The Berlin Wall: an Inspiration

Hi everyone!

I've decided to start working on a story again... only it's a lot deeper than I thought it would be like. It's inspired by this song. The song is thought to be about the Wall of Berlin.

I just did some research (links at the bottom, as always!), and here's what I understand. If you have any cool or interesting facts on it, please post them in the comments! I love to hear voices on topics like this. :3

***NOTE: This will be humourous because it IS an extremely dark topic and I don't want this to be too depressing. Please understand that I know it was a really dark and scary time, and you should too. Which is why I'm putting resources at the bottom so you can learn more about the Wall of Berlin and other important events during the time. Thank you!***

First, it actually goes all the way back to World War II (the end of it). At the YALTA meeting (leaders of the US, England, and the USSR [current-day Russia] got together and discussed the fate of Germany), it was decided that Berlin would be split in two. The Allies got the Western half and the USSR got the Eastern half. Germany itself was also split between the Allies and the USSR, but Berlin resided in the USSR's portion. After a while, this got tiring for the USSR, so in 1948, they slipped on their sass-pants and refused to let the Allies bring food to West Berlin. Well, not to be out-done, the Allies snapped their sassy fingers and started dropping cargo onto West Berlin full of food and supplies. This was called the Berlin Airlift, and was dangerous. Planes got shot down. People died.

Then the Cold War started, and it got extremely rough in 1961. Many people fled East Berlin and ran to the West, fleeing from the tensions and to a--hopefully--better future. On August 12 of 1961, nearly 2,400 people fled East Berlin (that's on one day!!!). That night, the leaders decided to stop the immigration by closing their borders forever. After the wall went up, it was extremely rare for any people to get past the wall. Common people weren't allowed, and people in positions of authority were heavily screened.

The Wall was makeshift for a while, with escapees still getting through. When building a better wall, they made it four-feet wide, twelve feet high, and put a pipe on the top of it to stop anyone from getting over it. Not to mention the tortures before the wall--vicious dogs, trip-wired machine guns, flood-lights, soft sand, and patrol guards that shot escapees on-sight. Sounds like a walk in the park, eh? People did escape, though, in clever ways. (I highly suggest you read the resources, they are AMAZINGLY creative ways!)

On November 9 of 1989, a spokesperson from East Berlin announced that all people would be allowed to cross into West Berlin freely. People went to the wall and chipped pieces off, and celebrated the fact that they would be reunited with their other half--something so incredibly beautiful, I can't even imagine what it would've been like. :3

Of course, this is really just the tip of the iceberg. There was a lot that went into the Berlin Wall at the end--but how long it lasted and what era it went into is frightening. It just shows how wrong the world is, how it really isn't a beautiful place. One of the leaders who organized the wall's building (it was rebuilt three times) confessed that it was wrong and a horrific idea to keep people from leaving a country--something that many thought would be understood after Hitler's example. But, it wasn't like that.

Anyway, this story is one I'm fairly excited about. It will have the same concept--only, instead, a country divided in half. The Main Character (MC) will be a cousin of the Queen. I'll show ya'll how that'll map out.

I'll be posting a new chapter the last day of every month. :3 Hope some of you... one of you... will read it. Stay tuned!

Cheers!
Jenn

Photo credit: prlog.org

The Berlin Wall (history.com)
Romanov's Murder and the Berlin Wall
Walled In! Germany's Inner Boarder (youtube)
The History of the Berlin Wall (youtube)
Berlin Wall Deaths (youtube)

I'm an Ostrich (Help! Jenn's and INTJ!)

Hi everyone!

So, I've been feeling crummy and all-around sad and I haven't been able to put a finger on it until a weird Google search (c'mon, new information makes me happy) lead me to Ostracism. The idea is that one person for whatever reason is ignored by a majority of people, leaving them to learn the workings of the world by themselves.

Okay, I know, this is going to be a long, winded post, but it's just an explanation. I promise, I don't want to come off as complainy--most of this stuff has already happened, and I don't mourn, I accept facts. Remember: I'm an INTJ. But here's the story of how I actually became one.

It started in 2012, back when I was dating someone and the number of times I had been getting kicked out were increasing, and my all-around happiness was decreasing. I wasn't happy in my relationship, and I knew it--but when you are in a just really bad situation, you don't usually reject those that take you in. But then, I wasn't really happy in general--getting kicked out for reasons I didn't understand were hard. I had PMDD then, and I knew that my anger had something to do with my period, but mom refused to get me checked out, and instead let my anger bother her so much that extremely harsh words were said and people left or got left out in the cold. It was a really, really bad situation that still haunts me today.

