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TAG #1 – One Lovely Blog Award

Tracey Dyck 30 Comments

Hear ye, hear ye! For the month of March, Adventure Awaits will be inundated with tags. Yes. I have a small mountain of them to get through, so I’m borrowing Deborah’s ingenious method of catching up all at once. What fun!

Today we’re kicking it off with the good ol’ One Lovely Blog Award, given to me by Emily @ Ink, Inc. Thanks, Em! The only guidelines are to share seven facts about me. Well. This sort of tag gets more difficult the more of them one completes, as one has only so many facts about oneself to plaster all over the internet.
So to switch things up a bit, and because this is a primarily story-related blog, let’s talk about seven popular books I have not read! Some I want to read, and a few others . . . not so much.

1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Heh. Eheheh. I remember when this series was absolutely huge. I had no desire to read about sparkly vampire boyfriends then, and I have no desire to read about sparkly vampire boyfriends now. Well, okay, I might try the first book someday, if only to determine whether all the Twilight bashers are right. And to see if there’s any saving grace in there at all that somehow made Stephanie Meyer such a popular writer. Bottom line: if I ever read this, it will be for observational purposes and not out of any burning desire to enter Meyer’s story world.

2. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

There, I said it. I have not read any of the Harry Potter books. GO AHEAD, BURN ME AT THE STAKE NOW. This has got to be the shining-est of shining examples of my White Rabbit tendency when it comes to popular books.

(What is a White Rabbit tendency, you ask? It’s the inclination to be “late, very much late,” in joining the masses of various popular fandoms. I seem to be at least a couple years behind big sellers like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and even classics like The Fellowship of the Ring.)

As a child, I intuitively stayed away from these books; it was not really a case of my parents banning them from the house. That was probably wise. More recently, however, I’ve heard opinions from all across the board. Some people adore Harry Potter, some shun the books as evil witchcraft, and others say it’s not the magic that’s the problem but the characters’ immoral choices to lie and disrespect authority. So honestly, if/when I pick up the series, it will be an experimental, I’ll-try-book-one-and-see-what-I-think kind of thing.

3. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Classics! Do I love thee or loathe thee? That all depends. In this case, I’m rather daunted by the bloated size of this book. Yet its popularity and premise piques my interest. But great gobs of pumpernickel, does Hugo really go into reams of historical tangents that have no bearing on the story? I’m not sure I can wade through that, but one of these days I’ll give it a go. As long as I wear history-proof hip waders (with which to wade through the historical tangents, you understand) I should be okay.

4. Emma by Jane Austen

So far the only Austen novel I’ve read is Pride and Prejudice, which was fantastic, if a little long. It  was kind of like an extended tea time with just one too many sweet crumpets–light, sweet, entertaining, and just a tad thick on the details. I think I’d love P&P even more upon a reread, but before I do that, I want to try a couple more of Austen’s works. Emma seems to be well-loved.

5. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

I absolutely LOVED To Kill a Mockingbird. I need to buy a copy to keep forever and ever. But I also want to read Lee’s other book. I know there was a fair bit of controversy surrounding its publication, and I’ve heard the quality is not as excellent as her first novel, but I’ll be reading this regardless. It’s one of those books on which I need to form my own opinion.

6. Storm Siren by Mary Weber

This one seems popular among Christian speculative fiction circles. I actually have a copy of this waiting patiently on my shelf, its beautiful cover calling out to me. And seeing as I think I’ll be taking a class by Mary Weber at Realm Makers, reading one of her books has moved higher on the priority list. Plus all the great reviews sound promising! I just hope the physical attraction part of the romance isn’t as over-the-top as some people have said.



7. A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes

Again, this one seems big in the Christian spec fiction world. The premise sounds ah-MAY-zing, and I just want more Christian dystopian in my life. Quite a few Goodreads friends have enjoyed this one too. So A Time to Die is definitely on my list of books to read ASAP!

Honorable mentions:

Because you want to see my entire TBR list, right? Right? Don’t fret, this is not the entire thing. If it were actually as short as what you’re about to read, the world would be a simpler place, folks. Oh, and this is actually not a pure TBR because there is one series I don’t want to read anytime soon.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman (because unique formatting and threatening AI sounds fun)

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare (nope, NO thanks, don’t need to have a shirtless dude plastered over the front cover. plus it just kind of looks like Twilight-caliber to me.)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (one of these days I will find out which is better: the book or the movie. somehow I suspect movie.)

