Hello all! RJ (from http://virtuousgirlhood.com/) and I have come up with a fun writing prompt/exercise. Let me tell you about it...
Characters Combined- This is only the official name until we come up with something better to describe what we're doing. In this activity, you must pair up with another author. Each of you picks a character from your story to put into a "scene" together. The scene can be a literal scene, or several scenes, depending on where your combined imaginations take you. How do you write a scene with someone else? RJ and I did ours through Facebook messaging. If you aren't facebook friends with your partner, you can use email, IM, whatever way you'd like. One person would start the story, write a sentence or two, and the next person would finish it. Here is an example from the prompt RJ and I did.
He grabs Megan and tosses her over his shoulder and starts running with her,shooting the guards behind him. ~(RJ)
"Dude. This is really awkward! I HAVE legs! And I play soccer!!!!!!" ~(Me)
"I have no clue what you are talking about. Just trust me ok?"~(RJ)
*huff* "Fine, mr all knowing! Just hurry, cause I don't know if I can't balance this ACID forever!" ~(Me)
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He runs towards a flight of stairs and up them. The guards are following shooting at them. ~(RJ)
Megan looks over her shoulder, aims carefully, and shoots a guard with Warren's fire pistol.Some other guards start tripping over him.*snicker.* "Like dominoes..." ~(Me)
And it continues... the prompt was originally started to see how these two characters, vastly different personalities, would do if stuck in a prison cell together. Well, as we typed, the story evolved into them working together to escape, and both of them having to save each other at different times. I think we both discovered something new about our characters through this prompt.
There are two ways you could go into a prompt like this. One of them is to decide what weapons/items your characters will have on them for the story. You could stick to said items, and use them, or as RJ and I did, everything happened at random, including the tools we had. I think it's fun to just let your prompt take you, and see where it goes. Don't plan the story!
After you've written your prompt, we would be happy to read it! You can post it on your blog, and send me a link to add!
This could be such a fun thing, if we all work together! You will come to know your characters better, and it's neat to see two characters from different lifestyles combined. If you have any questions, comment, and I will get back to you ASAP!
Today's Prompt: Go to a carnival! That's right: a carnival. If you want to, include a carousel, and some sort of food stand. Have fun!
Oh! And here are the rules... just to remind everyone!
1. You need a partner.
2. You write it together.
3. Don't plan! ;)
4. Post back! (If you please. Please?)
I hope you'll join us!!!!!!!! We would also love to see who you've paired up with. Just say something like... My partner is RJ.
Deadline for submission is Sept. 14 :D
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
The Orphan King- A Book Review
Today I am reviewing The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Back cover: The future of the Immortals is in the hands of an orphan
My greatest fear was that they would find us and make of us a sacrifice beneath a full moon. Now you, Thomas, must help us destroy the circle of evil.
The last words of a dying woman would change the life of young Thomas. Raised behind monastery walls, he knows nothing of his mysterious past or imminent destiny. But now, in the heart of medieval England, a darkness threatens to strangle truth. An ancient order tightens their ghostly grip on power, creating fear and exiling those who would oppose them. Thomas is determined fulfill his calling and bring light into the mysterious world of the Druids and leaves the monastery on an important quest.
Thomas quickly finds himself in unfamiliar territory, as he must put his faith in unusual companions—a cryptic knight, a child thief, and the beautiful, silent woman whom may not be all she seems. From the solitary life of an orphan, Thomas now finds himself tangled in the roots of both comradery and suspicion.
Can he trust those who would join his battle…or will his fears force him to go on alone?
When I saw this book was eligible for review, I was instantly interested. The storyline sounded very cool, and it intrigued me. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. After having a tough time getting the ebook to work, I finally settled in to read some of it. It WAS interesting. The characters were (mainly) lovable in their own ways, and I cheered for Thomas on his quest.