Anyway, most of my happiness was me fakin' it like a pro. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't fun, but mom had told me time and time again that these were our problems and not other people's, and that going to a counselor or talking to someone she had not pre-approved was out of the question (and those pre-approved people usually told my parents absolutely everything afterwards, so they weren't an option). It was a really, really rough time and I still detest the fact that my 'rents wouldn't think that maybe I just needed to go see a doctor or something for help.

But then things went down hill really quickly. My parents went through some rough spots. My boyfriend broke up with me--knowing that at that moment, I needed someone. So badly. My friends didn't call me back, they ignored me, wouldn't talk to me, and once school started--they were rude. I didn't have a clue of what was happening with my life anymore, and I didn't know what was going to happen.

(please note: Faith played a huge part in me still being here, but due to some people I've had the pleasure of speaking with, I actually won't go into that. Mostly because I'm tired of people not listening to me when I say if I did not put all of my trust in God I would have killed myself then I know where my faith stands, please stop doubting me.)

Erm... moving onward, this was a serious time of self-development. It was a time that I got to learn about myself, my real friends, my family--and it was a really hard time. Even going into school, it was still a crazy time of learning about myself.

I don't know what "type" I was before that all happened, but I was out-going, social, I wanted many friends and I liked being apart of a group. I was always busy, my house was a hang-out for all of my girlfriends and our movies were the best. For me, being out-going--and even snotty at times--meant fitting in, and I liked it that way.

But when they left, for whatever reason, leaving me to figure out the pieces--it was hard. Besides my faith, I turned to Pinterest and baking blogs. I made cakes and artwork, I spent my summer earnings on canvases and furniture and paint. I deleted all the negative friends on Facebook and filled it with dancing and positive pages. I read and wrote and kept busy, I worked out until I lost 50lbs. I wasn't "happy"--I was still figuring things out, but I was busy. Being busy gave me no time to think about the breakup or how my life felt out-of-control. Instead, being artsy and changing my room's shape every few days made me happy and like I had total control of my world.

When I got back to school, I realized how time to myself had really changed me. I was cold, studious. I didn't talk to people, I read books and kept to myself. During homecoming week, when there was the collective lunch, I ate by myself at my own table. Granted, I nearly cried, but it was part of what the world was making me--I wasn't outgoing any longer, I was scared of being rejected again and again.

But soon that faded. It faded into fact: These people don't like me, therefore, I've got to find my own people.

And it might be harsh to those that I go to school with--but none of you made an effort to be in a group with me, and all of you shooed me away or gossiped about me behind my back. So yeah, I moved on. I'm always open towards a friendship though--just know that I'm not the girl you might've known before.

But, "my own people" was a challenge. I searched in my ballet class, clubs--everywhere. I couldn't find anyone. Until, of course, I found the internet. And on the internet, there was a great place where people blogged and expressed themselves and could manage what sort of world they thrived in.

I wanted to be a part of that.

So in February, I made a blog. I decided I would stick with it, through thick or thin. Content would be rough some days, but I would learn. I still am. And quickly, I learned that blogging was something that I loved--it kept me busy while others mocked me, it made me happy even though no one really read it. It was the place I could call my own. It was my inspiration to be creative.

And ostracism was what brought me here. Here, one year from all that, a-okay and working. I hope this year is better, if not--I hope I can blog about it. :)

Cheers,
Jenn

Let Me Write Your Movie: a New Series

Hi everyone!

So, I like to play this game with myself. When I read a movie or TV series synopsis, I make up an entire plot to it. Usually, I try and go watch the movie, where I'm like: Wow, this is NOT what I had in mind at ALL. And I've been doing this for years! So, I decided to play this game on this blog, and hopefully induce inspiration/laughter/thought from all of you through my outlandish ways of thinking.

Today, I offer up a 1994 movie, I.Q. (real-synopsis as according to Netflix):

When Catherine, the cerebral niece of scientific genius Albert Einstein, piques the interest of an average auto mechanic, Einstein concocts a plan to bring the two divergent minds together.

