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Tag: writing

Subplots and Storylines – May 2016

Tracey Dyck 28 Comments

I would like to remind you that I am a wizard. And a wizard is never late.

[source]

So even though I started typing up this post within the last three hours of May, and it’s only getting to you in June, I’m not late at all.*

* Great excuse, right? But actually I have been going nonstop since Sunday morning, and these S&S posts are hard to put together until . . . you know, the month is pretty much over.

Life Etc.

A few notable things happened this month. I learned how to make origami flowers and felt so proud of myself. A friend/co-worker is getting married in June, so I joined her and a passel of girls in making some of the dozens (hundreds?) of flowers she needs. Behold my handiwork.

And I’ve been greatly enjoying my new vehicle. It’s officially in my possession now, and the first time I left work and laid eyes on it waiting in the parking lot for me, I had a thrill of that’s my car!

Warm sun and frequent showers have turned everything green, green, green around here. And that means yard work, planting the garden, starting the flower beds, etc. But digging my fingers into freshly tilled dirt, clomping around in rubber boots, hauling watering cans, watching little bugs scramble away as I work–that’s a totally different kind of labor than my job. It’s more refreshing.

We hauled out our lawn croquet and set it up at a park. Let’s just say that I finished fourth out of the six of us. My mom whupped us all severely. I had forgotten she was that good!

One of the biggest happenings this May, though, is the day I WENT TO A PIANO GUYS CONCERT! I’d heard way back around Christmas that their tour was bringing them close to home, and was naturally very interested in getting tickets. So was Sarah. But I procrastinated and did nothing about it for months. Two weeks before the concert, I checked online to see if tickets were still available, only to find out that $200 meet and greet passes were all that was left. (A little much for my sensible side to spend on entertainment.) But then it ended up working out that one of Sarah’s friends had two extra tickets she could sell us for $50 apiece. This has got to be the only time in my life that procrastination actually produced better results than . . . well, being on top of things.

Anyway, the concert itself was AH-MAY-ZING, OH MY GOODNESS. The music was absolutely gorgeous. The Piano Guys themselves were hilarious and so down to earth and humble. This was apparently their first time touring Canada, which was pretty cool. They played some of my favorites, and threw in a few unofficial pieces. (Including a joking mash-up of the “two happiest songs on earth” according to them: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” and the main theme of Phantom of the Opera. They called it, “Don’t Worry, Be Psycho.” Too funny!)

I took a bunch of short videos with my phone, and I was hoping to upload one or two to this post, but sadly it’s not working. Just imagine, though, a live version of this song . . .

. . . in which four bagpipe players come and join them on the stage near the end. Ah, ’twas glorious!

Another fun event was a girls day out with a dear friend of mine (the one who got married a couple months ago). We hadn’t spent much time together since then, so it was awesome to catch up! Smoothies were also a plus. (But aren’t they always?)

Le Movies

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Once Upon a Time season 3 // My sisters and I finally finished! Great ending, but now we very much need the fourth season. Thankfully, I own it already. But ugh, why did that particular character have to come to Storybrooke right when a certain relationship was going so beautifully? She’s going to ruin everything.

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Sister Act // cheesy at some parts, funny at others, and even a little heartwarming in between. Watching Whoopi Goldberg play a casino singer who witnesses a murder and then has to hide at a nunnery (of all places) was pretty entertaining. Especially when she started teaching the nuns to sing.

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The Two Towers // At last! I’ve been wanting to see it since I watched The Fellowship of the Ring a couple months ago. Being the extended edition, my bro and I went at it in two separate sittings. So. Good. Gollum’s inner conflict was done really well, everything felt darker and more foreboding than the first film, the Ents were fun (but not as good as the book version, in my humble opinion), Legolas and Gimli’s developing friendship was awesome, the battle at Helm’s Deep was the most epic thing ever . . . I could go on and on, but there are other things to talk about yet. I feel it should be known, however, how much I love Aragorn. And Eowyn. And Merry and Pippin. (But–but–but Aragorn! Could he be any more awesome?)

[source]

War Room // I was half expecting it to be one of those tired, clichéd sort of Christian movies, but it was actually good. It started out a bit clichéd, but it turned into a good story with a more focused storyline than, say, God’s Not Dead (which I did enjoy; it just had a big cast with lots of plot threads). And if the movie’s intent was to inspire the viewers to pray more, then it certainly was convicting. Bits of humor, mostly supplied by the elderly Miss Clara, were also appreciated.

