New Year's Resolutions

Getting a clear picture of fireworks without a tripod sure is tricky!

    2016 is almost upon us . . . a new year.
    Hundreds--no, thousands . . . millions?--of people are making new year's resolutions, resolving to work on improving or accomplishing something throughout the next year. Having a goal (or goals) like that is cool, and a good encouragement to get things done. Personally, one of my resolutions is to improve my blogging. Maybe make longer posts and have more pictures. (If you have any preferences, I'd love to hear them!)
    Do you make new year's resolutions? How do you work on accomplishing them? Do you make a plan, or just start working at it until it's accomplished?
    Have a wonderful new year, people of the blog world! :D

Darcy Pattison On First Drafts And Those That Follow

 

"The function of the first draft is to help you figure out your story. The function of every draft after that is to figure out the most dramatic way to tell that story."

~Darcy Pattison

   

Merry Christmas 2015!!!

    It's the most wonderful time of the year! A holiday that brings families together and celebrates God's gift to the earth: Jesus Christ's miraculous birth; His arrival to bring salvation to mankind. As the angels in Luke 2 proclaim, it's "good tidings of great joy!"
    Have a wonderful Christmas!

Writing Games: Holiday Songs

    Everybody likes games, right? And for writers, writing prompts are kind of like that. A creative challenge with an outline.
    Songs tell stories of their own, or deliver a message of some kind--especially holiday songs. Christmas songs in particular tend to tell stories. Lots of them are about Christ's birth, painting pictures of that wonderful and monumental night, and other songs are about different and often modern-day topics. Like "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer" (admit it, you know the lyrics by heart :)), and "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
    With those kind of songs, it could be really fun to try to think up and write a story based off of it. It's just like a game, a writing challenge!
    What kind of story would you write based off of, say, "Last Christmas" or "Jingle Bells?"

Luke 2:11-12



"'For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.'"

Luke 2:11-12 (NKJ)

Because He Is

    In Matthew 14, by Jesus's command, the disciples went out in a boat to cross the sea they were by. For a while, things were hunky-dory. They were making progress, and things were good. But about halfway across the sea, they got into some trouble--that trouble being a massive storm that frightened even the tough, experienced fishermen.
    Can you imagine it? Being in a boat that was being rocked around like a leaf in a fountain, trying to splash as much water out as possible, half-sure that you were going to drown . . . when you suddenly see something out on the water. Something that impossibly looks just like a person.
    Of course, that figure was Christ--though the disciples thought that He was a ghost, which terrified them even more. What did Jesus say in response? In the NKJ version, His words were: "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." The footnote, however, says that the phrase "it is I" can be translated as "I am."
    I AM is one of the names of God; one of the most amazing ones. He was in the past, He is presently, and He will always be forever. He'll always be the same strong, loving, able, awesome God who rescues us. Which means that He can help us through storms now just like He has in the past, like when He parted the Red Sea, and when He stilled the waters of this chapter in Matthew.
    Storms come and go, but the Lord has always been and will never leave us alone. Whatever serious issue we go through today, the Lord is able to handle it. That's a comfort, isn't it?

Weather In A Story

    If you've read the Under The Never Sky series, you know the important roles that the storms have. Not only is it a unique factor in the book's world, but it also makes things happen. It affects what the characters do, where they go, and it causes them to depend on one another.
    And if you've read the Sherlock Holmes novel, The Hound Of The Baskervilles, you may notice how the weather affects the setting and the characters and the story. It gives off a sort of mysterious atmosphere that hints at danger, which can be ideal for that type of story.
    If a character is in a car chase with a bad guy, there would be a huge difference between the weather being sunny and pleasant and it being rainy with dark clouds blocking out the sun. The action could go in a dramatically different way. Being accurate with the weather is important too--it probably isn't cold enough to freeze snot during autumn in a beachside town, and when it's summer in Florida, it's not likely that a character would wear a scarf and long coat.
    Weather can be pretty important in a story. Not only does it add to description, but it can be used to prompt events, influence characters, and create a sort of mood in the story that the readers experience as they read.
    Does weather play a large role in your writing? What is your favorite type of weather to write about?

Psalm 119:103

 





"How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Psalm 119:103 (NKJ)

    God's Word is so sweet. Full of kindness and love, it can stir up a warm, fuzzy feeling inside without hiding any bitter realities. God's Word is a hundred percent truthful; absolutely dependable. And it brings good tidings of salvation. Isn't it wonderful? :)

Holidays Can Be So Busy!

    Hey, blogging world. I'm so sorry that I haven't posted anything in a week! So many things to do--especially with the holidays coming up . . .
    It always gets somewhat busier during this time of the year, doesn't it? With gift-shopping, work, homework/studying, decorating, and maybe a Christmas party or two, the days can be short and full of action. But they're also fun, aren't they? With all the Christmas lights and spending time with friends and family, and those short precious moments of free time when you can do something like reading or writing.
    The time of the holidays: busy, but fun! Do you agree?

A Few Tips For Note-Taking

    Note-taking is awesome. Not only is it fun, but it can be really useful in improving writing. Plus, it's a way to watch your favorite shows for hours on end and still be productive! :D
    When taking notes, it helps to have an idea of what to take notes about. Here are a few suggestions:
  -Characters and their roles.
  -Sources of conflict.
  -The way details are given. Does a character bring it up, are there flashback scenes, or can the reader/viewer notice it themselves as the action's going on?
  -Relationships between characters. What makes them significant? Do their actions truly show their feelings?
  -Characteristics of both characters and settings.
  -Things that can be improved, and how you would improve them.
  -Things that provoke emotion, and why.
  -Methods of humor. What type does the genre use? Slapstick, corny jokes, sarcasm, irony?
    So, are these helpful?