My movie plot (but don't forget to post your own in the comments!): It takes place twenty years before Albert Einstiein's death, when he is visited by a woman who claims she can see into the future. She relays to Einstein that in the year of 1994, there will be only one family member of his left--a niece. She tells him that this niece will be "forever alone" (another gift from her to him of the future), and that the niece will hold no heir. The old woman leaves in a blink of his eye, and he decided that his cannot be the fate of his legacy! After ten years, Einstein makes the first time machine, and goes to the year 1994 to find this niece.

Once Einstein arrives, he is shocked by the world around him. The world is no longer what he once thought it was--instead, it's something he could only dream of! But he has a mission on mind--find his niece and save his family. Through the media sources, he finds where his niece is, and happens upon her right as she's getting an oil change. This convinces him that the friendly mechanic is the one to carry on his legacy, and he quickly begins to set them up.

But, is a genius of science really a genius of romance? Will he be able to travel back in time soon enough? WILL HIS FAMILY CONTINUE LIVING?

Through the help of pie (haha, see what I did there?), Einstein finds that family isn't about cleverly making it continue--it's also about proving you care enough to make them right.

What are your absolutely amazing synopsis??? :)

Cheers!
Jenn

5,000 Words to Write on the Wall...

Hi everyone!

No, this isn't about graffiti. This is about something much worse.

Camp NaNoWriMo. 

Guys, it's crushing my soul! *whines* I can't do this!

Okay, so, it's 5am, I'm up--but why?

Well, there are some strange rumbly noises outside. Probably a herd of cattle (just... kidding?). But, still. And, it's really, strangely, unbearably hot in my side of the room. My side is next to poorly made windows, so when it gets hot, IT GETS HOT. Even with the air on. (because the air seeps out) And my leg hurts (restless leg syndrome sorta thing. It's actually just when I get really tired, my leg really hurts. My brother also has this problem. I'M NOT CRAZY.). And, I'm just kind of, ya know, lonely. There's no one to see, nothing to do, just me reminiscing about past days and stuff. And that makes me kind of sad and inspiration-less.

And honestly, making that podcast and talking to myself was th--

Okay, earth-shaking, HUGE boom, and I don't think it's raining. Kinda super freaked. Checking weather...

It's thundering outside, but no/little rain. Kind of getting old, weather, isn't it? Rain all summer. Be hot all fall--climate change, folks! (no scientific data backing what I just said up. Just me, making assumptions because I'm tired of our weather and

OMG it's so hot in here! And it's not me! 'Cause I'm homely!

Anyway, NaNo is eating at my soul and it's only the eighth day. And this is mainly because I've been human-contact deprived and I get tired and stressed because--hey!--it's actually healthy to have human contact. And when it's not there, I do get stressed and stay up late hours into the night, trying to fall asleep but resorting to blogging instead. And it's hard waking up and being awake. Like, super hard.

I don't think I'm depressed?

And I was going to look it up if not for my darned internet connection! UGHNESS. Stupid country town! In the city I never had this problem! *blows world up*

But, back to the sleeping thing--I think this is what I'm looking for. My internal clock is busted and needs some TLC. Probably more than TLC, though... (it's most likely from waitressing--working late hours and getting home at 5 in the morning. -.-)

Oh well! It's 5am now, I should go get some sleep. Or try.

Night/morning!

Cheers!
Jenn

Writing Essentials

Hi everyone!

I decided to write this post on writing essentials. Do ya'll remember way back when in April when I attempted NaNoWriMo? Well, I always wanted to do this post, but never did. I'll list what I keep on me at all times, what I use just for writing, and what I keep in my writing bag. Here's a picture of all of it:


Now, a break-down (please don't mind the pictures--had to use flash indoors and everyone knows how that works out.).

Here's a picture of the self-maintenance stuff that I have. I keep an EOS sphere (this one is strawberry sorbet), some Be Enchanted had lotion, and a nail file. Ever since I started keeping the nail file, my nails have been really healthy and long, so I consider it a good-luck-with-nails-charm.

Here's my electronic stuff. On the bottom are my spare headphones (two for $14--my dad said get two so I can have an extra, 'cause I run through them like crazy), and I love the sound from them. There's my pink iPod from when I detassled, bought with my own money. I was so excited I cried when I got it. HAHAHA, just kidding, I was too dehydrated to do that. The blue thing is my flashdrive, and there's my current pair of headphones.(: Without music, I couldn't write. And without my flashdrive, I couldn't save my writing. YAY TECHNOLOGY! 