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Sleepless in Seattle // My mom and I had a movie night, complete with my favorite kind of popcorn. It was a fun old “classic,” which meant I could make fun of the hairstyles and music whilst enjoying the girly romance. Several sexual comments detracted from my enjoyment of the film, but otherwise it was a sweet movie. The dialogue of the main character Annie Reed reminds me of a more extroverted, reckless version of myself. I think it was the way she cobbled topics together and left others scratching their heads, or her random musings on little details about life?

Le Books

Hey, guess who up and joined Goodreads? (I haven’t figured out why we say “guess who” when it’s completely obvious we mean ourselves. But I say it anyway.) Yes, this social media hermit finally ventured into that particular bookish corner of the internet! A hermit, you ask? Doesn’t this blog count for something? Yes, of course it does, but as far as the imminently popular Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest/what-have-you world goes, I am notably absent. I’m on Google Plus simply because, well, Google gives me Gmail and Blogger and everything on one account. Before you mention it, yes, I am aware of how lame Google Plus is. (Except Mary and I have great little conversations there, so that’s a plus.) (Gosh, that was bad.)

But I was supposed to be talking about Goodreads. Yes. So I’m on there now, and still in the process of creating shelves and adding all the books of which I’ve kept a record. I’d love to connect with you over there!

One of the things I’ve been reading this month is Christine’s Burning Thorns, which is so marvellously wicked in its treatment of my heart. It’s a beautiful, heartrending story, and I’m currently having trouble imagining how things are going to get even worse than they already are.

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate // A sweet, romantic story of a single mom named Tandi shored up with her kids in a quaint little coastal town. Her elderly landlady, Iola Anne Poole, dies peacefully and leaves behind a huge mansion and a lifetime’s collection of prayer boxes–the prayers she wrote out since she was a little girl. These prayers are instrumental in Tandi finding healing for her broken heart. I give the story a bit of extra credit for the love interest’s originality. Rather than being Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome or Rugged Outdoorsmen, he’s a quirky lawn care guy who wears the worst flamingo shirts ever. (But he’s sweet, so ya like him.)

Water Walker by Ted Dekker // Book 3 in the Outlaw series. This story was written in almost a parable style, I feel, which is a bit different than Dekker’s usual method. It worked for this book, a short novel digging into themes of forgiveness and freedom through grace. Young Eden, who has no memory of her childhood, is kidnapped by people claiming to be her real parents. And let me tell you, those people are creepy. (What really struck me was how minimal the violence was–only one or two scenes, and only one of those made me wince–and yet how chilling the story was anyway. It was more of a psychological creep factor, with Eden’s captors being obsessed with a twisted version of purity, cleanliness, and sacrificial lambs.) I caught a few typos, but the story was well worth reading anyway. The messages coincide perfectly with what I’ve been learning in Dekker’s The Creative Way course.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones // So a number of online buddies of mine have been recommending HMC to me for a couple years already. Very, very enthusiastically recommending. Threatening to throw books at me if I don’t read it. Telling me my life will not be complete until I read it. I believed them, of course, because these people are rather discerning bookdragons. For the last two-ish years, I’ve been looking for HMC at every bookstore I visit, but never found it. You’ve probably guessed that I recently FOUND IT. (Technically, my mom and sister found it for me, sweet things.)

IT WAS GLORIOUS AND WHIMSICAL AND GAH, I NEED TO READ IT AGAIN. Everything was quirky and fun and seemingly random . . . until they started connecting in surprising ways. I also loved the fairytale setting with its scarecrows and talking fire demons and hat shops and magical doors in magical castles and curses and seven league boots ETC.

Can we talk about the characters? Like how I adore Howl? How spunky Sophie is, even (especially) as an old lady hobbling around and muttering to things? And how hilariously grouchy Calcifer is, and how he hopes Sophie’s bacon burns, and how Michael is a pretty cool wizard’s apprentice, and how everyone is just strange and wonderful? But Howl . . . he really does take the cake. He’s different than I expected, but probably better. (Unbelievably vain. Secretly a big ol’ softie. Dramatic as all get out. Howl being sick is so great, I have to say.)

