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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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Subplots and Storylines – December 2016 // Year-End Recap

Tracey Dyck 16 Comments



O December, how paradoxical art thou

Long as the White Witch’s winter
Short as a bearded dwarf
Crowded on one end
Tranquil at the other
Thirty-one wonderful, taxing, joyous, exhausting, brimming days
Farewell 2016.*

*Starting out with free verse was not my intention, especially considering my sleepy brain is still trying to figure out where to take this post. But there it is, random Narnia reference included.

This really was an all-over-the-place month. My brother’s birthday . . . long, long, LONG volunteer days . . . family gatherings . . . more Christmas parties than I’ve ever attended . . . big projects . . . Needless to say, by the time I reached Christmas break, I was rejoicing!

Near the beginning of December, an honest to goodness snow day kept my brother and I home from school, and then the following day we had to battle slick roads, iced up windshields, and poor visibility. Fun, fun.

Upon request (thanks, Savannah!), here is
the tree ornament I received this Christ-
mas: an angel made entirely out of paper.
Besides presenting my second speech in my public speaking class, I also had the opportunity to speak (preach?) in two high school chapel sessions this month: one about standing up against familiarity, the other about three ways to improve family relationships, particularly over the holiday season. I received excellent feedback and constructive criticism, leading to visible growth in this area. It’s stretching me, but I love it! Honestly, after delivering the first chapel and realizing I could actually do it, I was on top of the world.
As a college class, our biggest project this month was running the Christmas hampers. My brother was put in charge, and I was one of two “assistant managers,” so to speak. Most of the work was placed in our hands–acquiring and wrapping boxes, making grocery and toy lists, overseeing the shopping and organization, and forming delivery teams. Though it was a lot of work, it was also so rewarding to see the joy on the recipients’ faces!
A second blizzard hit at the tail end of Christmas Day, and this one actually was fun. (Minus the fact that my car got stuck at the end of my driveway two days later. Thank goodness for helpful neighbors.)
Christmas itself was cozy and quiet, just the six of us at home. Nowhere to go, no one to see. Exactly what I needed. My family is an incredible blessing. Wherever they are is my favorite place to be.

movies



A wee bit of Once Upon a Time Season 1 with my parents and sisters, and a wee bit more of the same with my brother, since we finally roped him into the show. Season 5 showed up under the Christmas tree (!!!), so I watched one episode with my sisters too.



[source]



Princess Protection Program — Re-watched with my sisters. It was very . . . Disney-ish. Crazy to see Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez so young and innocent, though. This time around I recognized Jamie Chung, who also plays Mulan in OUAT.



[source]

Finding Dory — OH MY JELLYFISH, THIS MOVIE. It had the perfect balance of Finding Nemo nostalgia and new story freshness. Baby Dory was the most adorable animated creature to ever grace the screen. Watching her story play out was both hilarious and heartwarming. (My favorite scene is still when Hank the septipus–aka the seven-armed octopus–drives the truck.)



[source]

The Star of Bethlehem — This is more of a documentary of sorts that I first watched in class, and then showed my family on Boxing Day. It uses historical timelines, Biblical text, and the math behind the universe to pinpoint what exactly the Star was. Utterly fascinating! The symbolism is incredible, and I was touched by the way God set everything in motion with a perfect, precise plan to announce our Savior’s birth.



[source]

Civil War — Finally. I have been waiting and waiting since this hit theaters, and let me tell you, it was worth it! Y’all probably know by now that Captain America is my favorite superhero. This third movie does not disappoint. My incoherent reaction pretty much consists of: ALL THE FEELS EVERYONE’S FIGHTING LOOKIT THE ALLIANCES AND CHARACTER INTERACTIONS AND MORAL DILEMMAS AND EPIC ACTION AND FRUSTRATIONS AND SADNESS AND BUCKYYYYY.

books



Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children // Ransom Riggs
This pretty book was a birthday present, not like you were wondering. I found it to be less creepy, overall, than I had expected. The language was unfortunate, especially considering the protagonist’s young age. (I tend to think the protag’s age is a reflection on the intended audience. A 15-year-old should not be using those words, okay?) But the settings and characters were super fascinating, and I loved all the strange old photographs. Definitely a unique formatting style! I also would’ve liked a bit more explanation about certain things, but maybe the next two books will clear it up. Four stars.