 Here's two pictures of my favourite books--Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, and my journal. Whenever I need a break or some time to sit back and think for myself, I like to read or write. And writing makes me happy, and journaling makes the world a better place.(:

Whoooo! And finally, here's the essentials for life: writing utensils and chocolate! I've got led, erasers, pens, a mechanical pencil, and a bar of chocolate.

Purse Essentials: 

• Pen and/or pencil 
• Journal 
• Flashdrive 
• iPod and headphones 
• Camera 
• Pads/tampons
• EOS/Chapstick 
• Hand lotion 
• Nail file 
• Hand sanitizer  

Writing Bag Essentials: 

• Sketchbook (that black thing under everything)
• Baby (my netbook I've currently typing on) 
• Pencils and/or pens 
• Book/reading material 

I hope some of you found that inspirational! What are your writing must-haves? What pieces of technology do you think a blogger can't live without? I'll try to do a purse-must-have post soon, because there's so many things that must be discussed! 

Cheers! 

Jenn

Standardized Tests

Hi everyone!

Today, we're going to talk about something inspired by a post by Shannon Hale--sadly, it was on Facebook, so I can't link it directly to that. I will link this over to Squeetus, her blog, and hope ya'll know who I'm talking about. ;)

Shannon had posted (and I quote):

"After 7 hours in school, another hour of homework each night is too much for elementary kids. They need time to think, play, run, read."

That sparked many comments on the standardized tests--which were very interesting to read, and I enjoy Shannon's posts a lot. She's intelligent and funny, and really gets her readers thinking. If there was any author I suggested stalking, she's my top pick!

Anyway, Shannon has tons of great commenters, too. And reading them reminded me of my luck with the standardized tests--it was a weird luck, anyway. Every time I took a standardized test, I always had my period. And as one of my fellow Bloggers and I have discussed on a different post, I'm 99% sure I have PMDD. It is pretty much the worst thing ever and makes me so moody that I hate the entire world--and then some. So much, that when I grow up, I will live alone with cats because everyone will believe that I hate them.

One of the standardized tests is the (state initial)SAT. It's an elementary-middle school test that I don't think actually accounts for anything, and is one of the stupider tests because it doesn't count for anything. And when you get a chica who already is not happy to be anywhere near the planet and force her to take a test that doesn't count for anything, then you get a few really terrible scores.

And, luckily, it was a competition that only happened with the students.

Other students: Oh my gosh, I should have studied more!

Me: UGH I should have just taken a nap!

See, they grade them with numbers--1, 2, 3, and 4. And:
 1 means that you did terrible--wrote in a different language or didn't have readable handwriting or wrote something totally unrelated.
2 means that you stayed on topic and your handwriting was readable, but you were totally off so we have to give you a better score than a 1 but we didn't like it. At all.
3 means that you did okay! You stayed on topic and had really good points! So yay! Let's try just a tad harder next time! ;)
4 means that you're perfect(ly good at taking tests that don't count for anything). 

So, let's back up to when the tests were going down. There's this huge preparation at the school, the teachers running about and drilling their students. There's no way to know what's on the tests before hand, so they were guessing and just trying to get us to a point where we would be somewhat okay. These tests are pretty stupid.

And when we were hearded into small rooms for two hours at a time to take a test that doesn't count for anything, why yes, I did get grumpy. I did start getting sassy with my answers, and  I even started writing patterns into my answer sheet. It was pretty cool, and I loved it with all my heart. Sadly, they said I couldn't take it home, so no pictures here. :(

But, the English extended response was fairly interesting. It was an evolution-based question, and I'm a creationist. The text had implied a lot of things, but it didn't have anything I could quote to make them happy. And, it was just a test that doesn't count for anything, so I thought:

Why bother?

I then continued to write them four pages on how there's a lot of proof against evolution, and there's a lot of iffy-ness in the universe in general. I'm pretty sure I told them to stop teaching that to us as fact because it really isn't. It's stupid. We haven't seen it, we haven't any video footage of it happening, all we have are these theories, not facts.

And honestly, I love talking about evolution. I don't have a problem with it. I just don't like when it's treated like fact on a test that doesn't count for anything. And through a lot of scientific fact and evidence from their text, I told them that.

That, and on the math portion, I knew a triangle was a 3-4-5, so I remember putting down: "BITE ME FOR NOT SHOWING MY WORK WHEN THAT'S OBVIOUS, SUCKERS!"

On both, I got a 2.

I was a sassy tweenager.

