Purpose

My writing is not just something I do. I don't get random urges to write, sit down for ten minutes, type out a hundred words, and slip back into the rest of my life. My writing is my life. It is my calling.

 



I have been writing ever since I could read. That was at age 3.



I was a naughty child. Like really. My parents always planned on having ten kids. I was two years old, my Mum had just had my little brother, and every day when Daddy came home from work she would shove me in his arms and go cry. She said she never wanted to have any more kids. I was bad. On purpose.

By the time I was three, Mommy had almost given up on me, so she went to talk to the pastor's wife about what to do.

The woman's advice?

I was bored.

She couldn't have been more right.

I've never been brilliant. But I understand things pretty quickly. And everything fascinates me.

So the pastor's wife {I'd give her a name if I knew it...} suggested Mommy start teaching me how to read.

What a joke, Mum thought. She's three! But she tried it.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I sucked it up like a lollipop. To have the world open up before me like that, adventures and people and places...things my little mind had never dreamed of...it was amazing. In every true form of the word. I could read my children's Bible before I turned four. And started down the path of my future: books and books and more books. I just read and read, everything I could get my hands on, no matter what it was. And I stopped getting into mischief. {What a relief! Mommy was able to have at least five of those ten kids!}

When I was five I created my first "real" book. I was so pleased with it! I kept it tucked away in a special drawer and didn't let anyone touch it. A few months later I made a second one for my dolls. They ought to have some books too, eh! I still have them.

 



Even though I liked those books, they were not much and I knew it. So when we were visiting some relatives in Canada one summer {I was seven} I stapled a bunch of paper together and began a life's history of, well...me. I even illustrated it! It makes me laugh so hard. But I was proud of it. I carried it with me everywhere. Quite literally. And enlisted several of my Daddy's cousins {who must have thought I was cute to have been crazy enough to help} to write a few pages to my dictation. Oh, I was a real author!!!

At ten I began to write a novel. Something beautiful and massive and purposeful. I found a pink notebook with silver flowers on it, pressed the title on the cardboard cover, and started out. {You should look at the spelling. It is atrocious! Eeeek! Scary!} I even finished the book this time. It made me super proud. I had every girl in church reading it.

{My books}

 

When I turned eleven I was given my first computer. Daddy is a teacher and the school he worked for at the time gave it to him. We already had one so he gave it to me. It was one of those old yellow ones with the huge monitor and floppy disc inserts. I embarked on a new faze of writing. About my second infatuation of life. Horses. I wrote an entire 171 page novel about a horse {named Tulip...but of course, she had lots of names in the story.... her true name was Tulip}. Unfortunately, the computer was destroyed on our trip from Oregon to Missouri and I lost all but the first five chapter of that book. It still breaks my heart...

During all this, I was still enraptured in books. In my ninth grade year {I was 13 and now in Missouri} I read over 300 books. Only about 90 of them were for school. It was the winter of 2007 and we had an ice storm. That meant no outside play and I was buried deep in Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty. And it suddenly struck me. All his works were written for and about boys. Every single one. He was my favorite author ever at the time. I'd read every readable copy of his works we owned {about 100, but 10 or so are antiques that fall apart if you pick them up). But something was seriously lacking. Though there usually ended up being a girl in the story, they were still not much. So, I sat back, pulled out a piece of notebook paper, and wrote out a story idea almost identical to Beric but with the main character...well, you guessed it. A girl. And the idea's didn't stop there. Once I put my head to it, I just wrote and wrote out idea after idea, filling up pretty much every angle and culture of history. Ancient Rome. Alexander the Great. The Pharaoh's of Egypt. World War II. The French Revolution. It didn't matter. It was history and it was writing and it was girls. I ended up starting a novel set on the Oregon trail. After a hundred or so pages, I was revamped.

I've been around Christians all my life. I became a believer and was baptized when I was 6 because of some important things that happened to me at that time. And I understood the Redemption of Christ fully. Still, he never really came into my books {The Princess Travels did have God bring my main character back into focus} in a true spiritual way. We were watching some documentaries for school about making Christ the center of your life, finding his purpose and calling for what you do, and doing whatever you do for him.

