tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34137540792386314042024-03-05T20:28:36.858+11:00InspirationTo Inspire is to be Inspired.J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-26063439034824012019-08-10T21:19:00.000+10:002019-08-10T21:19:11.354+10:00Writing: The Importance of BackstoryI have spent most of the day singing random songs from the Anastasia soundtrack instead of remembering to write this post. So now that I've finally sat down to write, I've actually got something in mind.<br />
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Anastasia has always been one of my favourite stories, and it has absolutely gorgeous music. š But more than that, it has well-crafted characters, deep themes, a fabulous plot, and so many childhood memories associated with it.<br />
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So sit back, and enjoy the journey "one step at a time," after all, "who knows where this road may go?" š<br />
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As I mentioned in my<a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2019/08/returning-with-review-romanov-book.html" target="_blank"> last post</a>, one of my favourite parts about books are the characters. Getting to know them is just like making new friends who you can love and cry over...All without actually having to socialise, or even leave your room! (Every introvert's utopia, am I right?) And as writers, we score the chance to actually create these beautiful and unique characters for our readers to relate to. </div>
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But what are some of the ways we can make characters worth reading? I find that one of the most helpful things when you're trying to grow your own writing, is to look at other people's stories, and what they did that made you fall in love with them...To the point that you find yourself singing about them while editing your latest short story!</div>
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So, as you can tell, this post has been inspired by <i>Anastasia</i>, and is focusing on how backstory creates amazing characters.</div>
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I have heard someone say that backstory is when authors make excuses for their characters and hope to win the readers over with what they went through. Hopefully, if you're writing backstories right, that's not what it is at all. Others say that it's good, but it will just turn up when it turns up, and you don't need to think about it too hard. However, backstory has an effect on every part of your characters, and your story.</div>
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Backstory is the set up of your character, and story. It is what has shaped the character into who they are, and when has set the scene for you. In a sense, it's the background of your painting. The expressionist artist, Edvard Munch, probably didn't start his painting <i>The Scream</i> with the person, and just filled the background in later. He needed to work on the sky, the sea, and the bridge before adding the character. And this is appropriate. The painting would just look wrong if the background was a beautiful, bright meadow, wouldn't it?</div>
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In the same way, actually having a clue about your character's backstory is important before you just go and write them.</div>
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Purpose</h3>
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Characters are lovable because they have a <i>purpose</i> and a <i>goal</i> that they're striving to reach through the story. Typically, the reason behind them wanting to gain this is because they have a reason dating back to their backstory. In <i>Anastasia</i>, it sure is nicer to know that Dimitri is a greedy opportunist because he's an orphaned kitchen-hand who's been starving along with all of Russia for the past ten years. Despite his methods being somewhat wrong, we can understand his goal, and appreciate him for it. The backstory makes his dreams of being free and rich seem reasonable and logical...not just convenient.</div>
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When you're writing, remember that the backstory of your character is the set-up for who they are, why they are, and what they want. Without the story before the story, there is not that depth and wealth of reason behind your characters.</div>
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Wound</h3>
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Which is a more interesting character: A Russian princess who has a perfectly fine life thank-you-very-much, or an orphaned, amnestic, day-dreaming long-lost Russian princess whose entire family line was murdered by an evil sorcerer? </div>
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Not only does backstory help us understand a character, but it just makes them more interesting in general. š </div>
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Most good characters have a 'wound' in their past. Something traumatic that happened to them. This makes them a lot easier to relate to, and to want to succeed. Without a wound, they can't grow from it. And with no growth, you probably have a boring character who just sits around eating licorice or something.</div>
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The Dangers</h3>
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Unless you happen to be Victor Hugo while writing <i>Les MisƩrables</i>, you probably should avoid writing about thirty years of pure backstory in great detail, taking up approximately 100 pages of your novel before you reach the actual story. </div>
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<i><b>Keep the backstory more developed in your notebook than in your story.</b></i> Write out every little detail you want in a notebook, but pick and choose what goes into the actual story itself. You are not Victor Hugo. (Please tell me if you are, cos that'd be awesome!)</div>
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<i><b>Find appropriate times to mention backstory. </b></i>You don't need to dump it all into a prologue. Throughout your story, there will be opportunities for the ball scene in <i>Anastasia</i> when she recalls what happened 'Once Upon a December.' Casual comments about backstory are also nice.</div>
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<i><b>Don't just use a backstory as a cop-out.</b></i> Reading an annoying character who has no development is going to be a pain, and giving them a tragic backstory is probably not going to make up for how much we hate reading him. So take note that the characters still need to have something likable, not just a pitiable backstory.</div>
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So there you have it. Looking at backstory through the lense of <i>Anastasia. </i>I hope you all are as hyped about <strike>singing</strike> fleshing out some more backstories now!</div>
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<i>Do you love Anastasia as much as I do? What are your thoughts on backstories?</i></div>
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<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-59991670811440543792019-08-03T19:07:00.000+10:002019-08-03T19:07:12.049+10:00Returning with a Review (ROMANOV Book Review)<div dir="ltr">
It's been a long time since I've done one of these. In fact, I haven't been around much anywhere as of late. So, sorry to anyone who I've not gotten back to about various things. But I should be around once again now!<br />
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In the last few months, I've done a lot of things, including sitting exams, writing music, applying for jobs, seeing a <b>real </b>bandicoot, buying books, reading books, and writing...less books than I hoped. But that's okay! š</div>
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However, now that I am back, I'm starting off with something I don't do much of, but definitely should start doing. </div>
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Prepare to hear about one of my favourite books!</div>
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<b><i>The history books say I died.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>They donāt know the half of it. </i></b></div>
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Anastasia āNastyaā Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her familyās only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them, and heās hunted Romanov before.</div>
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Nastyaās only chances of saving herself and her family are to either release the spell and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesnāt act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya has only dabbled in magic, but it doesnāt frighten her half as much as her growing attraction to Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her.</div>
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That is, until sheās on one side of a firing squad . . . and heās on the other. </div>
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<b>Nadine Brandes</b></h4>
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<i>Nadine Brandes once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the author of Fawkes, Romanov, and the award-winning Out of Time Series. Her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When sheās not busy writing novels about bold living, sheās adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. Nadine, her Auror husband, and their Halfling son are building a Tiny House on wheels. Current mission: paint the world in shalom.</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(You can check out Nadine's site <a href="https://nadinebrandes.com/" target="_blank">here</a>, at <a href="https://nadinebrandes.com/" target="_blank">Nadine Brandes - YA Author</a>. I recommend it. She's cool. š)</span></div>
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I mean, just looking at the cover should be enough of an explanation on why I'm in love with this book. The Russian aesthetic, fairy-tale aesthetic, and just how pretty it is?? No way could I not want to read it. </div>
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Not to mention that it's been written by one of the most amazing authors that I know, Nadine Brandes. </div>
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If you like magic, history, plot twists, amazing characters, and sweet romance, <b>then you should definitely read this book. </b></div>
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I had been waiting ever since I finished <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36576048-fawkes" target="_blank">Fawkes</a></i> to read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40590407-romanov" target="_blank">Romanov</a></i>. The cover is gorgeous, the blurb is fantastic, and when you actually read the book, it's even better!</div>
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The more I've been reading historical fantasy, the more I've been able to appreciate how cool it is to have my two favourite things together:</div>
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1. History<br />
2. Magic</div>
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Nadine's blended these two things together beautifully, as always, and once again has built an amazing and unique story around the true history of the Romanov family. </div>
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One of my favourite parts of books is to get to know the characters, <b>and there are so many brilliant, raw, and real characters</b> in those pages. Even for characters who had relatively minor roles, we got to know them and see who they were, and I think that is probably one of the things Nadine does best. Whether it was the sister-relationships, or the beautiful friendships forming between the two sides, it was realistic, deep, and heart-wrenching. I felt that I could connect with all of the characters, especially Nastya. ā¤</div>
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I cannot emphasise <span style="font-size: x-small;">(or flail)</span> enough about the plot twists! Even though I know the story of the Romanov family from studying history, hearing it told in a different way and from such an engaging style meant I didn't see basically any of the plot twists coming. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't read it fast enough to find out what would happen next. </div>
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<b>I'd definitely recommend this book, and hope that you enjoy it as much as I have!</b></div>
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I love reading books so much, and I love being able to help authors out. No clue why I don't write reviews more often. I guess that's a new thing to be working on.<br />
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For now, enjoy hunting down more books!</div>
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<i>Have you read Romanov? What did you think?</i></div>
J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-30358134328645852382019-01-10T15:59:00.001+11:002019-01-10T15:59:37.913+11:00Tag: The Liebster Award<div style="text-align: center;">
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We've finished our first week of January, and I haven't quite melted from the sun. As is, my fingers still seem to be working well enough to do a blog post, even if it isn't highly imaginative. (Although, looking a bit closer, it seems to be.)</div>
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I've been tagged with the Liebster Award tag, which pretty much means that I have been given a bunch of questions to answer, then to tag other people. Many thanks to <a href="https://dinosdigest.com/" target="_blank">Aberdeen the Authorosaurus (and Mariposa)</a> for tagging me with this, and I shall give it a shot! I'm pretty sure I did this a while back, but they were very different questions then opposed to now, so it shall be interesting.<br />
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The rules are as follows:<br />
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<li>Thank the blog that nominated you for the award.</li>
<li>Answer the questions they gave you.</li>
<li>Give 11 fun facts about yourself.</li>
<li>Nominate 11 other bloggers for the award and give them 11 questions to answer.</li>
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<li><b>What tune would you hate to get stuck in your head? (yes, youāre welcome for getting it stuck in your head now)</b><br /><br />Hmm, I constantly have music going on in my head, so I'd say the most annoying tunes to get stuck in my head are the ones that I can't identify. *nodnod* Or only know part of. Both are pretty bad.<br /><b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>If you were a dinosaur, what species would you be and why?<br /><br /></b>Gosh. Um...here. Have an Australian Dinosaur. Muttaburrassaurus. Why? Because...I am Australian, and there is something like 5 that I could be, and that is the most prominent, so, I suppose that makes it a 4/10 chance?<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>What is your favourite book in a genre you donāt normally read?<br /></b><br />Hmmm, probably <i>In 27 </i><i>Days </i>by Alison Gervais<i>.</i> It's a book of mixed recommendations, but I really enjoyed it, despite it being VERY different to usual. Like...Contemporary supernatural romance? Anyone else who's read it, what genre would you say it is?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li><b>What is the first thing you saw this morning?<br /></b><br />The ceiling. Prior to the sun being anywhere near the horizon. Sooo, something like this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li><b>If you could make up a dinosaur species, what would it be called and what would it look like?<br /></b><br />This is a really hard question.<br /><br />How about I create a dinosaur that's primary function is to write? It has one claw thingo larger than the others, and it excretes something kinda inky. This creature is horrible at defending itself, but has a great imagination, and is highly coordinated. Its skin also sheds as large sheets of parchment. We'll call it, Historiascriptorerumraptor. (History's Historian Raptor)<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>If you could have a pen that looked like anything you wanted, what would you pick?<br /></b><br />Something that could morph in size, shape and appearance. xD Then I could pick up an invisible pen and write with it, or I could be plotting Russ's story with Russ's iconic pen!<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>What fictional character depicts your current mood right now?<br /></b><br />Shallan, from <i>The Stormlight Archive</i> by Brandon Sanderson. Why? Well, she seems to swap pretty regularly, so I'm sure one of her emotion's fits mine.<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>What is the most ridiculous pen name that fits your personality?<br /></b><br />Probably something like, "Fueled by Chai."<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>What is the funniest text youāve received/written?<br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li><b>If a dinosaur was roaming around your yard, what would you do?<br /></b><br />I probably wouldn't notice for the first little while, then wonder why Mum was screaming, then probably be 98% sure I was hallucinating. Although, what size is the dinosaur? That could change things a bit.<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>Would you rather only be able to write one magnificent book every ten years, or one mediocre book every year?<br /></b><br />One magnificent book every ten years? Yeouch. That would be what I'd choose if that was the final product. If you're talking pre-draft, then I'd take one a year. But... I reckon I turn out 3-4 mediocre first drafts every year, so I have no clue. *sigh*<br /></li>
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Questions answered! Eleven fun facts about me? Well. This could get random.<br /><br />
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<li>I prefer to crack apples in half before eating them. Looks intimidating, plus, it makes it easier.</li>
<li>Two out of the three of my favourite first drafts that I've written result in the narrating character dying. Sorry guys.</li>
<li>I'm an INFP that school acquaintances think is an INTJ, friends think is an INTP, and <i>close</i> friends know is an INFP.</li>
<li>95% of adults have been asking me what I'm currently studying in uni since I was in year 10, and I still have very little desire to go to uni.</li>
<li>I live on a cattle farm.</li>
<li>I drink copious amounts of chai tea.</li>
<li>I am known to make references to my own books, then get sad cos no-one gets them. (like leaving post-it-notes with 'GTG' when I leave a room or go on a long walk.)</li>
<li>I have had my iPod for five years, and I am yet to smash the screen. It does not have a cover or a case.</li>
<li>I do not own a phone.</li>
<li>I tend to talk with my hands.</li>
<li>I GOT TAGGED BY A DINOSAUR.</li>
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Hopefully, there are a few crazy things in there that you did not guess/already know.</div>
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Now, for anyone out there who wants to give this tag a go, here are some questions to answer.</div>
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<li>Favourite hot beverage?</li>
<li>What are your top 5 prettiest book covers?</li>
<li>Do you have a favourite book/movie troupe? What is it?</li>
<li>What are your top 5 book quotes?</li>
<li>Do you dislike something that EVERYONE seems to like? (Harry Potter, chocolate, just to name a few ideas.)</li>
<li>Board games or card games?</li>
<li>What is the main virtue that you wish you had more of?</li>
<li>What is your favourite climate?</li>
<li>What smells best: Old books, new books, second-hand books, in between books?</li>
<li>Which of Aberdeen the Authorosaurus's questions do you most like?</li>
<li>Answer that question.</li>
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That is all for that tag, and thank you once again, <a href="https://dinosdigest.com/" target="_blank">Aberdeen the Authorosaurus</a> for tagging me. Not every day that you get tagged by a dinosaur. Also, I'm gonna say a kinda thank you to <a href="https://elizaleblanc.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Eliza Leblanc</a> for 'tagging' me in this too! (You left it open, so I'll take it as a tag.)<br />
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Anyone who wants to do this tag, go on ahead and let me know! Or, you could just answer some questions below. That works too. ;D (But honestly, what dinosaur species would you create? Have you had any crazy texts?)<br />
<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-37510681434441282602019-01-02T13:27:00.000+11:002019-01-03T22:12:07.139+11:002019: A New BeginningThere have been a lot of posts about new starts and resolutions floating about in my inbox lately, and now I'm doing one myself.<br />
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I'm not a huge person for making vows to try and keep, because if I even slightly fail at some point, I tend to give up completely. Not such a great way of acting, and it's definitely something I'm going to be working on.<br />
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2018 was a great year for ideas and taking new steps. I alpha read two amazing books, did my first official lot of edits on one of my own works, completed 'the worst year at school,' and started doing a lot more about the place as a writer.<br />
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I also struggled a lot, and have been constantly having to be reminded to <b>keep on leaning on God</b>. It's something I've always known in theory, but when life is really getting painful, it's very easy to either push God from your mind, or to start heaping the blame on Him. But these last few months have definitely been a journey to keep my eyes focused upward, and to trust continually.<br />
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And now, a new year has begun, and it is time for us to move on with it!<br />
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I'm not certain as to what this year will hold; I know that it will involve finally finishing off at school, and doing some more writing and editing, but that's as far as I can guess. However, that doesn't make it any less interesting to think about what things I <i>plan</i> to do. Besides, that means I can look back at the end of the year and laugh at how differently things went.<br />
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Top Three Books to be Written:</h3>
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1. Broken Chains</h4>
