Beautiful Books: NaNo. Fairytale. Lots of pictures!

Ok, so I realized that I should have done this in my last post (which was only a few hours ago), but since I didn't, I'll just link back to it since they are connected: NaNoWriMo - Fairytale-Mashup
There. Now go read it.

Did you read it? If so then you may continue.

Beautiful Books. It's like Beautiful People, but instead of being about characters it's about the books themselves. This is going to be fun! Of course you should go check it out on Further Up and Further In. Go! I'll wait...

Did you go read the explanation? If so, then you may continue.

I will - of course - be answering the questions as in regards to my NaNo novel, the Fairytale Retelling Mashup, currently being called "Alternatives". I don't exactly know why I am calling it that, but it was what came to mind so I'm going with it for now.
And now, for the questions!


1. How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea? 

I don't remember the answer to either part of this question. I really don't know. I haven't had it for very long.
*edit* I was at a coffee shop, it was raining, and I was listening to a SoundFuel playlist, but I don't remember which one.

2. Why are you excited to write this novel? 

Because I love writing, and I love fairytales, and it's going to be awesome! I'm changing some big parts of the stories to make them more unique. Such as: one of the girls (I won't say which) doesn't  believe in True Love. And I'm drastically veering off from the well known Beauty and the Beast storyline. So yeah, I'm excited! 


3. What is your novel about, and what is the title? 

As you know, it is a fairytale-retelling-mashup about Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Ariel; and their crazy adventures. The current working title is "Alternatives". 


4. Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!) 

Cinderella: Sincere
 

(She has grey eyes, not brown.)

Belle: Protective 

Aurora: Inventive or Apathetic - (I can't decide which word suits her better)

Rapunzel: Surprising

Snow White: Lonely

 

  Ariel: Yearning

 

(yes I realize that yearning is a noun, while all the other describing words I used are adjectives)


5. Which character(s) do you think will be your favourite to write? Tell us about them! 

I think I'm going to love writing about all of them, but if I enjoy writing one over the others it will probably be Ariel's plotline (because I have a special connection with the role - having played Ariel onstage), and because I gave her a super cool best friend!

6. What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way? 

Well, they each have several goals throughout the story so I'll go with their first main goals.

Cinderella's goal is to get out from under her step-mother's rule, and to marry the man she loves. Her step-mother and step-sisters; and secret identities, are in the way.

Belle's goal is to move away from the village where she lives and to find healing. Her past/memories, Gaston, and a monster in the forest, stand in the way. 

Aurora doesn't have a big goal until Cinderella and Snow White show up on her doorstep, her goal then becomes helping Snow. 

Rapunzel's goal is to escape the tower and live a life of fun and adventure. Her "mother" stands in the way.

Snow's goal is to survive. Her step-mother has other wishes.

Ariel's goal is to go to the surface and explore the land. But her father, King Triton, stands in the way.

7. Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)


It is set in a medieval-fantasy-fairytale-ish land (like most every other fairytale)
There are forests the stand near each other, and mountains, and a coast/beach.

8. What is the most important relationship your character has?


The ones they have with each other I guess... there are a lot of relationships in this story.


9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?


*River Song voice* Spoilers!!!

10. What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?


Friendship. Love. Standing up against evil - even if it means slipping around in the dark.

I want them to feel happy and sad and intrigued and... I want them to feel exhausted because I took them on a rollercoaster ride. And I want them thirsty for more.
I want my readers to be invested in the lives of the characters and willing to come back and see them do more (in another book).

NaNoWriMo BONUS: Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.

Oh what do I know?! I'm the one that needs advice. But here goes anyway! :)

1 - Don't give up! Even if you feel like no one but you will like the story, just keep writing, just keep pourng your soul onto the keyboard, 'cause in the end, it will have be worth it!

2 - Find what helps get you in the zone. Whether that means nibbling chocolate, putting background music on, sitting on the floor, going for a walk before you write, or maybe, hanging from the ceiling. It really helps to figure out what helps.

3 - Be excited about it! And keep up a bubbly attitude!
(I don't actually know if this actually works, but, my theory is that if you convince your brain that writing is always enjoyable it will put more energy into writing.)

