Life is Sweet, and I talk again about heroes

It seems my last post wasn't too popular, so I take that to mean that 1.) 98% of my readers aren't hoodies and 2.) Molly missed this post (she's as obsessed with Robin Hood, medieval things, and history as I am.) Maybe y'all will tell me about some of your favorite tv shows? Or just story/character obsessions in general? :)

edit: Molly said for some reason she wasn't able to comment on this post, so my Hoodie hasn't abandoned me. Not at all. :P

(Ara, would I be the first person to point out what a beautiful button that is?!)

1. The sweetest Valentine's Day story you ever heard: http://owlcityblog.com/2011/02/14/dear-taylor/

2. Talking on the phone to my cousin a couple nights ago and laughing so hard I nearly cried. I'm not sure why she brings out the hyperness in me. Plus I get to see her in a week and a half, and we haven't seen each other since Christmas. ♥

3. In Christ alone, my hope is found, he is my light, my strength, my song. That song is so stunning and makes me want to shout, "Jesus, I love you!"

4. Having sisterly talks with my...sister. :P

5. Saying something like "Did you know...that your name..." to your best friend and having her finish the line. You know what's really weird? We know each other so well we're telepathic. We have begun saying the same things at the exact same time.

6. Season three finale of Larkrise to Candleford tomorrow night, along with introducing my second favorite tv show--Merlin-- to my parents and grandmother

7. Lying on the driveway looking up at the siluhouette (sp?) of black trees against an orange and blue sunset-y sky.

8. Writing a prologue for The Labyrinth (new possible title--what do you think of Hero?) and actually liking it

9. Really hitting it off with my classmates

10. Thinking about going to camp in a month :)

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Not my most exciting list ever, but oh well. They're sweet things for me. :)

So, I mentioned writing a new prologue for The Labyrinth. When I was doing Nano, I hated this book so much. Hated it. I thought it was junk, and in some ways, it is. It doesn't make any sense and the ending was extremely rushed, because I wanted to finish it on the last day of November (and did!). But Shaynie just started editing her Nano novel too, so we made a deal to edit our books together and to pester each other relentlessly from time to time to see how the editing is going. I have 300 words of a prologue, but it isn't bad. And I'm beginning to see who my main character, Theseus, really is. I think during Nano, the pressure of the race really overshadowed him, and in all respects, he was pretty flat. But I can see that he has a lot of potential. Mind if I talk a bit longer? :)

I had an idea today about changing the name of the book from The Labyrinth to Hero. Because that one word is the essence--or rather, will be, with this draft--of the story. The theme is Theseus struggling with what a "hero" is, what they do, and how he doesn't want to become one (because 98% of the Greek heroes got really big heads about their accomplishments, so the gods zapped them or had them die painful deaths. He doesn't want that.)

What is a hero? What makes a hero? What will define who he is?

It would be a perfect title. Theseus (my version, anyway, forget the old legend about him) isn't the hero type. Alright, I know that sounds stereo-typical. But Theseus is more like a commoner than a prince; he doesn't think very highly of himself; and he doesn't even want to be king of Athens one day. Unfortunately, he's 6 foot 2 inches, built well, fights like nobody's business, and looks like a hero, and everyone expects him to go do something amazing and heroic, because, well, that's what heroes and princes do. But to be a hero isn't his aim. He doesn't say, "Hey, I think I'll go to Crete, because if I killed the Minotaur it would make me look really good!" He goes because his best friend, the healer's son Pollux, is among the group of youths and maidens who are captured to be fed to the Minotaur. So he really has no choice. And the word "hero" is the question he will struggle with throughout the whole book.

I'm talking in circles. It just felt good to talk about that, and maybe, possibly, convey my ideas of what The Labyrinth is. It's amazing, but I'm actually liking my main character. I take that to be a good sign.

Wanna see a picture? Yes? Aw, y'all are just too sweet =D

left to right: Minos (the king of Crete, Ariadne's father, "played" by Keith Allan), Theseus (played by John Dagleish), Ariadne (princess of Crete, played by Selena Gomez), and Sarpedon (Minos's brother, played by Steve Coogan)

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Well, that's about it from here. I must leave. Have a fabulous night, friends!