That being said, the book didn't quite reach the expectations I set up for it. Maybe that isn't fair, because it really is a well written book. Here are the things that made the story less satisfying for me. The pace: It was too fast, in my opinion. I never got the chance to get to know the characters well because the story was going by so quick. It also left me in confusion about some points of the story. Which leads to... the length: There's nothing wrong with a book being only a bit over 200 words, but instead of Mr. Brouwer taking artistic liberties, it seemed as if he was trying to cram all his ideas into a little box. Confusion: I was confused about what was happening, and constantly trying to figure out just what on earth was going on- though I believe some of them will be explained in book 2. Finally, all of these things made it hard for me to connect with the story and characters.
Now that the negative part is over, I will say this: I enjoyed the book! Besides the things that dissatisfied me, it was exciting. The action almost never stops, and as I said before, as far as I got to know them, the characters WERE likable. I recommend this book for a quick read, when you don't have the time to invest in a 400 page epic. Don't go into the story expecting too highly, but don't let this review sway you to not give it a try. In all likelihood, you will enjoy it. I did. I give this story three stars. Almost four.
So check out Chapter 1 here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/89986193/The-Orphan-King-by-Sigmund-Brouwer-Chapter-1-Excerpt
and think about purchasing it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Orphan-King-Merlins-Immortals/dp/1400071542/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345247895&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Orphan+King
Hope this review was helpful!
~A young author
My greatest fear was that they would find us and make of us a sacrifice beneath a full moon. Now you, Thomas, must help us destroy the circle of evil.
The last words of a dying woman would change the life of young Thomas. Raised behind monastery walls, he knows nothing of his mysterious past or imminent destiny. But now, in the heart of medieval England, a darkness threatens to strangle truth. An ancient order tightens their ghostly grip on power, creating fear and exiling those who would oppose them. Thomas is determined fulfill his calling and bring light into the mysterious world of the Druids and leaves the monastery on an important quest.
Thomas quickly finds himself in unfamiliar territory, as he must put his faith in unusual companions—a cryptic knight, a child thief, and the beautiful, silent woman whom may not be all she seems. From the solitary life of an orphan, Thomas now finds himself tangled in the roots of both comradery and suspicion.
Can he trust those who would join his battle…or will his fears force him to go on alone?
When I saw this book was eligible for review, I was instantly interested. The storyline sounded very cool, and it intrigued me. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. After having a tough time getting the ebook to work, I finally settled in to read some of it. It WAS interesting. The characters were (mainly) lovable in their own ways, and I cheered for Thomas on his quest.
That being said, the book didn't quite reach the expectations I set up for it. Maybe that isn't fair, because it really is a well written book. Here are the things that made the story less satisfying for me. The pace: It was too fast, in my opinion. I never got the chance to get to know the characters well because the story was going by so quick. It also left me in confusion about some points of the story. Which leads to... the length: There's nothing wrong with a book being only a bit over 200 words, but instead of Mr. Brouwer taking artistic liberties, it seemed as if he was trying to cram all his ideas into a little box. Confusion: I was confused about what was happening, and constantly trying to figure out just what on earth was going on- though I believe some of them will be explained in book 2. Finally, all of these things made it hard for me to connect with the story and characters.
Now that the negative part is over, I will say this: I enjoyed the book! Besides the things that dissatisfied me, it was exciting. The action almost never stops, and as I said before, as far as I got to know them, the characters WERE likable. I recommend this book for a quick read, when you don't have the time to invest in a 400 page epic. Don't go into the story expecting too highly, but don't let this review sway you to not give it a try. In all likelihood, you will enjoy it. I did. I give this story three stars. Almost four.
So check out Chapter 1 here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/89986193/The-Orphan-King-by-Sigmund-Brouwer-Chapter-1-Excerpt
and think about purchasing it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Orphan-King-Merlins-Immortals/dp/1400071542/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345247895&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Orphan+King
Hope this review was helpful!
~A young author
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
NaNoWriWHAAT???
Hello everyone! It's been a while since I posted a serious blog update.
I've decided to participate in the horribly wonderful thing known as "Camp NaNoWriMo." In case you don't know what that is, you should Google it.
