Sunday, November 8, 2015

Week 11: Review

Favorite Thing From Today's Announcement:
(Image from: Laura Gibbs)
Why It's My Favorite:
I've never heard this word, and I am in love with it! I absolutely have scrpturient. This ties in wonderfully with NaNoWriMo! (I know NaNoWriMo is all I've written about, but it's so consuming of my time.)

Inspriration for Week 12:
(Image from: Becca Peterson)
Some Final Thoughts:
This week was wonderful, I'm looking forward to what Week 12 has for me!

Week 11: Famous Last Words

(Image by: Rosa Blue)
My Reading This Week:
In mythology, I read part of Alice in Wonderland. I meant to read the whole thing, but I didn't get around to it. So, I'll read the second half in Week 12. (Can you believe we're already in Week 12?)

In my free time I've finished reading A Shade of Vampire by: Bella Forrest. It's a Young Adult vampire book series.

If you like vampire books, give A Shade of Vampire a try! It's part of a large series of books!
I've started reading The Black Dagger Brotherhood, by J.R. Ward, which is another vampire book (and also part of a large series of books.  This is an Adult vampire book series, so if you prefer reading Adult over Young Adult, this is the vampire book series for you.
If you've read my Storybook, then you shouldn't be surprised that most of what I read are vampire books!

I've been reading more for inspiration. But, as per usual, the more reading I'm doing, the more it's helping with my writing.

My Best Writing This WeeK:
As I mentioned in my Growth Mindset post, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (or the National Novel Writing Month) for the first time. I started a book in my capstone course, and I am trying to complete it by the end of November. I've been able to meet my word count which is 1,500. If I do that everyday, I will finish this novel by the end of November.


Seriously people, reading and writing go hand in hand. Reading will help you write better! It gives you inspiration and also helps with grammer, paragraph structure, sentence structure, and dialogue.


And no one can find time, you have to MAKE time. So if you want to be a better writer, read at least an hour a day!

Tech Tip # 6

This week I did the Tech Tip of editing Pinterest Pins. I didn't even know that was possible! I always so quickly press the Pin button, and don't always go back.

This week in my Curation Spaces post, I put three writing quotes that I found on Pinterest and added my commentary. So, I decided to edit those posts with that commentary!

I edited this pin, this pin, and this pin!

A screenshot of my edited pins in my Writing Quotes and Tips Pinterest Board:
(My Image)



Week 11: Curation Spaces

With NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and Storytelling in our class, some people are surely running low on writing steam. So, this week I wanted to share some writing tips and tricks that I found on Pinterest.

1. Write first, edit later!
(Image from Pinterest)
Some of the most helpful advice that I have ever heard is to write first and edit later. It isn't like brain surgery. You don't have one shot to get it write. So, the best thing to do when writing a story is to simply write. Write everything that comes to mind, which as I like to call it is 'word vommiting'. When you have the story down, go back later and edit it!

2. Words of Wisdom from: Stephen King!
(Image from Pinterest)
I know it sounds so simple, but it isn't. I hear people so many times say they cannot find 'time' to read or write. Well, you will never find time, so you will never be a writer. In order to be a writer you must MAKE time to read or write. Read and write once a day, setting either times for each or goals. (I try to write 1,500 words a day for my novel, and read for at least an hour.

3. Write what you want to read!
(Image from Pinterest
Don't know what to write? Whether it is for a short story or a novel, write what YOU would read. Read in your genre, something that you're interested in. Find what you wish existed (whether it be more like what you have written, or what has not yet been written.) Love what you write, and be your biggest fan.

Week 11: Growth Mindset

(Image from: Growth Mindset Memes)

This year is the first year that I have participated in NaNoWriMo

I started a novel for one of my classes, and decided to work hard to finish it. With November rolling around I thought, "What better time to try to finish my novel than now?"

With NaNoWriMo, and working on that everydy, I am constantly challenging myself. Each time I challenge myself I am reminded of Growth Mindset.

I am challenging myself daily to write 1,500 words of my novel, which is more of a challenge than that may side.

Additionally, this weekened I amped up the challenge. I challenged myself to write double the word count, and to get to 20,000 words by the end of the weekend!

I am proud to say that I reached a little over 20,000 words, and am now up to 100 words of my novel!

If I keep this up, I will finish my novel by the end of the month! 

Thank you, Growth Mindset! Without you, I don't know if I'd get here. 