So I did a 360 to take in what I had written and began tapping away at another book, a decidedly Christian book. I wanted to change the world for God. I still do. Eh he...I always was a dreamer. I started fresh on a new book, combining two ideas and going back to my original Beric inspiration {the book is still on my favorites list, just so you know; I think I'll do a review on it here sometime}. By the time I turned 14, I had a novel and a half in the making. And I have been writing it ever since. It has gone from a girl-Henty to a Mara, Daughter of the Nile {review HERE} to a completely-and-only-Caitria-style in the last five almost six years. But, at long last, it is almost done.

And all of that was to bring you to the point of this. {No, it was not just a spill out my life story post. ;) }


I was writing on Chapter 15 this week. My Daddy is my primary editor right now, my sister Brisa next, and friends Lauren and Cait next. Various friends have read, critiqued, and looked over it, but still, Daddy is my best editor. Because he looks for the deeper things. The meaning and reason behind everything, the actions and motives and desires of my characters. You know, the things that make them real. Anyway, Chapter 15 {entitled Empty} is the climax emotionally for one of my two main characters. There are a some things few authors have attempted to tackle. The real heartaches, meanings, and desires of life. Things that the world just can't understand...without God. I'm not going to spoil anything, but Daddy inspired me to enhance the reality of it. The absolute emptiness of life. Because it matters.

Anyway, this whole post was to get to that little paragraph and somehow it didn't seem to do much, because I won't spoil what exactly I mean...



There are a lot of things I want to do with my life. There are a lot of things I love and tons of stuff I intend to do. But this {my writing} is something I know God has brought me to. And no matter where I go or what else I do, it will be something that will be used to bring him glory and show the power of his love. For me and for you.



January Giveaway

So I decided to do something fun for my blog. From now on, I will be hosting a giveaway every month, of something writerly or wonderful...

Just because I am awesome and I can. Just kidding!!!! But, really, this will be fun.

This month, it is THIS glorious object.

 

 

Rules to enter:

1: must be a member of Stories in the Mind
2: loves to read!!! :)
3: comment on the blog in one post other than this one
4: tell me what your favorite book is and why! {if you have done this, feel free to skip it and I will add you in for the 4th tag anyway, just let me know you have completed it}
5: give me one reason why I should pick you. JK!! share the giveaway on your blog and send me the link

The giveaway is open internationally.





Once Upon a Time... linkup: Trust

And the linkup is back!!! Not that it was sorely missed by anyone but me, but I do enjoy doing it. There are days when I wonder if this will ever amount to much. But you know, every big company started with a little thing {not that I’m a company. Or a thing. But I’m little and aiming for big…oh, you know, just scratch the analogy}.

Here, this says it better.

 

 

So today’s linkup is: trust.

And an introduction.

We all like starting new projects. Me, probably a bit too much. So when Brisa prompted me to start take her up on a small story idea she had…who was I to refuse? Little did I know a small sentence would forge into a massive novel in three minutes. One moment I was humoring a little sister because I love her. The next I was professional writer jerking out my laptop to write down as much as I could before I forgot it. Let’s just say I have a brilliant sister.

Now would be a good time to say that Brisa is my writer’s support group at home. She has read everything I have ever written on the computer, be it blog posts, silly little letters, or my 1200+ page Trilogy. And she has influenced and brought in a great many ideas.

But she’s never sparked a book like this before. She is the first to admit she is not a writer. In fact, she doesn’t want to be. But she loves reading. And she loves watching me write and offering advice. She likes it when I change things because she thought they would be better different. One day, I am going to hire her as a professional editor and pay her. And, no matter where I go, she will always be one of the first to read my books. She will always be one of the first I take advice from. 

