A Novel Idea – Jainie Ruth

click on the picture for this week's linkup

It's been awhile. But, I'm excited to be answering more questions. Enter, Jainie Ruth Alexander.


Who is her father and what is he like?
Kyle Alexander is a Navy SEAL. He's been missing in action for quite some time. Loyal, strong, protective.


Who is her mother and what is she like?
Mia Jasmin was a beautiful young woman. She married Kyle and they had two children together, but she left them with her [abusive] brother not long after her husband went missing. 


Are her parents still married, or divorced?
Technically, they're still married.


Describe her siblings – if she has any.
Joshua Kyle Alexander. He's older than her by five years. She looks up to him, relies on him. She sees him as the strongest person she knows. She knows he's not perfect but through her eyes he is.

Sunshine Award

Hello, dearies!

I apologize for my sudden absence. I've been busy with things like moving to a different state, planning things with new and best of friends, attending a wedding, and all manner of otherness. I also seem to have abandoned An Ocean Raging... I'll get back to that once I'm moved (beginning of October).

For those of you anxiously awaiting part two (of Curse Me For Loving You), I'm still working on that, and planning on finishing it before Sunday night when season four of Once Upon a Time premiers.

In the meantime, Carly from Books and Etc. has nominated me for the Sunshine Award. (Still not sure why these things are called awards?) Thanks, Carly!

rules

thank the person who nominated you

tell us five facts about yourself

answer the five questions given

write five questions for your nominees to answer

nominate five bloggers for this award

(and let them know about it)

random facts

I finally got my hair cut. I went from hair all the way down my back to hair above my shoulders with side bangs. And I love it.

My friend and I came up with an entire book plot (on accident) and cast of five characters (including names, personality, etc.) in less than twenty minutes. Also, the title for the book and ideas for a four-book series. Which she's actually going to write. And I get to know everything about everything and yell at her when I don't like something (and praise her when I do. I'm not all jerk). Yay and awesome sauce.

I'm moving from Pennsylvania to Florida in less than two weeks. (Just me, not my family. I'll be living with my aunt as a nanny for her son.)

I turned 20 fifteen days ago

I'm sick of giving random fact about myself. I'm boring, anyhow.

carly's questions

what is your favorite memory from middle school?

I don't know what my favorite memory is. But a memory is seeing the stars in the African sky so much more clearly than are usually seen here in America. There were so many, and it was so beautiful. The closest the Pennsylvanian sky has gotten to that are on clear winter nights. The sky is so much more clear and beautiful in wintertime.

if you were a book, who would you want in your story and who would write it?

plus, what genre would your book be (personality-wise)?

Markus Zusak would write it.

Hmm... I have to actually choose people? I don't know... I need a limit.

My closest friends, my closest family members, and a few random strangers just to make it interesting.

Genre? Based on my personality? Hmm. Adventure, maybe? With a dash of darkness and a hint of horror. Then throw in a small slice of sunshine to balance it out a bit.

if you could change your name, what would you change it to and why?

Jinger.

Not really. That's just what a friend kept thinking my name was when we first met. Apparently, it's now my nickname.

Honestly, I don't know.

if you could turn back time and relive a year of your life, what year would it be and why?

I wouldn't.

But, if I've got to choose...

Nope. Sorry. Too much brain power needed.

Perhaps another time, dearie.

Next!

if you were a superhero, what would be your superpower and who would be your partner(s) in crime?

what would you call yourselves?

My superpower would be that I never had to sleep. I can if I want to, but I don't have to. That would be absolutely lovely in so many ways.

I wasn't aware that superheros committed crimes? Very well. Anne-girl and Aaron. We would be all kinds of things, from Robin Hood to Charlotte Doyle to something out of Little Women, to the idiots who do things like eat pudding out of mayonnaise jars and put on fake accents when no one knows who we are. Also cosplays (which basically means mature dress-up and play-acting, minus "mature"). I'd mostly provide the insults and insanity.

We'd call ourselves kameraden. Obviously.

I'm really not usually the one to come up with the name.

I'm just the one who changes the original words around properly.

(Fine, I'll tell you. Kameraden is German for comrades.)

yeah, I used Google translate...

my questions

what kind of posts would you like to see (more of) on my blog?

if you could be a new character in your favorite TV show, which show would that be?

what role would you play in the show?

why is the sky blue?

tell me your worst nightmare

how and when did the writer's curse first consume you?

nominees

Westmoure || Revelations

Anna || Anna's Notebook

MaddieJ || The Wonderful World of My Life

Evi || Where Books Never End

magicandwriting583 || Magic and Writing

I've one other announcement. Two, actually. And neither of them have anything to do with anything associated with my blog. Yet. I have two new Monte Cristo converts. And I have become a Sherlockian.