Just kidding! NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place every November, but in the summer- namely June and August, they have the same thing. Sorta. But they call it CAMP NaNoWriMo. Genius, right?
*Clears throat* So, the goal is to write 50,000 words of a new novel in one month! It's a bit insane... but hey, it really helps with writer's block!
So, since the beginning of August, I decided to write a blog post during NaNo. Or several rather. I said, "I'm going to write a blog post at the end of every week to share my progress." *glances at date*
Apparently that didn't go so well. So now I'm going to see if I can at least post two NaNo posts, possibly more, depending on if blog inspiration strikes. I'll also be gone for several days... so... If you didn't read the title, this is NaNo post 1.
If you look to the side, you can see my handy little widgets. One of them is a cute little book tent that says I'm a NaNo participant, the other is a word count meter that says I have 25,000 words written on my NaNo novel, Chasing Shadows!
That's right folks! I've reached the halfway milestone. I'm halfway to glory. I just hope that on the trip I'm not sacrificing important stuff. Anything I leave out will have to be patched in during editing. But I know where I'm going (kinda) with this story, so we're good!
So, how am I getting those words stacked up? Two things, namely.
One: Word sprints/wars. Whatever you want to call them, these things are super helpful. When you're writing, and you just have this block that won't go away... try challenging a writer friend to a word war. You give yourself a time... ten, fifteen minutes, and each of you try to write more words then the other in that time frame. It's so fun! Especially when you get to talking like it's a real war... that was interesting. :)
Two: Dr. Wicked's Write or Die. Sounds weird right? It's a program on the internet that give you a reason to write without pausing. It's hard to describe, so here's a link to the website...http://writeordie.com/
So these two things have been extremely helpful in my quest for NaNo glory! I actually just want to finish a novel... but... ya know. There's a great prize too. If you write the needed amount of words, Scrivener, a really neat writing software thingummy is half off! And I've been wanting that for months. So I'll keep pounding the keyboard as I have the time, and see where I get on this quest...
In other news...
The Prince's Quest won second place in a contest for back cover copies. I really didn't expect to be placed, and I'm sure everyone's was equally good. Thanks to everyone who had a part of that.
So keep writing, my friends! Or reading if that's what you prefer. If you're interested... here's my NaNo page...http://campnanowrimo.org/campers/knightsandnarnia/novels/chasing-shadows-35047
Teaser/prologue may be posted! Keep your eye out!
Think Positive!
I've decided to participate in the horribly wonderful thing known as "Camp NaNoWriMo." In case you don't know what that is, you should Google it.
Just kidding! NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place every November, but in the summer- namely June and August, they have the same thing. Sorta. But they call it CAMP NaNoWriMo. Genius, right?
*Clears throat* So, the goal is to write 50,000 words of a new novel in one month! It's a bit insane... but hey, it really helps with writer's block!
So, since the beginning of August, I decided to write a blog post during NaNo. Or several rather. I said, "I'm going to write a blog post at the end of every week to share my progress." *glances at date*
Apparently that didn't go so well. So now I'm going to see if I can at least post two NaNo posts, possibly more, depending on if blog inspiration strikes. I'll also be gone for several days... so... If you didn't read the title, this is NaNo post 1.
If you look to the side, you can see my handy little widgets. One of them is a cute little book tent that says I'm a NaNo participant, the other is a word count meter that says I have 25,000 words written on my NaNo novel, Chasing Shadows!
That's right folks! I've reached the halfway milestone. I'm halfway to glory. I just hope that on the trip I'm not sacrificing important stuff. Anything I leave out will have to be patched in during editing. But I know where I'm going (kinda) with this story, so we're good!
So, how am I getting those words stacked up? Two things, namely.