So a humongous thank you to the folks who pushed me into HMC! You know how certain books or movies instantly snuggle into your heart and tell you they’re being added to the list of happy places you can go to when you need a pick-me-up? HMC is one of those.

Le Writing

6,170 words this month in The Prophet’s Key. Not a whole lot, considering I wrote twice as much last month–but decent considering everything else going on.

I managed to do some more research in the realm of literary agents! My list of potentials is slowly growing.

And I spent a significant amount of time doing plain old research for TPK. There’s a lot of globetrotting happening in this novel, and I am a person who has not ventured further than a few states south and a few provinces west. Needless to say, I haven’t been to most of the places in my outline. Google satellite images, maps, and Wikipedia are my not-so-helpful friends in this endeavor to soak up knowledge. (Can I just book two months off work and fly to places like British Columbia, Scotland, and Australia? Pretty please?)

To make matters worse, the specific locations I’m looking for are supposed to be in the middle of nowhere, set apart from the general civilization. Good places for hiding. Which means they are not good places to Google, because the car that takes their streetview images doesn’t trundle up the wilderness of the Rockies and snap pictures of the scenery, gosh darn it. Seriously, get your act together. (Just kidding. Kind of.) So I have resigned myself to getting a feel for a general area, and then making up the specifics. That gives me more freedom to get to the actual writing.

Oh, and I also completed two or three sessions of The Creative Way, including my first session on the module dealing with the craft of writing. Yay!

Now, some of you may have already heard this, but the fourth fairytale contest held by Rooglewood Press has been postponed until next year due to health concerns/busyness on Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s part. Very understandable (and I hope she recovers soon from whatever it is), but the news was a bit disappointing. I gave the matter some thought, and have since decided that this may actually be a blessing in disguise. As much as I was looking forward to writing another retelling, it will be good to have the entire year to focus on Journeys of the Chosen, including agent research. Plus I’ll be busy this fall (I have a college interview coming up!), so perhaps this is for the best. Besides, by the time June 2017 rolls around, I’ll have that much more creative juice stored up for twisting another fairytale!

One last writing-related thing before I wrap this up . . . Because of the postponement, I’m joining Go Teen Writers’ 100 for 100, something I’ve never done but am eager to try. The idea is to write at least 100 words a day for 100 days. The wordcount is easy. It’s the every day part that will be a challenge, especially on the busy days. But that’s the point of the challenge–to build discipline. I’m excited to give it a go!

Okay, I’m done.

Sorry this was so late, folks. I meant to have it out much sooner.

I’d say May was a good month. There were a lot of subplots humming along rather busily, weaving through the weeks. How was your month? Any good books you read or movies you watched? (HAVE YOU READ HMC?) How’s the writing life going, if you’re of that particular bent? Grab an iced cappuccino or something yummy like that and let’s chat!

P.S. I’m loving the discussion we’re having on swearing in books, and I promise I’ll get to your comments as soon as I have the time to give them the thoughtful responses they deserve!

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a discussion on swearing in books

Tracey Dyck 23 Comments

I once explained why swearing should be eliminated from fiction. While I would still happily trim all those four-letter words out of books (except that defacing library property is a naughty thing to do), I’ve been pondering this subject recently. I had a good discussion about it with my brother, then with blogger friend Emily, and later with my writer friend Sarah. And I have come to the stunning conclusion: It’s not quite as black and white as I would like it to be.

I’m here today not to draw any concrete conclusions, but rather to weigh both sides and discuss it with you all. Fair enough?

swearing in books: what makes it undesirable

* Some of us just aren’t comfortable with foul language. Why should we be subjected to it in a novel? I’ve started to read some great books that I ended up putting down because the amount of profanity was more than I wanted to endure. I think authors should thoughtfully consider the section of their audience they’re driving away with their content. Those who don’t care how many f-bombs litter the page will still read your books even if you clean them up, whereas those who do care will be very thankful. Listen to the dollar signs, if nothing else.

* In some cases (not all), it’s lazy writing. In these sorts of books, the characters seem to have a limited vocabulary, 50% of which is profane. Even the narrative is sprinkled with it. Yes, I understand that that particular word is an angry one, but I would appreciate your art far more if you used some creativity to convey that anger. It takes more writing muscle to vividly describe someone seething with rage or moping in misery than it does to plop down a four-letter word or two. (Or a blue-streaking seven.)

