My Bookshelf and Cosmo!

Hey guys, just letting you know that I DO have a new post just before this one that you should check out:
She's back! + NaNoWriMo Blog
Please everyone, welcome my beautiful new fishie named Cosmo! He is so cutesy. And I think I know his personality too. Shy. But adorable. Now, you're probably saying, "O.o You're crazy right? It's a VIRTUAL FISH." Well, yes, that is true. BUT--if you view Cosmo, he always seems to be hiding away from all the rest of the fish and stick to himself. Always one of the last ones to reach the food unless you drop it by him.

And please vote on the next poll naming the red fish. What will her name be?

And finally...

MY BOOKSHELF!

I have seen these posted in many other places and thought it would be kind of neat to do it myself. So, I have gone around to my bookshelf and taken a few pictures to show you.
NOTE: You can click for bigger pictures, BUT my camera doesn't like it when they are enlarged really big, so they're kind of blurry.

Ahh, so there is my lovely bookshelf. But--those aren't ALL my books. Some of them I have lended out or somewhere else in the house.
So, have you read any of those books up there?

Oh, yeah, and for fun, here are the books I am reading NOW:

Actually, I just finished Last breath last night at 1:30 in the morning! That will be the book I am going to write my review on next in this blog.

Read. Comment. Enjoy.

She's BACK! +New NaNoWriMo blog!

I know. I know. I have been so bad in keeping up with you guys! I feel so mean. :( I really do.

So, I am going to give you a few reasons why I kind of left off at the last post. About two weeks ago, my family went on our vacation to Washington! It was just GORGEOUS! We all agreed that this was the best family vacation we have ever taken.

Another factor that prevented me from writing to you is School. School is beginning to become longer and longer every day. Blech. Or sometimes it seems too short? Nonetheless, after school I am so pooped. :P

I am also focusing on editing and writing right now. Guess why. NANOWRIMO IS NEXT MONTH! I am very, VERY excited about this and am quickly editing last year's NaNo so I can begin the sequel when November comes along its merry way. So, editing is taking over my life.
Which reminds me, I have started my official NaNoWriMo 2009 Writing Blog! When NaNo starts next month, I will get to posting my first post on there. So, be looking out for that!
If any of you are interested in NaNoWriMo, here is a basic summary of what it is:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

So, to recap:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

So, with that said, if you would like to sign up, please do so HERE.

I also have some news for you guys...I really like the way I have my days planned out to write in this blog, but I have found out, from expiriece, that that might just not work. So, I am warning you that I might not do a week with the full posts, maybe only have Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We'll see how it pans out. I AM going to be writing the blog story very, VERY soon. So, be looking out for that as well!

With all that written out,

Wednesday: Emotional Fiction

So guys, guess what? I finally have a small plot and ideas for the emotional fiction story I will be writing for this blog! I am very excited for this and can't wait to start the actual writing of it! First, I am going to take you through some of the ideas and the graphics I have picked to help me decide what I will be doing with it.

First, I am going to show you all a potential book cover. This is very, VERY rough at the moment because I do not have a title and things might change from what I want it to be. But, here you go anyway:


Considering I made this art this morning, it has not been edited very well. Also, since I might not be using it, I do not want to go through the pains of editing it until I am sure I will be using this one.

So, for the basic, simple plot-line: A troubled teen is forced to leave her inner-city home dwelling to go and stay with a great-aunt. Her great-aunt lives in the mountains. Through this whole time, the troubled teen girl must face living with her Christian aunt and will experience what real love (coming from the Father) feels like and by the end I hope to have her Saved.

Eh, pretty cliche right? Might be, but since I have not touched on emotions all too much in my writing, I wanted to pick up on that fully in this one. Just to see how it goes. I am hoping it will help me to write more emotion-filled pieces in my stories well in the future.

As far as names go, I have not got that far. Though, I am considering either Whitney or Alice. What do you guys think?

I did have a really cool idea I am going to add. So the girl (Whitney/Alice) is going to be very troubled in the starting. I was thinking of having her wear heavy makeup/dyed black hair/purple streaks in her hair. Sometime in the novel, while at her great-aunt's place, her purple streaks fade out and are gone. I have not decided yet whether to do scenario A or B.
Scenario A: She complains about it, her aunt tells her she can make an appointment with someone in town if she wants to, but she never makes the appointment.
Or
Scenario B: She makes appointment, misses the appointment from something and has the chance to re-schedule, but decides against it.