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (kind of a modern sci-fi classic, plus the movie was great, so why not?)

Heartless by Marissa Meyer (because MARISSA MEYER and ALICE IN WONDERLAND)

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (so many people love it, and it sounds amusing)

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (I feel like lots of bloggy friends o’ mine adore this, but in reality it might just be three? regardless, it sounds adorable)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (highly recommended to me! highly anticipated!)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (sounds epic)

Jackaby by William Ritter (I hear it’s good, and I love the name)

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (oh my lands, when will I finally get around to this?)

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (somebody will respond to this in all caps, I just know it (love ya, darling), but I don’t think I’ve actually read the real thing before . . . #oops)

What are some well-known books you haven’t read yet–some you want to read and some you definitely don’t? Are any of the books I mentioned on your list? Are any of these “Tracey, bump these to the tippity top of your TBR this instant” kind of reads?

I almost forgot to actually tag some more people! Feel free to do this in the traditional way (seven random facts), or the “I have never read . . .” way. Or whatever other way you fancy!
And whoever else may want to snag this for themselves! (Honestly, I can’t make a specific list too large, otherwise I may run out of people to tag by the time the end of the month rolls around.)
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Subplots and Storylines – February 2017

Tracey Dyck 17 Comments

I’M BAAACK!

(I have been hanging on to that gif for months, just waiting for the perfect moment to use it. This is so fulfilling.)
But I’m kind of lying, because I’m only halfway back. Posts are scheduled for March, but depending on how day camp prep goes, I may not be able to reply to comments until that’s all over. Not to fret, I will get to them eventually! And come April, I’ll be back for real. Whew, that sounds like a long time from now. But if the next month explodes just like February exploded, it’ll pass in a flash.

Subplots of a February Variety

I think just about every week was packed. I had a friend over for a slumber party . . . I attended my church’s young adult night (an awesome Valentine’s-themed evening about dating relationships) . . . I was a stagehand for a special Valentine’s skit at church (basically just carried stools off stage and carried an easel back on) . . . the youth group where I volunteer every other week had a winter formal . . . I volunteered at a big indoor carnival for families, which was tons of fun (did you know Canada gets a long weekend in February?) . . . and attended a business/leadership seminar one evening.
College is full of volunteering, but this month had all kinds of extra stuff, it seems.
In other college news, I did a book presentation on The Purpose Driven Church, a project on which I made a few mistakes that I learned a lot from. Such as:
  • The way I manage a personal project is not how I should manage a group project. As the lead, I overestimated my group’s abilities and started too late, causing us to have to compromise on a couple of things.
  • Don’t assume your team can read your mind!
  • Don’t assume they will push themselves as hard as I push myself. I need to encourage and motivate them.
  • Stop and think about the why behind the project. Remember the purpose and the people first; the task is secondary.
Oh, and I received my most exotic letter from a friend EVER–it traveled from Kenya!

February Films



The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (rewatch)

Peterrrrr. Gwennnnn. My poor heart. Watching it a second time didn’t make the ending less sad (or frustrating, considering there won’t be a third movie–thanks, Andrew Garfield). I was also watching it late at night, and was too tired to appreciate the last hour of it.

Once Upon a Time – Seasons 1, 2, and 5

I’m still rewatching season 1 with my siblings, but I started season 2 with my parents, and my sisters and I watched a bit more of season 5. I’m all over the place! But now that I’m in the second season, it’s a lot of fun to have Captain Hook around.

The Flash – Season 2

Watched a bit more of this with the sibs too, and it continues to be amazing! Patty Spivot is one of my favorite female characters ever.

On a side note, I just realized that all three pictures up there mirror each other, and all of them included a blonde female. Ha.

February Reads

I went 25 days without reading a novel. 25 DAYS. I felt a bit lost! But I was reading plenty of nonfiction for school, so that sort of made up for it. (Sort of. Recently I started reading Marissa Meyers’ Winter, which now makes up for it completely. Still love mah fiction.) I didn’t complete a lot of books this month, but you do read slower when you’re taking notes.