If you want to see more pictures for the story go see my pinterest board: Alternatives - a fairytale mash-up - NaNo 2015

Now. Go and prepare yourselves for the glorious battle of 50,000 words in 30 days! :)

P.S. I apologize for the fonts changing back and forth, I can't figure out why it's doing that.

*All the photos in this post are either from Pinterest or Google Images. I do not own them.*

NaNoWriMo: Fairytale mashup!

Hello everyone, after my depressing last post I thought I should write about something fun! And since we are over half way through NaNoPrepMonth, I thought I should write about my NaNo novel!

I'm very excited! And anxious. It's going to be tough, I have yet to successfully complete NaNo. But It's going to be really fun! What is the story, you ask? It is a Fairytale Retelling Mashup! About six well known princesses: Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Ariel.

But they're all slightly different then the way you might think of them.
What if a princess didn't believe in true love?
What if a princess loved hunting?
What if a princess was depressed?
These are some of the questions that I asked myself, and that I will now explore.

And now for some pictures!

Cinderella:

Belle:

I'm having trouble with the other pics, so I guess those two are it for now.

It will be a challenge to write about six girls - which means six plotlines - plus their villains, love interests, friends, and families.

I'll try to update you on the story every now and then, but I don't want to give away any spoilers.

Have a lovely day!

We Don't Have Long... Tomorrow Could Be One Day Too Late.

Listen up people. This is something that has been on my mind a lot. And now is the time to say it out loud.

You need to get out there and do something with your life.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY: You need to tell the ones you love that they mean so much to you, because Death Is Just Around The Corner, and tomorrow could be One Day Too Late.

Never leave for tomorrow, that which can be done today. (the quote goes something like that) And that includes telling someone I Love You.

Death. It's coming, and no one knows when they're time to go will arrive. It terrifies me to think that at any moment I could lose someone dear to me. 

I know I've talked about this before, but I can't stop saying what's on my heart. I think about death a lot - I "joke" about how I want my funeral, but it's not a joke.

Last night I dreamt that I lost two people I care about - and even though I'm now awake, I still feel the pain of loss.

The words in the title of this post, are song lyrics, from a song by Skillet, called: One Day Too Late. And I think everyone needs to hear it. So here:

And, like I've said before, I have a very difficult time telling people that I love them, but from now on I'm gonna try harder. I don't want to let tomorrow become one day too late.

Please don't miss your chance.

Beautiful People: September - John and Dallas

Better late than never. It's time for Beautiful People!

What is Beautiful People?

Beautiful People is a blog meme hosted by Sky @ Further Up And Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. Every month, they post ten questions to help you get to know your characters better.

So, today, I had two characters - from separate stories - approach me and say that I needed to do Beautiful People this month.

Those two characters are John Fletcher and Dallas Green. Dallas wanted a post about herself, and John was just trying to be helpful and remind me. So I decided to do it with both of them. 

John is from Agents and Assassins. And Dallas is from The Animalia Project.

So here is a quick description of them.
Dallas is 16 with curly brown hair and fierce green eyes, she is tough - and acts tougher - and likes to be on top.
John is 21 with blond hair and blue eyes, he is gentle and just wants to be free from the pain he's in.

Alrighty, here we go!

Me: "Alright guys, I'm going to ask the questions and we will answer them," 

1. They’re in a crisis: who would they really like to see right now?

Me: "Dallas you go first,"

Dallas: "Ok then. In a crisis? I'm never in a crisis,"

Me: "But if you were, who would you want to come help?"

Dallas: "I don't need help. I would probably see Erwyn, because I'd defeating him and his silly try to get me in a crisis,"

Me: "I think that she would want to see Joe,"

John: "Who's Joe?"

Me: "A friend of her's that has saved her a couple times from fights,"

Dallas: "I told you, I don't need help,"

Me: "John. Your turn."

John: "Um... well, I guess I'd like to see Cary Hitchcock."

Me: "Not Agent Law?"