Let's take it from the top

Cymbeline has started a complete rewrite.

Yes.

I've been thinking ever since I wrote this prologue a few nights about posting it on here for everyone's opinion. What's this, you say? This, my friends, is an ambush! Oops, sorry. An Allan line got sneaked in there! How did that happen?! No, this isn't an ambush. That would be fun, but this, my friends, is a novel, which you should have already guessed! I'll give you a brief overview of what this particular novel is about.

My journalism teacher would be proud of me--I'm going to explain this using the five W's and the H of reporting. Ready? :)

Who--the main characters are Tresalde, the book loving, rather shy, but with an extreme sense of justice 14-year old MC (it's a guy); Saphira, a pirate and the ruthless, cruel, and angry captain of The Poison Ivy, who kidnaps Tresalde in order to help her find gold; Julian, Tresalde's half brother who's obsessed with becoming a world-class fencer; Elliot, Julian's brother and Tresalde's half brother, the oldest of the three of them who's pretty much got a level head and thinks clearly; Isabel, a friend of the family's from Spain, who claims that Saphira murdered her father; and Miriam, Tresalde's mother and Elliot and Julian's stepmother. (If any of you remember this post, there was another character, Finna! What happened to her? I cut her. Completely. She just didn't fit into the story. Sorry, Finna.)

Oh, and by following that link above, you can see pictures of my characters!

What--Pirates.

When--1764.

Where--Apeci (an island in the Atlantic, near Spain and Portugal, that I made up); the waters of the Atlantic; and possibly Spain and Portugal.

Why--Saphira wants gold, and since Tresalde is so smart for his age (I assure you, he's not a nerd), she kidnaps him so he can help her find it. Naturally, his brothers and mother don't take so well to this, and go after Saphira to rescue him. Joining them is Isabel, a friend of the Cervantes' from Spain. She says Saphira murdered her father, and she is determined to avenge his death. (I'm still working on that bit)

How--well, the story isn't finished yet, is it? You'll just have to wait. :)

Alright, so now you have an idea of this beloved novel of mine! Seriously, I just love Tresalde and Saphira. Their relationship is like one I've never written before. It's not romantic--he's 14 and she's 21 or 22--but it's one of tentative friendship. Saphira is holding so much bitterness inside from an abusive past. She doesn't want to let anyone in, and she covers up her hurt with anger and control and when it comes to it, physical blows. She's quite a piece of work. But, excepting perhaps Aeronwen, she's my favorite female character that I've created. And where does Tresalde come in? He both loves and hates her. She kidnaps, mistreats, abuses, and hurts him. Some kind of gal, right? But he sees something in her that no one else has seen, and he wants her to open up. He wants there to be healing for her, despite everything she's done to him.

The thing I love about Tresalde is how much strength, emotional and not physical, he has. One of my favorite lyrics is from Bryan Adam's You Can't Take Me--"Don't judge a thing till you know what's inside it, don't push me, I'll fight it." Tresalde doesn't look like a fighter. He reads books. And Saphira and everyone else mistake him for someone who doesn't fight back, whose opinion doesn't really matter. But he's built of stronger stuff than that. They judge him before they know what's really inside him. Did that make sense? I don't think so. I guess no one can understand a writer's character like the writer herself. Those lyrics describe Tresalde amazingly well, but only I can understand how well.

Alright, I've gotten really side-tracked! Here's the prologue I wrote for this the other night. Let me know what you honestly think.

Cymbeline

prologue

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning.”

The old sailors’ rhyme came to mind as she watched the red sunset with an impassive face. Behind her, crewmen rushed to complete their tasks before the evening meal, raising and lowering sails and swabbing the decks to make sure that The Poison Ivy stayed spotless. Now and then she would turn around and shout an order or scold them to move faster. They cast their eyes to the deck with worried looks and never argued.