So, what do you guys think? I am thinking Scenario B might be more interesting to go with.

I also had other ideas, but I can't think of them at the moment. Doesn't that stink? I should have written them down! So, here is your tip for the day:

"Whenever you have an idea for your story, WRITE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY! Who knows? You might forget it later on and be left feeling mad at yourself because you had this great idea you forgot."

Anyways, so that's basically a little bit on the book so far. Next week I will either have more details for you guys or a first little bit of writing! (Depending on how busy I am. We'll see!)

To give you an idea on how the main character girl might look at the beginning of the story, here is a picture I found:




So, 'see' you all later!

Tuesday: Random Writings

Hey all, welcome back to my second posting of Random Writings! Today, I have another tag. My friend, Prism, tagged anyone who posted on her tagged blog post. And, so I commented. Only because these are so much fun!

So, here I go!

30 things about Tippie...

1. I want to become a writer (As if that has not been evident enough. :P)
2. I do fencing
3. My favorite color is Purple
4. The first ever sport I did was gymnastics (I only ended up doing it for one year, and I vividly remember doing the vault. Was much fun. Though, I only did it with the help of teachers)
5. I love swimming very much
6. I am afraid of heights
7. I am claustrophobic to an extent
8. I have an adorable dog named Sophie
9. I have finished two novels
10. I am currently starting a blog story (!), editing last year's NaNo, finishing SuNo and editing SuNo
11. My favorite genre in books is fantasy, though I do like Historical Fiction very much
12. I am behind in school reading already (blehh!)
13. I am a night-owl, I normally get to sleep around 12:30, but lately I have been up until 1:30 (Bad Tippie!)
14. I plan on having many dogs when I have my own house
15. To explain my previous thing, I love dogs VERY much
16. I have a dream of showing dogs someday
17. To continue on with animals for a second, I am allergic to cats
18. I also have extreme allergies to hay
19. I am currently reading, Always Watching by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins
20. I did go to public school for kindergarten, but have been homeschooled ever since I 'graduated' from kindergarten
21. My favorite animal used to be the Giraffe, I now like Pandas much better
22. I do not like change, but it happens and I must let my life roll with the changes and not deny that they have to happen
    
23. I have many stomach issues and have been to the ER many times when I was younger due to them
24. Speaking of ER, I have cracked my head open before and broken two (? not definite) bones
25. As of late, I have become more and more in love with music
26. I do not like heavy rock, rap, etc
27. I do like Pop and rock very much though
28. My favorite Christian Artist is Joy Williams or Britt Nicole
29. I enjoy dancing
30. I love the Lord of the Rings and Pirates Of The Caribbean!

So, there you guys have it! 30 things about myself!

And now, I tag:
BirdWhisperer
MaidenOfEmmanuel
(And anyone who comments on this post)

See you tomorrow for my Wednesday Emotional Fiction post!

Monday: A Look into My Life

*Is mad at herself for having no time to get to blogging lately!* I am so sorry guys, but I will try and catch up. I promise you.



So, Tippie has been neglectful of posting, has she not? Well, that's coming to an end, I hope. I am going to try and catch up in my postings over this week and from now on, try and post my everyday bloggings.

So, what have I been up to lately? Aheh, a lot really. I have fallen behind in school already. I know, sad, right? Due to a misunderstanding with my history book reading assignment, I am now two books behind. Though, I am hoping to be able to catch up really soon. In fact, after this post, I am heading off the computer to do just that. Read.

I have also been slowly editing my SuNoWriMo story and hoping to actually finish that book. Along with getting my first draft edited of my NaNoWriMo. Which, I am excited to say, NaNo is coming up this November! I am very excited for this and am bouncing up and down in my seat waiting to write!

But, this also means I must hurry up and finish editing the first book. Which means I need to get in a lot of editing!

I have also been trying to spend some more time off the computer (not working out too well) due to my extreme addiction to it. I need to start doing some activities away from here. Like, going out in my driveway and ripstiking or sitting out on my deck reading. My whole summer was stolen from me due to me being on the computer most of the time. I am very sad about that. This year is going by WAY too fast!

