Spookfesta & Darkspell Launch

Good morning, everyone! Today is the long awaited Halloween! Well, actually it's tomorrow that I'm waiting for. I keep checking my NaNoWriMo meter to see how many hours I have before I can start writing! I'm at the edge of my seat here! I swear, the moment I finish my school work for the day, I'll be typing away! (That kind of rhymed...)


Anyway, today is also the launch day of Elizabeth Mueller's first novel called Darkspell which can be found HERE on Amazon. Congratulations Elizabeth!

Okay so the prompt for the Spookfesta is:


If I had all the magic in the world, I'd...
Increase technology so that we find a way to travel through space efficiently and not have to wait eighty thousand years to get to the nearest star!


*That's actually not an exaggeration. If you traveled at seventeen kilometers per second (roughly the speed of Voyager 1), and headed straight in the direction of Alpha Centauri (the closest star) it would take about eighty thousand years for you to get there.


With that being said, I think we could use a little magic to help speed up the process there, or we're never going to see a planet outside of the solar system!


Alrighty, go congratulate Elizabeth and check out her awesome book!


Happy Halloween!


--Jess


P.S.
How do you like the new blog layout? I think it's a little more sophisticated than before. What do you think?

Three Day Countdown...

Wow, I knew NaNoWriMo was coming fast, but I just checked my little countdown meter on my sidebar and I didn't realize it was in three days. Okay, I've really got to start working hard.

I'm really not a big fan of writing without an outline. In fact, every single story I’ve written without an outline has remained unfinished. Honestly, if I don’t know where the story is going, I get really bored. You have no idea how much I wish I could just start a story without much of a plan then turn it into something that people love. I think it’s good to be spontaneous. But I guess that’s just not how I work.

So, I’ve got five days to write half of what I like to call, a skeleton. Now I’m sure there’s an official name for it, but I kinda like calling it a skeleton because I write everything down that helps maintain the structure of the story. The fancy and thoughtful language (what I like to call the muscle or meat of the story) can come in later. So until NaNoWriMo begins, I’ve got to be working on my skeleton.

All in all, writing the skeleton is really the part where I get the whole story down and out of my head. I usually break it up in bullet points and don’t write in complete sentences. At the same time, I try to be as detailed as I can be without actually and officially writing the story. And when I say detailed, I mean detailed. It kind of gets to the point of being ridiculous.

Speaking of skeletons, what are everyone’s plans for Halloween? I’m participating in Elizabeth Muller’s Spookfesta and if it weren’t for a reminder email I got, I would have totally forgotten. As far as trick-or-treating goes, I’d much rather buy a bag of Reeces Peanut Butter Cups and write all night long.

--Jess

Campaign Entries I Loved

Well, the Campaign entries are finally over. All we've got to wait for now are the results. So I thought that today, since it's late and I'm feeling a little lazy, that I would just show you my five favorite entries:

1. Angie at Live to Write~ On the Beach
2. Rance at The Action P(r)ose~ All Gods Pilgrims
3. David Powers King's Ghost by the Seashore
4. Avery at Creative Type~ Purgatory
5. Jocelyn Rish's Party Girl

All of them I think have a dark flair to them, which I tend to love. So, go check out their entries and 'like' them on Rachael Harrie's site if you get the chance!

--Jess

P.S.

Apologies for the super short post (with not much content, as my dad would put it). Hopefully I'll have time for a longer one tomorrow or Thursday!

Meme Q&A Thing

Hello everyone! First of all, I can't believe the last time I posted was Monday!! Jeez I'm really behind! Now before I get too far into this post, let me just clarify one thing. I have no idea what a Meme is. If anyone else knows what it means, please tell me because I feel really stupid!

Okay, so recently my lovely friend Laura, over at The Daily Dodo gave me this Meme thingy to answer. Thanks so much Laura!!

So here are the questions and my answers.

If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be?

I was taking a three week summer program at Northwestern University in Creative Writing two years ago. I'd relive the night where my roommate and I stayed up all night long laughing and trying to avoid getting caught by the hall monitor. It was scary, but fun :)

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

It would be to focus on writing at an earlier age.

What movie/TV character do you most resemble in personality?

I'm not sure if it's up to me to say but I'd like to go with Princess Leia. I'm strong willed, and passionate and hopefully just as pretty!

If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would you choose?

Hmm... this is a toughie... hate to be cheating this question but I honestly have no idea.