Once, one of them had argued. Ichto was still famous among the men for having stood up to their cruel, abusive captain. Her anger at him for questioning her authority had been that of the cold, stone-hard stare that was reserved for only her angriest moments. The men sometimes feared her more when she got that look than in her violent fits of passion and rage. Ichto had been let off easily; the captain dropped him off at the next trading town they came to on the mainland with only the clothes on his back and his name on his tongue. They hadn’t heard from him again.

But after that, no one argued with the captain.

“Good weather tomorrow,” said a voice from behind her. It was Edgaro, her first mate and the only person on the ship she really trusted.

“It seems so,” the captain replied shortly. She didn’t turn her head or look at him, her gaze on the red horizon unwavering.

Edgaro checked himself and stepped back. If she had wanted to talk, she would have, but trying to force the captain to talk when she didn’t want to was like placing yourself in front of a lion that hadn’t eaten for days.

“Edgaro,” she called back, but she didn’t turn around. Her first mate turned to face her back. It was a while before she spoke, first lifting her head towards the sky and then running her hands along the smooth grain of the railing. Finally, she asked, “Is there news?”

He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. Had he not been her first mate for so long, he certainly would have been fearing for his job at that moment. But he was too valuable for her to let go, and she knew that. “No,” he said. “There hasn’t been any news.”

She nodded silently. Edgaro walked away to finish his evening tasks, and the captain continued to watch the sunset.

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Let me know how I can improve it! Improvement is always good. :)

Oh, and here is where I exhibit my incredible graphic making skills once more! Click on it to see it fully. The words are from You Are More by Tenth Avenue North.

In the black and white photo is Julian, Isabel is with the black hair, Tresalde is the blond dude who looks like he's screaming, or singing, Elliot has the white scarf thing-y, Miriam is in the purple dress, bending down, and Saphira is Keira Knightley in the awesome pirate outfit.

As they would say in my novel, since Spanish is spoken sometimes...buenas noches!

Cup o' tea, how's your mum?

Have y'all seen that Geico ad? Where the Geico dude and the Gecko are drinking tea? No? Well, it's awesome. :) Now, I shall treat you to some excerpts from my life and things that I've been thinking about lately, so do enjoy =D (because all you want to hear about is me, right? It's all about me. NOT...I was kidding. Sarcasm.) :)

1. Flu. I don't have it, and I really, really, really hope I don't get it. But it's going around my church at the moment, and tomorrow morning I have to work in the nursery with two and three year olds. As I told Shaynie, I plan to keep my bottle of vanilla scented hand sanitizer with me at all times. This morning Paige and my mom and I were going to go get the Flu shot, until my mom did some research online and discovered that the flu shot often doesn't protect against the flu. So we're not going to do it, and I plan instead on taking preventitive (sp?) measures against the flu. Observe:

Eat healthier. I'm not good at this, but eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more liquid (I read that green tea is good) is one of the first steps to being healthy. It's actually probably the first step. Who knew? :P

Aerobic exercise. It's a bright, beautiful sunny day in the 60's, so soon I'm going to go take advantage of that and go on a nice long walk. And perhaps when I come back, I'll practice with my volleyball in the backyard.

Wash your hands. I already do this a lot, but this is one of the key ways to keep from getting sick. Also, cough and sneeze into the crook of your arm instead of your hand, so germs won't get all over your hands. And secondly, I mean thirdly, wipe down your
faucets and doorknobs with cleaning wipes so they're disinfected.

Drink lots of water and other liquids.

PRAY!

Check out this website for a list of what to do to prevent flu: http://www.ehow.com/how_3451_prevent-flu.html

2. Egypt. I'm sure you've heard what's going on there. Riots, protests, deaths, and the government dissolving? Normally I'm not into politics, but I guess that's when it concerns things like the Stock Market or the politicians or whatever. I find most of that boring. But this thing about Egypt scares me. Did you know that it's like the oldest country still around from the ancient times, from the very beginning? Persia is still here and Iraq is still here, but they've been renamed. Other civilisations like the Sumerians or the Assyrians have been wiped off the face of the earth. Egypt still stands. But with it's government like this, I wonder for how long...I don't mean to be a downer, but this is really serious stuff. Just watching the news makes you like, "Whoaaa..." and wonder about the outcome of the country (haha, sorry about the "whoa", it was the only way I knew how to describe it. And I call myself a writer). I really hope this thing with Egypt just a phase and that it passes.

warning: slight spoilers ahead for Merlin; Nahla, if you haven't finished season three yet, you might not want to read this. :) Molly, you too.