I hate to make this post short, but I really don't have much else to say but that I need to go and get some school done! (Blehh!) So, I shall see you all tomorrow in my next post for Tuesday's Random Writings!

I shall also try and catch up for Wednesday and Thursdays 'bloggings' too.

By the way, I do have some good news! I have discovered a small plot and some things to include for Wednesday's blog story! You'll here more about it in that post though.

Love you guys!

Monday: A Look into My Life

So, Tippie has been a bad girl and has missed out on the last two days of last week! I will explain to you why in this issue of A Look into My Life, I promise. Don't worry. :)



Objective: Write Wednesday's Emotional Fiction Blog Post
Objective Failed

Objective: Write Thursday's Book Review Blog Post
Objective Failed

Now, I am guessing you all want an explanation, right? *nods head slowly* I suppose you all deserve an answer myself. You can all sit right here *waves hand at room with comfortable chairs and couches* and make yourselves right at home. I have some popcorn in the microwave, if you can't hear it, so help yourselves whenever.

*sits herself down and begins* Where should I start? Oh, yes, your faces tell me I should begin with an apology. I should also add a few 'I'm sorry's' in the body of this speech and end my explanation with one last hearty 'Please forgive me'. That will do, you think?

And so I begin:

I am sorry for missing those days. I really am. But the reason, I think, was for a good cause. Well, for me it was.
Wednesday, oh glorious Wednesday dawned bright and early for me! I woke with great feelings. No school due to an activity I was about to embark on going to. My mother's birthday. Oh, and did I mention going to meet Britt Nicole? Yeah, that was going to be a lovely day. ((And, right here, I'll assure you it really was.))

The Friday before, my cousins told me about a Britt Nicole signing somewhere a bit far from my house. I was, naturally, very excited. I went home and looked it up on the internet right away. Turns out, it was located not as far away as we had originally thought! This made me very excited, but I was not sure if mom would let us go. ((Oh, yes, boy-with-the-blond-hair, you can go and get some popcorn. I'll speak a bit louder so you can hear me. The bowls are in the cupboard above the microwave. Do be a dear and bring the bag in so we can all munch on it.))

We got to talking to our mom about it and she agreed that we could go! I was so excited and just could not wait for Wednesday to come! I originally started out to write to you guys on Wednesday, I really did. ((Here comes the second apology, start counting.)) I am so very sorry I skipped out on you guys and left you hanging!

((Thank you for bringing in the popcorn, just set the bag on the coffee table. Everyone, help yourselves.))
Sunday came. Sunday passed. Monday came. School came. ((I did not enjoy starting it, in case you were all wondering.)) School finally ended, after what seemed a million hours. Monday night came. Monday passed. Tuesday came. ((This point, I was on the tip of my toes.)) School dragged by. ((It really isn't all that bad you know, I am actually enjoying it now.)) Tuesday night came. Fencing was a ton of fun, though a lot of workout before the actual fencing. Tuesday passed.
Wednesday morning came and I was all too excited.

My sisters and I wished my mom a happy birthday, we ate breakfast, did a little school and left. Beforehand, my aunt called and we worked it out so my cousins could come along.

The drive seemed to take forever.

...

...

...

...

We finally made it to our destination! I clutched Britt's first CD, Say It, in my hands and got out of the car. My mom made her way inside to buy Britt's second CD, The Lost Get Found, while my sisters and I lined up behind a yellow line in the parking lot. The people had stuff set up for Britt to sing with her guitarist and drum player.

You would not, and could not, possibly believe how excited and giddy my sisters and I were! We watched other people line up, not as many as we anticipated, though. We saw some of the Christian DJs from two radio stations, one of which my family listens to. We stood in the burning sun. Me with my short sleeved purple shirt layered under a pink, purple and white striped baby doll spaghetti-strapped shirt, with light jeans I rolled up included in my ensemble.

Finally, they announced we could all walk in the blocked out area and stand behind a yellow line. We were placed closest to Britt according to how early we each got there. We got fairly close up. ((By fairly, I mean like three rows to the front)) I could actually see her! ((Here comes the third apology, are you counting yet?)) As I stood there, ((wait for it)) I thought to myself, I can't wait to post about this in my blog! Sorry, again, that I did not do so right away.

