Journal Entry #1

So last night I was lying in bed thinking about what I wanted to write. Normally that's not how it goes -I think about my stories all day, pine for the time to write, browse Pinterest or YouTube for a few hours, think about how much writing I should have gotten in, read my Bible, and then fall asleep.
But last night I had that wonderful spark of tenacity urging me to write something. But I needed help. A prompt. Thankfully I had kept my textbook from my Creative Writing course last year, and it's filled with some of the most beautiful writing prompts. As I scanned it, I noticed the first prompt was about keeping a journal. The objective was to write in it three to five times a week, whatever was in my head at the time. Lists, poems, list poems, excerpts, questions, lyrics, etc. The journal collects and culminates over the semester, ending in  a grade and a hearty "Great job!" I have no real set end date at this time, so we'll just role with it. Anyway, last night I was about to write my first new journal entry when I realized... isn't that what the blog is for?
All this to say, yeah, I going to start using my blog for my journal entries. Hopefully it will spur me to finish some of the other tags on this blog I've meant to finish, like the Darker Human Nature. I had a great one lined up and then just lost my momentum. Oh well. Guess I'll get to that tomorrow or Friday.
So here it is, my "first" journal entry until... I finish a book.
Wish me luck!
This could take a while.

-Grace

"Klaire De Lys" Website

(Four Horsemen series, "Conquest" by Klaire de Lys)

  

(Klaire De Lys)

Here is a wonderful new website that I would highly recommend following if your into art/design, makeup, sketches, and lots of DIYs. Klaire De Lys is actually a YouTuber who I discovered a long time ago because of her fabulous makeup tutorials. I really don't know why I didn't start following her sooner. She does wonderful character studies with her tutorials, exploring either a different side of a concept (such as Envy in her Seven Deadly Sins makeup series) or meshing a bit of ancient and modern ideas to create something completely unique. But aside from being a makeup artist, Klaire has cemented herself in virtually every other kind of "art" there is, from drawing, painting, and sculpting to Photoshop, music videos, and singing. Last night I was on another YouTube binge and ended up watching a ton of DIY stuff from her channels. (Dangerous territory after midnight, seeing a mason jar turned into a dragon and thinking, "I can do that.") While I run to the store to get some play-dough for a rose candle holder made out of the lid of a candle, here's the link to her blog. Seriously, give it a gander. There's so much to look at you'll be amazed.
http://www.klairedelys.com/

Also, check out her YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/user/KlairedelysArt
https://www.youtube.com/user/KlairedeLysdotcom
https://www.youtube.com/user/MalumiOfficial

-Grace

Thankful For Speed Round + Character Embodiment

Yes, I know it's Friday and I missed, like, a week's worth of "Thankful For"s, but since my blog does not revolve around memes, I'm gonna do a "Thankful Fir" Speed Round, where I list something I'm grateful for to stand for each day I missed. Ready? Here we go.
Monday: Sleep. Good Lord, was I ever thankful for sleep.
Tuesday: Lebanese food. I had a leftover spicy salmon wrap from a Lebanese restaurant and it was sooooooooooo good!
Wednesday: Honestly I was feeling kind of depressed on Wednesday because Thanksgiving vacation was half over, but I was happy to get some reading in.
Thursday: Pie. Turkey. The crunchy part of the stuffing. Ice cream. Ice cream on pie. Oh yeah. :-)
Friday: Well I'm glad I'm finally getting some writing done. Let me tell you, writer's block sucks ROCKS. But I'm better now. And what's even more exciting is that I found an actor who could play one of my characters to flawless perfection.
Ladies and gents, may I present to you William Moseley as Shenninias "Stag" O'Ruadhain (pronounced O'Rowan).

For those of you who have been living under a rock, William Moseley played Peter Pevensie in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and its sequel, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian."



A little background on this "Stag" person... Stag is obviously a nickname. I tried to change it, but nothing else fit. Anyway, Stag and his twin sister Regina were separated from the rest of their family at the age of six, and placed into the care of an innkeeper and his wife. Fifteen years later, Regina is kidnapped, and Stag must team up with a less-than-trustworthy ally in order to get her back. I believe William is a great pick for this character because, as is evident in "The Chronicles of Narnia," he portrays such a wonderfully protective older brother. You can see it in his posture, his eyes. (In real life, he actually is the eldest of three children. As much as I hate to type-cast him, I'm just saying that he would make a great Stag.)
Well, with that all out in the open, I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Keep warm and, you know, carry on and all that.