John: "Well, her too I guess, but if I could only have one person help me, I'd go with Cary. He's um... friendlier... than, Agent Law."

Me: "Next question. John you go first this time,"

2. Are they easy to get along with? 

John: "I hope I am. But I guess I wouldn't really know,"

Dallas: "Of course I am. I'm very easy to get along with, as long as other people don't act like iditots,"

Me: "John is very easy to get along with. 
  John: *Smiles shyly* "Thank you,"

Me: "Dallas, on the other hand..."

Dallas: "What?"

Me: "Dallas can be a challenge - not for me - but for others."

Dallas: "Oh, come on!

3. Who was the last person they had a deep conversation with?  

Dallas: "Deep? Deep conversations get you nowhere. And they make peopole emotional. But I guess the last person would be Nora, it was not fun."

John: "I guess it would be... her... I'd rather not talk about it,"

Me: *nods* "Ok,"

4. They’re in the middle of a huge crowd of people: how do they feel? 

John: "Not too bad, crowds don't really bother me. I like that you can disappear and just be another face in a crowd,"

Dallas: "It's neither here nor there. Crowds are crowds, so as long as they aren't all cheering for an opponent, I'm good."

5. Do they believe in luck or miracles? 

Dallas: "In luck, yeah, never seen a miracle,"

Me: "Your position on that might change pretty soon,"

Dallas: "What does that mean?"

Me: "Can't tell you. John, your answer?"

John: "Both I guess..."

6. Do they like and get along with their neighbours? 

John: "Well, before I left the states, yeah, but where I am now, it's a little more difficult," 

Dallas: "Define "neighbors". If you mean people in the town, then yeah, most of 'em. But maybe you mean the Green Kids, in The Green. Still, yeah most of 'em are fine."

7. If they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go? 

Dallas: "The big city," 

John: "Well, I was kinda given that card already. Really, I'm not in to traveling,"

8. How do they feel about their body? 

John: "I'm very aware of how much stronger than me, everyone on Cary's team is,"

Dallas: "I feel great about myself, I'm the best kid in The Games, and I'm gonna win,"  

9. What is the cruelest thing someone has ever said to them? How did they react? 

Me: "Well, Dallas?" 

Dallas: "No one would dare try to be cruel to me."

Me: "Why is that?"

Dallas: "Because I'm tough, I'm not fazed by stuff like that,"

Me: *nods with the wisdom and knowledge that comes from being the author*

John: "The cruelest thing? I don't know..." 

10. What’s the kindest thing someone has ever said to them? How did they react?

Dallas: "What is it with these sappy questions?"

Me: "They're great questions!"

John: "I guess, it would be something - anything - that She said,"

Dallas: "Who? Who is it? You always just say "her" or "she", what's her name?"

John: *makes eye contact with me* "I can't say her name. But she was wonderful. And I can't pinpoint just one thing she said, she was always so kind." *looks over at Dallas* "What about you, Dallas?"

Dallas: "I'm a Green kid, people aren't "kind" they're condescending. No one cares about us except when we're competing in the games. Though I guess, Joe and Mrs Ballet are nice,"

Me: "Ok... now that I've depressed the two of you, I guess we'll wrap this up. Thank you for partisipating, I hope you got at least some enjoyment from this."


And thank You for reading this very long post. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Doctor Who and Heartbreak.

Warning! I was very emotional when writing this post.

I love Doctor Who. I do. I love it. And I have for several months now.
But right now I'm suffering because of that love, and I am left to wonder why anyone would ever open their heart so much.
This show has made me laugh, made me overflow with joy. But it has also made me worry, and cry, and mourn. It has torn my heart to pieces - I imagine it's very much like being put through a paper shredder.
So, why? Why did I allow something so far into my heart?
I think that I must have underestimated the power of the show and the strength of the attachment that would form.
Is the pain worth it? Does the good outweigh the hurt? I don't know. I'm still trying to decide.
This show makes you fall in love with people, people you know you will one day lose. And then, just as promised, it tears them away leaving an enormous hole in your heart. I have just lost someone very very dear to me (Ten) and I don't know how I'll manage.
But still in the midst of the raging heartbreak... I still love the show.
Why?