3. I'm gonna move on to a more light-hearted subject: THE SEASON THREE FINALE OF MERLIN. I saw it last night, yes I did. IT WAS GREATTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Omigosh omigosh omigosh they HAD THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUNDTABLE!!!! ARTHUR AND GUINEVERE AND MERLIN AND LANCELOT AND GWAINE ( ♥) AND ELYAN AND PERCIVAL AND LEON!!!!!!!!!!! (+Gaius:) And then the Sword in the Stone!! I have been waiting for both of those things, for the show to actually resemble the ancient legends of Camelot and King Arthur, and last night, even though they took some liberties with it as they always do, it was the most truthful they have ever come to the old legends. It was magical :) I was squealing at the Roundtable and the Excalibur part--just ask Paige :)

l to r: Leon, Percival, Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, Elyan, and Gwaine

♥

But you know what's just not right? I have to wait until 2012 for season to come out. 2012! How will I survive until then?! As I remarked to Molly, the world can't end in 2012 because we have to see season four of Merlin.

4. I'm taking a Journalism and Economics class starting on Thursday (in addition to my physical science class which is also on Thursday). I'm really excited, cause I haven't been busy enough (isn't that the lament of all you people, that you're too busy? I wish I was) and a Journalism class is right up my alley. :) Plus, Katelyn is in it, which makes it all the better.:) I miss my classes. It's gonna be so nice (and busier:) to have them back.

5. It's a beautiful, sunny day in the 60's, meaning I should save this post for later tonight when it's dark out. We're going to a park in a couple of minutes (I'm gonna bring my volleyball:) so I'll continue this post later!

6. We went to the park and had a lovely time (including taking some pictures of Paige and I kissing Otis, our dog) and there was this big beach volleyball pit with a net, and I forgot my volleyball. Typical Caroline. :)

7. I made these for my characters in Enslaved the other day. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with this book--for those of you who don't know, Enslaved was my first novel, and it's been rewritten three times--but I want to do something. My ideas for it a new version all seem pretty floppy. It irks me, cause the characters are calling to me, but I don't have a plot. :(

Merien; the quote is one of hers

Will
The lyrics are from It's My Life/Confessions by Glee (I don't watch that show, but I like the song.)

Torene

There's a lyric in one of my absolute favorite songs, Viva la Vida by Coldplay, that says, "And I discovered that my castles stand upon pillars of sand". I don't know if I was trying to copy that or not, I don't think it was, but it turned out sounding like that.

Lo and behold, those are my graphic making skills. I get excited when I make things like that, even though they're pretty basic. I have Photoshop on my computer, but I have no clue how to use it. Guess I'm not a graphic designer :)

8. BOOKS. Ha! I just finished my second reading of The King of Attolia today, making that the third book I've finished in 2011...I'm not a very fast reader (the other two were A Conspiracy of Kings and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters, which I got for Christmas). Now I'm going to start On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (great title, no?:) and also waiting in my pile are Scarlet, Pegasus, and The Queen of Attolia and The Thief, both of which will be rereads. :) OH! I just realized (not for the first time) that I never finished reading the Benedict Society books. Those were really good. I need to go order them from the library. :)

9. Have you noticed that I've been using wayyy too many parentheses? (yes?)

10. A few nights ago I dreamed that The Patriot was actually a trilogy of three films, and I was the director of them *plus* the Percy Jackson movie. And we won Oscars. So, um, yeah. xD

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Have a wonderful night, my adventurous friends!! Maybe we'll all dream that we win Oscars. :)

So there's this epic, awesome, amazing story...