Now we'll see how I do about getting that fanfic finished...

A Novel Idea – Writing

This week, Ashley has chosen questions about writing, rather than about characters and their background. Which is an idea I love, because I can read about how others like or tend to do things, and maybe I'll even learn a thing or two.

click to link up to this week's post!

What does your writing process look like? Do you sit down and plot your story before you start writing, or do you usually start writing before you plot?

Usually, my stories start as a scene. A picture in my head which may or may not come to life with voices, actions, etc. If they don't start with a picture, they start as an unusual idea, though still a scene. I'll either jot down the idea, write the scene, or store the picture/voice[s] in my head for later. For me, plotting is the hardest part of writing. Characters are always the "easiest." Characters come to me along with the scenes (usually the scene(s) are based off the character(s)... it's kind of a two-in-one deal), while I have to really work at plotting. I might have a slight idea of where I want to go (in fact, for a few things, I've known the end first), but all of how and why and when and etc. of getting there is the issue.

With shorter writings (short stories, fanfics, etc.), I've found that I begin writing the beginning and write straight through until I come to the part where I've got to stop for a moment and think about what's going to happen next or how it's going to happen. While I'm trying to decide that, the end starts writing itself in my head, so I write that and then go back and fill in the middle. That's how I wrote Myrna, Water, Fire, and the fanfic I'll be posting sometime in the next few days.

Do you have any strange writing habits? Such as only writing in one certain place, etc?

The format I'm using very much affects my writing. I find it's easiest to write straight into a blog post or in iPad Notes, while OpenOffice pretty much kills my writing cells (though I have gotten work done using it). Is that strange?

Also, I've found that my best writing is almost always what I've written in the middle of the night.


Do you usually write on paper or on the computer? (Or on a typewriter?)

Most often, I write on iPad Notes. A close second is directly into a Blogger post (whether or not it's something I plan on posting). I have written in a notebook (I almost always have one with me as well as my iPad), but I mostly write in it only when I can't use my iPad or laptop, or if I'm writing a poem. For some odd reason, I've written almost all of my poems in notebooks. Though everything else usually gets written best on screen, poetry seems to like being written in notebooks.

I've always thought a typewriter would be really awesome to use. Unfortunately, I've not yet had the pleasure. I'm looking forward to the day I own one.


What authors inspire you to write better? Is there an author you'd like to be like?

Edgar Allen Poe, Ally Condie, Anne-girl, Rachel, Markus Zusak, Ely, Westmoure, Olivia, Vicki, Michael J. Kirby, Suzanne Collins.

Those are just the first few I thought of. Some of them aren't technically authors, but all are writers, and that is what counts here.

I don't know that I really want to be like any of them. I am who I am, and I will write like I write. But I am influenced by them, and through that influence find my own style. Not that I would mind being [positively] compared to them.


What advice would you give to people who want to start writing?

Oh, yes, I'm such a cunning and experienced writer. Let me impart my great wisdom to you.

Uhh... nope. In fact, most of you reading this probably have more of that than I do. I've only gotten truly serious about writing these past several months. But since you asked, here's a few thoughts:

1) Be prepared. Don't get started thinking it's all having fun and eating chocolate and drinking coffee. Writing is blood and torture and tearing your heart out over and over again. And lots and lots and lots of work. 

2) On the other hand, it can be a lot of fun, and there is chocolate and coffee (or tea, if you prefer it). Make sure you are having plenty of that along the way or your writing will suffer. All work and no fun makes for dull books. 

3) Read and read and read, and write and write and write. And then read and write some more. You learn so much more than you realize by reading good and bad books. The good ones are best, but the bad ones can be just as valuable from time to time because they show you what not to do — they point things out you might not notice otherwise. Writing is like any other skill — the more you do it, the better you'll get.

Writing, like anything else, is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Or something like that. This means two things: First, that you have to work at it. But, second, you're not a terrible writer because you're not constantly inspired. That's normal. It's called writer's block, which you attempt learn to work through and with.

Thinking about writing? Read these.

Hmm... those were rather long answers, weren't thy?