One: Word sprints/wars. Whatever you want to call them, these things are super helpful. When you're writing, and you just have this block that won't go away... try challenging a writer friend to a word war. You give yourself a time... ten, fifteen minutes, and each of you try to write more words then the other in that time frame. It's so fun! Especially when you get to talking like it's a real war... that was interesting. :)
Two: Dr. Wicked's Write or Die. Sounds weird right? It's a program on the internet that give you a reason to write without pausing. It's hard to describe, so here's a link to the website...http://writeordie.com/
So these two things have been extremely helpful in my quest for NaNo glory! I actually just want to finish a novel... but... ya know. There's a great prize too. If you write the needed amount of words, Scrivener, a really neat writing software thingummy is half off! And I've been wanting that for months. So I'll keep pounding the keyboard as I have the time, and see where I get on this quest...
In other news...
The Prince's Quest won second place in a contest for back cover copies. I really didn't expect to be placed, and I'm sure everyone's was equally good. Thanks to everyone who had a part of that.
So keep writing, my friends! Or reading if that's what you prefer. If you're interested... here's my NaNo page...http://campnanowrimo.org/campers/knightsandnarnia/novels/chasing-shadows-35047
Teaser/prologue may be posted! Keep your eye out!
Think Positive!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Game of Elevens! :)
I have been tagged by both Sarah from The Writer's Way, and Katelyn from The LIfe of a Teenage Writer in a fun blog tag kind of post. :)
So here are the rules-
1) Post these rules
2) Round One: Post 11 random things about yourself
3) Round Two: Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post
4) Round Three: Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5) Go to their blog and tell them they've been tagged
6) Post a link to your . . . post on the blog of your tagger, so they can see the questions you've answered.
Since I've already posted the rules, I guess I'll move on to round one. The random things about myself!
1. I'm insane, but in a good way, of course.
2. If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be England, to visit one of my best friends. I'd also like to see Ireland and Italy.
3. I play the piano.
4. My favorite food is beef stroganoff!
5. Some of my ancestry contains Irish, German, English, and Cherokee Indian.
6. I have three brothers at home, and one sister married.
7. When I was little I always wanted to be an artist.
8. Two of my brothers and I circulate who does dishes. I'm stuck with Wednesday and Saturday, which I think are the worst days. :P
9. I love kids! I'm one of the children's church leaders at my church.
10. my favorite thing to drink is actually water! I don't think there's anything like a cold drink of water.
11. I don't get sick on roller coasters. :D
Whew! That wasn't so bad... Now, round 2. I'm going to really be answering 22 questions! lol. I'll start with Sarah's...
3. Do you judge based on fairness or feeling? Urgh... Well, I'm going to confess. I'm rather rash, and probably make decisions based on feelings a lot of the time. I'll try to be better though :P
4. Are you intuitive (follow your gut feeling and inner self) or sensing (follow your senses to what is logical)? Eh. I'd have to say I'm intuitive. Yup.
5. What do you want to be an an adult and why? As far as "job" goes I would love to be a writer/stage actress/possible film maker. I love to craft stories, create characters, and fall in love with the book I'm writing. I also love to share it, and let other enjoy (or not enjoy :P) my stories. It would be nice to have something of me for future generations. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a grandchild read your book? And acting... I think it would be fun to start a theater group, but this would probably be more for fun then anything. And film making. I think it would be neat to be a film maker. I could write and possibly act in movies! My problem is finding the crew to work with :P (And the expense of course.) But mainly, I would say writing.
6. If you had to choose when you die, when would it be? Um. Maybe when I'm 100? Or later :P It would be nice to live to old age, as long as I had a loving family to take care of me.
7. After you choose when, how would you prefer to die? I've always said if I have to die, I'd like to die in my sleep. Then I'd be at peace and in Heaven, and nobody would have to suffer. :)
8. What is your favorite mythological creature? Here's a toughie! I'm gonna go with... faun, this time, since I'm a Narnia nut. :D
9. Do you have a unique talent or feature? What is it and do you like it? Lol. This question is a bit awkward for me since I don't like talking about what I can do or whatever, so I asked my mom. She says I can sing. I have to say I do like it. I love singing, especially when I'm using it to glorify God, my creator!