and it's called Phoenix Burning. Molly and I created this back in August, and though for a while PB (peanut butter!) was dormant, we recently brought it back to life. It's a story that takes place in a medieval-esque world about this princess, Tiegan (Molly's character) who can control the elements. My character, a blacksmith's daughter named Aeronwen who can speak to animals (birds most prominently), through a series of events becomes Tiegan's maidservant. And the rest is history. There's a lot of swordfights, battles, and horribly lazy characters like Erik. But to know who he is, you'll just have to read the blog, won't you? We do it in the loose format of a tv show, like Robin Hood or Merlin. If you would like to read the Phoenix Burning blog, then you may comment and tell me so, and since I already have all of y'alls emails, I'll send you an invitation promptly. We want more readers! :)

Tiegan (above)

Aeronwen

....hi....

Honestly? I have no idea how to start this post. Well, maybe I do, since I just started it by saying I have no idea how to start it.

SOO....I've been back since last Tuesday. And no post! Amazing! And kind of sad. But here it is. How was my break? It was good. Refreshing, I suppose. But when I came back, I realized something. I didn't miss blogging that much. When I got back on, it didn't have the same magic, the same fun it had before. I was unaddicted (or partially, anyways). It was a beautiful moment.

Now, I'm assuming you've got questions (yes, you do, and you know it) and I have answers! Here's what you might be wondering.

-Are you going to delete your blog? Heck no! I couldn't bear, ever, to delete this. I've worked so hard on it, hours and hours, with the writings and photography and whatnot. Plus, Olive Tree gave this blog an incredible makeover a few months back, and to delete that would just be wrong!

-So, you're going to just stop posting? Hmm...negative. I'm going to post from time to time, perhaps when the muse strikes me. I just don't want to be on Blogger as frequently as I used to be.

-Why do you say you're addicted to blogging? You don't post every day, and sometimes not even twice a week. Hehe. Well. I don't post every day, cause I like to get lots of comments (who doesn't?) and I like to have a post up for a couple of days before writing a new one. I don't want the first one to get forgotten. But, even though I don't post every day, I get (or used to get) on Blogger, like, 5 times a day, if not more. I was always checking for new followers and comments, and to see if anyone else had posted. I thought in blog posts. I was obsessed with blogging. No joke. You have to take my word for it.

-Will I ever see you again? Of course you'll "see" me again! It's not like I'm never going to comment or read y'alls' blogs again. I have too many lovely friends on here to do that! Just don't expect to see me as often as you used to. I hope, anyways. I love all of you, and I love your blogs, but I need to take a step back and live the life Jesus gave me.

Hopefully that clears it up! If you have any more questions, then just ask. :)

Now. Subject two. NaNoWriMo. *insert loud groan here*

Apparently, before the month started, I was living under the pretense that Nano would actually be fun. Let me tell you: I am not having fun.

Ok. Truth is: I kinda of hate Nano. It doesn't help that I also hate my book. Like, a lot. It's absolutely nothing like the vision I had in my mind for it. It's completely wrong. My characters don't have cliche personalities, because they don't have any personality. The writing is bad. Call me prideful, but I'd always considered my writing good. Maybe it's just something to do with having to pound out a book in 30 days, but this writing is NOT good. I can't stand it. I wrote 300 words on Friday night. I didn't write at all yesterday (hanging out with Molly was ten times--no, one hundred times funner.)

Uggh.

Yes! I'm complaining! I don't know how it's going for everyone else, or if you're finding this the most exhilirating time of you life or if you're suffering like I am. I hope you're having fun, I really do. I wish I was.

I think I'm done. This week, I'll post some pics from me and Katelyn's photo shoots.

Stay awesome!

photo by Katelyn

The Labyrinth vs. Enslaved

Nano is a week away, and I have had a big decision to make over which book to write. So, originally, I was all excited over "The Labyrinth" a retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus killing the minotaur. And for me, this book had everything--heroes, a princess, romance, an evil king, an impossible labyrinth, troublesome relatives, and a great quest. I was super excited for this. My first year doing Nano, and I had a great novel to write. Hurray! *grins*

Then, a few weeks ago, I pulled open the file for my one first love and first book, Enslaved, and began reading the prologue. I was only a few sentences in when I opened a new document and started writing. And ever since, Enslaved has been on my mind.