-Grace

Photos courtesy of imdb.com and gameofkings.wikidot.com

The Scent of Bliss

It feels so strange not to write, like I can't focus, or catch my breath. And every time I try, it gets harder and harder to readjust to the mindset of being somewhere else, with events spawned purely by imagination.
Yes, not being able to write is hard, but I feel like it was all worth it, all for a single moment of bliss.
I spent the day cleaning my room after having a heart-stopping encounter with a larger brown spider last night around 12:30 or so. While searching for an available notebook for my log-endeavor (see my last posting) something large skittered across the top of my notebooks under my desk. Now normally I can handle spiders. I'm actually fascinated by them, to a degree. But if their bodies are collectively large than my thumb, then it starts to wig me out. So I'm carefully clearing notebooks out from under my desk, a small one handy to deliver the final blow, and a few sheets of toilet paper to dispose of him with. Well, Arachno-Bob beat me to the punch, no pun intended. He scurried out, paused (during which time I nearly jumped out of my skin) and then, wham! Down came my book-axe upon the fearsome foe. Creepy? I didn't even drift off to sleep until, like, 1a.m. It kind of motivated me to clean my room, as I didn't want any more eight-legged (more or less) visitors. I finished a couple hours ago, after which time I tuned in with my family to watch a couple episodes of Kings. But as I got up to leave, I entered our kitchen, and I swear... I smelled Fall!
That thrill of sheer joy was enough to bring me out of my funk, and more importantly, inspired me to write, and even to blog! I love the smell of Fall, and winter is my favorite season. But there's just something so intriguing about autumn. It has a bitter chill complemented by warm-colored leaves, but there's still a nip of warm, enough to bring heat to your cheeks. I don't know why, but the only thing I can think of is apple cider.

-Grace

My (Actually Significant) To-Do List

All right, all right, I know I keep talking about how I'm gonna focus all my energy on writing and blah, blah, blah. You know, it kind of sucks not being able to live up to your own expectations. But I think I might have an answer.
A log.
No, not a log as in something you would sit on while taking a walk through the forest, covered in moss. A log as in a notebook where you number so many days and the jot down things you know you have to get done on that day, like a to-do list, but more significant. It's something my siblings and I did for school, since we were homeschooled. We needed some kind of written proof to show how many days we worked, what we did, etc. It also helped motivate us to get all our work done, and I thought I might try it again. You never know.
In the meantime, I'm reading an amazing book, The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore. It's AMAZING!!! Maybe I'll write a review about it. Later. Now where can I dig up a partially-used composition notebook? Oh, yeah. Under my desk!
Later.

-Grace

Zilch

Well I feel stupid. Since my last posting I've written all of, like, five sentences for my inn scene. How sad is that? But I guess I can't just dive into it, so I'm trying view the scene as if it were a movie (which is how I usually do it anyway; now I'm just seeing the IMAX version). It kind of makes me wonder, though: is the scene so significant that I have to take a few days to think it through? Hmm...