Cress // Marissa Meyer
One word: awesome. And a few more words: amusing, intense, heart-wrenching. I’d definitely say Cress rivals Cinder for favorite Lunar Chronicles instalment thus far. Cress herself is adorably naïve, yet brilliant. Pairing her with cocky Carswell Thorne was a stroke of romantic genius: the two make a hilarious couple! Following the rest of the Rampion crew was way too much fun as well. Cinder and Kai continued to be precious, Scarlet and Wolf were better than in their own book, and Iko made me ridiculously happy.

I almost considered reading Winter immediately afterward, but decided not to on the singular basis that I probably couldn’t finish it before the end of the year, and then it would have to count toward 2017’s Goodreads challenge. (Yes, I am particular like that.)

(sorry for the fuzzy picture quality; this is the only
one I could find of my cover)



Treasures of the Snow // Patricia St. John
Rereading this childhood favorite right after Christmas was like sipping hot chocolate whilst bundled up in a cozy quilt. I had forgotten portions of it, but the general direction and feel of the book was very familiar. The themes were more overt than I tend to enjoy, but this book is a classic to me, and so for nostalgia’s sake I forgive it all. It really does have some profound things to say about forgiveness and pride. Five stars.



Paper Crowns // Mirriam Neal
I was surprised to find this little gem wrapped under the Christmas tree this year! I’ve been meaning to get it ever since my lovely blogger friend Mirriam announced it was being published. I’m not quite to the end–though I hope to finish tonight–but so far it’s been a light, fluffy, adorable book! I adore Hal. And Azrael. And Salazar. And basically everyone but Maven. I know I’ll be giving this four or five stars.

I was blessed by an EPIC Christmas book haul: Paper Crowns, Quiet (a nonfiction book about introverts), The Calling,
Reapers, Five Magic Spindles, and Golden Daughter. ^_^

writing

11,734 words in The Prophet’s Quest this month! Most of that, as you can imagine, was done in the latter half of the month. I have for sure crested the halfway point. It’s a relief to bring all the characters back to Demetria at last. I’m hoping the return to a purely fantasy setting will help the words flow better in the future.
I had plans to hit 80k before Christmas holidays, and then use my break to reach 100k. I’m behind schedule, since I didn’t hit 80k in time, but I still want to write as much as I can while I have time. Without running myself ragged, that is. I do need to rest during this break as well.

This recap will cover only life-y stuffens and writerly stuffens. (That is my own invented word, if you were scratching your head and wondering what sort of typos this supposed ‘writer’ just made. It’s more fun to say than stuff, don’t you agree?) I almost decided to list bloggy stuffens, too, but decided those highlights would be better saved for the next blogoversary celebration. Keep an eye out for an upcoming Books of 2016 post, though!
 
For now, prepare for lists! Because lists are life. And lists are easy to write, easy to read. Lists keep overweight blog posts from becoming positively obese.
 

2016 life

  • was a bridesmaid at a best friend’s wedding
  • watched Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time
  • went on a young adult/youth retreat in the spring
  • bought my first car
  • got promoted at my job
  • went to a Piano Guys concert
  • started college, which included . . .
  • another retreat (much more intense than the other one)
  • public speaking
  • projects (like chapels and hampers)
  • volunteering
  • youth ministry
 

2016 writing

Things I Did:
  • finished some minor edits in The Prophet’s Quest
  • researched some literary agents and some book stuff (like psychology, delusions, airplanes, and exotic locations)
  • discovered my novella, The Brightest Thread, was a top ten finalist in the Five Magic Spindles contest
  • bought and started Ted Dekker’s The Creative Way writing course
  • revamped my publishing plans
Things I Actually Penned:

It’s been quite the year! Don’t let me give the false impression that 2016 was one glorious highlight after another, though. Monotony, weariness, and blandness made their mark on a number of days in between.

And yet the storyline weaving through the last twelve months was undeniably one of growth. The fast, painful, stretching kind . . . and the slow, gradual, imperceptible kind. The sandpaper days are smoothing a few of my rough edges, and yet the more I learn, the more rough edges I discover.

I’ve become a more confident person.

I’ve become a better writer, largely through the sheer keep-on-keepin’-on element of my writing life lately.

I’ve become a better public speaker, even though I’m still working on inflection and talking more slowly.

I’ve invested into myself.

I’ve been learning how to work hard, and how to keep working hard when I think I’m too tired to go on.

I’ve been learning how to rest, and not feel guilty for resting.

I’ve been learning that excellence is doing the best I can with what I have, and that there’s no reason to beat myself up when I can’t do more.

I’ve seen how very patient my Father God is with me. How faithful His love is, even when I am not. How deep His grace is, how perfect His plan is.