Cheers!
Jenn

Updating the Inspirations

Hi everyone!

I edited some pics for the Inspirations page. To see more inspirational quotes, click on the top page under "Inspirations". These pictures will be added later.(:

Both of these are quotes from my currents writings, and I liked them and this is my blog sodon'tjudgemeomg!

Night! 

Cheers! 

Jenn

Interview with Christina

 Hi everyone!

Today, we have another fantastic camper interview that I got to meet during this year's camp! Want to get involved? Feel it's too late to start now? That's okay, camp happens again this July. Hope tosee you there! If you do participate, feel free to comment or contact me so we can be cabin mates! But for now, here's Christina!


Q: How did you first get involved with Camp?
A: They introduced it in 2011, and we'd all heard about it on the regular site, so when it came around, I thought 'Why not'? and signed up. That was how I started to meet everyone else.



Q: How long had you know about NaNo?
A: Mmm. I am going to say about 2007. It was actually in the middle of November I believe, when I remembered about it, and I was still on the fence about it so I didn't participate for those reasons. In 2008, it was still daunting, being a high school student and contending with writing a 50,000 word novel as well, so I decided not to do it. In 2009 it was the year I finally decided to sign up. So altogether I have known about it for7 or 8 years.



Q: What took you "off the fence" and made you finally decide to do NaNo?
A: I wasn't in school anymore for one, so I had a bit more free time on my hands. Finally I decided to go for it. I won that year with a little over 50,000 words.



Q: What was most helpful when you did NaNo/Camp?
A: For me, i find that it's easier to do it all in one sitting. I know it sounds awful but I just sit there and write, usually. Other days I will take it slow. I find that it is all about going at the pace you have to, and not follow what everyone else is doing. Another thing that is most helpful is rewards. I went "Oh, I get to go read a fanfic chapter if I get this many words done" And at the end of the month if you do pass, reward yourself with something REALLY nice that you have set up in advance (perhaps something you've been wanting for awhile), so you have a bigger reward at the end for crossing the finish line. Another thing that helps is other wrimo's, especially during regular NaNo. Meet up with a few of them, and your word counts will soar. I have had opportunity to host a few of these as an ML and they were a blast.



Q: What is your biggest "muse" when writing?A: I guess, and this is really strange to say, but my muses are my characters. They kind of "tell me" what they want to happen, and I write it.



Q: Do you work hard at figuring out where your story is going, or do you let your characters lead you?
A: Haha. I am a pantser. Basically that means I come up with a lil bit of plot, Character names, and I let them play! Some pantsers however, have been known not to even do that!



Q: Is there anything you want your Cabin Mates to help you with most of all along the way?
A: Just talk. The last few years, I have had cabins that weren't active. I swear I even heard crickets! I am hoping to rectify that with this years "Everyday activity" option.



Q: Have you ever wrote a person into a novel that you didn't like, just to kill them off? If so, how did they die? If not, would you, and how would you execute it?
A: Hmmm. Not a novel, but I did have an assignment for a writing group where we had to kill off our inner editor. You know, that person in your head that's always screaming "THAT'S WRONG! FIX IT! NOW!" I created her, and didn't like her because hey, she was impeding my writing, darn it! And then I killed her off in the most horrible way possible. But I've never done so in a novel. Usually for me, deaths have a purpose. Even the inner editor's death had a purpose, and that was to free me up to actually, y'know, write.



Q: Do you purposely write in morals and ideas into your novels?
A: Morals not so much. I mean to me, a story is about telling fantastical things that can't happen. Or discovering uncharted territory. It is not used to impose my beliefs on other people, nor would I ever want it to be.



Q: Any advice for possible NaNo Writers?A: Do it. Just dive in. If you think you won't be able to do the full 50,000 then move it down, if it is during camp. If it is during regular NaNo, I suggest you try it. You never know what you are going to accomplish. You have a whole forum of people to help you get to that 50K. And if you break it up, say one 500 word session, one 567 word session, and one 600 word session you can easily get your words for the day.



Bonus Question: Favourite dessert?
A: Hmmm. That's a tough one. I don't really eat a lot of sweets. But I do eat some candy. I guess it would have to be a turtles candy bar.


Thanks, Christina!(: I found that very inspiring, and there's lots of excellent advice in there! I hope everyone enjoys it just as much as I have!

Cheers!
Jenn

What would be your biggest writing tip? Have you done NaNoWriMo? If you haven't, would you? What did you learn from this? Leave your answers in the comments below!(:

Blogging a Blog pt.2: Writing What?!

