapters in a summer is quite a challenge! Not to mention time consuming...)

Speaking of, this was probably my most productive summer ever! I used to think of summer as a time to rest, do nothing, and play video games all day long. Thank goodness I re-discovered my love for writing or I think this summer would have gone to waste! I'll still try to post every morning, but I might miss some days.

Have a great weekend!

--Jess

Sparkfest Day 4: World Views

Today is the second to last day of Sparkfest! Thanks so much, Christine Tyler! I have been having so much fun with this!
The third question is:


Is there a book or author that changed your world view?


There are so many amazing books I've read, it would be hard not to give credit to only one. But of course, that isn't the question. And if I had to choose one book, only one, I would have to say it goes to The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. (Click on the link to read the summary of the story).


I read this book when I was eight years old. It was the book that helped me transition from little chapter books to the ones I read today. I'm not exactly sure if I understood everything I was reading at the time, but it changed me.


It may not have had such a big effect as Star Wars or The Hunger Games had on me, (I couldn't have written another post about those two!) but it is a story that will stay with me forever.


And then there's my story. It's strange to think that something I write could affect people all over the country (if it actually turns out to be good, that is). Could someone possibly stumble across my writing one day, then be changed for the rest of their lives?


Was there a book or author that changed your world view?


--Jess