2016 was not an easy year by any means. But looking back over my shoulder, I can see that it was good. It was sandpaper to raw wood, fire to a forge, and in between, it was breath to oxygen-starved lungs. 2017, you will be even better.

How was your December? And your entire year? Highlights, lowlights? In-between-lights? Life is hard sometimes, so let’s find empathy and encouragement in each other’s company!

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Subplots and Storylines – November 2016

Tracey Dyck 23 Comments

I don’t know how it’s physically possible, but somehow this month seems even fuller than the last!

November opened with my birthday, which I celebrated a bit differently than other years in order to fit with my school schedule. Later on in the month, we also celebrated my lil’ sister’s birthday.

I grew a bit more in my public speaking skills: I was called to answer Q&A in one of our communicators meetings, I was the timer for another meeting, and a classmate and I got to preach a mini message to the youth volunteers.

My class and I helped build our church’s float for the city’s Santa Clause Parade, which was so fun, especially because we also got to participate in the actual parade, walking alongside our beautiful float.

There was a last-minute event I volunteered at, a youth worship night, a youth talent show, Christmas shopping, friend stuff, and my first exam of the year.

And through it all, my little corner of the world disguised itself as London, with miserable rain mixed with melting snow, and some of the densest fog I’ve ever seen.

Movies

Very little this month. I watched the last episode of Once Upon a Time Season 4 with my sisters (oh my goodness, THAT ENDING) and saw some more of Season 1 with my parents.

Books

(I searched high and low for an image of my copy. This ain’t it.)

Journey to the Center of the Earth // Jules Verne
I wanted to read one of the unread, second-hand books on my shelf, and randomly picked this one. It was more enjoyable than I expected, quite honestly. I remember not totally loving Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea during high school, and while Journey does pause now and then to dump facts on the reader, it keeps a good pace overall. And it was funny! Axel and his enthusiastic uncle, Professor Liedenbrock, make an amusing pair.

[Professor] “Do you remember a visit the famous English
chemist Humphrey Davy paid me in 1825?”
[Axel] “No, I don’t. For the very good reason that I wasn’t
born until nineteen years later.”

Was the book scientifically accurate? Probably not, seeing as it was written in the 1800s, but it was still fun to pretend that Verne’s theories could be true, to envision a whole new world beneath the earth’s crust. My biggest quibble was the ending. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but let’s just say the characters didn’t accomplish quite as much as I expected they would.

Prophet // R.J. Larson
I loved it! I haven’t read very many fantasies with a Biblical type of setting, so that was neat. I found it especially intriguing to follow Ela’s journey as a Prophet of the Infinite, to see how it mirrored real prophets in the Old Testament. She was so compassionate even when she had to communicate the Infinite’s judgment on people who deserved it. (That compassion is a trait I need to grow in.) I adored Kien, a charming ambassador who spends a goodly amount of time in prison and has a strong appreciation for food. Ela’s little sister, Tzana, was sweet and sympathetic.

The plot slowed down a bit once or twice, or maybe that was just me taking a long time to finish the book. There was another seventy-ish pages after the big climax, so I was expecting a plot twist, but instead I got an abrupt segment of story that might have been better left for the beginning of book two. I also had some thoughts to sort through about the Infinite, who seemed loving but also enforced a works-based sort of faith among His people . . . but then I remembered that this is, in effect, the Old Testament, and a savior is not part of the story yet. (There might be one later in the trilogy?)

Don’t let either of those things stop you from reading, though! Prophet is a wonderful, refreshing book that took the fantasy genre down a less well-trodden path. Between readings, my mind kept going back to the story–definitely the mark of a good book.

Writing

I felt a lot more productive this month than I have in quite a while! I wrote a poem for the first time in forever,* and wrote 9,497 words in The Prophet’s Key. That’s more than I’ve written since college started, so I was happy. I’m close to the halfway point in my outline, too. The villains are gaining the upper hand, so the whole situation is about to change for the worse for my protagonists!

*breaks into song (I listened to the Frozen soundtrack earlier this week, okay?)

I’ve also set my writing goals FOR THE REST OF 2016 (and a little bit more), so I am super pumped. I want to reach 80k by Christmas, which means writing almost 10k in three weeks. Then the goal is to utilize my Christmas break to add another 20k, which will bring the book to 100k. Then if I can finish the whole first draft by springtime/the end of college/sometime around there . . . I just may have enough time to rewrite The Brightest Thread into a full novel so I have something to pitch at the Realm Makers Conference.