I've written/rewritten Enslaved 3 times, and each time it's gotten insanely different and has pulled so far away from my original vision for it. But that's alright, since the original vision was pretty bad. And I'm sure it's just the perfectionist in me that every writer has, but Enslaved is never finished. After I finish a draft I think, "Great, we're all done! Let's go search for literary agents!" but it's never like that. I leave it for a few months, I come back to it, and I realize, "Wow, this writing really stinks. What was I thinking?"

In The Labyrinth, while I've got a great plot and the perfect cast of already created characters that an author could only dream of, an amazing setting (ancient Greece), and a wonderful villain, there's something missing. I feel nothing towards these characters anymore. I used to. But now, they've fallen into the cliche "perfect hero, tough girl" category. They don't interest me at all. I feel no connection, no life, no emotion towards them. To be honest, they're boring.

In Enslaved, I've got a small bit of a plot (needs work), an undetermined setting (trying to decide if it should be the Middle Ages in our world or if it should be a fantasy world), but the characters...I've known these characters for over 3 years, and I feel them. Granted, they aren't exactly what I want them to be--yet. Will (MC) is still shadowy and undefined. Torene (secondary MC) is bordering on the stereotypical. Even so, I feel like there's something about Enslaved that always pulls me back as soon as I let myself be drawn in. (Wait, that sentence was redundant. Oh well. Maybe you can decipher it anyways.)

So, originally, I was going to ask you, "Which one do you think I should write?", but thinking about it and writing this post, it's become clear. I think I should choose Enslaved. Someday, perhaps, I might come back to The Labyrinth with the same vigor and excitement I had when I first thought of it. But right now, that doesn't feel right. What feels right is going with my characters...and sort of winging it. I know that sounds bad , but hey, what's life without mystery?:)

Normalness? Not nearly.

Let me just remind you--though you already know this--of what happened 9 years ago today. Nearly 3,000 people died in the Terrorist attacks on the United States. Let us remember and honor them and never forget them.

*moment of silence for everyone who died on that horrific day*

It seems, much to my mortification (isn't that an awesome word?), that I have terribly neglected my writing on this blog. What is the world coming to?!
I'm in the process of editing/rewriting Cymbeline (quick recap: my pirate novel) and thought it fitting to introduce you to my characters. Wait, you already met them? No, this is better than before...much better. I promise. ;)

The youngest of the three Cervantes brothers; actually, he's a half brother. They have the same father and a different mother.


Female pirate captain, hunting for gold.
Memzie put it aptly: "Hard as a rock." Yep, pretty much. At least in the first book.

"You will hear thunder and remember me, And think: she wanted storms. The rim Of the sky will be the colour of hard crimson, And your heart, as it was then, will be on fire."
Anna Akhmatova

I found that poem on Shaynie's blog and think it fits Saphira perfectly.:)

The middle of the brothers; excellent fencer and rather stubborn.

The girl who shows up on the Cervantes' ship with no memory.

The oldest of the three brothers, and probably the most level-headed.

Second wife (after the first one died) to the late Gervasio Cervantes, mother to Tresalde, and stepmother to Elliot and Julian.
(And Mirriam...I used your name. I needed a name for her and yours is really pretty and fits her.:D So I hope you're not mad. She's a good character.)

Mysterious pirate captain dude who I can't even say much about cause, well, I'm still pondering him.
Did you enjoy? :)

There you have it, an updated cast of Cymbeline. And yes....no Isabel. She no longer fit into the story. Saphira had kind of taken her place, and that's alright with me, since I like Saphira better anyways.

featuring...
Jeremy Sumpter as Tresalde
Keira Knightley as Saphira
Harry Lloyd as Julian
Kirsten Dunst as Finna
Justin Gaston as Elliot
Claire Danes/Michelle Pfeiffer as Miriam
Richard Armitage as Stefan

*Oh and please....Do not forget my poll!!! 9 votes? Really? Please, please, please vote...*

Have a good one (and a rememberful--new word--one) my lovelies.:D

Crazy eights

So, my wonderful friend Shaynie tagged me with the crazy eights tag! Thanks, Shaynie!!