Feel free to comment and give your own thoughts or opinions. Better yet, write your own post! And don't forget to follow the button and link up so we can read your answers.

       

A Novel Idea – Jesse Daniel

click above to view this week's linkup

Hello dearies! I've gotten behind with blogging – Kendra's blog party, Anna's contest. Mostly, that's because I've been writing (a short story-ish writing for Kendra's party, a FanFic for Anna). For the FanFic, I also decided I should rewatch some of the show, which has eaten into most of that time, as well as things like church and picnics. Of course, Goodreads, Facebook, Blogger, and Instagram aren't much help...

Anyhow, I'm taking a short break to do Ashley's new linkup. Then back to work.

The picture fits him in some ways, in other ways it's not him at all. It's just the best one I've found so far.

Where was he born? In a hospital, in their home, what city? I don't know. I haven't really thought about that, at all. I'm beginning to think they live in Michigan, though.

Where does he live now? See previous question.

Who are the people he is closest to? Family, friends? AnnDrew. They're best friends, after all.

Where does he go when he's angry and need to get away? His room or the skate park. Headphones in, music turned up loud, drowning out the world.

A Novel Idea – Anna Drew

Hello, dearies! I've happened across a brand new (weekly!) linkup, hosted by Ashley from Ashley Aspires.

Click on the picture to the right to view this week's linkup!

What's her name? Anna Drew Stevens

Is she named after someone? Not that I'm aware of.

Does she have a nickname? AnnDrew

How old is she? 15

Hairstyle? Straight, curly, short, long, etc. She has very bright, rich red hair. It's messy-straight. The style is something very much like the picture above, though shorter. I'd say it's about shoulder-length — just touching her shoulders or a bit longer.

Eyes? Color, size, etc. Take the makeup away, and these are her eyes exactly. In fact, this is a much more accurate picture than the first one, though it's only of part of her face. Right down to the freckles, it's perfect.

Beautiful People: Jess

1) What's his favorite food? Spaghetti

2) What does he absolutely hate? Hypocrites

3) What does he enjoy learning about? Anything. He reads a lot and loves to learn.

4) Who is the most influential person in his life? His youth pastor.

5) What is his childhood fear? He was afraid a tree would be struck by lightning, fall on the house, and crush someone.

6) What is something he has always secretly dreamed of but thought impossible? Winning gold at the Winter Olympics for snowboarding and at the Summer Olympics for skateboarding.

7) What is something he is impractically afraid of? Losing his best friend.

8) Is he a night owl or a morning person? Night owl, definitely.

9) Does he say everything that pops into his head or leave a lot unsaid? He doesn't usually say everything that pops into his head, but he doesn't necessarily leave things unsaid, either.

10) What are his nervous habits? Stretching, hands in pockets, moving.

The Answers I'm Looking For

Just a snippet from my first unnamed book. I'm quite proud of myself at the moment. I've been wondering just how I was going to bring God up in this book when, before I realized it and completely without any planning, AnnDrew was about to eat; and of course she had to pray first. And I suddenly realized...well, that was easy! I hadn't even tried.

I'm probably going to look back on this (and the rest of the scene...this is only a bit of it) and think, Did I really think that was so awesome? It's terrible!, but for now I'm quite happy about it.

She set one of the cups next to Alex's bowl, one next to her own, and held out her hand to him. He looked at it, unsure what he was supposed to do. 

AnnDrew looked at him quizzically. "Don't you usually pray before you eat?" 

"Pray?" 

"Yeah. To thank God for providing what we're about to eat. We hold hands because we're thanking Him together." 

"Oh." Alex took her hand, though still confused. AnnDrew smiled, then bowed her head, closed her eyes, and began to talk to someone Alex couldn't see. He was still watching her when she finished the prayer and began eating.

What do you think? Criticize it, please! I have so much trouble finding people who say something more than "I like it" or, when asked if they noticed anything, "I don't really know...um, well, you put an extra space here". Nothing wrong with that but I'd really like someone to be brutally honest.

• Is there anything about the wording that seems awkward, that I should change?
• Are there any spelling/grammatical errors I've missed?
• What impression does this give you of Alex?
• What impression does this give you of AnnDrew?
• Are there any discrepancies?
• Do I repeat any words or phrases too much?
• Were you confused by anything?

Obviously, the bit I've shared in this post isn't much to go by, but those are some of the questions I'm wanting answered.

Leave a comment! I'd love to hear anything you might have to say.