The 5 Love Languages Singles Edition // Gary Chapman

I’d heard of the love languages concept before, but it was good to read about it for myself. In case you’re unfamiliar, the basic idea is that everyone receives love in different ways: either through words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch. It’s important to recognize how you receive love, and to see how to best give love to others in a “language” they’ll understand.
My whole class took the test, and I confirmed that quality time is my top love language. (Words fell in second–no surprise!)

Self-Improvement 101 and Teamwork 101, both from The Complete 101 Collection // John Maxwell

I’m reading through an eight-book collection of John Maxwell’s core leadership principles, and the two parts I read were both amazing! Very easy to read. The info is so condensed, I know I’ll be rereading chapters as I need them in the future. The best part is, many of the principles I’m learning here are directly applicable to college.

February Writings

Technically, I didn’t write anything this month. But I did make the decision to set aside The Prophet’s Key for the time being, in favor of getting started on the expansion of The Brightest Thread. I had wanted to finish the first draft of TPK completely before switching gears, but I was struggling to get into the right frame of mind. And . . . well, before I explain more . . .
I registered for Realm Makers! Yippee! It’s becoming more and more real. My hotel is booked too, but I’m still watching flight prices and hoping they’ll come down soon. If not, I’ll just have to go for it and buy my ticket. I’m very excited for the learning opportunities a writing conference will bring!
Realm Makers is one reason I switched gears. You remember how I wanted to publish a standalone novel before publishing all the Prophet books? And how that standalone is going to be my Sleeping Beauty retelling? Well, there’s the chance to pitch a complete, ready-to-go manuscript to agents and acquisitions editors at the conference, and I’d really like The Brightest Thread to be ready for that! But if I were to plod along for another few months to finish The Prophet’s Key, I would have precious little time to write an expanded TBT draft and edit it to my satisfaction–and figure out my pitch–before the end of July. Even starting out now, in February, may be cutting it close.
But I want to put my self-imposed deadline out of my mind, and simply focus on enjoying this story. Enjoying the process. I want to get myself back into a healthy writing place. But that’s a post for another day.
In the meantime, what I actually accomplished this month was reading over TBT, both the polished version and the longer first draft, and writing up several pages of notes on what I’d like to expand. There’s still work to do: I want to write out a brand new outline, possibly experimenting with the Snowflake Method, before jumping into the actual writing.
I’m looking forward to it! This is one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written, and it’s exciting to think of how it will grow and change in the near future.

Storylines of Growth

February was definitely a month of growing and learning. Some days were overwhelming, but I’m arming myself with what I need to face March–a month that promises to be even more of a stretch!
What have y’all been up to? Tell me all! And while you’re at it, what are some ways you gear yourselves up for a busy season of life?
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Subplots and Storylines – January 2017

Tracey Dyck 21 Comments

The first 2017 edition of Subplots and Storylines is here! It’s a day later than planned, but January has left me a little breathless. To keep my head (and yours) from spinning, here’s the month in list form.

  • Christmas holidays wrapped up, and college resumed on the 9th.
  • I started officially bullet journaling, and I’m loving it so far! I’m keeping up with it better than with my old planners, plus it’s great for tracking habits. (Future post topic, maybe?)
  • I renewed my passport. Bleeeegh, paperwork.
  • Remember how I was in youth ministry during my first semester? Now I’m in creative ministry! I have discovered what a broad term “creative” is. So far I’ve tidied the warehouse, re-strung lights on garland being packed away with all the Christmas décor, painted signs, brainstormed spring/Easter/Mother’s Day décor, and more.
  • Because of the abovementioned brainstorming, I was asked to join Pinterest. (See, I’m a social media hermit, basically. I intended to wait a good long while to make a Pinterest account, knowing how much of a temptation all those pretty pictures would be when I have productive things to be doing. But alas, my hand has been forced. I’m currently clawing my way out of a black hole of gorgeousness . . .)
  • Skating!
  • A random assortment of new experiences this month, like Skyping in a class because snow kept me home, stepping into a professional recording studio for the first time to help classmates record stuff for a promotional video, and being totally engrossed in a class about how to pitch ideas. (So many things I want to do with that info!)
  • My great-grandma passed away. She left a legacy of love behind, and was more than ready to travel home, so I’m honestly glad for her.
  • My class started working on our final project: a day camp for kids ages 6-12, happening during spring break! Though we’re guided by our teachers, it’s basically our responsibility to organize, plan, and build this camp. Lessons, crafts, outings, décor, everything. I’ve been placed on the admin team, which is stretching me like crazy. But it’s going to be an incredible experience!