O.O

Yeah.

I’m that crazy.

And as I look at the things filling up my December calendar, I’m questioning the sanity of that plan even more. But if you shoot for the moon and miss, you still land among the stars and all that jazz.*

*Except not really. Because the stars are light-years away. So if I miss the moon, you can find me floating aimlessly in space or headfirst in a crater on earth somewhere.

Learning



Just trying out a new feature in S&S. We’ll see if I have enough material for it each month.

I learned about the DISC personality system in college, and found out that I’m a CSD. To give you some background, D=dominant/driver/determined, I=influencing/inspiring/impulsive, C=compliant/correct/cautious, and S=supportive/stable/steady. A CSD is otherwise known as a Contemplator. Basically, I like to get things done, and get them done well. I’m detailed and logical; have high standards; precise but competitive; sensitive to others around me; a natural peacemaker; etc. Reading through the full descriptions, I was amazed at how accurate most of it was! Now that I know the personalities of my other classmates, I hope to develop better ways to communicate with all of them.

I started experimenting with bullet journaling in an old notebook of mine, just to see if I like it. So far I do, though I’m not quite happy with the layout. Hence the term experiment. Come the new year, if I’m still enjoying the practice, I’ll start fresh in a brand new notebook and go from there.

So how was your November? Anything out of the ordinary, or perhaps ordinary but still worth mentioning? Have you ever taken the DISC test? All ye lionhearted NaNo’ers–how did it go? And who’s all cranking the Christmas carols now that we’re in December?

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Subplots and Storylines – October 2016

Tracey Dyck 24 Comments
Well, hasn’t this been a packed month! I celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with copious amounts of turkey; went from eating outdoors at the beginning of the month (I don’t recall it ever being warm enough for that in October before!) to shivering in gusty winds near freezing temperature; and generally spent most of my waking hours in college.
I was looking back over my college notes to see what I all did this month, and I was surprised to see what I’d been learning at the start of October. It feels like so long ago that we talked about stress, attitude, belief systems of the heart, figuring out what you want in life, personal capacity . . . Looking back, I’ve learned a lot this month. More importantly, I’ve internalized a lot. The things I’m being taught haven’t fully stuck yet, but many things are well on their way to changing my thoughts. It’s amazing to see that.
Some other college highlights:
  • Allll the volunteering and being a part of awesome events.
  • My first speech in my communicators class! It was an icebreaker speech designed to give me public speaking experience and help my audience get to know me. It was fun and nerve-wracking, and I received great feedback/critique.
  • Loving my junior high girls small group that I get to help lead every week. It’s such a fun age group, and there’s a distinct mix of girls who have grown up in church, and girls whose only church is small groups.
  • One of my big college projects has been preparing a message for a high school chapel program. Three classmates and I have been working on this for weeks, and we just recently rehearsed our chapel in front of the class. Because I tend to prefer working alone, it’s been a great experience to work as a team. We got creative and filmed our own short video to introduce our message topic . . . a video in which I play a cheesy T.V. anchor. A male cheesy T.V. anchor, complete with a curly wig and mustache. (I am sooo going to regret this.)
  • Youth held a Halloween costume party (pictures to come in a minute), and featured two escape rooms! I got to help plan and build them, so it was fantastic to see them completed and ready to be used. We built a zombie lab where the objective was to find the cure, and also a Bigfoot forest with the objective of finding the dead researcher’s notes proving Bigfoot’s existence. Really fun!

Here’s a couple shots of my steampunk costume. It was quite fun putting it together. I already owned the vest, jewelry, one of the belts, leggings, and boots. I bought the shirt and the other two belts at a thrift store for a few dollars, the skirt at a different thrift store for $6, and the aviator goggles at a costume store for $14.

 
That’s actually a watch, not a choker–I used
thread to tie it around my neck. 🙂
 

October Films

 

The Flash
My siblings and I finished season 1. Oh. My. Goodness. This show is just amazing. I can honestly call it a favorite (shhh, I know I haven’t watched oodles of shows to begin with). This season ended spectacularly, leaving me satisfied and in agony at the same time. I’m really going to have to make a separate post on this show just to flail over the characters and twisty plot.

 
 

Once Upon a Time (Seasons 1 and 4)
My sisters and I almost finished season 4 during October (!!), and we’re about a third of the way into season 1 with our parents. So much is happening in 4, and it’s still fun going back to the first season and getting a “before and after” snapshot of the characters.