Name one habit you want to change in yourself.

Not be so messy. I mean really. My room doesn't stay clean for a day and neither does my desk. What's up with that?

Why do you blog? (Answer in one sentence)

Because anything that has to do with writing is completely awesome!

Name at least 3 people to send this to:

1. Nick Height over at Writing Fire
2. Liz over at Laws of Gravity
3. Angela over at Live To Write

All three people I met through Rachael Harrie's Third Campaign Challenge. I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts (yes, I have actually read everyone's, and I'm trying to stay up to date)! So, go visit their blogs and give them a nice big 'Follow'! Because they are all really awesome!

So have a great weekend!

--Jess

P.S.

Actually, all of you guys are awesome!

Third Campaigner Challenge: Synbatec Island

Alright, this post is part of Rachael Harrie's Campaign. This is the third and final challenge! I'm really going to miss the Campaign! I've had so much fun and met so many new and awesome bloggers!! Anyway, here's the challenge:

Write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:

• that it’s morning, 

• that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach

• that the MC (main character) is bored

• that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting

• that something surprising happens.

Just for fun, see if you can involve all five senses AND include these random words: "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise."   (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one you give them).

So here's my entry:

Synbatec Island

Of all the things he told me, one remains clear. He was one of the last that could remember a sunrise. I’m cursed with the knowledge that such a thing existed. He used to speak of a time when pink and gold drops of light fell from the sun and into the clouds.

I stand on the island of Synbatec. He said that the sunrise was most beautiful here. During the war, countries rose and fell, but nothing could destroy the skies of Synbatec. Nothing except for the Tacise. The Young had predicted it. But the Elders couldn’t see it coming.

I look up at the dark green and grey clouds. They didn’t see. I almost laugh out of anger. I reach down and feel the grainy sand slip through my fingers.

The sea used to be beautiful. And so was the beach. I close my eyes and try to imagine a time when the skies and oceans were blue. I imagine families coming here to enjoy the view. A woman sits with her husband as they watch the waves crash in synchronizing harmony. A taste of sea salt is ghostly present. I try to breathe in fresh air of the place but a foul smell fills my nose and lungs. I cough and open my eyes.

Our world used to be beautiful. I glance behind me and see the wasteland of papers and bottles and debris left behind from a glorious civilization. A scrap of wastopaneer is picked up by the wind and blown into the sea. The sea that once had blue, crystal waves is now polluted with junk. The water has turned grey and green from oil. Lightning flashes and I jump in surprise. There’s no longer anything to do, but wait. If only we had known.

***

Yeah I know, not exactly the picture you saw at the top, but oh well. I thought most people would take a happier approach so I chose the 'dark side' for this one.


It's exactly 300 words and I think I used everything in the right way. I'M ENTRY #5. (I know! I actually made it in really early!) If you like it, vote for me here!

--Jess

The Early Works!

Today, I am participating in the lovely Julie's Early Works Blogfest! The idea is to talk about the first stories or pieces of writing you ever wrote. So, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

When I was six years old, I wrote my first story called The Dragon and the Rose. It was about a princess who was very rebellious. One day, she met a prince and they both fell in love. Unfortunately, a dragon didn't like the fact that the prince and princess were in love, so it stole the princess and the prince had to save her. And of course, all ended happily! (I was six, remember so hopefully I've improved since then!)

When I was eight, I decided that I wanted to write an actual novel. I called it, Tale of the Dragon. This story began when all of the dragons in the world were being killed off by people. Only one survived. When the dragon grew up (it was a baby at the beginning of the story) it heard of a place where dragons still existed and lived in peace. So he had to find his way to this other place where more dragons were. (I never finished this one...)

When I was nine I wrote a story about two African sisters who were separated while trying to escape into a different country (or something like that) and they both ended up thinking that the other person didn't survive. At the end they finally found each other and were happy.

And finally, when I was twelve, I wrote a story about a dragon (I know, I was extremely obsessed with dragons!) who got lost from his world. He had the power to create peace wherever he went but when he landed on the Earth and saw the chaos, he decided to hide. For hundreds of years he waited for it to end, but it never did. Finally he emerged from his cave and tried to make peace. But no one would listen. When he was about to give up, he met a little girl who had lost her parents in a war. She wasn't angry, or remorseful though and she gave him hope that someday the world would be at peace.

Voila!