So it was a thrill when I discovered she has a talent from introducing great beginning plotlines. I have a thing for the small, intricate life patterns within books. I can create a raw emotion in a character for someone…or even something. Yet there are times when I find giant holes in my overall themes. Or find no themes at all. It’s just trailing emotion after emotion. And while emotion is good, direction is better.

And I found direction Monday.

Introducing:

Asteroid

 

Suspense Fantasy
 





Setting:

a room of unequal beauty

ancient legend unearthed

father and son

 

Word count: 228

Ó Pure Grace

Xave’s pudgy face grew red with excitement or frustration, Shade couldn’t tell. “The Asteroid of legend! One of the flaming orbs which fell from the sky. It is filled with mineral and leaks into the earth the richness it craves and tempers the atmosphere to produce consistent weather patterns to nourish the ground. Serja is hiding one.”

Shade snorted. “Hogwash. Nothing but fairytales. Your spy’s are lying to you.”

“My spy’s are stupid. But they are not liars. They cannot find the Asteroid. But I do not want them to.”

“You want me to.”

Xave took another mouthful of wine. “No.”

“Am I mistaken then in thinking you want to bring it to Ols?”

“Again, no. I want it. Very much. But I want assurances it will come to me when it is found.”

“And you think you do not have this assurance in me? I am touched, father, by your trust in me.”

Xave looked at him evenly. “Should I?”

“I am your son,” Shade scoffed.

“And a great many other things too. Conqueror of Callion at the moment.”

Shade shoved back his bristling anger and demanded. “Who. Who do you mean to send?”

“Kaden.”

“Kaden?” Shade’s face furrowed. Who in all Ols was Kaden?

“Yes, Kaden, son of Chieftain Litho, of Callion. And you are going with him.”

“Dragon’s fire,” Shade swore, dropping back a step.

 

Guest Post by author Mime Drews

And it's time to be back!!! The blog is looking a bit more normal again. We're getting back into routine after all the holiday buzz and, ahem, silence... :D Today's guest post is by my friend Mime from Notebook Sisters. Enjoy!!!!



Dialogue is my favourite part of reading. And writing. Maybe In my opinion, a snappy, realistic, or heart-wrenching dialogue can tilt the scale from ‘another book on the shelf’ to ‘good old favourite.’

Some books just nail it. Like Ranger’s Apprentice (John Flanagan). The plot is... not exceptional for most of the books. You could even say it’s Lord of the Rings come general fantasy/medieval-ness. And yet... I still have fond memories of reading all eleven books. Why? The dialogue. The characters are great, sarcastic, and tease each other mercilessly. That’s exactly the sort of humour that appeals to me—I love sarcasm in dialogue.

 



Also, a normal voice helps. I am awed by people like Tolkien who can have extensive dialogue passages in “thee’s” and “thou’s” and really long sentences. I think they must be very patient. But personally, I prefer reading normal, conversational tones. This usually comes across with more modern books—contemporaries, dystopian, or just ones set in the current/future world. The Gallagher Girls series (Ally Carter) is a perfect example. Every girl in the spy school talks like a normal teenage girl. It makes the book easy to read, and I identify with the characters better.

But that’s not to say you have to have your 18^thcentury courtiers talking modern slang. In Johnny Tremain (Esther Forbes), they manage to speak clearly and understandably. The sentences don’t go on forever, and even though it feels a bit more old-fashioned, you still get the same love for the characters’ voices.

To me, dialogue needs to be spread throughout the book generously. It’s so much fun to read. While you can’t have the whole thing being dialogue, I think it makes things come across easier than a lot of narrative, which I tend to find quite boring. Too much narrative, and I yawn, and say, “I’m sorry, but I got lost a while back.” Dialogue can make me laugh or cry, or just plain enjoy the book more. Of course, on the flip side, if there’s too much dialogue, I say, “What is going on here?” There’s a good medium, and it’s different for every story.



Dialogue’s important for letting the reader get to know the characters, particularly in 3^rd person. The way someone talks tells a lot about them—the way they were brought up, the way they think of things, their common phrases, their nationality, or their amount of talkativeness. I know that if there’d been no dialogue in Detectives in Togas (Henry Winterfeld) I would have had no idea who was who. Dialogue defines characters, and that, I think, is why it’s really important.