8 books I've read recently:

Mere Christianity
The Looking Glass Wars
Lost Worlds
Dear Mr. Henshaw
The Inside Story
Devos for Teens
The Green Book
Sorcery and Cecelia, or The Magic Chocolate Pot

8 Songs or Albums I listen to all the time (I'm doing songs):

Pieces by Sum 41
A Place in this World by Taylor Swift
Hey, Soul Sister by Train
Live Like There's No Tomorrow by Selena Gomez and The Scene
This is Where I Belong by Bryan Adams
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwoole
He's a Pirate by Klaus Badelt
Our Song by Taylor Swift

8 Things I love:

fresh-smelling air
my Bible
pink toenails
white flowers
my Ipod
large cameras
secret agent movies
the ocean

8 Things I've learned this year:

1. Photography is actually quite fun!
2. I don't have to have met all of my friends:).
3. The writers of BBC Robin Hood are absolute geniueses--no questions asked.

4. Trying to be like the rest of the world is not what Jesus wants for me.
5. Sometimes, after you've been apart for a year, friendships grow even stronger.
6. That I shouldn't be envious of my friends' other friends. (a very difficult thing that I will probably always struggle with.)
7. I'm having trouble coming up with eight things.
8. It was better that I didn't win the writing contest I entered.

8 new recipes I want to try and make by the end of the year:

Nothing, cause I don't cook that often. What--Molly's mom's mini muffins. Pure delight.

8 Favorite online hangouts:

Blogger
My friends' blogs
Picnik
Gmail/Buzz
Polyvore
Yahoo
Shannon Hale's website

Goodreads or Shelfari, I guess, I really don't know...

8 Projects I need to work on:

Making flyers for my babysitting business. (Technically my sister's project, though, since she's the graphic designer...)
Cymbeline
Outlining my Nano book
Making a canopy for my bed
My paper for school
Homework from Poetry class
Writing
Writing a post for Phoenix Burning (me and Molly's writing blog.)

8 people I think should do this tag:

Autumn
Molly
Memzie
The Golden Eagle
Katelyn
Elizabeth Rose
Mirriam
Eldarwen

Well that was fun!:)

So, it's official--I'm doing Nanowrimo! I'm super excited cause I'm pretty sure I have an amazing idea for it:). I was starting to get worried...I was out of inspiration and had no clue whatsoever as what to write. However, at the library about a week ago I got out this book called "Lost Worlds" by John Howe (of LoTR artwork fame) all about missing worlds such as Atlantis, Troy, Camelot, etc. Wow. This book is stunning. Not as much artwork as I'd like, and maybe not as good as I thought it would be, but hey! This book gave me the inspiration for my book! So I recommend it.:)

If I give the names of my characters then I'll give away the plot, so I'm just going to post pictures.

John Dagliesh is the hero


Lucy Griffiths as the main girl (maybe...still not sure on this one.)


Steve Coogan as a supporting character. He's like the only one I'm really sure about.

I wish I could share the plot, I really do...it's just that that if I share it there's more risk of someone stealing it than usual, because of the kind of story it is.

Hope you're having a lovely day!

jäähyväiset!

This is my mission.

I just dug an important piece of paper out of the trunk in the corner of my bedroom. And I couldn't resist sharing it.

I wrote these few sentences, this one paragraph, for my writing class back in March. It was just the class assignment; and if my teacher hadn't given us that assignment, I might never have written this.

My mission statement. Copyright to Caroline K., March 2010.


To love selflessly, live like Jesus lived, face each new morning with a positive attitude, and be a messenger of Christ. To be exemplary and brave in my faith, loyal to my friends, and honest in my words. I want to keep my heart and mind pure for God and for my future husband. I want to strive to love my family, write with passion, and follow God wherever and whomever he leads me to.