My cousins arrived, we saved them a spot and we all were pumped up when Britt finally walked out. She began her free 'mini-concert' and we all clapped out hands, raised our hands, swayed our arms, and sang along with her. It was so much fun! She sang about six songs, I believe. That was totally awesome for a free 'mini-concert'! She sung some of my favorite songs too. Including -- Set the World on Fire, Don't Worry Now, How We Roll, Glow, and The Lost Get Found.

She was just so encouraging and so amazing! I could just tell my listening to her that she was walking close with the Lord. While she was singing 'Don't Worry Now' and explaining why she wrote it, a little girl in front of us started crying and hugging her mom. She needed to hear that song. Britt even said after: 'I know at least one person needed to hear that song this morning.'

After the concert, we all rushed to stand in line to get our CDs signed. We were all so giddy and talkative while we waited. And then it came. The moment I had been waiting for. I asked her to sign it to my sisters and I. She was so nice about it. My cousin managed to snap one shot on my mom's camera phone, because I was silly enough to forget my camera ((!)).

She prayed with some of the girls even though management was trying to rush her through. She made sure she gave us each some time, a friendly smile and sometimes, prayer.

It was an amazing experience. One that I will never, ever in my whole life forget. Thank you guys for putting up with this long post, but it came from my heart. It really did. :)

Tomorrow I will be posting about why I missed Thursday's blog post.

Until then,

((PS: Uh-oh, no I did not! I did not miss ending with an 'I'm sorry'! Hey guys, once again, I am very very very sorry for missing Wednesday, Thursday and failing to post on the weekend! Love you all, I really do!))

While waiting for tomorrow, why not watch Britt's Music Video? It is an old one ((she has her hair cut now)), but a good one all the same:

Random Writings ((+Tagged!))

First off I want to say I was tagged by Prism! I am going to do that 'Fictional favorite' right now! :)

Who is your favorite male fictional character, and whence comes he?

I think mine would have to be...Nathan Shepherd from the Echoes from the Edge series.
Why: He is such a gentleman and everything I want in my future husband!

Who is your favorite female fictional character, and whence comes she?

My favorite fictional female would have to be either Kale from DragonKeeper Chronicles or Anne Ross from Isle of Swords/Isle of Fire.
Why: For Kale my reason is I love the progression of her character! She starts out not sure of herself and not sure what she wants and goes on a grand adventure to where her character develops so very well!
For Anne, I just love the whole spirit of her! She is a quick-tempered red-head and just an awesome lass all around! :D

Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite work of theirs?
This is a tough question. Very tough. Ummm...Bryan Davis is my current favorite and the book of his I like best would have to be Bones of Makaidos [I have not finished all of it yet, but what I have read is spectacular!]

If you are writing a book, answer this question: Who is your favorite character in the book/series you are writing?

I would have to say Galiana ((Gal)) from my book Spy in her own Castle.
Or if I were to go for a more comical character Patrick from my new series. Don't have a name for it next. I mean, who doesn't fall in love with a hilarious kid who loves food too much?

If you are not writing a book answer this question: Who is you favorite character in a book you know someone else is writing?

--*is writing*-- But I love either Elisabeth or Lucas from my friend, Prism's, story! :)
*unfortunately has not read many pieces of writing from any writing forums in awhile, oops!*

I tag:
bookworm4god
atwinforgod

And since I don't have many readers on my blog, WHOEVER happens to come upon this post! :)

So, guess what guys? I need more readers and followers for my blog! I really do. I was thinking of this last night. But where am I going to find more? That was another question that popped into my mind. The only solution I could come up with was to ask you readers of mine if you could all please spread the word about my blog. Just mention it somewhere or ask someone to check it out. :) You really don't have to do it, but it was just a suggestion.

If you can also think of any other possible way to get more readers, please comment me with ideas! Thanks!

((I was thinking of running a contest, but I'm not allowed to hand out real prizes and I couldn't think of anything else that would be good. :/ Though, I did think I could have the grand winner get to come up with a character for my book, but I don't know if that would be copying too much on Bryan Davis's blog contests or Wayne Thomas Batson's...))


So, thanks for tuning in to today's edition of 'Random Writings' and I will 'see' you all tomorrow for my Emotional Fiction update, or rather how my writing is going/writing tips, since I still don't have a plot. xD