Scribbled Fiction

The terms optimist  and pessimist  have a different connotation today than they were originally meant to. These words used to mean individual things, not represent ridiculous stereotypes. But as culture has changed and as stories have taken more and more precedence in our daily lives, we become more accustomed to keeping certain terms confined to the four walls of the little boxes we put them in. For example, these days the word pessimist  means someone who thinks only dark and depressing things of everyone. An Eeyore, a Grumpy Smurf, someone who never smiles and eats gruel three meals a day. The word optimist  is hardly better. Optimists are thought to be obnoxious and delusional. They see no wrong and think the whole world is made of rainbows and cupcakes. Think Smurfette. This is how we've been shaped to think by stereotypes in the stories around us. And because we've been taught to think this way, this is how we think we should act as an optimist or a...

Dear Lonely One, I see you. You sit alone. You keep your thoughts to yourself. No one approaches you, so you don't approach anyone. You think no one sees you. I see you. I ask myself, are they lonely? Do they need a friend? Or do they just want their space? I see you every day. But I don't know how to approach you. So I don't. When you go home, you're alone there too. You have no one to talk to. You have no one to have adventures with. Sometimes it feels like these four walls are all you'll ever have to come home to. I know that feeling. I, too, would like someone to talk to. I, too, would like someone to have adventures with. I sit alone too. I don't want either of us to sit alone. So, the next time I see you, I move. I compliment your Captain American shirt that I saw from across the room. I tell you how much I love the beautiful pictures you draw. You smile, but there is sadness in your eyes. I can see it. I recognize that sadnes...

Worldbuilding can be hard, yes, but it is my favorite, favorite  part of the writing process. I love building places I would want to live in, and yes, I would very much like to live in a lot of them, even though for some reason I make a lot of my characters' hometowns full of really mean people?? Like, what's with Rocky Hill? Why are these people so mean? Like, who even knows? But in doing my worldbuilidng, even I often forget some very important things. Like, where does the waste go? What do they do when one race breaks the other's rules? Does everyone in your world get along? I personally have a small fetish for giving cultures their own constellations. So let's get into world building questions. What are some common names in your world? What creatures in your world are considered pests? What animals are acceptable to eat? How often and how far do people travel? Is it so much that they have the geography memorized and don't need maps? What ...

No, it's true, nobody nominated me, but I liked the questions, so I award myself. *applauds for myself* Ok. I stole this from The Life of an Elf , thanks girl! Rules: Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them. (done and done. Just click the blog name above to be taken to Lacy's blog). List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and notify them by commenting on any of their posts. Ask the nominees 11 new questions. And now my answers! 1) Favorite scene from a book (can be a WIP)? Um um off the top of my head the scene from The Invention of Hugo Cabret where they break open the box of pictures from the top of the armoir and all the pictures fall out. Like sometimes I just pick up a book to read one part again and that is one of them. 2) Tea or Coffee (the dangerous questio...

Here's assuming you read part of  A List of Quirks to Give Your Character , but if you haven't, click the link to read it! Today is a continuation of the same list, so more options! You get a character quirk! You  get a character quirk! Everybody  gets a character quirk! Okay, enough worn-out memes. Let's start the list. 1. Can't stand still. 2. Stares unintentionally then kicks him/herself when it weirds someone out. 3. Is too rough with things. 4. Constantly experimenting with new styles of clothing/shoes/hairstyle/hair color/makeup. 5. Hoards insignificant things that hold sentimental importance to them. 6. Mentally makes comparisons between people they meet and animals/colors/seasons. 7. Grumpy when hungry or tired. 8. Is genuinely confused about a common fact (the sun goes around the earth, red and green make purple), and it's too funny for anyone to correct them. 9. Talks too much/not enough to cover the subject. 10. Has an alle...

I recently saw a piece of advice that in the world of writing you have to be willing to fail for a long time. And right now it feels like I've been doing that for a long time. I have been blogging for over two years, and while some of my posts have done extremely well, most take a few weeks to get numbers I would consider adequate. And while the book I put up in April is only the first decent book I've put online, I don't even know if the few people that have bought it have bothered to read it. I feel as though my collection of attempts has led to nothing. I feel like my cup of failure is overflowing. Often I wonder if I have taken the wrong course in my writing. If I'm doing something wrong. And maybe I am. It would be wonderful to take a glance into the future to see what I need to do in order to succeed. But whether I'm doing something wrong or whether I'm not, I know one thing for certain: It'll be all right. The God I know will always wa...

Enter me repeating for the second month in a row that I haven't been productive! *places paper bag over head* *leaves the country* In all seriousness, in the month of September, I plan to take better charge of my individual weeks and actually reach the goals I set up for myself. I'm thinking of taking my sister's advice and setting aside a specific notebook to write my weekly goals in. I'm not a person to use a planner, that's too much planning, but I should probably start doing weekly goals again if I want to actually achieve stuff. Writing I've hit a bit of a sticky spot in re-drafting Jack, Thief's Son . I'm having a hard time getting the character arcs and stuff to do what I want them to do, so I paused where I was and jumped ahead to the second half of the second act, a place I had more of a vision for. Writing isn't really going more smoothly now than it was before I jumped ahead, but I remain hopeful. At least whatever drafts may foll...