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This is a contemporary/action story about a police officerās son who joined forces with his best friend in order to stop a weapon dealing circle, only to realise heād been tricked and ended up with a lot of evidenceāand a gun<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ā</span>pointing at him.<br />
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The idea has been floating around for a while, and has some characters who I absolutely adore. So, I really hope to give it a shot in the first few months of the year. (aka, I have already started! Eeeep!)<br />
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2. Autumn Artist</h4>
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Who doesn't like contemporary fantasy mystery novels?<br />
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The general concept is that the main character is a professionally trained con-artist, and has been hired to infiltrate a wealthy family's home, down in a fantasy version of modern day Australia, except there is one problem...she has been signed up as an artist with two weeks warning and not an artwork to her name.<br />
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I'm not certain where this story is going, but I love the aesthetic, and the ideas I have thus far sound like fun to play about with.<br />
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3. A World of Ice</h4>
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When Aaron Ward woke up, he found that he had been in a coma for around five years, and no one knew who he was...not even himself. The world had faced a huge disaster some years back, caused by a scientist who had released a gas into the air that slowly thickened the ozone layer<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ā</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">origninally purposed to stop global warming, but rapidly causing global freezing. Ice now covers the entire world, and no one knows where the scientist who caused this apocalyptic event has vanished to.</span><br />
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As Aaron journies to find an answer, he soon begins to feel that something isn't quite right, and he's not so sure that he even wants to know who he was, or what he had done.<br />
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I really love this story idea, and I can't wait to write it! It'll be quite interesting, as it doesn't have a villain so much as just a crazy time limit, but I still think it would be a really cool thing to write.<br />
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I love all of these so much, and can't wait to give them a shot! But who knows, I may well come up with some totally different ideas. Plus, I have another short story that I'll be working on throughout the year for school, so that'll be good.<br />
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Editing:</h3>
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For any who don't know, I have been editing <i>Flightless</i> lately, and I can't wait to see where this will be going. I've gotten a lot of great feedback from some stellar friends who volunteered to read over it and tell me what they thought of the story, and I love those guys so much! (Thanks heaps guys!)<br />
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I'm really hoping to have this next lot of edits well and truly done by the end of April this year, and have that draft out to a few alphas by May. *hides at the craziness* I'm not expecting to be looking into all of the publishing things until the end of this year/early next year, but even so, that seems to be coming up scarily fast.<br />
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This Blog:</h3>
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I actually think I'll be able to post once a week again! Yay! That's mostly because I now actually can type up my blog posts on a computer instead of doing them from an iPod, plus, I think I've worked out how to manage my time a bit better. :P<br />
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What exactly should you be expecting? I'm not sure. Expect nothing so that you can be surprised by everything!<br />
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Yep, a new year has started, and I'm looking forward to seeing what things God brings with it, and what lessons I'll be learning. He's got great things planned, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. That's something that He has proven over and over again, so we can always remember to trust in Him.<br />
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I pray that you guys can all remember this year to keep looking up to God and trusting Him to guide your ways. He is good and knows what he is doing with your life...even if you have absolutely no clue.<br />
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Good luck to this new year!<br />
<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-8886822331833988802018-11-17T20:44:00.001+11:002018-11-17T20:44:17.930+11:00Plans and PromptsTime limits are always interesting. Iāve been noticing this lately with all of these crazy deadlines that are appearing everywhere for me to meet and yikes it makes things insane.<br />
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And yet, somehow, they help me get stuff done.<br />
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But I'm not here to talk about deadlines, as much as I feel tempted to. I plan to give an update, and then a prompt, so, here we go!<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a976a476-7fff-97e0-501c-fcd0e7094135"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="296" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/KAReWH_1jEwRGRwbrgnOdv5PHW-X2FkIoN6-xeq5NLvgg3I5FUa5hFQqeBOyIjvKvngVbqMwrBiKOj-7Z1WoBV5wMjb5ahpNdShIIi2ohKjHA9QPbGAwJqj-iCcJevHCJQ9PdMQy" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Quick Update on Writing Life:</b><br />
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At the start of October, I told a few mostly non-writer friends who would be reading <i>Flightless </i>and giving some feedback for me, that I would have the first lot of major rewrites done and the book would to them by November the first. Well. It happened. But not without a heck of a lot of work. :D<br />
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Theyāve been reading through it, and Iām getting so much helpful feedback! Iāll most likely be going through and editing it over the course of December, and it looks like Iām rewriting half of it, and adding in a whole heap of things. :P Oh well. Itāll be fun, and definitely will improve it.<br />
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<i>Storm Wielder</i> is coming along nicely, andā¦wellā¦is basicallyā¦done? Iāve written the whole first draft, and Iām going through it again to add in some scenes Iāve thought about now, so, thatās fun. I think Iām going to just keep working on other things for the rest of NaNo and see how it goes.<br />
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But now, it is time for me to help all of you poor people who went into NaNo without a plan and are now getting past that stage where youāre writing like crazy cos it is awesome, but not up to the point where youāre sprinting toward a deadline. (Aka, it is prompt time!)<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-382e8a6d-7fff-8041-dfac-3323bf34f490"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="286" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/6TDCc44S_oZMKM_4omCb5l8FKr5kHPwpJ9fxrJA_IZQiztyPnfV5Py_jZX-GF_MeOIPr9iNno5_ZBZdgKAjymWFNLMDdcvWIuToI3WScekfFlu-MqdeCCsfbngM1r6nFwes_yPe3" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DISCLAIMER</b>: Those high heels are not mine. I am not that co-ordinated. :P</span></div>
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Well then. Does this fit for any stories? Any ideas sparking?<br />
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Can't wait to here how everyone else's projects are coming along! November is such an awesome month!<br />
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Howās NaNo going for you? Having much happening with writing plans?<br />
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<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-2219911059383696302018-11-10T20:54:00.000+11:002018-11-10T22:26:40.366+11:00Crafting VillainsI love reading, and can comfortably say that I read fairly widely. I don't love everything I've read, but I can tick off a lot of genres. Even so, in lots of books that I've read lately, some characters fall flat in their role. So I figured that for the next few months, I'd occasionally do a post on crafting characters. I've been reading a bit into it, and experimenting with these ideas myself, so hopefully what I have to say is half decent. ;)<br />
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Let's kickstart this off with one of the biggest let-downs: villains. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1jiC0VbHu8I/W-bAMiDhR4I/AAAAAAAAB60/LScgSbAZgO8TPt89oosE3gY2wt1CJ5wXwCLcBGAs/s1600/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="637" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1jiC0VbHu8I/W-bAMiDhR4I/AAAAAAAAB60/LScgSbAZgO8TPt89oosE3gY2wt1CJ5wXwCLcBGAs/s320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Villains written well should be terrifying. A lot of the time, people seem to think that making a tall man, dressed in black, who keeps to himself and takes pleasure in causing harm is how you generate this fear. Now, while I'd be creeped out if I ran into this person down the street, it <i>isn't </i>that character that leaves us shaken up and on edge. So how <i>do</i> you make the villain your story needs?</div>
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There are a few major things to keep in mind when crafting your villains:</div>
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1. <b>Your villain has a human motivation. </b>This character <i>genuinely</i> <i>believes</i> that what they are doing is right. They think that anything they've done can be justified. </div>
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Maybe your villain is wanting to protect people, so they will force them into captivity, taking away their freedom as well as anything dangerous. Suddenly, they seem to have good reason, gone way wrong. </div>
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2. <b>Your villain also needs a personality</b>. Developing your characters does not stop with your protagonist. The best villains are the ones that you get a personality for. </div>
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Personalities just make characters that much more real. Perhaps your villain loves drama, and tries to go for the full, stereotypical-evil atmosphere. Maybe they're very chill and laid back. Both of these personalities will change our view of them, but still keep us on edge. </div>
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3. <b>Your villain should be relatable</b>. One of the most petrifying things about a well written villain, is when you can see that if one detail in your life had been changed, you could be where your villain is. Had one choice been made differently, had one word not been spoken, had one day been changed, you would be an evil mastermind. </div>
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Perhaps you were going to lose something very precious to you that could be saved if you did something evil. Suddenly, things seem murky. That one choice to go with the evil option is all it takes to turn a hero into a villain. </div>
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4. <b>The villain should directly shape the protagonist's journey</b>. If your villain isn't a major part of the arc, then they probably don't need to be there. Your villain should turn up for more than just the climax. </div>
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Hypothetically, if you only had the villain vaguely mentioned through the book, then have them stumble onto the stage last minute to monologue and battle the hero, then that's pretty boring. But if you can see them active through the whole story, they become way more real. Plus, that will be a major aspect of shaping the main character. They will have to deal with the villain, and avoid become like them. </div>
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5. <b>The villain's goal should raise the stakes</b>. If the villain's goal isn't too high, then no one cares. We need those goal to be high, and to really cause fear. The main character should be terrified that the villain will reach their goal, and will want to fight with tooth and nail to stop them. </div>
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Was you villain nearly undefeatable before? Make them hunt for something to give them more power. If you've built up the suspense over what the villain is up to, and shown how bad the situation is, make it clear what the villain's goal is. Then, you can watch as they get closer and closer. The stakes will rise, and the readers will be on the edge of their seats. </div>
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There you are! Five tips on making villains worth writing, and reading. Hope something there is helpful! </div>
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And remember: to make the readers relate to a protagonist is good; to make them relate to the antagonist as well, is powerful. </div>
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What about you? What things do you think make a good villain?</div>
J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-21640314836869696412018-10-27T11:02:00.000+11:002018-10-27T11:02:05.479+11:00Storm Wielder for NaNo | A Project UpdateWell. NaNoWriMo is nearly here. This time last year, I was getting ready to write my fantasy novel, <i><a href="https://nanowrimo.org/participants/j-a-penrose/novels/chosen-by-fire-1237795" target="_blank">Chosen by Fire</a></i>. Since then, my writing style has changed (and improved) drastically. But now, a year has gone by, and I must plan for the next novel. And a while back, I mentioned that I had a novel planned, and even a playlist written.<br />
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Ironically, seeing that I spent pre-October plotting for NaNo, I have actually spent most of this month editing <i><a href="https://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/search?q=Flightless" target="_blank">Flightless</a></i>, which Iām sure Iāll talk more about in the upcoming months.<br />
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As it is, todayās post is about my new idea, <i><a href="https://nanowrimo.org/participants/j-a-penrose/novels/storm-wielder" target="_blank">Storm Wielder</a></i>, and I really hope you guys like it as much as I do!<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-914f7df6-7fff-a456-4728-0fd946405bd1"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="298" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XVCnrMBsdt7Vr3BkzAM17EI9t6hwbPiQM4kgipS_Rs0MMdrSxp0E9Ztm33ulX3v7LQXTbg1RxeXWo8vy4xKcmR8aNudhTS55Bl8cg1EfWxbuK4Wx3jEDdIPWajpiB_eK59qH5gdC" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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The book is a dystopian fantasy (new genre for me) and his going to be focusing on the major themes of family and sacrifice. These tie in nicely with my oversized cast of seven characters. (Two of which are ābad guys.ā)<br />
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I did a mini post on <i>Storm Wielder</i> earlier, which you can check out right <a href="https://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/10/storm-wielder-project-update.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Without any further ado, I shall let you meet the Storm Wielders.<br />
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<b>Ty</b><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-4f70b202-7fff-5caa-a4b5-74103ecca4d8"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="223" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Fcbh331ddzDW9gTMMddEMJAs1HLvVNogdNGhwChoweTUR8PQZbd0s6o0rJIoETqctFsXDONtT0USs899cWfgWH5yzNtbITxJ_hdsmYACZSkPsvH-46tWlN4hdW21DGyB0P1bK_Oo" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Ty is my main character. Heās a twenty five year old man who has one sibling and whose parents died along with millions of others in the War of Storms. Heās fairly capable of looking after himself, and becomes very protective over anyone who he gets particularly attached to. Heās determined to save everyone, and this can sometimes be a bit of an issue.<br />
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<b>Heather</b><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-30c593f0-7fff-c564-c56d-687d54878701"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="235" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Uwu-BSZiAL2J9GAfoXQSJXuQDLgC8znkNQ3eLbg3j4NdcZtg2yAa4mZkCzOsC2a1rp6w3yQchf2Y3FN2spsckT8rR2mi4rVyTVk1Jx84OcA5QHEiu5oj1AWZaxuPYBJ5vLqUkIcu" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Heather is a nineteen year old nature lover, and the one who invited Ty along to join the Storm Wielders. Her goal in the entire mess? To find a way to restore the world to how sheās been told it once was. Her version of rebellion against the censored world is to wear a flower crown, and to graffiti the streets with anything floral-based. She wants to be able to give younger people the opportunities she never had as a child.<br />
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<b>Felix</b><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-37476d05-7fff-29c4-36a6-060fd2ecebe4"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="201" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kFyrQCKUMC7SobSJ40kFP90SI-Pcwc0rX3Fc8Z191XZyg0P2XryurcZ6GHPxaEggLYKkXy2u_c-MCTJubntuZNK_Wzq5U4fWegOiFJR1DlCYbLF54AS1D8rxgUHVZfLf0DeJZZ4D" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Felix is the youngest Storm Wielder, and the most powerful. He was recruited when he was ten, and now four years have passed and his determination to be able to fix the world has made him by far the most dangerous of the lot. He spends his time either trying crazy new missions to bring the Storms back for good, or fooling about trying to make Kaman laughā¦or at least smile. He lost both of his parents at a fairly young age, but tries to look at the positives of his life since.<br />
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<b>Kaman</b><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-31346f12-7fff-8b36-a6d8-07a63399134a"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="206" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iUUxgPug-azwYlg7HxyEbAobSoHHoBb9IcB49jc0eZqa4FGZ8fLFILkGbsVdnoWOp29haFz_KtXlmxdv_N_FIvd2XyUsCFsWhGydT8gVy0DHuejAYP5kTlZKuBAuhFWmH6iM2M5M" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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A man of an uncertain age who hides behind a painted mask is the leader of the Storm Wielders. When someone first meets him, theyād probably be terrified by his outwardly rough nature, but really he spends most of his time trying to find others who have been hurt by the people who keep the world in drought. He doesnāt care what it takes, he will get his peopleāthe Storm Wieldersāthe world he knew when he was a child.<br />
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<b>Opia</b><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-db2f5dac-7fff-e4fb-be43-7de6319d383e"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="230" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/zl1tZZVoMKzN2UVB5ZQXNbCNMOj4il_cSIdU3LO2apY64WMg_QZuBES_fY9J9pBW6LxCLCkteZr_4amKYQzJMsqu5tTV3agZaYIM6gNI04mV9IhdRxrDpp3u5n4zbgwjYLvN1Sce" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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A well-read twenty six year old hacker could be the most well grounded of the team. Opia enjoys reading, and trying to create beauty in the rather disgusting world she lives in. She encourages Heather in her pursuits by telling her stories that she has read of how the world used to look, and what people used to be like. She keeps the Storm Wielders out of a lot of danger with her hacking skills, and is desperate for the world to be back at peace again.<br />
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Well! Thereās my characters. If you hadnāt guessed, Iām seriously looking forward to getting to write this and meet them for real!<br />
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What are your thoughts? Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo this year?<br />
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J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-13844891352414044092018-10-20T13:05:00.000+11:002018-10-20T13:05:50.902+11:00The Favourite Things TagWell, I have been tagged again, this time by <a href="https://evelynsbooknook.blogspot.com/2018/10/favorite-things-tag.html" target="_blank">Evelyn</a>! Awesome gal, and apparently we share in some of the same interests. (Woot! Go us!) And this particular tag was started by <a href="http://bethinboots.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Beth</a>, so, thanks for that!<br />
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I must admit though, Iām a tad bit phobic when it comes to having to say something about āfavourite thingsā asā¦well, I donāt like picking! At least this tag looks fairly safe, so I shall proceed and break the rules with great consideration and caution. (Apologies for the poor quality of the photos!)<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1c2caa40-7fff-fd67-80d0-2bc364c8c3de"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="297" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TIEPScGII4n80Sflv72iRODzzQwTSyFFTmHPgiqcuTtF7p94BhO5Z8UsSXUKFr8ryVgZX09iS5lv-sUHcMwrx6wHZAGviQ4N2vsU58C1eAi4XU-QLpZ8bvrVhUchcUY3kf33cYTr" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Let us begin by listing my favourite things!<br />
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<b>Playing Music</b><br />
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I love to play music, and currently can sing, play clarinet, piano, guitar, and ukulele at varying degrees of skill.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-02af32b5-7fff-2c2f-339e-d0ad862b36c9"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="269" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/9u-RNqu6Wgi-HJJNajRoFgFxLYGyOke9kTOVRD3_08eTGoHoXw7P_DWuMJlYuzb6N-UqdUbNLZnQXp9erymiARxkYSnZQKnjrMYg624zlY66Th0ftYBaTZApZJk37b1dL-E22AEm" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Composing Music</b><br />
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Yeup. Love composing and tend to always be working on a piece, developing themes and playing about with extended techniques on instruments. (And dying of shock every time I accidentally get published. *squeals*)<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-68832af9-7fff-87d4-70a4-abaa9b747a16"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="239" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/pHrgHrW646jC3A2kDgcvfczoToSTLbGkf0MyIZb09th-8L91Q3SZyTIHDx1UrjuGbzYHOoFfbwdg91yosi8xvsyFKajiSUnjya4JKZ8ywZ4UiwBpdAh7IzXnPJY_JkE1Anl_IVbM" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Writing</b><br />