As I copied this out from the piece of paper sitting next to me on my bed, I realized how much I have failed and fallen short of every single aspect of this statement. I have been selfish. I haven't lived like Jesus. I wake up grumpy with a bad attitude. I don't talk about my faith in public. I go with the flow. I've favored some friends over others and haven't been a good example of the word "friend." I haven't always been honest. Yes, physically I am pure, but what about when I point out and sigh over every cute guy that crosses my tv screen? I've shoved my family to the back of my mind and down on my list of priorities. Most days I put off writing, telling myself, "I'm not inspired today. I'll do it tomorrow." (can you tell that I procrastinate?)

Yes. I wrote down these words but did I mean them? I shoved the paper with the statement on it to the bottom of my trunk and basically forgot about it. "Assignment over; I can go back to real life now."

Dear Lord, make me realize the value of these words. Make me realize they aren't something I typed for a class assignment but are the vision for my life. Give me the boost I need to stop sitting and waiting and help me to get up and start doing. Make me honest, make me real, make me vivid. Let me live to the fullest, not fretting over tomorrow. Don't focus my eyes only on the moment I'm in now but on the future and the choices I make. Show me the true meaning of purity, in body and soul. Help me to love others when I want to turn my shoulder and wake away. Show me what it means for me to be loyal. Make me your messenger, proclaiming your holy Name. Make people wonder about what I have that they don't. Take my fears, my hopes, my dreams--and let me be, before all things, my King, Your servant.

Amen.

Heroes

A while back, I had a poll up called "What's your favorite element of a story?" The answers varied: Characters, writing quality, setting, plot. Whatever you picked/would pick, my favorite will ever remain...


characters!

Characters make the book. Bad characters ruin the story for me. I mean, if they're not great, what's to keep me from putting down the book? (not much.) I am CONSTANTLY, and I will repeat, CONSTANTLY spouting my favorite character quotes. Bad plot? The characters can suffice. Bad setting? Bloom where you're planted. Bad writing quality? Well, there's really not much you can do about that. If the quality is bad, chances are the characters will be, too.

Heroes. What do you think of when you read that word? Some King Arthur type MC dressed in shining battle, swinging a sword? A naive peasant boy who discovers he's really the air to Such-and-Such and he's the only one who can save the kingdom from total annihalation? (sp?)

Heroes aren't what they used to be. Instead we're supposed to be content to settle with the perfect, sparkly, impossibly handsome guys like Edward Cullen (and for the record, he's really not cute). Whoa, perfect? Whoever said that was okay for a character? Don't get me started, as I feel very strongly on this subject. I have a post about it, "I tried to be perfect" here and another called "What Happened to the Heroes?" right here.

Nobody here on this earth can relate to a book character who's perfect. If the character is perfect at the beginning of the story, where will he be at the end? Oh, right. He'll be exactly where he started. Stagnant. Similiar to pond water in that he doesn't move, he can't make mistakes, and he can't learn.

Chivalrous? Oh no, we couldn't possibly have our hero be chivalrous. We couldn't possibly have him be a gentleman to the girls. That would be, like, weird. And it's out of the question that our heroines could actually be respectful and loving of the guys. The hero shouldn't save the girl; she can totally handle this on her own. She can spew disrespectful remarks in the face of the guy and he's supposed to just be cool with that.

Heroes aren't being chivlarous because heroines aren't being respectful.

He's more than just a plaything. The hero is more than someone to just toss when the heroine is finished with him. "Thanks, but I don't need your help. I got it covered." Can't we see some plain, old-fashioned decency on both ends of the spectrum? What happened to the Knights of the Round Table?

The waterworks. Right now I'm listening to Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns, and it's brought something to mind. Do our heroes always have to be rock-solid and emotionless? Would it be so bad for the heroes to shed some tears, too? Isn't that what's real? Or would that just be an insult to their honor?


Alright. I think I got it covered. If I left anything out, just tell me!

Next post--my favorite heroes. And then...heroines.

Oh, and by the way--I've started a book review blog! Go check out Today Was a Fairytale! I love my followers and I ADORE your comments!!!