10. Are you excited to make up your own questions? Uh, not really! :P This could be hard!
11. If you could have your 15 minutes of fame what would it be for? I think it would be amazing to save someone's life. :)
Now I'll answer Katelyn's questions...
1: Could you live without computer/internet? Hmm. I suppose I could *LIVE* without it. But I do like it. And need it. Especially for doing such writerly things as blogging, and word wars/sprints.
2: What is your favorite book (Fiction or non-fiction)? Hard one! This time, I'm going to go with... The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers. I love this book. It's so wonderful and amazing. *sigh* I also love Wayne Thomas Batson books, and The Mysterious Benedict Society books.
3: Do you like sports or hate them? As far as playing goes... I only like a couple. Mainly, volleyball and softball. As far as watching. I don't watch. Only the Olympics. (Mostly that is.)
4: What is your most hated chore? Um. Well, my chores aren't that bad. I'll just go with washing the dishes when it's late, or after a tiring day and you just want to sit down.
5: What is your favorite song or song genre? I love soo many songs. My favorite genre is Southern Gospel, and some Broadway stuff.
6: If you could go back or forward into time, what time period/year would you go? There are so many that I would love to visit. I'd like to go back and meet my Grandma, so at least 16 years ago.
7: If you could have any other name, what would it be? Erg. I like my name. But I used to like the name Emma.
8: What is your least favorite movie? The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. Seriously. It was so sad and depressing. I only watched it once.
9: When you don’t feel like blogging, what do you do? I write my book, watch movies/tv shows, talk to my friends/read books.
10: What is your favorite outdoor activity? Walking. Riding my bike.
11: Um . . . . I'm about out of questions. Did you enjoy this? It was pretty fun! I'm dreading the next step though :P
Now it's time for round 3, and my questions. *Gulp*
1. How many siblings do you have?
2. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
3. What does family mean to you?
4. What's your favorite color? Why?
5. Can woodchuck really chuck wood?
6. What's your favorite movie?
7. Have you ever been skiing, bungee jumping, zip lining, or any other exciting thing?
8. Do you play any instruments?
9. Mexican food or Italian?
10. Pride and Prejudice or Chronicles of Narnia?
11. Favorite candy?
Tag time!
Emma @Ingredior Per Rex
Nick @Writing Fire
RJ @Virtuous Girlhood
and... I'm just going to re-tag Sarah and Katelyn, cause I want to see them answer my questions :P If they want to anyway.
And there you have it! Thanks for the read! :D
So here are the rules-
1) Post these rules
2) Round One: Post 11 random things about yourself
3) Round Two: Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post
4) Round Three: Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5) Go to their blog and tell them they've been tagged
6) Post a link to your . . . post on the blog of your tagger, so they can see the questions you've answered.
Since I've already posted the rules, I guess I'll move on to round one. The random things about myself!
1. I'm insane, but in a good way, of course.
2. If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be England, to visit one of my best friends. I'd also like to see Ireland and Italy.
3. I play the piano.
4. My favorite food is beef stroganoff!
5. Some of my ancestry contains Irish, German, English, and Cherokee Indian.
6. I have three brothers at home, and one sister married.
7. When I was little I always wanted to be an artist.
8. Two of my brothers and I circulate who does dishes. I'm stuck with Wednesday and Saturday, which I think are the worst days. :P
9. I love kids! I'm one of the children's church leaders at my church.
10. my favorite thing to drink is actually water! I don't think there's anything like a cold drink of water.
11. I don't get sick on roller coasters. :D
Whew! That wasn't so bad... Now, round 2. I'm going to really be answering 22 questions! lol. I'll start with Sarah's...
- If adventure beckoned, would you accept gladly or decline the offer? Um. Um. Um. I love to read about adventures. Depending on the type, I think it would be very interesting to go on an adventure! So I'll give a hesitant yes. :)
3. Do you judge based on fairness or feeling? Urgh... Well, I'm going to confess. I'm rather rash, and probably make decisions based on feelings a lot of the time. I'll try to be better though :P
4. Are you intuitive (follow your gut feeling and inner self) or sensing (follow your senses to what is logical)? Eh. I'd have to say I'm intuitive. Yup.