Those are all of the 'long' stories I wrote. And the funny thing is, all but one had something to do with Dragons. The weirdest part is, (I swear this is completely coincidental), the main boy character in my current W.I.P. is nicknamed Dragon. Strange name, I know, but hopefully it works.

I guess I could never really get over my childhood fascination with that mythical creature.

So what were your early works? You can share in the comment box or just go over to the Early Works Blogfest page and join! (On that page it says the day to finish by is October 14th, but that's been extended to the 28th. So no worries!)

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!

--Jess

NaNoWriMo... Let's Prepare (Pay it Forward)

NaNoWriMo is coming in less than twenty days and I can't believe how excited I am! Last year was the first year I did NaNoWriMo. To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And now that I think back on it, I started my novel (which sparked me to write the rest of the story, start a blog, and become a writer) because of NaNoWriMo. Of course, I just started it to have some fun. I didn't know it was going to turn into an entire story.


Anyway, for the past few days I've been contemplating what to write for it. I've got tons and tons of ideas I could be using for NaNoWriMo but what the heck am I actually going to write for it? Starting a whole new novel is a little scary since I've only written one so far.


I'm considering writing my sequel. Because, the only reason I split my story into 2+ books is because the entire story in my head was too long. Not writing book two right away feels like stopping in the middle of drafting to me because the story isn't complete without the rest of it.


So because or despite your helpful advice, I'm just going to write what feels right. I'm going with book two. I know you're supposed to start a new book for it, so hopefully this isn't cheating. I'm still a little nervous though. Can I keep up with two parts of the same story at once? Will I be disappointed with the results? I guess we'll have to find out!


You're doing NaNoWriMo, right? What are your plans for the National November Novel Writing Month?


Have a great weekend!


--Jess


P.S.


I can't believe it, I almost forgot! If you haven't been there already, go check out David Powers King's blog because he's having a 400 followers celebration and is giving away books!


And,


I signed up for Matthew MacNish's Pay It Forward Blogfest just now and it's going all today so here are three recently discovered blogs:

1. Lyla Lee
2. Shannon O'Donnell
3. Cortney Pearson

My New Friend

Well, I finally got my computer! I'm loving it already! It's a Toshiba Netbook actually and it's turquoise, my favorite color :) I think my mom is pretty excited too because now we won't have to sneak around for time on the only laptop in the apartment!


So with this new and great achievement, (I say it's an achievement because it's the most expensive thing I've ever bought), I declare a new era of writing for me. This cute little guy is portable and lightweight and has a fast processor. Let's hope he's got lots of memory space because I'm going to be writing a lot.

(We're the best of friends :) )

Now with that being said, I should actually get some work done.


Happy writing!


--Jess

Back In The Blogosphere

Wow, we're finally here and I'm loving the coffee and rain! Hopefully I'm back for good. Well, at least until the month in temporary housing is up, but let's not worry about that right now.


Okay, now to business.


I am exactly halfway done with editing my novel (give or take a chapter)! I can't believe I've already come this far, it's so exciting! I'm struggling to not explode from excitement because we're living in Seattle and because I'm halfway done! (Or maybe thats from the mocha latte I drank earlier...)


Anyway, I'm kind of torn. For the entire way here, we've only had one laptop (I ordered my own yesterday so that shouldn't be a problem anymore). So while my mom was writing on the computer, I really couldn't work on my current story. I was tempted to just watch the TV with my brother and sister, but Food Network doesn't hold my attention for very long. I'm not exactly the 'cooking' type. Besides, I've been feeling in a creative mood all week. The perfect time to write, right?


As of today, I've written down ten to fifteen different story ideas, all of them completely separate from my current novel. Each has about a paragraph of back-story and where I want the story to go. I'm proud of myself for that, but a little overwhelmed. What the heck am I going to do with ten new story ideas?


And that's not all. I've got the first few chapters of my sequel planned out. Like completely planned out. All I've got to do is write it.


So why don't I just go for it?


To be honest, I'm actually afraid for my first book. Am I giving it enough attention? Am I giving it too much attention? Should I start book two or just continue focusing on book one? Or should I take a break from this entire story after finishing my second draft and write something completely different? There are things in book two that would definitely help me edit book one but would I be cheating book one from my undivided attention? Gosh I'm so confused.


Do you guys have any advice? How far along are you in writing/editing a novel when you feel comfortable starting something new? Do you write the sequel right after book one or do you take a break and write something different?


I love hearing what you've got to say!