Hi everyone!

Blogging a Blog pt.1 is right here. This is pt.2, though, where we'll be discussing writing times, music, and ways. This one will be broken down into three sections. Let's get started!

Writing When? 

This one is fairly simple. Write when you have the time--duh! But did you know that there's actually a better time to write? According to many studies, if you write between the hours of 9pm-12am, you'll be able to write more and have more creative juices flowing through you. Conclusion: Writers are nocturnal creatures. 

But, could there be more? To entertain those reading this series for fun, let's discuss this: being overly tired and being drunk have a correlation, according to many. Being that I've never been drunk or been under the influence of anything other than caffeine, I wouldn't know (and don't plan on finding out for myself). But, when I get really tired, I do turn into a creature that isn't my own. I get hyper and crazy and insane--and my writing gets a whole lot better. I've seen other bloggers and commenters talk about how writing can get easier after drinking a few glasses of alcohol. I'm not saying: "Hey, let's drink because we'll write better!"  That's just not what I do. Unless you're of age and like to drink, I'd encourage you not to drink. 

Especially not for the sake of writing. 

I would, though, encourage you to write at later hours. Your brain is slowing down, you're winding down, and things seem okay. It's night. Just write. Don't drink anything other than water or tea, and just sit down and pound out a few hundred/thousand words before bed.(:

ACTUALLY, while that holds true for most people, if you have more time during the day, write during the day. Just write. SERIOUSLY. JUST WRITE. 

Write to What? 

This is a fun one! I, personally, believe in the power of music. I'm not like the seemingly large portion of writers that prefer peace and quiet, I thrive on noises. I constantly need music to keep me powering through. If you're the type of author/blogger that needs silence, disregard this! Otherwise, let me have your attention for a while. 

Music can be really helpful. It can also affect the mood of the piece, though. I find classical/calm folk music to be the best for writing in general, it's not so moody and you can let it just cycle without being affected by it. If you've been planning a big scene, picking a playlist carefully before sitting down to write it can be helpful. I use my Youtube account often for creating playlists, though it can be as easily done on iTunes if you have the music already. When you're ready to write, put on the playlist, and let the mood sway you! 

Some other things to consider are if you're easily distracted by lyrics. If you are, finding some classical music can be easier. I've been using music the Swan Lake Waltz for a lot of my writing if I'm feeling easily distracted. Browsing through the classical music on Youtube can help find suitable pieces to listen to no matter the ears or tastes! 

Write How?

Very simply: however! If you're writing for pure enjoyment, writing on paper with pen is an excellent way to do it. Though, if you're going to be attempting to write a novel meant for publishing, I'd suggest typing. Writers block can happen, though, especially with typing. Some suggestions I've seen are taking a break, 30 minutes or so. Sometimes, writing something different can help. Writing with pen and paper can help get those creative juices flowing, too! 

Also, writing in your own, hand-made journal can be a neat and fulfilling! Anything to get writing, right?(: 

Stay tuned for Part3! 

Cheers!

Jenn

How to Get Your Blog People-Ready
Blogging a Blog pt. 1--Writing Daily 
Headers (How To) 

Blogging a Blog pt.1: Writing Daily

Hi everyone!

Thanks to the huge popularity of my other self-help blogging post, I'm back to write another one. As I'm only just now blogging, and goodness knows if I'll keep up, I really hope this helps others to get under way with their blog. Today, though, we're going to talk about writing daily. 

As I go about the blogging world, I see many blogs lacking in posts. It's not something that one can help, life does happen, and we should encourage it to happen! Life, for the majority of us, does not have any productivity if we sit behind a computer screen. Most of us do have school to attend, books to write, children to feed, teens to wrangle--it's difficult! And blogging every day, religiously, does not happen for everyone. And that's okay.

But having an empty blog is not.

Now, if you're getting started, you don't need to write and publish ten articles in one day. On the contrary, you should write ten articles and publish them slowly, over time. And while publishing those, write other articles if you have time. You just need to write until you find something worthy of writing about. I mean, not every blogger can write long, detailed articles about real stuff. Some, like me, write about the fluff in life that keeps people happy. Write until you find what your blog's true purpose is.

But still, writing is going to take some time out of your life, and a fully-functional blog needs posts. Posts, pictures (I know I'm beyond lacking), and good content. Which brings us to...