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If you hadnāt worked that one out by nowā¦wellā¦I guess you know! I generally am writing 6 days a week, and if Iām not writing, Iām editing, plotting, daydreaming, or doing one of these other things. (Or school. But yāknow. Multitasking)<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-94c0a726-7fff-ccbd-b080-376c303c2383"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Xruk1QJvnfNFeyAwOZF9HSBua7CfNRi-ae0mL2U397VRugJk8u2s9gKnvJ0QijISc7g0tYI1jeWfx1pc8H7KHXUBp2FekOPBUEGD2BtposZk6-B9CVX3mQw2N6YaGmaqKQ25tJI0" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Reading</b><br />
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BOOKS. ALL OF THE PRECIOUS BOOKS. (Love them. So much.) I read as often as I can, even though that is sadly a lot less these days than it used to be.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-635c7076-7fff-2f17-5cbd-3ad479fefb3c"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="297" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZsaKR_olhp9uZ6TXSv-tM9pJplQ3sgjhPR6A6vla54LVJol53ovU_y9si40xIOkEDVoAdSXbbyReyL5vntxIwV5Ymj82-0sLaIPv6OpHjul7UpmhoXvpAzjP-Wpq08SVk3Nkqk6h" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Playing Board Games</b><br />
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Look, card games like Magic the Gathering and Yugioh are also up there, but I donāt have enough nerdy friends to play them. (Wouldn't think it seeing that I'm currently writing a DnD campaign.) As it is, our family is mad on board games so I tend to play them a whole heap. (And no. Those are not all of our board games, I just couldnāt fit the rest into the photo neatly.)<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-5eb0417d-7fff-4927-fb4a-d0b8bce425dc"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/v8j0ob9jwW7OV_KelAhY0i83tD4QMowbF1FlHUfMpK6wz76bQkvbJUHNM_zwD89bOrown0tvK6E4F0DLiLlXFxShlJEi2hFkAKOV33-2O7So9uhah0La1dlqdWWUSmUj1w71UPXK" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="190" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Walking/Daydreaming</b><br />
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These two go together seeming that when I go walking, I tend to daydreamā¦<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-8558270e-7fff-735b-1fee-c9c20176597e"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9bGHl6gHjAxKelF4MN-B-gqrnppgrOmryVWGgxHrqQoOSTt_-eIHu2kB9m2B0EJAF8Fi26jzBojshtGnHZ_HQW8Z8ghs5FNMtoAFEFGOhcipUUTSQjcXF1vJOUoE4KbabEIPsfg" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Hanging out with Friends and Fam</b><br />
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To deal with a dodgy myth, us introverts actually do like hanging out with people. We just do it in moderation. So yes. Hanging out with friends and family is a big one for me.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-7bdca07d-7fff-7965-2403-7884d8cf9cb1"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="298" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/fBEBAozf3vIumJR47_ZRweWtlYOYPewF3ANg3TXxgOhgmT2cDnktsCb66DfgIgFG7gmb_QdRahpVtkTuyPvKHlFiqw7dplkweoa2Cd-i3dXfH4ykJrUKMQ1ZS1MSioLmI5YH0Nxv" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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There we go! Seven things posted. I chose to do activities, seeing that otherwise Iād really be on for hours. (Bible, books, Jesus, rain, green grass, smell of paper, aesthetic stuff, etc)<br />
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Anyone who wants to do this tag, feel free! On that note, remember that:<br />
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<i>When the dog bites,</i></div>
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<i>When the bee stings,</i></div>
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<i>When Iām feeling sad,</i></div>
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<i>I simply remember my favourite things,</i></div>
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<i>And then I donāt feel, </i></div>
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<i>So bad.</i></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd2b9060-7fff-18aa-ab4c-54358f25afc9"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="210" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rVsDs0oLYKxKsuAbJVXRvOvu2OZ8IB2xbSMme-E7p3Mrc-w5eyf_FzrebdPqfkJw4T86LOFCvCKnjJBnf0priXBX86mJFpjlHqYWEx3OhQwkrJpU64qTQeEXt6jIS00XPETcfVSC" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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The rules are as followsā¦<br />
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1. Link back to and thank the person who tagged you. (tick)<br />
2. Link back to and thank the blogger who began the tag. (tick)<br />
3. List and picture seven of your favorite things. (tick)<br />
4. Tag at least seven people (Or as many as you can) (*ā¦carefully breaks this rule*)<br />
5. Use the picture from above (tick)<br />
6. List the seven rules. (tick)<br />
7. Have fun! (tick)<br />
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Anyone who wants, please enjoy doing this tag!<br />
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J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-43509887898773554712018-10-12T11:35:00.000+11:002018-10-12T11:42:54.993+11:00How Can Writing Serve God?Bula! (thatās Fijian for āhelloā)<br />
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If you hadnāt guessed, last week, I was on a mission trip in Fiji with my school.<br />
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Basic summary of the trip:<br />
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<ol>
<li>We were a team of 18 kids and a handful of teachers who were all varied degrees of crazy for God. (And the normal type of crazy too.)</li>
<li>My ukulele was played a LOT. And one dude over there learnt it in five minutes to the point that he was playing better than all of our team members could.</li>
<li>Much singing was done, and by the end, we had mastered our repertoire of eight songs, plus a few other fun ones.</li>
<li>No one died!</li>
<li>We went to a whole heap of schools and hung out with the kids there.</li>
<li>We regularly performed a skit explaining how āJesus is the King Over Everything.ā</li>
<li>A long conversation in the middle of the night concluded that it was impossible to āwake up dead,ā but weāll forever use that phrase anyways.</li>
<li>God was (and is) at work in Fiji.</li>
</ol>
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And most people will agree that what we were doing there was serving God, but more often than not, people ask me how my <i>writing </i>is bringing glory to Him if Iām not writing purely allegorical fiction. Hopefully, Iāll be able to quickly explain why writing for God is an actual thing.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-51dff79e-7fff-b131-8a44-f9e11748517c"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="297" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/9139rrkU-LGhYU76L_GJ1ptkw_-AuYF-68yu8AyOeWV2z0g-n-3y2NPJN-UwGcU6928hm8gABpG4rnuBrJrg3tUU4f4H93-lU6cSklWxkboIyROaknyVGevdyBmnk9SAvXaJPOgN" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Most of you who read this blog probably already know and believe that writing for God without writing allegories is possible, and very effective. This is seen through countless books that explore ideas that result in a āChristianā (most refer to them as āmorally correctā) message in order to sway the reader to a particular point of view.<br />
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But if the purpose of writing is to persuade, then why write fiction?<br />
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The main reason that I write fiction is because I find it more enjoyable, both to read and to write. But it also is far more inclined to persuade than non-fiction (not counting biographies) is.<br />
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As a student, I can comfortably say that Iāve written a lot of essays in my life thus far, and a lot of reports. Iāve argued for sides Iām passionate about and ones that I donāt believe in. But this remains: <b>The most effective part of a report or essay is the fictitious aspect.</b> The part where you give a hypothetical example of what the damage coal mining has on a family is far more dramatic and meaningful than just spouting off stats. Showing the journey of a Phoenician trading vessel and what the different people it would trade with is going to stick into peopleās minds more than a list of items. Giving an example on why family is valuable is more important than just explaining the physiological effects of relationships.<br />
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As a reader (or viewer) we want to be able to relate to what is being placed before us. We want to be <i>shown </i>why the author wants us to believe something. We donāt want to just have the information thrown at us; <b>we want to explore it in depth for ourselves. </b><br />
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What better way is there to explore an idea than creating characters to undergo trials and explore it in front of the reader?<br />
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Ultimately, that is what I believe storytelling is about. We need to be the ones to paint hope where it canāt be reached otherwise, and to be able to do that through writing about journey. The journey of a character is written in order to make it possible for the readers to relate and feel as if they too, are on a quest and adventure. It invites the reader to take part in the pilgrimage to find out the answer of the question that the character is askingā¦and theyāll find the answer that you give them.<br />
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To add to all of this, <a href="https://storyembers.org/" target="_blank">Story Embers</a> (a site I have a fair bit to do with) has just released a <a href="https://storyembers.org/manifesto/?utm_source=Story+Embers&utm_campaign=127e001947-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_08_11_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_611f01042d-127e001947-72297493" target="_blank">Christian Storytellers Manifesto</a>. This is basically a document/vow/contract that says how we, as Christian writers, say we shall write and that all of the glory is to go to God.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-19a29c66-7fff-cf20-4f8e-daf06b80ac08"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/LhMcSb2qoAWnDf7fZNFKjDIvFPP7hPyJ3tN9C0NSbHElJbACRXGvlczdgYabT8HbfpRHZkVzY26-54nTW8w0QV6Gx88r0OGZhjYSR_6hppZjXjcpY-xI6f2P5aooj66jP46Z9ovy" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" /></span></span></div>
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Hopefully this is a decent explanation on why writers write, and why we say that we are writing for the glory of God.<br />
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<b><i>"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."</i></b></div>
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<b><i>~Romans 12:6-8</i></b></div>
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Why do you write? Do you feel that the deeper thematic message of a book makes a difference?<br />
<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-44852101122004662012018-10-04T11:30:00.000+10:002018-10-04T11:30:06.984+10:00Storm Wielder | A Project UpdateGuys. September is gone. October is here. And guess what? NANOWRIMO IS NEXT MONTH. Thankfully, I decided to do a fair bit of planning over September as I have nooooo clue what October is going to look like, so I have a pretty rough idea of what Iām going to be doing with myself in November 2018.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c112d318-7fff-0d9c-bd49-f901a6fc67a9"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="286" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0O6gFBgXQZjLN3zmHH8DijmtVMly3kR8J2gA8ChzwcdDEizrRkmWkE-zy1H9foSiTrM9JgGD5XXDtyn7Kl4JxSEl-uGbQF0lsoo4MBkFLOhIhzApivF8cHRViiAH_MKtGJ8rGDHl" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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After much freaking out and wondering what idea to go with, I settled on the story idea with the most pins on my Pinterest Board. (Shhhh, 252 pins is not an overkill.) And so, I shall present to you my dystopian fantasy, <i><a href="https://nanowrimo.org/participants/j-a-penrose/novels/storm-wielder" target="_blank">Storm Wielder.</a></i><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c853522e-7fff-eb31-316b-7376747d9e50"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/SXZpGaPkvFg6hZ8CAldP-8vkyIMRiKr3KYCWf3VcrwAHsapLAteqLgHuKklOSCw58-TA5bB5EGU-Tngax8eP464FfaE9zpxFxc_xS_a1kKp8ozeYlloZK1GLaKU1bupZAXKr66t_" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="249" /></span></span></div>
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The drought has lasted for thirty years now. Rain and storms alike have faded into being superstitious whispers that are spoken among those who lived through the War of Storms. But now, Ty Crace has heard rumours from one of his friends that there is still a way to break the drought. He must bring back the Storm Wieldersā¦the ones who began the Wars with their dangerous magic that could control the Storms. A masked man by the name of Kaman had already begun the process of reforming the group, and in obtaining the magical element of the Storms that gave the people of the past their power. </div>
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Not long after signing up, he finds out that something more personal to him is at stake. His brother is the leader of those keeping the Storm Wielders away, and according to his new Storm Wielder friends, is the reason that the world has fallen so far into ruin. </div>
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But in the end, is the blood of family thick enough to override the water and electricity that runs in the veins of the Storm Wielders?</div>
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Iām going to have a fair bit of fun with this one, because itās got magic, and action, and six major characters, as well as a lot of really nice family/friends sort of thing. I canāt wait to write it. In factā¦there may or may not be a snippet to share alreadyā¦<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A flash illuminates the sleeping city roofs. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I perch on the edge of the bridge, my toes curling around the handrail. Stars dot the sky in handfuls flung haphazardly over the sea of black. Street lights gleam with a sickly yellow that glints off the perfectly polished train tracks. My eyes follow the courseāever onward, ever straight. Ever stretching toward the mountains. The three pills dig into my palm as I clench my fist around them. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thunder growls from behind me. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now or never. I raise a trembling hand to my mouth and toss the pills into the back of my throat. They seem to get stuck there, burning in accusation. I force them down with a swallow. By drought, I hope youāre right Heather. I close my eyes and let myself fall as the storm hits. Wind slams against me and rain peppers my bare arms like the bullet showers of Zone Four. An unbearable heat burns in my chest and I gasp, my eyes flying open in time to see the flash of light around me, and to hear the crack of thunder that followed it within the second. </blockquote>
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Storm Wielders, here I come.</blockquote>
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<i>(from the POV of Ty)</i><br />
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What do you think, guys?? Is that a half decent premise for a story? (Closer to the date I'll go into more depth!)<br />
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J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-45358672784507791882018-09-27T18:07:00.001+10:002018-09-27T18:07:17.475+10:00Romanov - Nadine Brandes | A Cover RevealIn my <a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-get-to-know-me-tag-writers-addition.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, I answered a question about who my favourite author was, and I said Nadine Brandes. Her books have made their way into <i>three</i> of my school assignments and ahhhh, I love all of her writing!!! *flails* I really need to start using Goodreads properly so that I can officially rave about all of her books and give them all 5 starsā¦ Every. Single. One. Of. Them. (And other books, but yāknow, Nadine!)<br />
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Iāve also just finished all of my preliminary exams, so what better way to celebrate than to HAVE A COVER REVEAL OF HER NEXT YOUNG ADULT BOOK, <i>ROMANOV</i>? *flails and runs about crazily*<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-0954e298-7fff-df8a-be97-8a257cf3b08e"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="239" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kINQrYhsC9B4XCcxS5HM83W4qFysGYGxdBDhdmp70fCLqrHJ6wACrIx9u71ZK5VY0X6aS7h6YHLPbzCyeXx8YZ4bmyOC0MeVyKWlMIo6uo5YWYB08F_Q3i92xn8NsiwU09PA2RiK" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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So, you know the story of Anastasia Romanov? She's written a standalone <i>Historical Fantasy Retelling</i> of it. And knowing Nadine Brandes, it will be stellar!<br />
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If youāre still doubting me and saying that is canāt be thaaaaaaat epic, well, you are wrong. Look at this!<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-59218600-7fff-6541-93a0-ff9257a5f29a"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="67" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/TFphza5uFoK_95Q5alwHU9VKgSeTxqOACPhAUZ-g9-WNylWyaj1-zFV2QYHyahQoVyY2-LezKEBBnKv8NwEsWFmmgzJr-h5D2yNzArbGFprgKPWESMidj6jmlJeFOWJQZamHEJWi" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
The history books say I died. </blockquote>
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They donāt know the half of it. </blockquote>
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Anastasia āNastyaā Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her familyās only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after themā¦and heās hunted Romanov before. </blockquote>
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Nastyaās only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesnāt act like the average Bolshevik. Nastyaās never dabbled in magic before, but it doesnāt frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like herā¦ </blockquote>
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That is, until sheās on one side of a firing squadā¦and heās on the other.</blockquote>
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How is that <i>not </i>epic? Plus, once you know Nadine Brandes, youāll want it without any further blathering from me. </div>
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<img height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sFEGvZUE1e_N5mZzcFTKF0-IYypPbGOZ84rnS-U28eb2YQQOoxrIjPGwh6cNElH7Of6Cx0V-BvyZ43bc8ysvnDQKmF3uSEp0qW_U07YgFaWEP-KtSFVGmOF_4yDAeKpONu7P1mu" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="133" /></div>
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Nadine once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She's the author of FAWKES and of the award-winning The Out of Time Series. Her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When she's not busy writing novels about bold living, she's adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. Nadine and her Auror husband are building a Tiny House on wheels. Current mission: paint the world in shalom.<br />
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Plus, sheās such a lovely person, and she is sooooooo real. Even when sheās struggling with things, <i>she is enthusiastic and is always out to make you feel better. </i>(Or at least, thatās my experience!) You can check her out more on her: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NadineBrandesAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8107261.Nadine_Brandes" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nadinebrandes/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/NadineBrandes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://nadinebrandes.com/" target="_blank">Website</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkMFKBEt3hI-vpevBh9PojA" target="_blank">Youtube</a>. (Stellar lady on all of these, guys!!!)<br />
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AND GUESS WHAT GUYS? You can preorder Romanov already! *flails forever* And Nadine has put all of the links together so that you can manage it easily! So, to preorder, just look <a href="https://nadinebrandes.com/romanovlinks" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Other than that, it will be released on the 7th of May, 2019. (Add it to your calendar guys!!!) But yesssss, the more Iām looking at details in how to publish and edit and different tips, the more I can see how much these preorders mean. Think about how amazing it makes release day for the authors and for the publishers!<br />
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Okay. Now to the cover. Letās see if you can guess what it will look like.<br />
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I had assumed it would be something like her latest book, <i>Fawkes</i>. (Five stars from me.)<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-85c9ed97-7fff-45e4-bb3d-9bc1baaa7ca4"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="277" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/yj4c1J9Qup6nP6Z1quYcQeiPOIX91MKFmSYXWrVJwgrCaGV7kLGWYRvK4Fe2goZCjrETVOK8-8EtMBaFKNP8F7-fqS5y9H7JkRdAGu8CUrORAuB5KxRtR3yq1EoPcANNIhPDhrz0" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="182" /></span></span></div>
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And her other books (ALSO five stars) had beeeeeautiful covers designed by Kirk Douponce:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-58e8fb52-7fff-a21a-fbaf-969edca5bffb"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="170" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0Bn3rlU9BnJN3JKugoN9uH0accNL1lfgCNqUPeTernE8YNIJ8EH_5lcGUhXbHu9oWQKsJtWRC54o-PUoC1b7u8LdJvydO1Ut1xRFIh0EGrERPANY0VDawNYbl-DmVNW_3WHpNYyO" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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What about you? What are you thinking?<br />
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*silent anticipation* (Just kidding. Weāre all screaming.)<br />
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Letās see what it <i>actually </i>looks likeā¦<br />