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Week 11 Storytelling: Alix in Wonderland

(The Cheshire Cat by: thethreesisters)

Alix in Wonderland 

I live in an asscrack of a town, where the most exciting thing was the installment of a traffic light at a four way intersection.

"Alix!" My best friend Robby screamed as he drove the car. His voice was muffled by the sound of the wind whirring by me.

I had crawled out of the passenger side window, and lay on the hood of his hail-dented Honda Civic.

In a town like this, you have to stupid shit to have any fun.

The car went to a halt as we were next to a nature preserve. I hopped off of the hood of the car and stretched out my arms. The wind was chilly despite my light blue hoodie and white beanie. "That was awesome!"

He shook his head. "No, that was horrifying!"

We both held up our cell phones. Our flashlight apps were the only lights in the darkness. The woods seemed neverending as we walked along a dirt path. In some parts the path were too worn down.

"We should go home," he said. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Good," I said and laughed. "Maybe there's finally something fun to do here."

He stopped suddenly and checked his phone, " Oh no! I'm late, I'm late. I got to get home!"

"I don't want to go home!" I shouted. "C'mon, lets look around some more!

But Robby was already running back through the path shouting, "I can't be late!"

I followed after him, but at some point I lost track of him and the trail.

Maybe I should have been scared, but I wasn’t. I was excited. I guess I was just so damned bored in this town.

“I wish something interesting would happen,” I whispered.

I doubled back and continued down the path Robby and I had followed. The path was too worn, and I was just following the bends of the trees. Eventually my phone died, and I was stuck with nothing but the moon, half full and the stars twinkling ahead.

That’s when a little panic rose up within me. The trees seemed to move, shadows looked like monsters, and when I looked down I realized I had gotten off of the path. I didn’t know where to go.

I cursed as I turned around, trying to find the way back home.

Suddenly I saw the outline of a wide and wicked grin from the darkness. It had blue lips and sharp white teeth.

I stepped back. “Who’s there?”

“Who indeed,” the mouth said. It had a girl’s voice. “Who are any of us, really?”

The mouth was in front of me and then materialized into a girl.

(Cheshire Cat by: Ana Gremard

She had messy, light blue hair and a pair of blue cat ears. Her mouth looked normal, so I guessed I had seen things. She wore a blue and black striped shirt, blue skirt, and knee-high black boots.

“Some call me the Cheshire Cat,” she said. “What do some call you?”

“Alix,” I told her. “So, what are you doing out here?”

“What is anyone doing out here or there or everywhere?” She asked and she disapeared. She appeared again on a tree branch, squating. Hanging down from the tree branch, I could see a fluffy blue tail. “I mean anyone really doing anything, or are we all just doing nonsensical nothingness?”

I shook my head. “You’re giving me a headache.”

I continued on through the forest, walking away from her—but then she suddenly appeared in front of me. This time she was on all fours. Her face looked more cat-like. She had sharp teeth and claws. She looked like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, except much more dangerous.

I stepped backwards, but tripped on a tree branch. I fell onto my back.

She was nothing but a disembodied grin floating above me. “Do I frighten you?”

“No,” I lied and I sat up. I clenched by fists. I wasn’t even convinced what I was seeing was real. “You don’t scare me.”

“Well, you should be,” the mouth said, following me as I stood up.“I’m not the only thing frightening here.”

When I stood up she was back as a girl with cat ears, standing in front of me. “In fact, I may be the nicest thing in these woods.”

“Whatever,” I said and I walked through the woods.

The further I walked in the woods, I heard something snarling with snapping teeth.

There was a horrible creature in front of me. It looked like a dragon with large wings and a tail, but it had a small round head.

“Are you frightened now?” the Cheshire Cat whispered in my ear. I felt a chill down my spine.

The creature crept closer, snapping it’s jaws at me and growling. My heart beat so hard I thought it would break through my ribs. I wanted something interesting to happen, but this wasn’t what I meant.

“Be careful what you wish for,” the Cat said. “The Jabberwocky is certaintly interesting isn’t it?”

“I did not wish for this!” I shouted as the creature crept closer.

“Do you wish to live?”

“Yes!”

“Then look to the Tumtum tree.”

I looked around, but she had disapeared again. “The what?”

I started to run from the creature, but then I saw the Cheshire Cat grinning from another tree’s branch. Leaning against the tree was a shining metal sword.