Even if you can't write frequently, write good.

That doesn't mean post your English essay that got an A+. While you can, what I'm talking about is issues that you see around you, and your ideas on how to address them. Issues that people think matters! That you think matters! Issues that you have opinions on, but don't want to talk about so openly (and with control over the comments you get, it's "safer"). I'm not at all encouraging people to be rude unless that's their blog's feel, but you should still write clear articles that appeal to your audience.

Tip Role: 

• Don't write to a different audience than the rest of your blog. If you focus on helping the mothers of toddlers, don't switch to teenagers. 
• Do be respectful to the commenters that are regular! Give them credit!
• Don't delete every comment that disagrees with you! If they are rude or vindictive towards another person, delete it, but if they are respectful: keep them around! Good comment debates are a healthy thing, just make sure to monitor them. 
• Don't get overly involved in comment debates. Distance is good, let your readers speak their mind. I've seen that if the poster keeps their distance, they can remain seemingly unbiased and still respectful. 
• Do reply to comments in general. Bing Chen, a Youtuber, stated that he would comment back to every person that commented as long as he could because that's the polite thing to do--and I strongly agree with it! 
• Don't let negative comments stop you from blogging. It's a daily thing. It takes time. It takes effort. Keep blogging! 
• Do keep blogging. KEEP BLOGGING. Giving up let's other people win. You blog, and you win. Go win! 

Stay tuned for Part Two: Writing What?! 

Cheers! 

Jenn 

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Post them below! 

How to Get Your Blog People-Ready
Blogging a Blog pt. 2--Writing What?
Headers (How To)

One Week to NaNo: Quick Writing

Writing Prompt: 

Pick a random song and write about the story you think of when you listen to that song. 

Due to the... weird song choices of mine that I may or may not be embarrassed about, my song will remain completely private unless someone in the comments guesses it! Until then, here's my prompt! Write yours in the comments, or put a link to your blog post in there instead! 

I closed my eyes, just for a moment, feeling every emotion pulse through me. Everything, from the comments they had made towards me to the cruel reality of my entire family being separated. Some how, those keys struck a chord with me. As my leg pushed into a tendu and I plied in a second, a tear fell off my cheek.

If the rest of them were watching, I wouldn't care.

As the sad part of the song laid a heavy beat, I made my movements sharper, hitting each beat and sending my body into a subtle shock. It felt sore, heavy. I thought about my core, and remembered every someone had mentioned that I wasn't skinny enough.

As the quick part came through, I started moving faster, hitting each strong note, feeling through the song. I remembered my father, and made connections. The small summers I was given to go see him, the good times we shared. As I made transitions throughout the song, I remembered the ice cream we shared, the lemonade he had given me, the time we had spent together. I stretched into an arabesque, pushing myself--remembering that he had always pushed me, even though we could never spend that much time together.

It made me wonder. How could he have seen me, year after year, watching me stay the same, yet always growing older--dying. Why was I living? It seemed so unfair. I stayed at that stupid camp, never growing older because I was supposed to grow up and save the world. Save the world, and watch everyone die instead. And now, my family was gone and I was here.

I didn't realize I was crying--I was too busy dancing, pushing myself. Walking through the beats, dancing with the gentle melody. Forcing my body to endure another step. Forcing my being to remember what I really was. So many memories, all coming alive in me at once. I felt a hand on my hip, and fell into it, forcing my legs up and wrapping my arms around the person--him. As our eyes met, I landed the lift. He didn't look like he was expecting it. Then again, he didn't know I was a mute.

I slowly forced my being to finish the movement, and spotted all of them at least once. They would know me, entirely, soon enough. And in the end, I whispered:

"I am yet again."

10K in School

Hi everyone!

So, due to my lack of ability to write decent posts (apparently), and it being too long since my last post, here's a montage of things that have been on my brain of late:

Back En Pointe 

This was a split-second decision made when I decided to participate in my school's variety show. Originally, I was going to just do a ballet solo and call it quits. But then, my bum started to feel better, so I thought: "Whatevs, yo! I'm going to do pointe!(:" Which, for those of you who have done pointe, is AWESOME because it's not something commonly seen where I come from; but, it's terribly because OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW.

Anyway, it's actually pretty fun once you get comfortable in your shoes. I've been making my feet bleed, though, because it's been a while and I've just kind of hopped back into the flow of things. Oh, and I totally am stuffing my shoes differently now. My old toe pads were horrible, and I now just use cotton--which is actually like, awesome! It's been fantastic so far, and I've been able to constantly dance for 30 minutes, which is way more than I was able to in class with other stuffing.