movies



Once Upon a Time // 14 episodes
Season 1: four episodes with my parents, six with my siblings. Season 5: Look what was under the Christmas tree! My sisters and I have watched the first four episodes and, um, wow. My mind’s already being blown.
The Flash Season 2 // 5 episodes
Another Christmas gift. SO GOOD. If you like superheroes, fantastic character chemistry, and character development, and you haven’t watched The Flash yet, DO IT.

Pete’s Dragon

This one’s going on the list of favorite movies ever! I’ve never seen the original, so I don’t know how it compares, but this one is the sweet tale of an orphaned boy raised by a dragon in the woods. It’s a beautiful, gently told story that hit me right in the heart. I need an Elliot now.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
After hearing mixed reviews, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Though it was better than I assumed it would be, I’m not sure what my full opinion is. I’m more of a Marvel girl, let’s just get that out of the way right now.

What else do I know for sure? This movie was dark. I skipped the unnecessary bathtub scene. Batman was more cruel than I liked. (I thought he had a no-killing rule, but he goes around brutally killing people and using guns no problem.) I liked Ben Affleck in the Batman role, however. Superman’s human side came out, which was great, though it wasn’t explored as deeply as I was hoping. I think that’s my main bone to pick: the characters, the heart behind the story, got lost behind gunfire and villainous plots.

Speaking of villains, Lex Luthor was one of my favorite parts of the movie. I know, I know, he’s dark and twisted and just plain weird. But Jesse Eisenberg did a great job bringing across a fascinating enemy with a warped view of right and wrong and God.

Oh, I’m also really hoping Wonder Woman gets fleshed out more in her own film. Yes, she’s a kick-butt hero in a genre with few female supers. But I didn’t get to know her. Prior to her action scene, she was the typical, personality-deficient gorgeous woman in a dress.

(Apparently I have more to say about movies that complicate my thoughts than I do about solid, I-love-this movies like Pete’s Dragon. Oops.)

books



Knife // R.J. Anderson

I read this one years ago, enjoyed it, but never continued the series. Last year I won a copy of my own in a giveaway, so I figured it deserved a reread. It was better than I remembered, though the plot was a wee bit thin in places. I thought the story had some interesting things to say about the nature of art and creativity, and how relationships inspire that. Four stars.



The Purpose Driven Church // Rick Warren

Although the cover is outdated, the main thrust of the message (how you can grow a healthy church without compromising the Word) is something a lot of churches need to grab hold of. I’m doing a presentation on this book pretty soon. Four stars.



The Lightning Thief // Rick Riordan

One of my sisters picked this out for me, and I’m glad she did! I’ve been meaning to read the Percy Jackson books for a long time, but she gave me the push I needed. What a fun story. Percy’s sass is A+, and I enjoyed how Greek mythology was woven into an urban setting. I did predict one of the twists, but overall, this was a five star book. I’ll be continuing the series!



Blue Lily, Lily Blue // Maggie Stiefvater

Okay. I’m torn again. I loved all the same things I loved in the first two Raven Cycle books: fantabulous characterization and writing that slays me every other sentence with its gorgeousness. But I also disliked all the same things: tarot cards and profanity. (I confess, I did a very reviewer-ish thing, and kept track of the swear words. I wanted to get a handle on whether there really was as much as it felt like, or if I was being hyper-sensitive. There were over 140 swear words or rude references, plus one instance of implied sex. Argh.)

BUT. Tone-wise, I liked this book more than The Dream Thieves. It wasn’t as dark. And Blue + Gansey = YES.

writing

Thanks to free time over the tail end of Christmas holidays, this was my most productive month ever! Well, ever since I started tracking monthly word counts. Compared to last year’s best month of 12k, I wrote 17,000 words this January. Woohoo! I managed to meet my goal of reaching 100k in The Prophet’s Key just in time. Griffins have flown into the story recently, which is fun.
I also did one session of The Creative Way. It was nice to return to it after a long absence. Another highlight was receiving feedback on The Prophet’s Quest from a friend. (So many comments. It’s lovely.)

okay . . . breathe.