I think the trick to good dialogue is making sure your character's voice is strong, and that their personality shines through the way they talk.

What are some of your favourite books for the dialogue aspect?

 



 



On My Bookshelf: Eragon

One boy….

    One dragon….

          A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight, his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands…

By Christopher Paolini

Young Adult

Genre: fantasy



My thoughts:

A cruel king.

A dragon hatchling.

A boy with an unknown lineage.

And a battle of good vs. evil.

Sounds like a novel to me. 

Eragon: a creative writer’s masterpiece.

The actual writing behind Eragon might be a bit plain and primitive. The main character might be cliché and a little too brilliant at times. But one thing is for sure. This is a story, a tale, that leads you on an adventure of a lifetime.

I picked Eragon up off the shelf with one goal in mind. I have read little fantasy, still less popular books, and I felt I had a need to fill in a bit of that void. And Eragon did not disappoint me.

Of course, you all now know my disdain for magic. {Found here} I knew beforehand that it would be everywhere. It is used, frequently, in Eragon and the following series. It is a drawback that will probably mean the Inheritance series will never nestle comfortably on my bookshelf. I borrowed them. And I will probably always only borrow them.

 

BUT, I do not regret reading Eragon. It is a masterful story, done so well, made so intriguing, that you tend to forget that Paolini had yet to develop a very compelling style. Story was all you needed. And story he gives.

Do you want to read Eragon? I don’t know. It is HUGE. And I mean, big. But if that doesn’t daunt you, and you want a good story, and you don’t mind magic, I’d say you’d enjoy it very much.

And if you are writing a fantasy, read it. I will honestly say that Eragon taught me a great many things about writing a fantasy novel. Things I will never regret learning. From creating a magnificent landscape to developing assorted people groups to starting a world off brand new, yet making it ancient, I gleaned so much I could never write it all down.  And that is a double plus! ++





Thursday Funnies

From the outside, someone looking in on us writers might not find a whole lot about us and our work amusing. But we writers know better. There is no end to the humor we share with ink and paper. Here’s a little bit for you today.

{Disclaimer: these are not mine and I claim no credit for finding them.}

Proofreading: a dying art.

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter

{Must have come back to finish the job…}

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
{Really? You think?}

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
{Now that's taking things a bit far!}

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
{No-good-for-nothing lazy so-and-so's! They must be UNION!}

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
{See if that works any better than a fair trial!}

War Dims Hope for Peace
{I can see where it might have that effect!}

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
{Really…?!}

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
{I really thought it had nothing to do with that.}

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
{They may be on to something!}

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
{You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?}

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
{He probably IS the battery charge!}

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
{Weren't they big enough?!}

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
{Chainsaw Massacre all over again!}

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
{Boy, are they tall!}

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
{Did I read that right?}

 





Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity. Feel free to take this and post it to your blog or add the link so that others can laugh! It feels great to let some light-hearted fun into your days. We all need a good laugh, at least once a day.



WINNER!!!!

I know you are all desperate to know just WHO won the giveaway today. It was fun making my own little drawing. I cut up a bunch of pieces of paper, stuck them in a hat, and SHOOK and SHOOK and SHOOK! It was fun. I held it way up above my head and listened as they danced inside the hat.

 



And then I reached my fingers in, grabbed…a piece of paper…and drew it out.

And my lovely friend RACHEL is the winner!!!!

Much love to the rest of you. Don’t be sad. There will be more giveaways {some of them MUCH more exciting, too!} the rest of this year. I am planning on having one a month…hopefully. So, congrats to Rachel {I’ll bring the necklace on Friday} and good luck to the rest of you for next time!!! Thanks for entering!



Oh, one more thing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Phew. Can you belive it. It is...2013. WOW. WOW. WOW. Crazy thought that. More at another time.

Ok, now.......