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*deep breath*<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-9e8ca95e-7fff-4664-de4c-30092e94f1d3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ap7pE07W9NQbFmkD4YuKMagS0X9WVQC0g9D2JfUOfokxaL_yfZuVHyyTLK-zkJzw1XNm8GZIwFm4rBQAA5WRPNSAHw6oEFwds6FaL6w3DqwHhSM2gNeiHgP5ckNzn5T4hiS90ZkF" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="261" /></span></span></div>
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AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *flails even more foreverly*<br />
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Itās so different to the other covers, <i>but so pretty.</i><br />
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It just looks super fairytale esque and all of the magical swirls and little starry dots and the (soon to be) gold foil and the general colour and the picture of Anastasia and the way itās all linked together and the really traditional Russian look and allllll of the prettiness. And, like, <i>āNot even royal blood can stop bullets.ā</i> I mean, how epic can you get??<br />
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So hopefully, after all of that, you are desperately wanting to <a href="https://nadinebrandes.com/romanovlinks" target="_blank">preorder </a>this beautiful book, and add it to your 'want to read' list on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40590407-romanov" target="_blank">Goodreads </a>and generally join me in flailing about this epic book!<br />
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Whatās your favourite part about the cover? Is it what you were expecting? FLAIL WITH ME.<br />
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J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-9312211417704830392018-09-22T16:03:00.000+10:002018-10-20T10:42:17.028+11:00The Get to Know Me Tag | Writers' AdditionYep. You read the title right. Today I am completing a tag. And it could be worth doing seeing that I like getting to know people! Thank you muchly <a href="http://savannahgracewrites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savannah</a> for making this tag, and thanks <a href="https://janemareeauthor.com.au/2018/09/the-get-to-know-me-tag-writers-edition/" target="_blank">Jane </a>for ātaggingā me in it. So, without any further blathering from me, onwards with the questions!<br>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-6578b83f-7fff-2826-8e62-6c61d486904f"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Qt6sWB4k5Q2cZn0eM5-DJ4mWOZ4aWiXFGFlpRaQdEy9_uPasTeAQvSJ0jOWiclE1W4u8mhBQtIN2qiwLJSwhYg-cc3Vzeui6HILA9PkZimz8IDeuNebzQ3QGUW_5rq-gjdQU-Tkh" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
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Vital Stats And Appearance</h3>
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<b>Name</b>: Jessica Penrose</div>
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<b>Nicknames</b>: Not all that many these days. I mean, my pen name is J.A.Penrose, most people call me Jess, a fair few call me The Jess, and some call me Legolas. Nicknames donāt tend to stick to me.<br>
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<b>Birthday</b>: A well guarded secret. But sure, whatever. 16th of November<br>
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<b>Hair colour and length</b>: Brown, and 4-5 inches past my shoulders.<br>
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<b>Eye colour</b>: Brown<br>
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<b>Braces/piercings/tattoos</b>: None.<br>
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<b>Righty or lefty</b>: Righty. But my handwriting is equally appalling with either hand, so, take your pick! (typically right though)<br>
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<b>Ethnicity</b>: I am an Aussie. Somewhere back in the family tree thereās some Scottish and Cornish, but I can tell you the entire history of the Penrose family in relation to the properties in the area and at what point we owned what and which great great ancestors sold to who.<br>
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Firsts</h3>
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<b>First novel written</b>: Ashes. No, that was not the bookās name, but thatās what it is now. Twas actually a collaborative thing, but it kept on deteriorating and blegh. Then again, it never reached 50K, but I suppose it was the first one I tried.<br>
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<b>First novel completed</b>: Uhmā¦ *goes to check* Ahhh, yes. <i>Sweep</i>, the first book of the now being fixed and replanned<i> Survivor Trilogy.</i> Gotta love some nice sci-fi time travel stuff.<br>
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<b>Award for writing</b>: I have a habit of winning the writing section in the local Gunnedah Show, and getting good marks in class? :P Iāve made a profit of around $50 all up of my winnings. *nods wisely* Very good at this. But I havenāt really entered that many writing competitions, so, no.<br>
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<b>First publication</b>: Erm, Iāve had musical compositions published in anthologies before, and Iāve published some things online, but not actually fully published, no.<br>
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<b>Conference</b>: I live in Australia. We are very short on these. But I really want to go to one! *sobs dramatically* Particularly when all of the writerly people I know in U.S are going to Realm Makers.<br>
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<b>Query/Pitch</b>: Hoooopefully once I get out of school Iāll be more available to get around to doing this. Or at least once the workload has dropped a bit.<br>
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Favourites</h3>
<b>Novel (that you wrote)</b>: Favourite?? Thatās just mean. I love them all. Ugh. Sorry. Pick between <i>Chosen by Fire</i> (fantasy with some really fun world building and magic and ideas) or <i>Flightless</i>. (fantasy that was amazing to write) (and I plan to edit and tear apart this year. Ack!)<i> Chosen by Fire </i>needs to be re-written, cos it didnāt turn out too well, but I love it all the same.<br>
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<b>Genre</b>: Speculative Fiction. Mainly sitting in Fantasy and Dystopian. (or both)<br>
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<b>Author</b>: Butā¦I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS. Agh. Nadine Brandes is amaaaaazing, but so is Jill Williamson, Jaye.L.Knight, Brandon Sandersonā¦ UGH.<br>
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The one that I can say I āknowā the best would be Nadine Brandes though. *flails*<br>
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<b>Writing Music</b>: Sooooo, every story I write has a different playlist, but they are mostly made up of songs by Antti Martikainen, or are from the Kaladin soundtrack. Pandoraās music is epic too.<br>
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<b>Time To Write</b>: Heh. Whenever I get the chance. Typically though, due to school, I write whenever the sun isnāt around. Either early in the morning, or in the evening. On Saturdays I tend to churn out words fairly consistently.<br>
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<b>Writing Snack/Drink</b>: *sips chai tea* Chai, everyday. NaNo months tend to result in the boxes running outā¦<br>
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<b>Movie</b>: Soooo, I have a little thing: I donāt actually watch many movies? Most quoted one would most likely be<i> Prince Caspian </i>though. *nods* Weāll go with that.<br>
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<b>Writing Memory</b>: Hmmmā¦I think probably back when I was around five, my siblings and I built this huge tree fort. We dragged dead trees to make walls and generally make it really good. Like, walls that were 3 meters high, areas to shoot our bows from, traps, working doors, a sparring area, etc. Only issue was that I was five. And my brother was about twelve, and my sister fourteen. Soooo, I had a major disadvantage. Thankfully though, I became the scribe. I wrote down all of our adventures in a little notebook, including misspelling some crazy words that turned up. Gotta love it when you, āWere thron in the dunjeons.ā (Thrown in the dungeons.) But yes. That was fun to write. Many adventures of our crazy family.<br>
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<b>Childhood Book</b>: Adventure books were my thing.<i> Famous Five</i> by Enid Blyton and <i>Swallows and Amazons</i> by Arthur Ransome were some big time favorites. But also, there were fun fantasy adventures like the<i> Gorgie Tanner</i> books by Justyn Walker. All of those were good.<br>
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Currently</h3>
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<b>Reading</b>:<i> Sacred Rhythms</i>, by Ruth Hayley Barton, and <i>The Enclave</i> by Karen Hancock.<br>
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<b>Writing</b>: At the moment, Iām kinda rewriting parts of <i>Flightless</i> to make them more consistent and fill in the worst of the plot holes and fix as many spelling errors as I can before moving into properly editing it. Mostly, Iām actually plotting for my next NaNo Novel, <i>Stormwielder</i>, which I plan to say some more about at a later date.<br>
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<b>Listening to</b>: My playlist for <i>Stormwielder</i>. (Yes, I have made a playlist and havenāt finished plotting yet. Go me!)<br>
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<b>Watching</b>: Nothing. Although, when Iām distracted, I tend to watch birds fly past. Very dramatic little things. *happily stares out of the window*<br>
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<b>Learning</b>: A lot. I mean, mostly about people, and how stubbornly they can stick to beliefs that they know are wrong. (Amazing how many straight-A students get to exam week and are certain that they are going to fail. But there is no logical reasonā¦ *taps chin thoughtfully*)<br>
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Future</h3>
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<b>Want To Be Published</b>: Yessss. Very muchly so. One day. Ideally <i>before </i>Iām in my 50s. Or 40s. Or 30sā¦<br>
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<b>Indie or Traditional</b>: Traditional. Most of my audience is overseas, and Indie Publishing is a pain when it comes to that.<br>
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<b>Wildest Goal</b>: Oh my word. Uhmā¦ Probably to hear from someone that my writing has changed their lives. I know that so many books have helped me, and I really want to be able to do the same for others.<br>
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Tag over?? What? Hopefully I answered those questions sufficiently. Anyone who want to do this tag who hasn't already, feel free to! It was lots of fun.<br>
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What's your favourite writing memory? Do nicknames stick to you?<br>
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<br>J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-38289154653864872172018-09-15T12:56:00.004+10:002018-09-15T12:56:53.959+10:00Inspiration's OriginIāve decided that today calls for a prompt. After all, prompts are useful, fun, and can result in entire stories born.<br />
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Or more often, (in my case at least) hours wasted getting distracted by interesting writing prompts that have nothing to do with me needing inspiration, and everything to do with being highly distracted on Pinterestā¦Oh well. :D<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1870410-7fff-4efb-6a17-7147baec58ba"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="296" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/WFrV5kv895iQWH7h23c3pKg_wi_zr_TguK3P8Lb1ooB6HoR3wH1johdF5tuHLDQuEuU8gftcDY3uK2TZL6YgDeBJlxK6CQNcAblhrdNnL60Mj0Bawg0Le7BXBeb_ZSYjjM-BsR7k" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Despite what I was just saying about getting highly distracted by prompts, they have been good to me in the past. Here are a couple that ended up sparking ideasā¦<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e40c567b-7fff-7aec-16d8-24820d761739"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="168" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/WqV5MdwQcwGWQ9dbQrXWfa3gPywImG-kh8crp1FL0esghNbSvK7YMg8FlZqYoq89r-nvSSfYE51iHk3wr_7SYas9e6pAuvq2bxMFv1SD6jIgzRPsJ9JINEZiaAVKRft-m3avVI5N" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="200" /></span></span></div>
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This one resulted in the actual plot for what will hopefully be my next NaNo Novelā¦ (Shall tell you more closer to the time)<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-da447551-7fff-c096-6918-ec22db69f29a"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Wj3_vl4VHtcXyo_Xpms317Hc3V0-6yfGg5XS5iaj2IcO05ltbBYKMbcJBGn2abgMMrXWf7DALo3C2ZdddtDm0g-sVz4MQVR8P_ia3e7bmbC561I9SjYHi97HecXsdA8NZxshPuP8" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="179" /></span></span></div>
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I havenāt talked much about the story for this one, but<i> Immortal Hero</i> came directly from this little prompt, and it was lots of fun to write. Hoooopefully Iāll get around to rewriting it someday.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-108fbff8-7fff-4660-d8ad-bc71f9c8cb68"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QYHqZ0Lmen_3csglQr5dyJ7723ON61mb4sVB7cuEXk-zIAu5SuUqyGC3xoaMYE7F6QBGbo-JbA1mvCmIWgPfAEgXLK3m_3V7Uh-HUbyTi5mLXz-x4eapKRrWz2Hvy6FoKMTGr9W9" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="200" /></span></span></div>
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Last, but not least, is the one for my rather morally grey character, who is yet to be put in a definite story. Really want to include him somewhere, but we shall see. *pats him sadly*<br />
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Sadly, for every one of that I use, there are proooobably a good 15 that are just distractions. :P But hey, keeps the imagination going.<br />
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Now for the prompt of my own creation that I wish to give to you todayā¦<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3aed3d74-7fff-8f2a-4865-b30f0620754c"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="237" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CJEDiaOGzBeXSWLAuU1JqvQE-5_P-DjiUFd3z9nm40gbALX2BMX4_34fQEzTsWp08XkduXXjnyyDpWqc4UQQ9AxCBtJAVIz7eoGzFyDrX-VVfOv8NPla64n68q3nf2I0qyPjIIZ" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Have you come across any decent prompts lately? How do you get your story ideas?<br />
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J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-78262852320526572092018-09-06T17:55:00.000+10:002018-09-06T18:09:12.605+10:00The Art of Show Don't Tell<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a few different things that people seem to struggle with in writing. One of these things is<i> Show Donāt Tell</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I reckon that everyone has heard this term before, and Iām pretty certain that everyone struggles with it at times. Itās a trap that everyone slips into. Iāve been helping out some school friends and other writerly people with managing to identify telling and replace it with showing. I also felt that it could be a worthwhile thing to write a blog post about so that other people can look at it a bit more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thereās a lot of articles out there on <i>Show Donāt Tell</i>, and hopefully Iāve drawn off the best of them to present what I think is the most widely accepted view by a variety of writers and readers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iāll also be including a list of these different websites and resources that have super duper helpful articles on this at the end of this summary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now onwards to delve into the art of <i>Show Donāt Tell</i>!</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-7306bfb0-7fff-e3af-e888-c4c59c9e27c6"><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="299" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fXXDX4ERzrQyQCv3pD1BHwY7__AXxtvR6cCFnClwe2rXdIevpRSZrLKWx64zVOsNtRYJ7y06BdZUpUrIqZ_8wCxfTr0kk_k6xWkXgtL3M34aPUuMbYCD5GZhYsJFxZgFIr1njNs4" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>āIn writing. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was "terrible," describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was "delightful"; make us say "delightful" when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, "Please will you do my job for me."</i></span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br><div style="text-align: right;">
<i style="font-size: 17.3333px;">~ C.S.Lewis</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">What C.S.Lewis wrote in 1956 still applies to us today, as many people will note. Writers are regularly talking about, ā<i>Show Donāt Tell</i>ā and how invaluable it is to writing, but it is kinda hard to actually know what that means, and how we can do it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Difference Between Telling and Showing</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Telling </b>is giving the bare basics of the information to allow the reader to <i>know </i>whatās going on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Showing </b>is bringing to life those bare basics to allow the reader to <i>experience </i>whatās going on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are four main types of telling that I see commonly in writing, and they are: <b>emotion </b>telling, <b>action </b>telling, <b>description </b>telling, and <b>information</b> telling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">āJohn was sad.ā -emotion telling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">āJohn ran away.ā -action telling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">āJohn had blond hair.ā -description telling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">āJohn had been a fighter in the third war of the twelfth sector of the ANL Corporation in 2032.ā -information telling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To turn these into <i>showing</i>, you need to do a few different things:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Emotion Showing</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When youāre trying to show a characterās emotion, you need to try and write about the symptoms of the emotion. Think about a person's posture when theyāre dealing with an emotion. Their thoughts. Their internal sensations. What theyāre doing at the time. Their voice. How they view the world around them. If you say some of these things instead of the emotion, the readers will know what the emotion is, and will be able to visualise it better. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Letās look at John being sad again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">John hunched over his desk, sniffing slightly and trying to stop his lip from trembling. <i>Why did they go? Weāre meant to stick togetherā¦friends.</i> A dull ache pressed against his chest and his heart lodged itself firmly in his throat. <i>Get a grip. It's not that big of a deal. </i>A hand landed on his shoulder, but he kept staring down at the scratched surface of the desk. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">He forced himself to swallow the lump and look up through a film of tears at his teacherās face. He blinked a few times, sucking in a shuddering breath. āNo,ā he gave him a wavering smile, āItāsā¦itās fine.ā He bit his lip, mentally willing the tremor in his voice to go away. āFine. Honestly.ā <i>There. That sounds more confident.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is considerably more interesting than just saying that, āJohn sat at his desk and felt sad about his friends abandoning him.ā Why? Because it was elaborated and removed the telling word of the emotionās name, āsad.ā </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A good way to see if youāre emotion telling is to see if youāve used the name of the emotion somewhere in the section. If you have, thatās a fair sign of emotion telling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Action Showing</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Main way you can look at this one is elaboration. Itās actually somewhat difficult to define just as is. Rather, itās complicated and involves many different details to create the effect of showing action instead of just telling it. More about elaborating and allowing the readers to see, to be honest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again to John.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Johnās feet pounded against the ground and he spared a glance over his shoulderāhis heart in his throat. They were catching up. Jerking his head back around to face forward, he skidded across the ground a few meters as the traffic lights turned green. His heart thudded an irregular beat in his chest and he sucked in a deep breath, running across the road, starting and stopping as the cars continued roaring past.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again with this being far more interesting that the told version of, āJohn ran away because he was being chased. He got away because he ran across a road while the cars were moving.ā Suddenly, we can see the detail. Not in such an extent that it clogs down the story, but enough that it allows usāthe readersāto visualise it fully. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Using words and phrases such as, āwas,ā āhad been,ā āhad,ā ābecause,ā āsince,ā and āwhen,ā are all defining red lights that should warn you that your excerpt probably has action telling. (Same goes for their relatives in the present and future tenses.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Description Showing</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also called āwoven description,ā this is something that people tend to find difficult. How can you describe your character or place when you canāt specifically say everything? Basically, your readers donāt need to know all of thatā¦at least, not in one hit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>For characters: </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weave in those descriptions naturally. You want the readers to know that John has blond hair? Feel free to have him shove blond hair out of his face, or look through a haze of blond strands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">John fell to his hands and knees and looked up through a blur of blond. His gaze met the pair of eyes as vividly blue as his own and he swallowed. <i>Not here. Not now. </i>He tore his gaze away, panting. The grandeur of the palace loomed over him, trying to swallow him. <i>Always second best. Never good enough.</i> He blinked, and the eyes were gone again.