-Grace

Things to Ponder

I've just gotten over a nasty and annoyingly uncomfortable stomach sickness, one of those kinds where no matter how you twist or bend you can't quite get comfortable. Anyway, some friends of ours came over the other night to have dinner, but Karen, who is a published author, was wanting to talk to me about my writing. It was a very long night but filled with great conversation -and a few tears on my part- and I was able to learn a lot, even in those few hours. Yet still these thoughts haunt me. What if nobody like my writing? What if I can't support myself? It terrifies me to chew on these thoughts, though I know I can't ignore them. They're like the IRS.
One question Karen asked me, one I had kind of expected, was who my audience was. Who am I writing for? I told her, as I tell pretty much everyone, that I am my audience. I write for me, things I would want to read. But then she hinted to something interesting, that so many books which are deemed "great books" were usually meant for a specific person. And honestly I can't recall ever turning to the first page and seeing something like, "I dedicate this book to myself, without whom it would never have been written. Thank you, Self." So as I write, I try to think, who is this for? Is it for my parents, my best friend, my niece, my brother? I don't know.
Another thing Karen suggested, which has helped with her books, is using personal experiences. Here is where the tears started and I won't say why, but for some reason I feel uncomfortable using my experiences. It's like broadcasting a page in a diary to the entire world, too personal. I wonder if it's something I have to get over. I can't see many experiences worth writing about, but maybe it is because I am too familiar with them. I've danced at the same studio since I was five and there have definitely been some crazy times there, but they seem to be the things only people at the studio would understand. We clap and groan when this particular person goes down the floor because her poise is so evident that it's impossible for her to look bad doing something. And another person, we say she has "magic taps" because her tap shoes make a nice, clean, crisp sound, not the dragging metal against wood most everyone else is used to. But these are things I've grown up with, things I'm accustomed to, the sounds and the people. How can I incorporate that so others will understand or see the irony?
Most of my immediate family is in or has been in the medical field, and trust me, you would not believe some of the stories they'll bring home. Still, these stories seem only funny to us because of how they relate to some other event or movie or quote we all recognize. I guess it's just something I have to pray about. Lord, help me get passed this... funk. Please guide me.

-Grace

To the Late Nights

(Photo courtesy of "Greatist" http://refinery29.com )

If being a writer means putting in the hours, than I definitely want the night shift. For some curious reason, I am in my best creative mind at, like, ten p.m. Why is this? Don't ask me, but I do like working in the night time, yet cringe at the thought of taking night classes at the college. No disrespect to colleges or those with the stamina for that kind of thing after dinner, but I kind of prefer to get all of my schoolwork out of the way ASAP.
But I'm getting off topic again. Where was I? Ah, yes. I like the idea of writing at two in the morning. The whole concept sounds appealing to me, rebellious somehow. Take last night for example. I was out with my parents, sitting in on a martial arts class. I try to always have a notebook and pen with me, at the very least. Last night, however, was one of the rare exceptions where I got to bring a multitude of writing materials (three notebooks on three different stories, a drawing tutorial, erasers, two working pens). Honestly I didn't think I would be able to write anything because my mind had been pretty dry over the weekend. So I'm sitting at the table listening to Tai Chi music, when I bring out my notebook, close my eyes and think, "Okay, what scenes can I write at this very moment?" Remember the other day when I was talking about being frustrated with bringing out one of my villain's "evilness"? Well, I kind of built up to that, creating a scene in which my main character and her sister-in-law (yes, they are both women) are heading back home, when EvilChica recalls a rather tragic story of her best friend. I really like how it turned out, though I still have yet to put curser to digital paper. Hoping to do that tonight. In the meantime, I've created a document where I jot down all the witty quotes and character epiphanies. I'm having fun thumbing through my various notebooks rereading the snippets of dialogue and whatnot I wrote in teeny-tiny handwriting. Anyway, hopefully I'll stumble upon some glorious detail that will open the doors for some serious late-night writing.
Here's to that.

-Grace

One of My Stories

So I was just working on a scene for a story that I'm writing. It's coming along okay, but one of the things I could really do without is my so-called "writing process." I'll get an idea for a story, jot down some notes, think up a few names, and then start typing. Then after, like, one chapter, I get an idea for the sequel! I have one particular situation where I know what's gonna happen in the sequel to a story I haven't even written yet! Sound annoying? It is, but at least it keeps the juices flowing, you know?
Anyway, about this story, my protagonist has a pretty dark, tragic past (don't they all?), but I'm having a little trouble developing the enemy's exact character. I know I want them to be the enemy, I know they are despicable, cunning, and would make fellow-Thespians proud. But for this particular instance, I'm not sure how to show that evilness, the traitor beneath that delicate façade. Grrr. I want this to work --it has to work. They are in a market and the enemy has just purchased something apparently innocent, but when confronted about it they give a very weak defense. That's the gist of the scene, now I need the details. The enemy must have some kind of tell, however small it may be. And the protagonist must see this cruel fabrication. She must!

Ideas anyone?

-Grace