5. What do you want to be an an adult and why? As far as "job" goes I would love to be a writer/stage actress/possible film maker. I love to craft stories, create characters, and fall in love with the book I'm writing. I also love to share it, and let other enjoy (or not enjoy :P) my stories. It would be nice to have something of me for future generations. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a grandchild read your book? And acting... I think it would be fun to start a theater group, but this would probably be more for fun then anything. And film making. I think it would be neat to be a film maker. I could write and possibly act in movies! My problem is finding the crew to work with :P (And the expense of course.) But mainly, I would say writing.
6. If you had to choose when you die, when would it be? Um. Maybe when I'm 100? Or later :P It would be nice to live to old age, as long as I had a loving family to take care of me.
7. After you choose when, how would you prefer to die? I've always said if I have to die, I'd like to die in my sleep. Then I'd be at peace and in Heaven, and nobody would have to suffer. :)
8. What is your favorite mythological creature? Here's a toughie! I'm gonna go with... faun, this time, since I'm a Narnia nut. :D
9. Do you have a unique talent or feature? What is it and do you like it? Lol. This question is a bit awkward for me since I don't like talking about what I can do or whatever, so I asked my mom. She says I can sing. I have to say I do like it. I love singing, especially when I'm using it to glorify God, my creator!
10. Are you excited to make up your own questions? Uh, not really! :P This could be hard!
11. If you could have your 15 minutes of fame what would it be for? I think it would be amazing to save someone's life. :)
Now I'll answer Katelyn's questions...
1: Could you live without computer/internet? Hmm. I suppose I could *LIVE* without it. But I do like it. And need it. Especially for doing such writerly things as blogging, and word wars/sprints.
2: What is your favorite book (Fiction or non-fiction)? Hard one! This time, I'm going to go with... The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers. I love this book. It's so wonderful and amazing. *sigh* I also love Wayne Thomas Batson books, and The Mysterious Benedict Society books.
3: Do you like sports or hate them? As far as playing goes... I only like a couple. Mainly, volleyball and softball. As far as watching. I don't watch. Only the Olympics. (Mostly that is.)
4: What is your most hated chore? Um. Well, my chores aren't that bad. I'll just go with washing the dishes when it's late, or after a tiring day and you just want to sit down.
5: What is your favorite song or song genre? I love soo many songs. My favorite genre is Southern Gospel, and some Broadway stuff.
6: If you could go back or forward into time, what time period/year would you go? There are so many that I would love to visit. I'd like to go back and meet my Grandma, so at least 16 years ago.
7: If you could have any other name, what would it be? Erg. I like my name. But I used to like the name Emma.
8: What is your least favorite movie? The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. Seriously. It was so sad and depressing. I only watched it once.
9: When you don’t feel like blogging, what do you do? I write my book, watch movies/tv shows, talk to my friends/read books.
10: What is your favorite outdoor activity? Walking. Riding my bike.
11: Um . . . . I'm about out of questions. Did you enjoy this? It was pretty fun! I'm dreading the next step though :P
Now it's time for round 3, and my questions. *Gulp*
1. How many siblings do you have?
2. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
3. What does family mean to you?
4. What's your favorite color? Why?
5. Can woodchuck really chuck wood?
6. What's your favorite movie?
7. Have you ever been skiing, bungee jumping, zip lining, or any other exciting thing?
8. Do you play any instruments?
9. Mexican food or Italian?
10. Pride and Prejudice or Chronicles of Narnia?
11. Favorite candy?
Tag time!
Emma @Ingredior Per Rex
Nick @Writing Fire
RJ @Virtuous Girlhood
and... I'm just going to re-tag Sarah and Katelyn, cause I want to see them answer my questions :P If they want to anyway.
And there you have it! Thanks for the read! :D
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