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This way it seems natural and isnāt just randomly mentioning that he has blond hair. As is, John has been described in a bit more detail, and it seems somewhat natural. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Letās move onto the place that John was inā¦</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>For places:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, weave in those descriptions. You want the readers to know that the room was large and well furnished? Seeming to be well looked after by years of care? Cold and unfriendly? Let them know casually, donāt have John stand there for a solid ten minutes mentally describing every little detail. Just mention what matters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">John looked up to glare back at the room, trying to force away the oppressive air enveloping him. Polished bronze glinted at him from the banisters and portraits stared down at him, their gazes disapproving. He shook his head and pushed himself up from the carpet, casting his gaze over the ebony and glass. <i>Where did he go?</i> He kicked a cabinet and a resounding, thunk, broke the silence of the room.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This way, we can see what it looks like as well as seeing whatās going on in the plot side of things. Plus, it is far more interesting to see John interacting with the room, rather than just observing it. He point of view on the situation allows for the entire room to be more of a manifestation of whatās happening to him. Had he been happy and there of his own will, we would have described it differently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just by weaving your description into the story, it instantly makes it more reader friendly then great slabs of description that no one really knows what to do withā¦aside from possibly skip over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Information Showing</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Information telling, is often called an āinformation dump.ā As it is, we want to try and weave that information into the story itself. To be honest, this is one of the types of telling that I come across the most. It seems to like to turn up in most stories, and is really painful to get rid of. Why? Because it seems very important and necessary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hello John! Letās look at some info dumps in your life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">John stopped outside the Museum, tingles running up and down his skin. The simple, box-like building was said to be one of the most secure places in the world. It had a regularly rotating guard, over a thousand security cameras, a laser maze, voice recognition security, DNA scansā¦the works. It had been erected in 2022 in order to protect the only remaining plant that was left on earth. Over five hundred million dollars were spent on building it, and all of those who made it were killed a few weeks after its completions. No one could get in or out without being registered. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">John had spent years studying it and wondering if he could get in. After all, it isnāt all that hard when you know what youāre doing to break into a high security building, at least not for him. He actually knew what he was doing, not an amature like the rest.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you can see, that was a lot of words just telling us about what the building was. Did we need to know all of that? No, not really. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Had we not been told much about the Museum for half a novel, but kept getting hints and desperately wanting to know, you <i>maaaay </i>be able to get away with it. As it is, we want to avoid this sort of information telling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quick ways of spotting it are basically when you explain something. If youāre explaining much more than basics, then it is most likely info-dumping. Instead, try to show events. Instead of having John thinking about all of the protective layers, maybe have him watch a recording of someone trying to break in, and him experiencing all of the security layers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, showing is all about experiencing. You want the readers to experience, so you show it to them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There you have it. Those are what I can find as the four most commonāand deadlyācases of telling in peopleās writing, how to recognise it, and how to avoid it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>A quick recap: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Emotion telling</i> is identifiable by locating the emotion names (sad, happy, scared), and able to be fixed by instead describing the emotionās physical, mental, and internal effects. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Action telling</i> is identifiable by explanatory words and phrases (āwas,ā āhad been,ā āhad,ā ābecause,ā āsince,ā and āwhenā), and can be fixed by elaborating on exactly what is happening instead of just stating it happening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Description telling</i> is identifiable through chunks of description that are not woven in to make sense (John had blond hair), and can be fixed by instead weaving it into the text and having the character interact with the item of description or have a reason to focus on it aside from just for the sake of description.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Information telling</i> is identifiable by a dump of information that is explaining something to the reader (purpose and function of the Museum), and can be fixed by allowing the reader to experience it for themselves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, here are some helpful sites and resources to look at that help with it:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/the-secret-to-show-dont-tell/">https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/the-secret-to-show-dont-tell/</a> - K.M.Weiland</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/show-and-tell/#">https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/show-and-tell/#</a> - K.M.Weiland</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/3-ways-writers-can-instantly-spot-telling">https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/3-ways-writers-can-instantly-spot-telling</a>/ - K.M.Weiland</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://kingdompen.org/how-to-avoid-info-dumps/">http://kingdompen.org/how-to-avoid-info-dumps/</a> - Gabrielle Pollack</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-to-show-your-story-instead-of.html">http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-to-show-your-story-instead-of.html</a> - Stephanie Morrill</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://kingdompen.org/three-ways-to-use-subtext-to-show-instead-of-tell/">http://kingdompen.org/three-ways-to-use-subtext-to-show-instead-of-tell/</a> - Hope Ann</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression - Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now youāre all ready to go out and tackle <i>Show Donāt Tell</i> for yourselves! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any other thoughts about <i>Show Donāt Tell</i>? Ideas? Tips? Feel free to share below! </span></div>
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J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-35845564257872247022018-08-28T20:01:00.001+10:002018-08-28T20:01:47.260+10:00Writing the ClimaxLately in school, weāre having to study maaaaany texts. Some, are awesome. Othersā¦wellā¦I canāt say that I am a huge fan. However, something seems to run in common with these texts: They lack a decent climax.<br />
<br />
What is a climax exactly? Well, according to a quick internet search, it is: āThe most intense, exciting, or important point of something; the culmination.ā<br />
<br />
K.M.Weiland said in one of her articles, that, āitās the moment when the two speeding trains finally collide into a single unforgettable scene.ā<br />
<br />
Both seem to carry the same message. (Unusual for that to happen to be honest.) That probably means we should be paying attention to it. We <b>clearly </b>are needing to be including a climax that somewhat follows this concept. But how? What is it in a climax that makes it so good?<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e4297b77-7fff-08c7-230f-5e79565582f8"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="295" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gym5_iR97-RQr7gKqUMxIGjx0y-Ak4fH-zZjDkWWqtT3MXQuLQjLUzVR3uZJD8y_F2xfwL6PyPyPg3v8PZL-hydzZo_rVroUZq_i8zXeE8IAQSWSSzLx_LqkrCdzqgZz6FKHNrW_" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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Now, the books weāve studied at school do still have value for what they appear to have been designed for. They were more written as āartā in which authors specifically break rules in order to make the reader question the purpose of a novel.<br />
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As a Christian writer, I feel that the purpose of my writing is to bring glory to God through the words He gives us, and to convey messages and themes in a way that makes it more relatable to the reader than simply stating them. Therefore, I do not go along with the beliefs of authors who chose to write purely to break expectations, but I am not saying that they arenāt valuable works in their own rights.<br />
<br />
But how can one write a good climax? What is it that sets an amazing one aside from one thatās just, āmehā? Hopefully, Iāll be able to cover that in this post with two main points.<br />
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<br />
<b>1. Internal Is Important</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A lot of people assume that the climax is just when the plot reaches its peak. The point when the hero and the villain face each other on the rooftop of the tallest building in a city as the war goes on down below themāprobably with the heroās side losing.<br />
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<i>But there is more.</i><br />
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This should be the point in which the hero has to officially take on their new way of living. This is where they have to have changed on the inside in order to make a difference and win the battle at its climax. They need to be at the height of their emotions and internal conflict at this point. Most of what makes a climax really intense is that the character is seriously undergoing this crazy change inside of them, and they are having to fight within themselves in order to win the fight externally.<br />
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A lot of writersāparticularly newer onesāstruggle with this. They get so caught up in the moment that they skip the internal entirelyā¦possibly for the entire book. Now, this tends to mean that the battle wasnāt actually as epic as it should have been.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
āWe're our own worst enemy. You doubt yourself more than anybody else ever will. If you can get past that, you can be successful.ā ~ Michael Strahan</blockquote>
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This is fundamentally why books where the character has to overcome that internal struggle are so powerful. If you can convince yourself to go against everything youāve always believed because youāve finally come to terms through a lot of pain that the other way is right, you will really struggle if at the matter it matters most, you get given an option to go back to how you were before.<br />
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Letās imagine a girl called Katie now. Katie has always run away from her problems because she didnāt want to get involved. Sheās never been caught, but once she ran away and her friend was. She felt bad, and since has been stewing over her decision.<br />
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After a lot of thinking, she decided that she was going to go and face the villain and get her friend back. So she left.<br />
<br />
Upon arriving, the villain was standing there, in front of her friend. Katie could see how dangerous this was. She was terrified. The villain then gives her the choice: Stay and die, or run away and be safe. Katie stands there for a few agonizing minutes, thinking. Her friend meets her eyes. Katie looks toward the escape. It would be so easy for her to back down.<br />
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Resolve sets in her and she chooses to stay.<br />
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Now, to be perfectly honest, those are the moments that seem to be the most powerful in books. When the character could easily give up, but they overcome that fear. Even if Katie <i>did </i>die at that point, <b>it still feels right</b>. She changed. The climax occured, and she chose the right path. In a way, that is both the climax and the resolution.<br />
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So in short, do not skip the internal.<br />
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<br />
<b>2. Real Readers Read Realistic Writing</b><br />
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Explosions. Massive magic battles. The duel to the death on a tightrope. Flames cover the entire world. He drops to his knee and proposes in spite of the tragedy theyāve just been through. The court case where all that can be heard after the main character finished their speech is the soft breathing and the stilled silence of shock.<br />
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Pure epicness. And it belongs in the climax. They are all different forms of epicness, and all belong in different genres. But you want it to be there. After all, it is meant to be the intense part, āwhere the two speeding trains finally collide.ā You donāt want another part to overshadow it. It has to stand out as the most major part of the story.<br />
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However, you donāt want it to go too far.<br />
<br />
Cāmon Jess. How could you make epicness go too far? Isnāt epicness meant to be the epitome of grandness? You canāt really go too farāor too wrongāsurely?<br />
<br />
Trust me. You can.<br />
<br />
Simple way to tell: If the climax is unrealistic, it has gone too far. Has the last living dragon in the world swooped down out of nowhere and decimated the entire enemy lines while the hero cheers and uses the chaos to defeat the villain? Not likely to happen.<br />
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What about the hero managing to shoot down the alien ship just as it was descendingā¦blindfolded, in the middle of a chaotic battlefield, with only one point being likely to knock the ship out of the sky? Nuh uh. Still not happening.<br />
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Did the car manage to jump the span of a kilometer, only just scraping through at the last minute despite the jump being virtually impossible? The readers are going to sit back and sigh.<br />
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No one likes it when a book does this. You can see how epic it is going to be, and something huge happens! But then you sit back and frown at it because you know it canāt have happened.<br />
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This makes it look like that writer was being lazy. Donāt know how they can win? Letās make this magical explosion work really well and be so huge that it wipes them out.<br />
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Really, it is heaps more interesting if the hero can win in a realistic way that is still epic. Think about you climax and make sure that it is realistic according to the laws of your book. If it is, go ahead!<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
There you go. Those are the two main things I think need to be kept in mind when writing a climax. If you use both of these points, it should seriously help strengthen your climax and make it more interesting, as well as meaningful.<br />
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Climaxes are one of the most memorable parts of any book, so you want to make sure that your readers are satisfied with yours. If they arenāt, chances are, they wonāt like the book. So be sure to put effort into that climax, and donāt let it get lost in the rest of your novel!<br />
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What do you think are the most important parts of a climax? What are some of your favorites?<br />
<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com6Gunnedah-32.30801858964093 149.5331905999999-45.960167589640932 128.87889359999991 -18.655869589640929 170.18748759999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-11723947470557807282018-08-11T12:26:00.000+10:002018-08-11T12:26:06.465+10:00Finding the Time to WriteLife is busy. Crazily so. And us writers tend to want to find time to write, but never manage to because time is just so hard to find. If you attend school, your teachers are giving you tons of work, your friends are giving you tons of drama, and location is giving you tons of travelling. If you're an adult and are out of school, then you've got work, friends, family, and scary adult stuff that's drinking up your time like that thirsty writing dragon that comes along and slurps your chai when you're not looking.<br />
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So how can you find enough time to write?<br />
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It's definitely something that I've been struggling with over the past year. Teachers are loading me up with school work, friends are throwing drama at me, and life in general seems to have very little concept of the fact that it takes time to write words. Don't get me wrong, I love school, friends, family and life in general, it just does make it quite challenging to manage to write among all of that. So I figured I'd give you a few ideas and tips that have been helping me out lately.<br />
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<b>1. You can write small amounts.</b><br />
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This is one of the things that took me a while to work out. I'm used to being able to sit down and churn out over 1000 words in a day, but when you need to churn out two essays in a day as well, it just can't happen.<br />
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As it is, I find that it is helpful to remember that even if you just write a few hundred words in ten or so minutes, that is still writing, and it is still getting you somewhere. If you have a teacher who is late for class, you can just write a few more lines and enjoy that bit of freedom to write.<br />
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Sure, it doesn't produce much when you do this, but it helps you feel more like you're getting a chance to write.<br />
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<br />
<b>2. Make the things stopping you from writing, start you writing.</b><br />
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I managed to put my novel that I wrote in July under the banner of my Extension English project that was taking up tons of precious time. I've also written two short stories for other English things, given my friend a novel for her birthday, given another friend a collection of poetry, worked out the statistical variety in newspaper articles for Maths, interviewed Jackie French (an Aussie author) for Geography, and gotten to research about the Phoenicians for Ancient History who may well end up scoring a story from me later on... *taps chin thoughtfully*<br />
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Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to do any creative writing or writing related things in Biology. So note to treat this one with caution. :P<br />
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<b>3. Write on the way.</b><br />
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I spend approximately three hours a day on a bus. Those three hours are pretty darn boring unless I'm writing. Mostly, laptops are able to work offline on word, scrivener, or even docs, and that means that you can use this boring bus trip, or train trip, to write. Yes, screaming kids can be a pain, but if you put earphones in and block out everything but you and your characters, you'll manage! (Hopefully)<br />
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WARNING: Do not tune out so much that you can't get out if there is an emergency. Also don't do this if you're the one driving. *nods wisely*<br />
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<br />
<b>4. Get the other things done ASAP.</b><br />
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I'm horrible at following this one, but I'll say it any way.<br />
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If you've been given an assignment that isn't due for another three weeks, don't leave it until the last minute. Get it done early. Otherwise, you'll spend the entire last week stressing over it, and won't actually get it done until the night before, but will have spent the entire week leading up to it procrastinating furiously, all the while being freaked out cos there is no way you can finish this thing on time.<br />
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Basically, if you finish it early, then you can say bye-bye to stress, and sit down and write when you would have been freaking out over a project.<br />
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<b>5. If none of these are working, wake up half an hour earlier.</b><br />
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Unless you are so frantically busy that you aren't even getting enough sleep, waking up a bit earlier to get some writing in at the start of the day is a good option. I have a tendency to wake up a bit earlier some mornings if I really want to get some writing done, and it actually doesn't work too badly. Don't wake up an extra two hours before you normally would, but a little bit doesn't hurt.<br />
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I hope that helps you guys out for being able to write!<br />
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Have you got any ideas on how to make time to write? Ever used any of these ones?<br />
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<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-51011215895405491792018-08-02T18:42:00.003+10:002018-08-02T18:53:59.981+10:00The Finale | A Project Update<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">It is over. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><i>Flightless </i>is finished. Or at least, the first draft is. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">I figured Iād share a few things about this novel with you guys, and just wrap up
my WIP posts for a while. Seems like thatās all Iāve been doing lately.