* I could go on, but most of my other reasons are close siblings of the first one. Because of my faith and because of personal preference, I just don’t like language, be it in a book, movie, TV show, or real life.

swearing in books: what makes it okay

* It can be realistic. I loved Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys, but the characters, particularly Ronan, swore more than I expected them too. Being rough around the edges, all tough exterior and shaved head and independence, Ronan’s language was in keeping with his character. He’s kind of the bad boy. I have to be honest: there are just some people that wouldn’t realistically shout “oh pumpernickel!” when they spill hot coffee over their lap. If writers are meant to reflect life accurately, then perhaps a measure of realism in the dialogue is acceptable?
* In a very select few cases–of which I’d be hard-pressed to name, but still know they exist–there’s no other way to say it. Let’s imagine a scene showing the aftermath of deep evil or the heinousness of a crime. The most fitting words to describe those evil people and their destructive deeds are not PG-rated, people. (These days, maybe they are, but that’s another topic altogether . . .)
*Again, I could go on, but the rest of what I have to say is best discussed . . . as an actual discussion, instead of in point form.

so what are we to do?

On the one hand, many readers and writers find swearing offensive. I am one of those.
On the other hand, I write about things I don’t agree with, and no one is under the delusion that I approve of those things. I have characters with different mindsets than I do. I have characters who lie, steal, manipulate, betray, lust after power, burn people at the stake, and strive to conquer worlds. And yet I do not condone any of those actions, even if some of them are done by protagonists who are struggling on their journeys. So why should swearing be different?
Maybe it’s because we can read about someone lying or murdering, but we don’t truly experience the telling of that lie or the murdering of that person. But when we read a swear word, it’s just as bad as if we thought of it ourselves or spoke it aloud. Swearing is a verbal/mental sin, right?* It’s one of the few that can be communicated fully on the page.
*(And while we’re at it, can any of you point me to Bible verses on the subject of language? Beyond one of the Ten Commandments being “Do not take God’s Name in vain.” Because most swearing doesn’t invoke God’s name at all. I’m interested in doing some further study.)
BUT. I easily forget that non-Christians don’t ‘play by the same rules,’ if you want to put it that way. To me, swearing is wrong, but to a lot of people, it’s simply not an issue. How can I expect them to censor their language if they don’t believe it presents a problem?
On another note, intended audience is a big factor. Please do not put foul language in a book written for twelve-year-olds. I don’t care if they may be hearing those words at school already–some of them still have innocent eyes and ears, and I would hate for a book to introduce them to something better met at an older age.
But what about adult fiction? Or even YA? (As a reader, I consume both, as I imagine lots of you do.) These readers have heard plenty already, unless they live in Antarctica with speechless penguins. Does exposure justify the continued use of language? Is it a matter of maturity or of principle? Or both?
To some of you, this probably isn’t a big deal at all. I understand that the public school system is good at desensitizing people. Really, though, the secular world at large is good at it. As a homeschooler raised in a Christian family, I was not exposed to the same volume of profanity during my childhood as many public school students were. Emily pointed that fact out to me, and it’s true. Not that I was some unsocialized little stereotype who bathed in hand sanitizer after setting foot out in the big, bad world! I was simply in an environment that didn’t involve anything much worse than ‘crap.’ Now, as an adult in the workforce, and as a person whose media intake has expanded, I hear and read more. Not that I like it, but it’s reality.
So. Should we read books that contain swearing? I believe that’s between you and God to decide what you can handle (or what you want to handle). Should we write books that contain swearing? That question is even more muddled with grey than the first. And I did say I wasn’t trying to come to any solid conclusions just now.
But I will say that, no matter the answer, a few things need to be thoughtfully and prayerfully considered.
  • the audience
  • the context of the swearing
  • the intensity and frequency of the swearing
For me personally, there may come a day when I pen an adult novel that calls for a restrained measure of language. I can’t imagine myself ever laying it on thick. At all. I’d rather leave it at a non-scarring, “he swore” and be done with it. But a few deliberately placed words, for the right audience, in the right context, might happen. I honestly don’t know. I still wish the issue was as simple as attacking every novel out there with a black Sharpie. We all know it’s not, though.
In lieu of a real conclusion, I leave us with this:
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Philippians 4:8-9 (The Message)

So what are your thoughts? It’s a tricky matter, and I want to hear your take on it.
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Paper Crowns Blog Tour // Interview with Mirriam Neal

Tracey Dyck 13 Comments

It is with humongous excitement that I welcome author Mirriam Neal to Adventure Awaits today! She just published her second novel, Paper Crowns. I’ve been following her blog for a few years, and over that span of time I’ve also been one of her beta readers for several stories. So I can tell you with 100% conviction that she is an amazing writer, one who pens her tales with depth, vibrancy, and wit. (Just wait until you meet one of her trademark snarky characters.)