I ran to it and grasped it. It felt awkward in my hands. I’d only held a sword in video games, but there was no “A” button in real life.

The creature roared and spread its wings.

“Make the vorpal sword go snicker-snack!” Cheshire Cat shouted.

“Stop…” I swung the blade. “speaking…” I swung it again, and it hit the creature. “in riddles!”

I thrust the sword forward and into the creature’s chest. It was dead.

“You have slain the Jabberwock!” Cheshire Cat shouted, suddenly standing in front of me. “Oh frabjous day! Callooh, callay!”

I felt weak, tired, and my head was spinning. I leaned against a tree and fell asleep.

When I woke up the sword was gone and so was the Cheshire Cat.

I wandered back through the woods.

Dawn came, and I found my way. I didn’t know if I had dreamed it all, but I never did go back to those woods, and I never wished for something interesting to happen ever again.

Author's Note:
If you didn't guess it, I read Alice in Wonderland this week!

There are so many renditions of Alice in Wonderland, and they are all mostly just different variations of a teenage Alice. So, I thought why not gender bend it and have a male Alice (or Alix?) So this is a Young Adult version of Alice in Wondrerland with a teen boy as Alice--or here as known as Alix! Hence, Alix in Wonderland.

I was most amused by the Cheshire Cat in my reading, so I wanted him in here--also gender bent as a girl! I don't know if it the cat is male in the book or the movie, but it seems that way to me. I designed the Cheshire Cat off of the Cheshire Cat from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Also, if you didn't pick up on it Robby was supposed to to be like the White Rabbit (Robby...Rabbit, get it?) That's why he's all, "I'm late! I'm late!"

I had not reached the part with the Jaberwocky yet, but I am familiar with the poem. So, I made a lot of references to that. If you want to read the actual poem click here. It's an interesting read, to say the least.

Anyways, this was different than my usual stories. It was my first story on here that had a male point of view, and was without romance (my usual thing is YA Romance with supernatural elements, in the point of view of a girl.)

I hope you guys like my story! I had a lot of fun writing it.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Reading Diary B: Alice in Wonderland

Myth-Folklore Reading Unit: Alice in Wonderland
(Image from Pixabay)
Reading A:
1. Down the Rabbit-Hole
  • Chasing the white rabbit.
  • Falling down a seemingly never ending tunnel.
2. Down the Rabbit-Hole (cont.)
  • The "Drink Me" Bottle that makes her smaller.
  • I never realized how much internal dialogue is in this.
3. Down the Rabbit-Hole (end)
  • The "Eat Me" Cake that makes her bigger.
  • Crying so much that it makes a sea of tears. (Talk about "cry me a river.")
  • I never realized how nonsensical her thoughts can be.
  • There was no story of the Walrus and the Oysters, was that something purely concieved for the Disney movie?
4. Advice from a Caterpillar
  • This conversation was quite circular. Reminds me of Absurdist literature like Samuel Beckett's play, "Waiting For Godot". It has a lot of circular sort of dialogue that is seen in, for example, this scene with Alice and the Caterpillar.
5. Advice from a Caterpillar (cont.)
  • A story within a story. The story has stanzas and is sort of poetic.
  • Eating mushrooms. Reminds me of the first story of Italo Calvino, "Marcovaldo" which has a lot of mushrooms. Marcovaldo is  set of short stories that are Neo-Realist, Modernist, and Fantasy. I don't think there really is a direct correlation, but since I just read Calvino's story, I can see a parallel. 
6. Advice from a Caterpillar (end)
  • The pidgeon thinks that she is a serpent.
  • I remember this being a small part of the Disney rendition of this.
7. Pig and Pepper
  • An invitation to the queen to play croquet.
  • More nonsensical, circular, absurdist dialogue.
  • I do like how no one ever gives straight answers in this book. It's a nice inspiration to add into my novel or in future stories for this class.
  • "Why does your cat smile like that?" "Because it's a Cheshire Cat, of course!" Yay, I'm so glad to finally see the Cheshire cat.
8. Pig and Pepper (cont)
  • The Duchess says, "Off with her head!" The famous line.
  • Another song.
  • A baby pig? This was not in the movie at all. I could see why, it is a very strange story.
9. Pig and Pepper (end)
  • The Cheshire Cat!
  • More circular dialogue.
  • All that is visible is the cat's grin.
  • The Mad Hatter and the Marsh Hare! I do hope that a tea party will ensue!