So, here we go. May I present the last Flightless Post that youāll see for a while at least. :D</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e067f46e-f9cf-b084-297a-652b6af9c059"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="265" src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/seUNpNzzQyzmwJZ3t3ZQD4Q/image?w=427&h=283&rev=91&ac=1&parent=1IwxScJaceFBz_4aW0hknitIRkBi9CGJzlJuoJ3bNT3Q" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Links to the previous posts:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/06/flightless-project-update.html" target="_blank">Flightless | A Project Update</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-world-of-caldor-project-update.html" target="_blank">The World of Caldor | A Project Update</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/07/7-7-7-tag-flightless.html" target="_blank">7-7-7 Tag</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">So, now that youāve been refreshed with all of those, letās look at some fun things about
the story that have changed from the original plans.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Glayde became tall. Glayde was originally small. And about five years younger.
Then I realised that that would have meant he had been in prison since he was about seven.
And stayed there for ten years. *coughs awkwardly* So yes. That was upped a bit.
*squints at my Glayde who is now a bit over six foot* </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">The Etani came in a whole heap more than planned. Like, they actually have a place in the plot.
*dramatic gasping* </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">A plot twist happened.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Stats and Facts:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ef650d98-f9d1-9181-ae21-9c3a842a8953"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="171" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/KlK1wGHVxFZ8mX4HfBIa6T7AWIMPrPjCEuDCJPiVpr56pTrSAwpAZ62xqSuN_dvxI0QhopYmM3llloxVhu9I65VPCnfjAbaWiD70xrxfghztgR41ufdmZAXwgNHpOTo8v4--2qlq" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Look at how awesome those cabin stats are guys!!! Iām so proud of you! *happy claps* </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Number of cups of chai drunk: </b>Well, Weāve gone through three over the last month, and I
spent over a week consuming chai at other housesā¦and each packet of chai contains fifty
tea bagsā¦so, you can do the maths! (Note: There were sometimes other chai drinkers in the
house. I can however confess that I was the greatest consumer.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Most bizarre story research:</b> Probably was my multiple hunts on how the brain is affected
from years in solitary confinement and sensory deprivation. And no, you do not want to know
what Iāve been doing for my characters.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Most words in a day</b>: When I was doing a 10K day with <a href="https://janemareeauthor.com.au/" target="_blank">Jane</a>, I managed to get 10411 written.
So, that was the most. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Most listened to song</b> (regarding writing not schooling):
Well, lyrical, it would have been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4jRD1o1iGI" target="_blank">Who I am Hates Who Iāve Been</a> by Relient K,
and non lyrical would have been <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/6tSmt2yPfYgITAvHrSJGHi" target="_blank">Flight </a>by Mitch Chakour. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Questions from a friend: </b>(Same one who threw a shoe at me actually) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>How would trio react if in this world? </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Goodness. They would freak out. A lot. Individually though, it would probably
go something like thisā¦ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Caution: Where is this place? Where are the trees? This is not on my maps. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Glayde: *is silent* *internally* What has she done to us now?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Suitini: HUMANS. EVERYWHERE. WHERE ARE THE DRAGONS????</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>What does normal life look like for them? </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Ooooh, I like this one. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><i>Before story starts: </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Caution would be spending most of her time studying and learning more about how to act as a
queen. She also does a fair bit of horse riding and often goes on walks around the courtyard
with her father who sheās quite close to. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Glayde would spend most of his time doing stable hand things. He likes horses and spends a
fair chunk of the time looking after them. He feels that they are the least judgemental of his
past in prison. When not doing that, heād be practicing with his sword, vaguely hoping to get
revenge against the person who threw him in prison ten years ago. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Suitini? She would be chilling in her cave. Reading books, doing some sword drills, and
raiding nearby farms for food. She also would be hunting about for money to help build
up her book collection, the one good thing she can find about being a human. She also would
be given lessons and dragon training things from her mistress, Harani. On the side, she often
tries to work out where her dragon/human blood mix came from. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">After the story? Welllll, too many spoilers there. (Mwhahaha)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>If you had to retitle it, what would it be? </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Goodness. Well, I didnāt even come up with the title of Flightless so Iām not sureā¦Hmmā¦ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">*One bus trip later*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">*Nervous laughter* Still no clue. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">(Yes. I literally thought about this for a whole bus trip and couldnāt come up with anything.
So, obviously it isnāt meant to be retitled.) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Theme and message?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Ooooh, good one good one.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Freedom. Freedom was definitely my main theme in this book, as you can kinda derive from
the title. Everyone is flightless in some way. Caution is ignoring her captivity to her forced
lifestyle, until she nearly ends up in a messed up marriage, Glayde has lost more than his </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">voice, and is trying to free himself through revenge, and Suitini is held captive by her own
inability to help others. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">So what is my message?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Basically, that freedom is found through sacrificing yourself to help others be free. Only when
you are willing to lay down all that you have and can offer is it possible for you to really be
free. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Hopefully that made some sense.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Why did you write it?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Because about a week before Camp I had no novel, so I got myself a novel. :P</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">But in all seriousness, I wrote it as a way to convey that message, and to look into it more
myself. I find that I am often writing about freedom, and itās making me curious as to what
that may be reflecting about me. I think most Christian writers write for a few reasons.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">To glorify God.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">To show others of his goodness and love despite our broken world.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">To entertain.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">To actually get to explore these ideas ourselves and to look into some of the deepest parts of
our lives that we otherwise do not touch. Things that you need to see be played out on paper
in front of you. Some things just need that extra layer of discovery.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Phew. End of questions. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><b>Snippet?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Hahaha. I guess I can put in a little snippet. Hmmā¦which oneā¦ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">This is from Suitini's POV nearish the climax.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Coward. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">The word echoes dully through my skull as the wind batters against my face. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Coward. Traitor. Deserter. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Thatās all I amāeverything that a dragon is not. My heart throbs in double time to the beating
of my wings as the blur of green and grey passes beneath me. Trees and grasslands mesh
together in a hazy jumble of emotions, all the same and all different. Why am I running away?
Why didnāt I stay and fight? We could have overpowered them, surely. Trees had tried to get
free. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Am I worse than him?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Am I more of a coward than a man who makes deals in the middle of the night to betray an
innocent girl?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Did I just betray them both to the King, as well as betray the entire kingdom of Corohanāall
of Caldor?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">I let out a roar and some of the pain in my chest vanishes. Startled squawking of birds rises on
my left and the small feathery things fly off in mass. Sticking together. I grit my teeth and </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">angle my head for the cliffs. Iām not like a stupid pigeon. Iām like an eagle. Eagles fly alone.
Solo. They donāt need anyone else, and no one has to depend on them. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Like me. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;">Iām not a pigeon. If they mistook me for one, then thatās their own fault. Anyone can see the
difference. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><i>What about you? Any fun facts about your WIP? Why do you write?</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-63411775360251492782018-07-14T18:01:00.000+10:002018-07-16T09:25:38.609+10:007-7-7 Tag | FlightlessNo, I am not dead. I was so good and did two posts earlier and was a good girl, then missed one, but hey. I can blame <a href="https://janemareeauthor.com.au/" target="_blank">Jane </a>for that, as well as thanking her for this tag!<br>
<br>
Basically, last week, our mini, āWriting Retreatā was held at her place, not mine, so lots of words were written! Yay! (Although, we normally write fairly well here tooā¦) Over the course of five or so days, I managed to add another 20882 words to my novel. (10K was in a day, so yay! I can tick that off the July list.) But, no blog post. :(<br>
<br>
But hey! The stats are looking awesome! *cheers for my Cabin* Keep it up guys!<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-26a50a35-97c9-4a65-e6dd-67682e149c5f"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="162" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4D8XF_IdD18dY62-60RmbO3QA-i9gVeHSWXDQ1u5gy2br4iHao3C3cLmnDANRWX6wF5gyBtQpHBsgrqIHx5jLlSTBKl0m9jOnePo5e0tRCgoSE2HH5vBQdbxNyB80GGTlkVRzq_4" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
<br>
However, now I am back and shall be presenting a tag to you. I havenāt done one of these since last September, so, I guess it is high time I did one. Here we go. Thank you <a href="https://janemareeauthor.com.au/" target="_blank">Jane </a>for tagging me with the 7-7-7 Tag! (And for a bit under a week of word wars.)<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c455a27f-97ca-08c8-6616-d720bc92f353"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="287" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3tNcU0YWY0l6y9OhJJFD5kQdYRK-Kz_p4TWyx8mZ4UPvih9lk7t_tISp_jtaoMCa8UfXtRnB8elwx1GPnofI8V1xZFS0qxQ9UC09FZ7eCk8BLMlIPjtAbyAAWHbif198d3_T9AZ6" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
<br>
It seems fairly simple, and gives me an excuse to have yet another post on Flightless. (You can find more about Flightless <a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/06/flightless-project-update.html" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-world-of-caldor-project-update.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) Basically, I have to go to the seventh page of my WIP, count down seven lines, and then share the next seven paragraphs from there with you guys.<br>
<br>
This lovely snippet is from where two of my three main characters meet. And, you know, first impressions are overrated anyway. :P Itās from the POV of Caution when she first meets Glayde.<br>
<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br></div>
A shadow moves on my right and I lurch to the side, falling against a stall. My heart thuds in my chest as I scan about. Iām sureā¦Iām <i>certain </i>something moved. The quiet sound of animals breathing is all I can hear when straining my ears. An assassin? Could someone have come to kill father? Or me? I bite my bottom lip, trying to even my breathing out. No one knows yet. The missive will take at least three days of hard riding to get to Ahlonae. I can still race it. Three days for the message to get there, and three days for the reply to get back. I canāt be too late.<br>
<br>
My hands pressed against the smooth wood of the wall, I push myself up. No one in sight. The shadow must have been a trick of the moon light. I let a shaky breath out and continue forward, peering into each enclosure as I go. Where are you Farlen? I squint into another dimly lit stall, sighing at the sight of a dapple grey. I suppose any horse would do really. But then that would be stealiā<br>
<br>
My wrist is seized by a hand and before I can scream, my body swings in an arc over a shadowy figureās head and into a pile of hay. I choke as a cloud of dust rises and try to yank my arm out of my attacker's grasp, my shoulder throbbing. āI order you to release me!ā I hiss as another arm falls over my neck, pressing down, āBy the order of her royal highness Princess Caution of Corohan, let meāā I cough as the pressure gets heavier. Blood roars in my ears and dots swim over my vision. What am I thinking? An assassin isnāt going to release me because Iām the princess. I slap at the arm, scratching and shoving against it. Iām going to die. The thought seems dim as my strength weakens.<br>
<br>
Suddenly the pressure vanishes and I suck in a gasping breath, rolling away. I lie there, coughing and massaging my throat. A thudding sound comes from beside me and I look up into vividly blue eyes. I open my mouth to say something, then break off coughing again. But that face. It looks soā¦worried? Surely it wasnāt him who attacked me. A hand touches my shoulder, then the touch turns into a slight pat. I continue coughing.<br>
<br>
A shiver runs through me and tears stream from my eyes as I huddle on the ground, reality beginning to sink in. I nearly died. Died. I couldāve been killed. A skin of water is slipped into one of my hands and I fumble at the stopper. The gentle hand from before, so different from the one strangling me, removes it, curling his fist over the piece of wood. I nod gratefully, still half choking as I raise it to my lips, letting the water trickle into my throat. Not that I overly care whether itās water or poison. As long as it means I can breathe. Because coughing to death is not how I want to die.<br>
<br>
The choking subsides and I swipe at the tears on my face. Iām alive. Iām alive. But I nearly died after being out for less than an hour. A trickle of doubt pushes its way into my mind and I grimace. Maybe Iām not cut out for this. Who am I kidding? Iāve only just come of age.<br>
<br>
āThank you,ā I murmur to my attacker, and rescuer, āIām good now.ā I look up and start backward. No oneās there. Again. Quiet attacker. Maybe he <i>is </i>an assassin. Glancing around, I relax as I make out the rather small figure, leading a horse toward me. Farlen.<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<br>
Yeeeeup. That is how they met. Not a particularly good meeting if theyāre meant to work together for an entire book, but hey! They mostly manage to cope with each other. Mostly. (Mwhahaha)<br>
<br>
Well, now what? All of the people I know have probably already had this tag, so I wonāt re-tag you. Instead, aaaaaaaaaanyone who wants to can do this awesome tag. I mean, snippets! Who doesnāt love snippets?<br>
<br>
<br>
How do your characters tend to meet? Are you enjoying Camp NaNo?<br>
<br>J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-74139720796155812282018-06-30T09:28:00.000+10:002018-06-30T19:12:41.031+10:00The World of Caldor | A Project UpdateApparently last week I said Iād do some world building this week. Well, thanks to that, I actually had to do some seeing that I said Iād tell you about it today!<br>
<br>
In my Camp NaNo Project, <i><a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com/2018/06/flightless-project-update.html" target="_blank">Flightless</a></i>, the world is actually somewhat important to the general plot line. *gasps* Mostly seeing that the whole issue is entirely political. (The two countries donāt get along, and neither do their guardians/protectors.) It is also the first fantasy world that Iāve made with logical geography. *grimaces at the memories of my previous attempts* So, may I now present to you, the land of Caldor!!!<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-f4be93e8-4dda-94a7-838c-584d2e448a5f"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 24pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="298" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UeaMjmgsViTfYy5I8uYjgtUy0opLGQcGLKpa7ehXMgljP1Zf8mRxQbdSJNHNwv4jAvCCtSzVb8OdONeyhr85zqB8LW-k5NInGR3zY5AoyM3GkI8GsLViQaqigyB3gZjPR1F-sQXo" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
<br>
<b>The World of Flightless:</b><br>
<br>
Caldor is actually a fairly large world, but Iāve only mapped out a little snippet, and the story doesnāt even use up half of that snippet. (Excluding right at the end where it goes off the drawn map, but yāknow.) Donāt worry though, all that Iāve drawn does play a role, (people from different places and produce and assassins and things like that) so hopefully it isnāt just a waste of paper.<br>
<br>
The Map:<br>
<br>
Heeeeeereās the map Iāve drawn! (Almost the entire story takes place on the Northern end of the Salt Melt River.)<br>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jf8_YhjnUg4/WzbABKuwgRI/AAAAAAAABKE/PlNbAqmPwhspkyWmqF63CXaxioAfMdt6gCLcBGAs/s1600/Crop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="531" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jf8_YhjnUg4/WzbABKuwgRI/AAAAAAAABKE/PlNbAqmPwhspkyWmqF63CXaxioAfMdt6gCLcBGAs/s320/Crop.png" width="320"></a></div>
<br>
<br>
<b>Corohan</b>:<br>
<br>
This is where Caution comes from. The people on this side of the kingdom are protected by the great dragons. (Or at least, thatās what the legends say) And seeing that dragons do seem to come into it a fair bit, I think those legends were fairly accurate.<br>