It goes without saying that Paper Crowns’ release has me flailing/squealing/bursting with joy. And I’m equally thrilled to have the chance to interview Mirriam about her writing journey and her new book. After all, the paths of writers so often intersect in some way, and it is at those junctions that we find encouragement for our own journeys.
Mirriam Neal is a twenty-two-year-old Northwestern hipster living in Atlanta. She writes hard-to-describe books in hard-to-describe genres, and illustrates things whenever she finds the time. She aspires to live as faithfully and creatively as she can and she hopes you do, too.
You can find her at any of these places:
And here’s the book itself, all brimming with magic and beauty and intrigue–isn’t it positively gorgeous?!
Ginger has lived in seclusion, with only her aunt Malgarel and her blue cat, Halcyon, to keep her company. Her sheltered, idyllic life is turned upside-down when her home is attacked by messengers from the world of fae. Accompanied by Halcyon (who may or may not be more than just a cat), an irascible wysling named Azrael, and a loyal fire elemental named Salazar, Ginger ventures into the world of fae to bring a ruthless Queen to justice.

Without further ado, here’s the dedicated, talented authoress herself . . .
*****
Tell us a little
about yourself! Personality, interests, how
you take your coffee—whatever.

I’m an
INFP – a severe introvert who adores people. Writing is my greatest love, but
when I’m not writing I’m probably making art or reading. (I’m currently reading
Jennifer Freitag’s ‘Plenilune’ for the first time since I beta-read it. I’m in
love all over again. She inscribed it to me and called me the ‘kitty-cat foxy
bomb diggity,’ which probably says more about my personality than I ever
could.) I take my coffee black and strong enough to eat the spoon.

Because many of
us here are on our own writing journeys, could you share a little bit about
yours?
I
was always an avid reader, and I fiddled with writing now and then. I never
finished anything until I turned twelve, and wrote a short story called ‘The
Pegasus on the Mantle.’ I submitted it to Girl’s Horse Club, an online
gathering for horse-loving girls, and I consequently forgot about it – until I
received the notification I’d won! After that, I couldn’t stop writing. It was
the push I needed. It’s been rocky and I’ve had phases (I once went through a
depressing phase where everything was…well, depressing) – in fact, after
writing for over a decade, I’ve only recently fallen into something I can call
a ‘groove’!

What was the Paper
Crowns journey like, specifically?
It
was more of a jaunt than a journey. It took a total of one month to complete,
and was far from grueling – it was a literary vacation. Most of my novels are
definitely grueling journeys, no matter how much I love them, but Paper Crowns
was something else.

What are some of
the sources of inspiration that fueled this story?
I started reading Julie Kagawa’s ‘Iron Fey’ series, which inspired me
to also write something fey-ish. I’m not a fan of Julie’s writing, but the
concept was fun, and there are a million different ways to work it. Owl City’s
‘Sky Sailing’ album prompted the idea of Ginger’s Blessing.

What’s your
favorite part of writing?
The characters.
Everything I write is very character-driven (occasionally they’re so
character-driven that the world-building suffers during the first draft, but
that’s what first drafts are for, right?).

What’s the
hardest part?
For me, the hardest part is
always editing and revising. Editing, because I’m really terrible at seeing my
own typos and errors. Revising, because when I write something, it (usually)
feels ‘set in stone.’ Changing it feels like sacrilege. (When I break this
rule, however, I break it in really spectacular ways and end up with two
entirely different novels.)

If you could
spend a day with one of the Paper Crowns characters, who would it be and
why?
It would definitely be Azrael. He
would infuriate me half to death, but it sure wouldn’t be boring.