--Jess


P.S.
I'm trying to come up with a better blogging schedule. I think I'll be posting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but we'll see. Thanks for stopping by!

Really Late Awards!

I just realized that I've got three awards that were awarded to me quite a while ago! I knew I was behind but so behind I couldn't write a quick post for awards? Ahh! This isn't so good!


As you know, I've already gotten the Versatile Blog Award a few times. So instead of enlightening you with seven more facts about me, I've decided to just be lazy, I'll make it easier for me everyone. Here's a link to my old post if you're really dying to know.


The rules for passing on the Versatile Blog Award (and I'm also passing on the One Lovely Blog award with this) are:

1. Thank and link to the person who awarded you
2. Share seven random facts (which I already linked to)
3. And pass this award on to 7 recently discovered blogs

So, I'd like to thank Mel Corbett for giving me the Versatile Blog award and Sheri L. Swift for both the Versatile Blog Award and the One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks again guys (sorry it took so long to pass it on!)

Okie dokie so I'm passing on these awards together (hopefully that's okay) but you can pass them on separately or however you want.

Now, the people I'm passing these to are:

1. 1000th Monkey~ Because I loved her flash fiction piece for the First Campaigner Challenge
2. Cheri Chesley~ Over at 'From the Other Side of the Mirror'. Go check out her review of the book The Armor of Light by Karen E. Hoover.
3. Julie Fedderson~ Over at 'Gypsy In My Soul'. I loved what she had to say for Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group
4. Rayna Iyer~ Over at 'Coffee Rings Everywhere'. First of all, she's got the word 'coffee' in her blog title and I love what she has to say.
5. Jani~ Over at 'Life Debatable'. Check out her contest for figuring out what to do with about 50 fliers!
6. Griffinclaw~ Over at 'Pen and Chocolate'. Give her a nice big 'hi' and lots of support!
7. Raz Darnell~ Over at 'Raz Berries'. Read an awesome excerpt from her Journal from Peru!

And of course, I've got one final thing to pass on. Thanks to Tara Tyler I've been included in the game of Blog tag. So here's five random people that I'm tagging.

1. Anita Laydon Miller
2. Jessica Love
3. Alyssa McKendry
4. Isis Rushdan
5. Kelley

Phew! Hopefully I didn't miss any awards people gave me, and if I did, I'm really sorry! Anyway, have a great rest of the week/weekend and congrats to all the winners!

--Jess

Approaching the Rockies

Hello my bloggie friends! I've finally gotten a few precious minutes to write this post, so I'll try to be brief.

First of all, we're almost in the Rocky Mountains! I can see the outline of them from where I'm writing this and it's really cool! It's so weird how much flat land there is between Ohio and Washington... We're in Wyoming right now and might be visiting Yellowstone National Park in a day or two (I'll be keeping my fingers crossed). We went to go see Mt. Rushmore yesterday while we were still over in South Dakota. Here are a few pics:

(George, Thomas, Teddy and Abe)

Me and my new friends ;)

If you haven't seen them, you really missing out. I think it's so amazing how people actually carved these faces out of the side of that huge rock wall. I can hardly make a face out of a tiny ball of clay! These guys must have been really special to do something this big. Anyway, that was just for yesterday. Today we went to go see the Devil's Tower which was absolutely fantastic. Another 'must see' if you haven't seen it already. Here are a few pics of that.

This gigantic tower that formed from magma pressing up on the ground eventually creating this amazing formation is breathtaking. The coolest part is that you can see it from quite a few miles away since the land around it is pretty flat.

Seeing that was just about the most exciting thing that happened today. I'm still so surprised about how much progress we've made across the country! We'll be in Seattle in a few days!

Anyway, that's what's going on in the physical world. As far as my novel goes, well, I'm a little disappointed. I've had time to edit in the car but I don't feel like I'm making as much progress. Even worse, I haven't kept up with all of your blogs (even though I said I would...). In fact, I've hardly checked at all. So, sorry about that, guys :(


But. Here's the good news. When we get to Seattle, I'm buying myself my very own computer! It's going to be a small one, but who cares! My own baby laptop is better than no laptop at all! Hopefully then I'll be able to keep up with everything going on in the blogosphere! And you won't believe how excited I am for that!


What's up for you guys this week? How's you're W.I.P. coming along?


--Jess


P.S.

We saw this little guy on the way to the Devil's Tower and I think he really wanted say 'hi' to everyone!