<br>
The Royal Family is designated by birth, and they are very traditional. The origin of the family stretches back to way before the story begins, when Corohan, a dragon, blessed a man with intentions that were for the good of the kingdom with a magical gift to be able to heal. The land flourished under his rule, and since then, whenever a new member was crowned, they too could petition for a gift.<br>
<br>
Somewhere along the line, the royal family started to gain gifts before they held the throne. They also chose the name themselves after different virtues as a reminder of who they needed to be in order for the country to thrive.<br>
<br>
And that brings us to the current royal family of Corohan!<br>
<br><b>
King</b> - Sagacious<br>
<br>
His magical gift is that he can control the tides. This has made sea attacks virtually impossible, and has made trading smooth and the fishing industry is doing very well.<br>
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His blessing it that he has the ability to silence words. This makes him quite an adapt diplomat as he can ensure that he gets his say, and can stop rumours very adequately.<br>
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<b>Queen </b>- Humility / Eloise (Married and had name changed)<br>
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She has no fancy magical gifts seeing that she is neither ruling, or part of the bloodline. Marrying in does not score her a magical gift. *pats her* And her husband picked out her name.<br>
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<b>Crown Princess</b> - Caution<br>
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Our main character! Her gift is that she can grown wings and fly. This has also meant that she has become quite good at sewing and altering her clothes to account for the wings.<br>
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<b>Prince </b>- Courage<br>
<br>
His gift is that he can make things glow. Or just project light. This comes in handy during the book, even though heās somewhat jealous of his older sisterās wings.<br>
<br>
<br>
And now onto <b>Ahlonae:</b><br>
<br>
I have baaaaasically nothing. *hides* Iāll do my best though.<br>
<br>
They have the Etani as their equivalent to the dragons. Theyāre basically these big bear things that can move with decent speed and are known to grant wishes.<br>
<br>
The Royal family? Uh, I have a bit seeing that they do come into the story.<br>
<br>
King Jaseph is the king. *coughs awkwardly* Moving onā¦<br>
<br>
Tane is his youngest son. Heās betrothed to Caution. He has elder siblings. I just donāt know them.<br>
<br>
*runs away from my shameful lack of worldbuilding*<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Anyone else? Who else has only built half of their world with only a few hours left???<br>
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<br>
<br>J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-19763694190656614072018-06-24T08:35:00.000+10:002018-06-30T19:13:50.895+10:00Flightless | A Project UpdateJune just vanished. Very very quickly. And after June comes July. And last I checked, that meant Camp NaNo. So I figured that it was high time for me to give you an update of what on earth is happening in this head of mine.<br>
<br>
Last you heard of my projects, I was writing a dystopian novel called <i>Eyes of the Future</i>, and Iām happy to say that that went well, but Iām leaving it to rest for now before looking back and seeing what may happen regarding edits and revisions and so forth.<br>
<br>
Now comes the time for a new fantasy novel calledā¦*drumroll*<i> Flightless</i>!<br>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-81d23e8b-2ec6-2a82-17b9-869374f926f5"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/BjOmaUt861zJt16KKQAA9zT8OVxGuGThjDoDHrIfzx4j96lxFP0MJDBwdxwcxmjBJ2P-0H6gmZ2BD0rKTYpiv908rMeStkHZlWKSxjbpJROpYm8G_pWH-ZKUsxcSXfOWgA5LjMpA" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320"></span></span></div>
<br>
I completely forgot about Camp until nearly two weeks into June and ugh. That gave me a moment of terror as NOTHING had been planned. Zilch. After a fair bit of Pinterest scanning and scrolling through random ideas Iāve had in the past, I threw together something that vaguely resembled a story. Baaasically it is about a princess who has wings and is escaping an arranged marriage, an ex-prisoner dude who has decided to become her bodyguard, a rather bizarre girl who can turn into a dragon, and an assassination plot. (Shhh, thatās definitely a storyline and an actual idea. :P)<br>
<br>
<b>Back of Book Blurb:</b><br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Forced into an arranged marriage with a stranger from another country, Caution flees the palace to deal with the conflict between the two nations herself, her only companion being a silent stablehand who served under her father. Ancient legends spoke of a dragon who would assist those with a noble heart that strove for the good of the kingdom, and Caution intended to find them to aid her in her quest. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Upon neither the dragon nor her companion being what they seemed, and another more sinister plot being revealed, her plans are thrown into the wind, leaving her wondering if she should have just accepted the marriage.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But how do you know if you can fly unless you first fall?</div>
<br>
<b>Le Cover:</b><br>
<br>
Another fun thing it that I have designed a mock cover! *happy claps* Iām quite proud of it actually, even if it is quite a simple drawing. (Cover was drawn, the bookiness and title was computer generated.)<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-d7e1e860-2ec7-1637-2999-ad2daebbc032"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/dSTOAx7--NCE-4y8GXuWcZxWiylit0ypESv1sMhBwPvqMnMfwMeEAOgtPTPZacWa1LySuKM1kGpbt4Y4WAzQeIgOl8PXalt6dtN5ssywwBj-DUf7TxfqvRLV7wZgQNe4YpPzqjir" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="290"></span></span></div>
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<b>Characters, Collages, Snippets and Wonderful Things: </b><br>
<br>
Now, as I said before, a lot of my inspiration for this idea came from old snippets and half written things that I had lying around, some of which I may have posted parts of on here previously. But yesss, I figured I may as well let you all see a few of the sparks that brought this story into being.<br>
HEADS UP: The snippets attached for were written prior to me actually working anything out, so their personalities may have changed. A lot. *cough* Caution *cough*<br>
<br>
<br>
<b>Caution</b>: The main character! (Yay!) She came into existence during a word war. Basically, a friend asked to war with me, I said yes, and then realised I wasnāt working on anything, sooooo, I made it up. Sheās a runaway princess from a family who all have slightly weird magical quirks. (not to mention the weird names.) Her āgiftā happens to be that she can grow wings. Sheās very adventurous, but not super talented in anything aside from diplomacy as thatās all she was trained in.<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-bb929f85-2ec7-af14-6724-07e60b06d8e2"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="230" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/WVU1OcEyy_42YEGXMEydtz8ZvtEWlQ5NSdIDDGM4So4buZKxLD33z6JWmDStaAAnx_NmMlIqQiVhYc_OZDNqUP47fZpEvs60IO832wkEJCZxnUYM9K6UCBkiMTa2-4Kc2aZbR9HU" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
<br>
Iām sure when people say āThrowing caution into the windā they donāt mean literally. But trust me, my brother threw me into the wind.<br>
<br>
Off a cliff to be precise.<br>
<br>
Some people have told me in the past that my name was pretty cool, and a reminder. āCaution.ā I still wonder what on earth my parents were thinking when they called me that. All it really resulted in was bearing the brunt of the jokes among the locals. āProceed with Cautionā āActing with Cautionā and āThrowing Caution into the wind.ā<br>
<br>
The last one no one had ever acted on until very recently. And now, looking back, I suppose Reckless (an equally unfortunate name) did know what he was doing, not just being reckless. After all, had I not been thrown off that cliff, I never would have known I could fly. Yes. Flying. Lots more fun now than it was then. Having had never have been an adventurous person, as my name sadly suggests, I had never been in a life threatening situation where sprouting wings would become really handy.<br>
<br>
Anyways, the technicalities behind growing wings is always a pretty boring topic in and of itself, despite its rarity. So, letās leave that conversation behind and actually discuss the whole purpose behind me manipulating you, dear reader, into reading this book.<br>
<br>
My name is Caution. Join me in the wind and listen to my story.<br>
<br>
<br>
<b>Glayde</b>: A very quiet characterā¦in fact, he canāt speak, so, extra quiet. He was accused of trying to steal something precious to the royal family and was locked in the dungeons for a few years until they eventually let him make his case. He was found innocent, and pretty mad at the royal family. The King placed a spell on him so that he wouldnāt be able to speak and then hired him as a stablehand so that he could make sure that the story never got out.<br>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c67084f3-2ec8-7db8-c572-835ea3d09f12"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="215" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/PM0pVq2PZu3YqKgXvCRonfEYTKvbzVsEUaZMY_fy5NF1F8MZlmEUe06EkkLfJnDnAbZwo8zZA0tosgBREvQDykZW4DOaclxC86tbN08AuQBSp_DWkJhDntqjRO7o_Vir9pnustkW" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
<br>
I trusted you.<br>
<br>
You shouldnāt have trusted me. Iām sorry.<br>
<br>
I allow my eyes to close and clench the jagged stone tightly. At least something is still here. Pain is real. My eyes open and my gaze slides to where the stack of fresh parchment and a writing stick sit. I can still tell them my story. There is hope, even though I cannot speak.<br>
<br>
I can still have freedom inside this cell.<br>
<br>
My trembling hands drift over to the precious materials that I am to write my ācrimesā that I had committed. Once, I would have relished access to such rare items, but now I just wished they had left me able to speak. I shake my head and pull the pile of paper towards me. I canāt be healed, but maybe, just maybe, I can be freed. The blunt tip of the charcoal quivers above the pale sheet. How am I meant to begin this? With a plea? An explanation? My shoulders move back and I clench my jaw. No. I lower the stick and the sound of scratching breaks the silence that has lain over this cell for too long.<br>
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I am Glaydeāthe falsely accused and wrongfully silenced.<br>
<br>
<br>
<b>Suitini</b>: Sheās a sarcastic, grouchy teenage girl who can turn into a dragon, and has recently been promoted to āDragon of Guidanceā which means that she helps anyone who is embarking on a quest for the good of the kingdom. However, sheās extremely selfish and tends to only think about the payment. Throughout the story, she has to put up with the fact that she has to help humans and actually ends up growing somewhat attached to them.<br>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-17c1e28f-2ec8-e3fe-07df-29b3d8268c36"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="277" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/EDciZhwsRgocmLPHid-ccDSnXOcmUx-bgyGaFD-Y99Zxt8qSoCKJvqnRYTh4KCJTitNp7-DZTW4QKCD7cYAykki4QogQDfTm1MTe5IMIPK1ZhJG0-OIWjIUS-PE6xdOPQ_3wP_F7" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400"></span></span></div>
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āBasic etiquette when working with humans. Rule number one: Do not growl.ā A low growl escapes my throat as I toss the book to the far corner of the room where it lands with a heavy thud. Who are they kidding? Iām not taking this job so that I can put up with a whiny humanās ānoble wishes for the Kingdomā with the heart of a saint. I can growl all I want. If they want a dragonās help, then thatās what they get. I drag a hand through my shortly chopped hair and push myself to my feet, my eyes settling on the gleaming armour on the other side of the room. Well, kind of a dragon.<br>
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Minutes later see me at the training post, my dull practise sword slicing through the air and thudding into the leather-wrapped post. Why did Harani have to insist I learn to fight like this? Seems impractical. The sword bounced off the post, clumsily trying to escape my grasp. Claws are better. Always the best. I stab the blade point down into the ground, frowning as the dirt broke apart in chunks.<br>
<br>
After all, who would want to be a human when you can be a dragon?<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Sounds like Iāve got this all sorted, right? :P All I can say is that this is sure to be an awesome Camp, playing about with some interesting characters and some fun ideasā¦not to mention all of the crazy fight and flight scenes that are almost certain to happen. Hopefully Iāll get some world building done over the next week so that you can find out more about my oh-so-mysterious ākingdomā that I keep mentioningā¦ and the royal family and the countries and theāwellā¦you get the picture. :P<br>
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<br>
What about you? What are you writing about for Camp NaNo? Anyone else doing fantasy?<br>
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<br></div>
J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-2674280712635114072018-05-25T19:40:00.000+10:002018-05-25T20:15:47.813+10:00Constant ChangesThings in our lives change. Sometimes for something that is obviously good, and other times, for things that seem pretty terrible. Recently, I've been noticing a lot of changes going on around me. <div><br></div><div>Some of them are fairly little, like how our Autumn leaves are turning and looking absolutely gorgeous. Others are slightly larger, like friends undergoing loss and hardship. </div><div><br></div><div>It's been making me think more about how we are in an ever-morphing world with countless inconsistencies. We're a creation of God that is always doing things and changing our minds. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I used to hate change. If there was a bale of hay in the garden, then it had to stay there. It couldn't get spread out into mulch. My friends weren't allowed to change their minds about anything. I could throw away old clothes and get new ones. Things had to stay the same. Even up until a little while ago I felt this way. Not that extremely, but the dislike of change was still there. </div><div><br></div><div>Particularly in the light of some of the things that are going on for me right now, James 1:2-4:</div><div><br></div><div><b>"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."</b></div><div><br></div><div>Often I forget that as the leaves of my world are turning into red flame that it is necessary for the tree to lose the leaves of one year before coming back more alive the next. God has promised that the changes and the trials are happening for good, and I really pray that we can remember to see it that way. </div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C5qfHDxH9TM" title="">This is a song</a> that I feel really reflects this. </div><div><br></div><div>What do you guys think about changes? I'm happy to talk!</div>J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-82970316993327733532018-04-12T10:40:00.004+10:002018-04-12T10:40:52.066+10:00A Camp NaNo PostAiya!<br />
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Is it just me, or did Camp NaNo totally sneak up on us this year?<br />
<br />
Anyways, despite it coming really suddenly, Iāve been kinda keeping up with my goals so far, and it has been super fun to write!<br />
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This will be a reasonably shot post seeing that Iāll have to keep writing, so I had better get started.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-86d40f1f-b748-c34e-0bc0-c436a6aa49d4"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="235" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/VwpNLx8vx8wMCEJXK01mq6_ywkYhC6YhEYDwPqy6Y83Qj45eWNMMODNsAyncxfchh1UAb9cPqPUlwZ_SxDu2xEp2_Y8bWeKnITpJTvnUQ5rpy88vS6zGcVeZsqrHb9FSIEnBBr7z" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></div>
<br />
<b>What is It?</b><br />
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So, for this Camp NaNo, I am in the awesome cabin of The Fellowship of the Keyboards and we have been talking about all sorts of things sinceā¦well, long before April.<br />
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Iām working on my rewrite of the <i>Survivor Trilogy</i> and am turning it into ONE BOOK as I said back in <a href="http://annetteofhiddenknowledge.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/spice-up-your-characters-and-have-cuppa.html" target="_blank">January </a>called <i>Eyes of the Future. </i><br />
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<b>Long Back of Book Blurb/ Short Synopsis Without Spoilers</b><br />
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In a world where science reigns, and the society relies on the advancement of human abilities in order to keep moving forwards, genetic modification turns into a political war. People are taken in as āExperimentsā and are used to test new ways to advance society. Failed Experiments are treated as creatures less than humans and are cast out from society.<br />
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It has been five years since Michael Rentson used the new discovery of teleportation to lead an army across the entire world and conquering it under his reign. The increased security and seemingly magical technology tames the world who are all ready to listen to their new leader whose first action is to legalise the use of Experiments.<br />
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One Experiment is slightly unusual. Connor Daleson is the son of one of the worldās leading scientists, Regina Daleson who had accidentally turned her other son into a failed Experiment and left him mindless. The grief-ridden woman spends all of her waking hours trying to find a way to fix her eldest sonā¦or replace him.<br />
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Connor spends his days in military training, and making sure that no one finds out his secret of being an Experiment. Upon returning home one day, his mother injects him with a fluid that altered his atoms so that he could travel through the dimensions.<br />
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Being chased by Rentsonās men who want his blood and therefore the ability to conquer all of the dimensions, Connor and his sister Laura join with a young Experiment girl called Ashley to protect the dimensions, and to find the truth of the price of human freedom.<br />
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<b>A Pretty Collage</b><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-86d40f1f-b74a-0d6a-a415-f62c1fcc2927"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="183" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/W66AxW91PhK1PDPA6ez7TlzZNrJ4CdiG2XYyxtKx_XdS2hihJNOndQffcbpICgd_svJIS-neVoq86gVVGAtrNHrlAlEguVYIWoKWQN-40koPHnoovUd42_XaQDUPNuVo6CKGvGKM" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Stats Graph</b><br />