Your book deals
with magic (wysary). Can you talk about how this fictional magic meshes with
your Christian faith?
I think many
Christians believe modern fictional ‘magic’ conflicts with Christian faith.
Most of the time, this isn’t true. Many years ago I did extensive research on
this, because every time I dug into magic and Christianity, it seemed like a
‘Christianity vs. Magic’ fight. It’s a fight that’s completely unnecessary the
majority of the time. ‘Magic,’ as we know it in most fiction today, simply
isn’t in the Bible. Not anywhere. Necromancy, communication with demons, and
divination – these things are condemned in the Bible, but turning someone into
a bird or creating paper objects that fly? That kind of magic simply isn’t
mentioned. The terms ‘witch’ and ‘wizard,’ as found in modern Bible
translations, didn’t even exist at the time of the original text. You’ll find
the meaning of the original words to be more in line with ‘necromancer,’ etc.
Before I carry on too much – I believe magic is extremely complimentary to
Christianity, and is very easy to mesh.

What’s next on
your writing/publishing agenda?
I plan to
finish editing ‘Dark is the Night,’ the first in my Southern urban fantasy
‘Salvation’ series. I’m still writing ‘The Dying of the Light,’ my futuristic
sci-fi Japanese Robin Hood, and I need to edit and revise ‘Paper Hearts,’ the
sequel to Paper Crowns.

What advice
would you give to other young writers?
Don’t
view writing as your career. You want to be a writer? That’s fantastic – but
don’t burden your writing with thoughts like, ‘You need to make me enough money
to live on.’ Write because you love it, and support yourself with another job.
If your writing takes off in a big way, congratulations! That’s amazing! But
give your writing the freedom it needs without trying to make it support you.

*****
Fabulous answers, Mirriam! I especially loved your piece of advice at the end there. It’s something I need to take to heart–giving my writing room to breathe by not depending on it as a source of income, at least not right away. Thanks for the freeing perspective! And thank you so much for stopping by!
To my fellow wayfarers, voyagers, and questers: who’s eager to read Paper Crowns? (Hint: ALL OF YOU, BECAUSE IT’S FABULOUS AND YOU NEED A SLICE OF MIRRI-MAGIC IN YOUR LIFE.)
P.S. The Paper Crowns blog tour lasts for the month of May. All the stops are listed HERE. There’s book spotlights, guest posts, more interviews, etc., so I encourage you to check them out!
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Subplots and Storylines – April 2016

Tracey Dyck 35 Comments
Somebody needs to tell me how in the world we’re one-third of the way through 2016. Because we can’t possibly be that far into the year! Nevertheless, my calendar usually doesn’t lie, unless I forget to flip it, which I didn’t, so it must be true.
By the by, I do realize this post is a day later than normal, and for that I apologize. But last night I was too zonked from a crazy weekend at work, and I was rather firmly imprisoned by the pages of the book I was reading . . . So I decided to put this off one day. You all don’t mind, right? (If you do, I shall unleash that dragon I keep in my basement.)
Anyway, I don’t think April was quite as flurrysome* (shh, that’s a word–I just made it up) as the past couple of months have been. It wasn’t quiet by any stretch of the imagination, but it was more normal, I guess.
*It was, however, flurrysome in the sense of wintery weather. Who gave April permission to sprinkle snow on us, then warm up enough to melt it, then snow again? Bleeeegh. I think it’s actually spring now. I’m currently sitting on my porch and enjoying the sunshine and birdsong.

Life

The month began with a retreat involving my college & career group along with my two middle siblings’ youth group. Mixing high schoolers and young adults does actually work, wonder of wonders. We rode in a bus to the same lovely camp we went to last time. It had been November (2014, I think?), and it had snowed. This time it was April, and it still snowed.
Some of the highlights from the retreat:
  • Playing Balderdash (which was an overdue delivery on my youth leader’s long-ago promise that we would play it . . . IT WAS FABULOUS AND WORTH THE WAIT).
  • Splitting up and putting on hilarious skits. My group came up with one loosely based off of this video, but with way more characters involved:
  • Sledding on an inner tube down a wooden slide in the bitterly cold wind.
  • Staying up late to watch a movie.
  • Finding out the speaker had been mentored by my late (honorary) grandfather.