 
 

Tron: Legacy
My brother’s college ministry area is media, so he has a number of movies to watch as homework. Tron: Legacy looked like one of the more interesting ones, so I watched it with him. It had some cool things about it, like the main character being a young adult rather than the typical teen, going into a digital world, Light Cycles, identities contained in discs, etc. But the plot itself was rather clichéd, and the only main female character was pretty two-dimensional.

October Reads

The Dream Thieves // Maggie Stiefvater
I loved this one, but not . . . completely. It’s a complicated issue, much like the first book. I adored Maggie’s writing style. I loved the characters. (Gansey and Adam, man.) But the language bothered me again, and Ronan–who was more of a focal character this time around–did some stupid things. There was a middle chunk of the book where I was fed up with him, but then things turned around and made more sense and he made better decisions and a certain somebody got what was coming to him. So yeah. Also the occult stuff from the first book was less occult-y in this one, with more of a fantasy flavor to it, which I appreciated. (It’s less real and less weird that way.)

Honestly, though, aside from Ronan’s temporary stupidity and the foul language, THIS BOOK IS BEAUTIFUL. I’m so excited to keep reading the series!

Into the Wild // Erin Hunter

This was a reread. The first time I read it was yeeeaaars ago, and I remember loving it until I read further in the series and realized that the astrology-type thing with StarClan was not the best thing to be reading about, and quit. (The idea is that the warrior cats become stars when they die, and living cats seek guidance from the stars.) The only reason I picked up Into the Wild again was to screen it for my youngest sister. It’s been a long time since I made the decision to quit these books, so I thought it might be wise to re-evaluate, since she wanted to check them out . . . but I don’t think my conclusion has changed.

I will say, however, that the writing was less wonderful than I remembered, but the plotline–once it got past the initial tropes–was still fairly engaging.

Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink // Gail Carson Levine

I have been slowly picking my way through this book for an embarrassingly long time. I think it’s been a year? Maybe more? Not that it was hard to read–quite the opposite, in fact. I was just reading a couple chapters at a time here and there between novels.

Anyway, this is Gail Carson Levine’s second writing advice book. (I also have Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly on my bookshelf.) Writer to Writer is written simply, but in an engaging way that boils down the elements of storytelling into easy-to-grasp sections. I found plenty of good reminders within these pages. Unlike the first book, a lot of the material was adapted from her blog, a valuable resource I’ve been reading for years.

Eagle Strike // Anthony Horowitz

As the fourth installment in the Alex Rider series, this one broke the mold in some ways, which was a nice change after three very similar books. It still required some suspension of belief when fourteen-year-old Alex runs around pulling James Bond-like stunts (this kid probably should have died three books ago), but it’s still an entertaining read. I enjoyed the video game element, which I can’t elaborate on without spoiling things, and I had the satisfaction of halfway predicting a plot twist.

 

Book Haul
Three cheers for second-hand books! I shopped around at the annual book faire, and came home with some fabulous finds.

 
  • The Lost Road and Other Writings // J.R.R. Tolkien
  • A Hero’s Throne // Ross Lawhead (I forgot that I already own a brand-new copy of this book. *sigh*)
  • Inkdeath // Cornelia Funke
  • Mockingjay // Suzanne Collins
  • Allegiant // Veronica Roth (I guess it was the day for YA trilogy finales!)

October Writing

The Prophet’s Key advanced by exactly 1,911 words this month. Yep, that’s it. I also started working on a character questionnaire by Kristen Kieffer @ She’s Novel for Aileen, but didn’t get very far. When I actually have the time/take the time to fill out those questions for all my main characters, I have a feeling it could rescue my novel. I’ve been strangely struggling to connect to my characters, so reviving them should revive me.
And I wrote The Cage, a 1,612 word spooky story. Quite fun to exercise my writing muscles on something with no expectations put on myself!
Altogether, this adds up to only 3.5k words written in October. Of course I would’ve liked to have written more, but at the same time, I’ve been doing lots of living lately, and that’s just as important. (Not gonna lie, though, everyone’s NaNo excitement and wordcounts and progress makes me a teensy bit jealous! One day, you guys, one day I’ll join you . . .)

And that, questers, was October.

I’d say it was a pretty solid month. Many subplots going on, lots of personal growth, some good books and shows . . . just very little writing. But Christmas break is coming. Eventually.
How was your October? Did anybody dress up? What’s one
thing you learned last month? And who’s all participating
in NaNoWriMo? (You guys rock! Keep pushing on!)
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