If one month can hold so much, I’m excited to see what the rest of 2017 will look like! How was your January, patient questers?
A note about the blogging schedule: I foresee increased busyness with the day camp project and ambitious writing goals. So I’m giving myself permission to miss a few posts in February if necessary. Then the plan is to schedule a boatload of fun tags for March! I don’t like bumping the blog lower down the list of priorities, but I need to keep a healthy amount of brainspace free for other things during the next couple of months. Not to worry, I hope to return to my normal schedule at the end of March, which coincides with Adventure Awaits’ 2nd birthday!
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Why Fiction Matters

Tracey Dyck 24 Comments
[Pinterest]

“By words the mind is winged.”

-Aristophanes

Why do we love books so much? Why do we spend hundreds of dollars buying them and thousands of hours reading them? Why do we fill our bookshelves? Why do we browse libraries and bookstores, why do we create book blogs and write reviews and form communities centered around our favorite genres?
It’s because of story.
And it’s because story reaches in and speaks right to the heart.
Stories are an escape. They are journeys and adventures. They are safe places to think and feel and question, places where we dare to risk it all in a hypothetical situation, to see how it plays out. They prepare us for the real places that ask us to risk, to fight, to love. Once we’ve practiced in fiction, we’re a bit more ready to choose the heroic path in life.
Dry information is not remembered. Yet information attached to strong emotion stays with us for years. You may not even remember the plot of a book you read five years ago–not the names of the characters or the twist at the end–but somewhere in your mind, the feelings and concepts are there.
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The hero who laid his life on the line for the helpless.
The antihero who struggled uphill and found redemption.
The villain who spiraled ever deeper into darkness.
The girl who found true love.
The orphan who found a family.
The emotions behind those virtues and vices, victories and defeats, stick with us. In those universal emotions of loss, joy, love, conflict, frustration, and triumph, pieces of ourselves are brought to light. Me too is perhaps the strongest element in any story–that realization that we’re not the only ones who’ve been there. Because if a character feels like I do, that means there are countless others in this world who have trudged the same valleys and climbed the same mountains. I am not alone.
It’s in stories that we often learn what life is, and what it should be. Even when a novel makes no attempt to teach an overt message, we are learning. We are vicariously experiencing another world and another life through the characters.
That’s why stories mean so much to me. In them I’ve lived hundreds of lives. I’ve been a victorious hero. I’ve succumbed to a fatal flaw. I’ve offered mercy and received mercy. I have lived, I have died. I have seen the world through many eyes, felt pain and joy so like my own in many hearts.
I’ve found more than just companionship in stories. I’ve also seen glimpses of God, in the spaces between the lines where imagination intersects with the holy. It astounds me that He would use stories humbly imprinted on paper to speak to us. Of course, the Bible is where I find Him the most–as it should be. But I cannot discount the ways fiction has shed a different light on things I’d grown too familiar to see in Scripture.
Ted Dekker’s Black drowned me in God’s love.
Bryan Davis’s Eye of the Oracle let me dance with Elohim.
Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s Starflower pierced through my judgmental nature and showed me grace.
C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe put me in awe of my Savior’s sacrifice.
Andrew Klavan’s If We Survive reminded me of the beauty and fragility of life.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King showed me courage in the face of impossible odds.
Jeffrey Overstreet’s The Ale Boy’s Feast helped me lean on God’s provision.
Even a children’s book like Max Lucado’s With You All the Way helped me listen for my Father’s song when I cannot see Him.
I could go on and on. Secular books, too, have helped to instill bravery and friendship in me. The point is, I don’t know where I would be without stories.
Some may criticize fiction as being unnecessary. An escape for those too cowardly to deal with their problems head-on. On the contrary, fiction has helped me face my problems. Between the covers of books, I have discovered courage to combat fear, love to fuel my steps, and the reassurance that the happiest ending of all is yet to come.

What books have impacted you?

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