On a different note, I’m buying my first car! My dad and I spent an afternoon doing a thorough cleaning of it. It’s going to be great to have my own wheels–up until this point, my parents have been generous enough to give me use of one of their vehicles for work and such, but with my brother soon graduating, he will be needing it. So finding this car at this particular time is an answer to prayer! I don’t have it in my possession yet, but it should be ready sometime in May.

We celebrated a few birthdays in the family. (April is birthday central around here, my goodness.) Thus, we had some special celebrations at home, as well as family gatherings to attend.

I sent off my blogoversary giveaway prize, which recently arrived at Anna’s place. Yay! Check out her pictures HERE. Seeing them gave me the warm fuzzies.

I got promoted at my job just last week! It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I know it’s going to be good.

That’s a little peek at the happenings of life this month. Now it’s on to all the bits of story I watched, read, and wrote!

Movies



The Help // This is the one I watched at the retreat. I quite enjoyed it! There were a couple minor things the movie could’ve done without, but other than that, it was a moving story of how black maids were treated in 1960’s America. (Hint: terribly. I wanted to punch certain characters for the way they treated their servants.) Skeeter, a young journalist, sets out to show the world the truth about the maids’ life. The maids themselves risk an awful lot to get the story out.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End // Watched this with my brother one evening. Hilarious! The PotC movies are ones you don’t really expect much depth from–just laughs and epicness, which it definitely delivered. The plot was so convoluted, I could barely follow it in the first half, but Jack Sparrow’s hilarity made up for it. “Gentlemen, I wash my hands of this weirdness.”

Once Upon a Time (4 episodes of Season 3) // It seems my sisters and I are going through this show a lot slower than we used to. That’s okay, though–we’re savoring it. Almost finished with the third season, and I do not like the Wicked Witch.

Books

Merlin’s Blade – Robert Treskillard // I’ve seen this trilogy around many times, and finally got around to reading the first book. It took me close to half the month to read it, which was mostly due to my schedule and only partially due to the book’s slower pacing. I feel like I would’ve enjoyed it more had I read it more quickly.
But it was pretty cool that Treskillard blended the historical and fantasy genres, and as the story progressed, I started to form theories about how things will play out in the next two books. Another thing I liked: Merlin is almost blind, which is unusual, and I felt the author dealt with it well and figured out other ways to relate setting and action. Also, I hadn’t expected that King Arthur would be an infant. Most stories seem to have him all grown up already.
Knightley Academy – Violet Haberdasher // My brother recommended it to me, and for very good reason! It’s the rollicking tale of Henry Grim, a servant who gets the chance to sit the Knightley Academy exam. He passes (spoiler alert!–not really, though, since it takes place early on and the title pretty much confirms that particular bit of the plot), and finds himself befriended by two other commoners in a school full of the sons of posh nobility.
The book takes place in an alternate history of 1700’s Victorian England, which is awesome. I loved reading about Henry and Co.’s misadventures, and there’s just something about a slightly fantasy-ish school novel that I find charming. I mean, Latin and fencing and medicine and miserly teachers and kindly teachers and creepy tapestries and a mystery and detestable bullies . . . What’s not to enjoy?
And let’s just take a minute to talk about the characters. Henry was wonderful! So practical and level-headed for a fourteen-year-old, yet with a tender heart and a lovable underdog-ness about him. Besides Henry, Adam has got to be my favorite. He’s also a commoner, and he’s Jewish, which is yet another reason for his rich classmates to tease him. He also has a great sense of humor. (Although half the time he’s funny without trying to be. His whining somehow comes off as endearing rather than annoying.) Then there’s Rohan, an Indian orphan raised by rich white parents. He has the manners of a gentleman, and his voice of reason is just what Henry and Adam need to keep them in check. And lastly, Francesca–or Frankie, as this tomboy prefers to be called. Her father is head of Knightley Academy, and she’s been kicked out of so many schools, she finally has to get a tutor at Knightley. Unladylike, spunky, and mischievous to the bone, she does her fair share of troublemaking.
I’ve gone on long enough about this book, but seriously, it was fabulous. And clean, too!
The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater // You can blame this book for the lateness of S&S. I got home from work yesterday and read it for hours. I hardly ever read for so long at a time anymore, but in the space of last week, I binge-read the last half of Knightley Academy on Sunday and the last half of The Raven Boys on Saturday. So fun.
But about the actual book: Emily from Ink, Inc. and I were having a discussion (on one of my posts, if I remember correctly), and she very highly recommended I read The Raven Cycle, then proceeded to logically and passionately explain all the reasons why. Convinced by her and also by Cait’s frequent fangirling over Maggie Stiefvater, I decided to try it out.
Firstly, Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is gorgeous. She has an amazing way with words. It’s like art in word form. Not only that, but her character development is top-notch. I am thoroughly in love with Blue, Gansey, Adam, Noah, and even Ronan. Their depth and individuality were so real, which made the relationships and interactions fabulous. Honestly, they’re the reason I liked this book so much.
And, just as Emily promised, there were good themes of wealth and class mixed in. Quite thought-provoking, actually. (ADAM BROKE MY HEART, OKAY.) So all of this plus an epic journal and a small town and questing for a dead Welsh king and pretty scenery and a baby raven and ley lines made for a great story.
My only quibble is the language–I was a bit surprised to find it there, and it cropped up more frequently than I would’ve liked (though not as often as some books out there). The F-bombs especially were unnecessary, as were a couple of crude jokes. I have to admit that a smattering of the language was in keeping with Ronan’s character, but he wasn’t the only one using it, so . . . I don’t know.
Blue comes from a family of psychics, which didn’t bother me much, interestingly enough. I think it’s like what Emily told me: it’s done in more of an urban fantasy style than one of realism, so it feels more like magic than anything else.
Bottom line: loved the story, loved the writing, could’ve done without the language, and will definitely be reading the rest of the series! (Thank you, Emily!!)