So? Do you watch Doctor Who? Is it worth it?

...Waiting... Dreams... Ambition...

Here I sit, at my favorite coffee place, staring at my screen until I see double... with nothing to say... seriously, I have nothing to say, but I want to shower the world in words of wisdom and wit. So here I am... waiting for some bolt of inspiration.

Waiting...

Waiting...

...Life is too short to spend it all waiting...

...and yet...

...I'm still here... waiting...

I've been waiting for things all my life: freedom, happiness... luck... talent...

But how can I recive something I'm not working towards?

I finally have my freedom (mostly), but what about my dreams?

I never had ambition until recently - sure, I had dreams, but no hope of them ever becoming a reality; I simply accepted that they were dreams and didn't fight for them. Though really, I couldn't have done anything about it before now anyway, so maybe it's good that I didn't have ambition until now - but anyway... a little while back I tried something big, nothing came of it, except: I found ambition, I realized that I could do something that I loved and maybe even do well. So I decided to do more than just dreams of reaching for the stars, I decided to start building my rocketship.

Really, I don't why I'm saying this right now. I don't even know if I have already said this.

Right now, I just want to encourage you to work towards your dreams. How can you build real castles on clouds unless you get into the sky? 

What about you??? What are you stretching for? What does your cloud castle look like? Decide how you want to get to the sky, and start construction on your space-ship, or ladder, or trampoline, or jet-pack fueled by cuteness; do what you love and do it well.

Tell me your thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear from you!

~ Smithy Rose

7-7-7 Challenge

I have been tagged, by my dear friend Kelsey at Kelsey's Notebook, to do the 7-7-7 challenge, which is where you share 7 sentences from page 7 of your WIP, and then tag 7 other writers to go and do the same.

 Anyone I would tag has already been tagged, and I don't have 7 people to tag anyway, so you are tagged if you want to be.

 Here is my clip from "Agents and Assassins"

“Why do I keep talking to myself?” John wondered aloud on his way to the village one morning a week later. The sky was bright, and the air fresh, with a tinge of excitement, as if something was to happen soon. However John ignored the feel of the air and continued his conversation with himself, “I never used too. But I do it all the time now. That is when I’m alone. Like right now. I suppose that I won’t be able to get rid of it very easily since it’s kept up this long.”

Reading and Saying Goodbye

I love to read. But I don't like finishing a book or series, because it hurts, and it's like saying goodbye.

I just finished reading the Manga "Ouran High School Host Club". I fell in love with the characters and I've watched them go through so much. And now, I'm saying farewell to a part of them, and a part of me. I love them SO MUCH.
My only consolation is that they might visit me in my head and heart.


I've never "liked" saying goodbye . But I always want to. Because one day, I'm going to see someone for the last time. And I don't want to let them go without a final parting - even though I won't know when it is.
Other people may go the other way and choose not to say goodbye, but I can't do that.

I struggle with telling people how much they mean to me; for me, saying goodbye - to my friends - giving and receiving a hug or just a smile... it's kind of a way of saying, "I don't want to lose you,"
I was very young when I realized the frailty of life. And when I did, it hurt... I think it changed me... I got scared... because one thing I do know, is that I love hard, which means that I can't bear the thought of living without my friends.
I actually wanted to die young so that I wouldn't have to go through the pain of someone going before me. I might still desire it.

So anyway... these are my thoughts... and I'm actually crying right now...

Warning: Some May Find This Content Depressing

                                   ATTENTION: THIS POST IS KIND OF A MESS.
But than again, I am a mess, so it's really not surprising.



Picture this: It's 2:00 am. A sixteen-year-old girl is lying on her bed listening to Happy/Sad from The Addams Family Musical, bawling her eyes out, because the song is giving her a picture of a father-daughter relationship that she never had.

Yes. That girl is me.

And I was crying because instead off a loving, caring, father - I got a monster.

I used to think that I didn't mind, not having someone in the role of "dad". But maybe I was wrong. (Or maybe it's just 2:00 am.)