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Iāve only just been keeping up at the moment, going over or under each day by about 100 words (sometimes more). Unfortunately I have been falling behind a bit. D: But woot! Look at our cabin! Good job guys!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-86d40f1f-b74a-7d9f-0161-182420d6b2e0"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="172" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_u0uwaImK94dSvbqBGI4wfgwTRcYmTW-9Y0JN1U90UCfbU74uNuWSglFc5VsCaOsTaMYc7BBzP_NZ9qBXdzTM4hMUsRQS5FOkURmzhLDyqZheYz789WUTOmE6p_CUF4rFzIUIph3" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
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<b>Some fun Camp NaNo Stats for my first twelve daysā¦</b><br />
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First Line: I have to trust him.<br />
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Most Words Written in a Day: 3 147<br />
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Words Written: 15 008<br />
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Number of Word Wars: 18<br />
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Earliest Woken to Write: 4:30 am<br />
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Cups of Chai: 37<br />
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Most Insane Story Research: Food of the Future<br />
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Last Line: āWell, I donāt like ducks then.ā<br />
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<b>A Snippet</b><br />
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This one is the end of my prologue from the POV of smol Ryan Sands.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Apologies for the first-draftiness.)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
I force my gaze past the woman to the figure slumped on the chair. Sandy hair, tanned skin, and beneath the tightly shut eyelids, there would have been dark brown eyes that had held more compassion than what I had ever seen before in my life. I stumble a step away from the sight, bile rising in my mouth as his words return to echo in my mind:<br />
<br />
<i>āNot anymore. I can stop her now. Daleson isnāt completely heartless.ā </i><br />
<br />
I squeeze my eyes shut and force myself to sit down, my back pressing against the cool of the wall. Breaths saw through my chest and my heart thuds deafeningly in my ears. The woman in the room had her back facing me, but I still can tell who it was. Calm blue eyes, hands with no hint of the calluses that come from hard and honest work, and a permanently dazed look of one who has more intelligence than compassion.<br />
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My eyelids slip open and I raise my wrist in front of my eyes to see the red words etched there permanently. All that is left of me according to any of the normal humans.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Daleson Experiment: 2</i></div>
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I hunch over my knees as the yelling starts as Danās siblings must have found him. The sound of breaking people sweeps over me. I turn my head to look at the slightly reflective metal behind me where the pain is coming from and blink back tears as the image of a pale faced teenage boy with irises that matched his skin blurs.<br />
<br />
<i>If I am Irene Dalesonās second Experiment, then was her son the first?</i><br />
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<br />
<br />
Well, thereās a bit about my story. What about you guys? Anything interesting there? Enjoying Camp so far? I love to chat!<br />
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<br />
<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-32535208677520461992018-03-29T20:16:00.002+11:002018-03-29T20:16:21.189+11:00The Power of EasterAiya,<br />
<br />
It is the 29th of March here in Australia. And that means that all of the people are frantically buying all of the food they will be needing before the shops close tomorrow for Good Friday. The front page of the newspaper is of on of the schoolās Easter Hat Parades and the teachers have been giving out chocolate Easter eggs. Iāve sat next to a kindergarten kid on the bus who was happily telling me all about how the Easter Bunny was going to come to his house on Sunday and his dad had set a rabbit trap to try and catch him.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, I felt a tad sorry for the poor bunny seeing that those traps are pretty brutalā¦<br />
<br />
But yes. I felt like telling you guys a bit about Easter seeing that our lives tend to keep on moving and being pretty chaotic around this time.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-85d3f82a-7107-fefa-0411-ac9010a27196"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/i50KvZ0HoQ1nAuu7XPs-TL9CLIyJ1WUPznRIZkLBElgrp8VXl2LrGO4WWV4EkKVY1PS7Tzc0IfwgHkPTmbXv4z76A4y4aI45LR6LtbldX13XsXA2CUCz9pdWfJFWgl24hKduT-B7" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
Last weekend, my parents and some of our friends ran a retreat that focused on reflection and just spending time with God before Easter. Weāve started up a <a href="https://retreatchristianministries.com.au/" target="_blank">Retreat Center</a> and are hoping that more and more people will be able to develop a personal relationship <i>with </i>God.<br />
<br />
But this particular retreat was focused on just <b>stopping</b>. Just stopping and leaving our busy life and spending time with God. Not listening to talks, but just reading Godās Word and listening to Him.<br />
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Journaling.<br />
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Drawing.<br />
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Praying.<br />
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Singing.<br />
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It wasnāt about analysing the stories that we have read countless times and feel like we can recite. It was about looking into what God was saying and just stopping to appreciate how enormous He is. To catch a glimpse of his love in our world which is generally pretty dark.<br />
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Back around December I did a post on the meaning of Christmas. At Christmas time we think about the Light of the God coming into the Darkness of the World. Over Jesusās life, there was light in the world. There was healing there was love. When Jesus died, the world fell into literal darkness. Can I just say that <i>that </i>would freak me out. Just being in the area and suddenly it goes dark.<br />
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For a long time.<br />
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And for a fair reason. The <b><i>Son of God</i></b> was dead. Not unconscious, but dead and with His Father turning away from Him. Jesus who had been with God forever was now forsaken. His weight suspended on nails that pierced through his nerve-filled hands and feet. The weight of all of humanityās sin pushing down on Him.<br />
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And the agony of God turning away from Him.<br />
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So often, I find that we dismiss this. We know how horrible it is and how much it is meant to affect us, but weāve just heard it so many times that it has become pretty normal. We understand and we may wince when we hear the story, but do you feel that ache inside of you that is both horrified and saying, āThank you Jesus. Thank youā?<br />
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Sit back and reflect on His sacrifice this Easter. Place yourself at the foot of His cross, listening to His last cry. Allow yourself to feel the agony of the loss of Jesus and feel the terror of the darkness that we are in without Him.<br />
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Let yourself not rush through this Easter, just trying to get through the day. Instead sit back and think about Him and talk to Him. Jesus loves you, and He has died and been raised to show the Fatherās Glory that we may have life.<br />
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Donāt forget the amazing meaning of Easter this year, after all, we have more than one day to think about it.<br />
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Here is a song to think about as you go on with your life this Easter.<br />
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Enjoy Easter and think and reflect upon it this year!<br />
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<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-88513632779040633362018-03-21T20:02:00.001+11:002018-03-21T20:02:26.569+11:00How to Procrastinate from PlottingAiya!<br />
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Yes, you read that title right. I have been procrastinating from plotting for Camp NaNoWriMo. Why? No clue. But today I plan to try my absolute hardest at helping <i>you </i>procrastinate like a professional during this time that you should prooooobably plotting for Camp.<br />
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You are probably feeling pretty overwhelmed by this insanely crazy task, but I promise you, I can teach you how to procrastinate with a few simple steps and tricks. Thank me later. For now I must write this post for you!<br />
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As I have said, there are a few simple steps to being able to master this brilliant technique, and I will list them here for youā¦complete with instructions. Well, enough rambling from meā¦Onward to the Six Steps to Procrastination.<br />
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<b>1. Starting Another WIP.</b><br />
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Yep. I know. Pretty insane huh? But trust me, it is doable.<br />
Imagine this: When you sit down to do that plotting youāve been meaning to finish off, you just happen to see that document with only 2000 precious words on it, sitting there, so lonely. So, you go over and write on it. Little by little, that tiny document hasā¦Uhā¦8000 words. *coughs awkwardly* ANYWAYS. This is an ideal way to put off doing that scheduled in plotting.<br />
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*drops in a snippet*<br />
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āHi Leo.ā I sucked in a shuddering breath and craned my neck to look up at him as his eyebrows shot into his bleach white hair.<br />
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āWho mugged you and left you to die?ā I grimaced at his slightly narrowed eyes and he dropped the book that rested loosely in his hand down on a small table and waved me inside.<br />
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I rubbed a hand over my neck. āRandom bus driver.ā I let my school books fall next to the novel. āAccording to Ethan, I was hit by a bus.ā<br />
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Leo turned to stare at me again, his eyes trailing up and down my body. After a few moments he nodded and started walking away toward the kitchen, āThatās basically what it looks like. Minus the whole side-effect of being dead.ā<br />
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I staggered after him into the room, and dimly noticed that is was lit only by the thin bit of light that trickled through the blinds above the perfectly clean and gleaming sink. Ignoring me, he stooped down to pull a small pot out of a cupboard, then poured milk into itāsetting it down on the gas-top stove. I rolled my stiff shoulders slightly and stumbled towards a couch.<br />
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āIf you get blood on my furnitureā¦not even being immortal is going to save you.ā My limbs stiffened Leoās words and I straightened slowly, every muscle protesting at the movement.<br />
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āSure thing.ā I replied, my voice thick, and leant my good shoulder against the wall. āIād never get blood on your stuff.ā <i>Some friend you are. </i><br />
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Leo snorted slightly as he dropped half a block of dark chocolate into the pot. āYeah right.ā<br />
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<b>2. Creating a Playlist for New WIP</b><br />
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One rule for this: It has to be epic. So, you canāt just toss in a few songs that you think are good, you need to go all out and put in only the best. You need to listen to at least 4 hours worth of music to find the ones that suit your distracting WIP the best. Then you need to order them so that they will flow on from one another.<br />
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Trust me. This will take up a lot of time, and then you can have a cool soundtrack while you are doing all of these other forms of procrastination. *nods wisely* This is very important.<br />
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<b>3. Creating Character Collages for New WIP. </b><br />
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Yup. Collages are procrastinationās best friend. Such a close friend that even random people on the bus seem to recognise it when youāre sitting there, happily making collages of these awesome characters. And it is so much fuuuuun. You end up with a pile of pretty collages at the end to look at and feel all of them happy feels about for your precious characters. *hugs all of the character collages*<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a5a4f58a-47c7-1694-8c97-0f37444eea89"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="253" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1y8n0uyUldoY6dJDqxhhq_iJkhKPmqVFr7JBjlI7bGRa0qhvY4OTZjpfuFdEoJmeGt9GEAK3NcqjMjpHbuD0c6vjU07HPV9uuPYkfOFh2SGdwwSBZBvaPY3s93Nx6Alf96HkRWG1" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></div>
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<b>4. School Workā¦Writing Ideally</b><br />
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If you are a sensible writer, and happen to be in year 11 or 12 at school, you almost certainly have one or two writing projects to be doing.<br />
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Do them.<br />
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Then you can use the excuse when Camp NaNo comes around that you were frantically doing school work, even if in reality you were just writing 8 different short stories and then choosing between them as to which one to submit as your final task. So there you go!<br />
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<b>5. Repeat 2 & 3 but for Your <i>Actual </i>WIP for Camp</b><br />
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Time to make more playlists and aesthetic collages, but this time for your <i>actual </i>WIP that youāre meant to be <i>plotting</i>! This is pretty close to actually doing your WIP, so, this may help ease you of that guilty concious thing that comes from deliberately avoiding something you planned to have done.<br />
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<b>6. Master the Perfect Chai Recipe </b><br />
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You heard me. You are going to become the best at making chai tea. By the end of March, you should have worked out the exact amount of each spice you need to add the the Twinings tea to make it absolutely spectacular. You may even find that you have spent an hour of your Saturday carefully measuring out spices and taking notes.<br />
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Let me encourage you in thisā¦You <i>will </i>succeed. It may take 48 hours of your life, but if you keep persisting<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">ā</span>not only have you successfully procrastinated<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">ā</span>but you have also made the best chai you will ever have.<br />
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Well, thatās all Iāve got to say on the art of procrastination, and I shall now leave you with your prompt and be on my way.<br />
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Anyone else hyped for Camp? Do you have any favorite forms of procrastination? And do you have any tips for getting that cup of chai just right? Tell me!<br />
<br />J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413754079238631404.post-19385232748295445472018-03-07T20:15:00.000+11:002018-03-10T11:26:26.386+11:00Music is Magic<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
Aiya!<br />
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*coughs* Sooooo, my blog post was never published last week, and Iām afraid that I have to confess that they could be very sporadic from now on due to school, and life in general. But anyways, I should move onto actually giving you a post!<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Music is epic. How is it that sounds can have emotions and tell a story? How is it that so many different countries have their own types of music and find them beautiful, but theyāre all so different? I honestly donāt get it. I spend waaaay too long contemplating this along with many other things. But this much I <i>do</i> know: </span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Music is Magical. </b></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Not magical as in it literally performs magic, but magical as in it can do things that our minds cannot explain or understand. We can <i>say </i>we understand them, but really, we donāt. (Apologies if I am wrong somehow hereā¦but I am pretty sure Iām not.) </span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sounds that create emotions? Yes, it is to do with chemicals, but thatās more of a definition as to what emotions are, not how they are made. When we listen to music, it can change our emotions. Hence we call sad music, āsad.ā At least, I assume the music isnāt really upset or anything. xD</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A few friends and I have been doing something called a āmusic exchange.ā Basically, itās where someone sends an email saying āshout outā and we all reply with a link of whatever music we were listening to at the time of the email. Itās been really interesting to listen to new music, and if you have good and clean friends, should be safe. So, thatās something that I will suggest for all of you guys, just randomly. </span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyways, I loooove listening to music, particularly when writing. It just makes everything become very epic, and even easier to visualise. My latest obsession has come along with my latest obsession in reading which isā¦ *drumroll please* The Way of Kings! Yes. The <i>book </i>has a <i>soundtrack</i>. 'Kaladin' by The Black Piper. SO MUCH EPICNESS! </span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Itās very epic and fits the book <i>perfectly</i>. I absolutely love it to pieces and it fits, not only with the book, but just with general epicness for reading anything, and writing anything. (Provided that itās epic!) Hereās a link to one of their epic songs, and you should seriously go and look at the rest. </span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And not only that, but this piece is your prompt. Write something that is inspired by this epic piece.</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, thatās me over and out, so now you go! Write!
Have you got any interesting pieces or themes that you write to? Any other music-y stuff? And how epic is the Kaladin Soundtrack?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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J.A.Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315929950369312995noreply@blogger.com3