Writing

This was a rather nice month writing-wise! I wrote 12, 962 words in The Prophet’s Key, bringing the total up to 20,748. It’s kind of mindboggling to think that, if this were a novella for a Rooglewood contest, I’d be over the word limit . . . and yet the plot is just barely beginning. (Yeah. I may have some pacing issues to fix when editing. Things are happening quickly enough, but there’s still scenes I know I forgot to put in there. So obviously it will need to be streamlined somehow. But we’re saving the editing for later, aren’t we, Tracey?)
I’ve been struggling a bit with this book so far, but I think I may have found the key–oh, wait. A pun. Haha. Anyway, I think I figured out what my main problem is, which I discussed in an impromptu post HERE. I haven’t had a chance to write much since that discovery, but I’m hoping that the words will start to flow this month.
I’ve been writing in mostly small increments whenever I have the time, but I did have one serious writing day this month, during which I wrote about 2700 words. I know that’s not a lot compared to authors who do this thing all day, every day, but considering that I haven’t had much chance to work on my stamina recently, I was quite pleased.
In other writing-related news, I started that writing course by Ted Dekker I’ve talked about–The Creative Way. This month I’ve gone through the first four sessions, which is far slower than I intended. But that’s okay, because I’d rather absorb the lessons fully than rush through them. In between the sessions, I’ve been reading The Creative Way Meditations, a devotional-type book included in the course. Both the audio sessions and the book have already been so helpful. It feels like my eyes are opening and my vision is sharpening.
This first module (out of three) deals with the foundations of who we are and who God is, and what that means for us as writers. It’s incredible! I’m sure you’ll be seeing more posts in the future inspired by what I’m learning. And once I finish the next two sessions, I’ll be starting Module 2, which is all about the craft of writing.
Between all the drafting and session-ing, I somehow forgot to continue researching agents to query. Oops. I did look into one small press that I’ll put on my list, but other than that, zippo progress this month. I’d like to finish compiling my first list in May, however! My my, but I’m being ambitious. But seriously, though, it would be awesome to be ready to send out my first batch of queries in a month or two. (Hold me to it, guys!)

Farewell April, and hello to a bright May.

You know how I described life in March as running at a breakneck pace down the street? I think April loped along at a steady jog. I’m still amazed at how much can happen in one month. But there were, thankfully, moments I could stop and just breathe before plunging into the next thing.
(Still, I think someone needs to implement a three day weekend, and not just for long weekends. A two day break, often just one day because of work, isn’t long enough!)
Now tell me where your quests took you this month! What roads did you travel, either in life or on the page? Have any of you played Balderdash? Or read/watched anything I mentioned? And is it really and truly spring now–have we gained a safe distance from winter, so that we’re no longer in danger of it making a comeback? Pass around the chocolate chip cookies, and let’s chat.
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