I went through a life that NO ONE should have to endure. I was betrayed by a person that should have been there for me. And I've come out very battered, bruised, and scarred.

One of my first instincts, is to distrust dads - in books, in movies, in real life. And this obviously stems from my own experience.

I can't imagine what a good relationship with a father-figure is like. (And I have a good imagination.)

My Only Nightmares, Ever, Are About Him.

And so, when I listen to that song, I imagine being in Wednesday's place.
But why am I crying over the song? Because I find it so amazing, and beautiful, and I wish that I had someone that could/would sing that song to me.

I am a person that feeds off of feeling things, and so the knowledge that I will never have the feeling of a great relationship with a father-figure like that; it really gets to me.

Still, having no father, is far better than having a bad one.

~Smithy Rose

P.S. And if you haven't heard the song Happy/Sad from The Addams Family Musical I highly suggest that you go listen to it.

Beautiful People: Friendship Edition

I know that August is almost over, but better late than never! 

Beautiful People is a blog meme hosted by Sky @ Further Up And Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. Every month, they post ten questions to help you get to know your characters better. 

This month's BP is about Friendship!

This month we will meet:
20-year-old Agent Susan Wright (goes by Sue) and 18-year-old Agent Anthony Bridgewell.


This is Sue:

This is Anthony:
Just make his hair and shirt Red. And remove the Star Fleet insignia.

They are from my novel-in-progress: Agents and Assassins. 

1. How long have they known each other, and how close are they? They have known each other for about two years. They are very close - because they have a lot in common - but they are not quite best friends.
2. What’s their earliest memory of being best friends? As I said up above, they aren't best friends, but they first became really close about a year-and-a-half ago when they were put on Cary Hitchcock's "team". They found refuge in each other - they were both severely intimidated by Agent Law.
3. Do they fight? How long do they typically fight for? So far, they have not fought. They depend on one another too much to do so.
4. Are their personalities similar or do they compliment each other? Well, they are similar in that they are both shy, and they underestimate themselves... Yeah, they are similar.
5. Who is the leader of their friendship (if anyone)? Neither of them lead the friendship, but Anthony will defer to Sue more than Sue to Anthony.
6. Do have any secrets from each other? Yes. But probably not many.
7. How well do they know each other’s quirks and habits? They know how to make each other's coffee just right. Anthony has a lot of "quirks" and Sue is slowly deciphering what each one means. Anthony knows Sue's daily routine (as much as their life has a daily routine) and her habits fairly well. But they are still learning about each other.
8. What kind of things do they like to do together? You mean besides stopping bad guys? They love playing games of all sorts together. They also - on rare occasions, when they have the plane to themselves - will daydream, and share their thoughts.
9. Describe each character’s fashion style (use pictures if you’d like!) How are their styles different/similar? They wear uniforms most of the time, so their styles are very similar. But if they had no dress code Anthony would wear button-up shirts unbuttoned over a t-shirt with jeans. Sue would wear tank-tops and maxi-skirts.
10. How would their lives be different without each other? They would be less confident. And they would be lonely. They are a big part of one another's lives that it is really hard to think of one without the other.

Now, for your pleasure, here are a few snippets from the book:

                                                               ______________

Sue ~

“I am so sorry, I didn’t see you until it was to late to stop—I am so sorry about that,” She said quickly. She had medium toned skin; dark brown eyes; and, straight, black hair, cut in a bob, hanging to just below her chin. Her shirt matched O’Brian’s and Bridgewell’s in style, but hers was dark blue.

Anthony ~

Two large seats at the front of the cabin were occupied: the one in the center—looking everything like a Captain’s seat in a starship—was vacated when they came in, by a boy in a burgundy shirt; looking a few years younger then John, with red hair in short tight curls.

 

Both ~ 

From this bookshelf Sue and Anthony both pulled something: Anthony chose a board game and Sue picked a card game.

                                                                      * * *

Sue’s jaw dropped and the box Anthony was holding fell from his hands, hitting the floor with a crash.

                                                            _____________

There you go! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed answering the questions. :)