But, anyway, it's been pretty nice. I've started en barre again, and am brushing up on my technique again. Amazingly, it actually hasn't been that long since I've had a break from dancing--why does it feel like an eternity? I will never figure this relationship out. If I had a boyfriend, he would probably dump me because I was too addicted to dance.

My solo music: Paperman
So far, I've choreographed: 0:00
Yay? (and apparently, I've got less than a month! o.o )

Currently Stressing 

Yup, me, stressing out. It's been pretty bad. I've been freaking out in school, having one panic attack after the other, and feeling like the whole world was about to implode. Never before have I felt such freak outs as recently.

With that, here's some safe shout-outs:

My History teacher, who graciously helped me get a project partner when I was totally alone and felt the sky was falling on me (cupcakes coming your way!)
My history partner, who's been amazing and isn't just sitting there while I do the work. Bro, you're getting some too!
The counselor, who has ALWAYS been there for every breakdown. Like, I would be dead without her.
That Mexican guy, who's helped me so much keep a cool head. And who better be keeping my secret.
My penpal, who is awesome and just is awesome no matter how awesome she gets.
Those people that comment and read my blog because you all help me feel so loved and important!

I'll just finish with: I know I stress, but I appreciate everyone who helps me out so much. With dance gone now, it's been hard finding safe ways to release my feels. I'm learning and working on it, though. I'll get there, promise! (btw--I still cannot seriously dance. I'm still taking it easy because some of it does hurt still--and the stuff that hurts was the stuff that made dancing worth my while)

Writing 10,000 

Ugh! Why does that number seem so small? I did amazing! I wrote 10K words, all by myself in a few weeks. ALL BY MYSELF! Why does that number seem so small? Anyway, here's a sneak-peak at my awesome writing that is not so awesome: 

“This process indicated that they may realize their peers are being taken. What if they fight back?” Mistress Adams carefully picked up her mug, touching it to her lips and sipping it silently.

            “Shall they fight, we shall liquidate. They are our property, and if we must enforce it, we shall!” Master Toms banged his fist on his square desk, certain to be heard. There was a silence among the leaders.

            One man, tall, skinny, shaky, stood. He cleared his throat, “I suggest that we wait until they are older. Then we could prepare them to the upmost physical standards, and pick them when they are ready. We could claim a position in the city, perhaps?”

            The other seven turned to him, bemused. The second, taller lady let a smile take over her dark red lips. “It is rather brilliant. They would never see it, would they?”

            And slowly, the world many knew, had started to become undone…

Hope you enjoyed that bit! Hope it was super confusing. Hope that made that post long enough, because that is all I've got! 

Cheers! 

Jenn 

Preparing For Camp NaNoWriMo

Hey everyone!

I've recently been thinking over getting ready for Camp NaNoWriMo. If I posted real, non-edited pictures of myself*, I would show you a picture from 2011, when I did NaNoWriMo. That picture has been considered a picture of me "high," "tail-end of a sugar rush," and the likes. It wasn't a very flattering picture of me at all--and it's on Facebook, where it will stay forever and ever. (oh yayness) Anyway, NaNoWriMo was brutal and the novel I had gotten from it was really bad (if anyone wants to read it, comment and I'll make a page with it on there). It was painful to look over, and still is**.

But, getting the creative juices going can be tough--especially after waiting a year to write again. It feels so hard, so difficult, plowing through a book. Right now, I'm working diligently on WHATEVER REMAINS, and it's hard, getting it all down. Characters keep making themselves prominent, then disappear, and keeping to the outline has been my only saving grace.

I never thought I would say something about outlines in a good fashion--outlines are cruel things. They always seemed to capture my creative freedom and refuse to let it out. Which, for those of you that do write, would know it's the complete opposite--once you get the right mindset about outlines, they can be extremely freeing! I actually wrote one, three pages long, for WR, and it's been helpful. Instead of keeping me locked up, it's helped free my mind. Now, I don't have the looming thought of "Where am I going with this?!" over me the entire time. I can just write, and look at my outline for further help.

And this Camp NaNoWriMo, I'll be working on both my novel babies--WR and Jinni (my already completed, needs a lot of TLC novel). If all things go well, I should be writing a lot by the end of the year.

Sometimes it's hard--with my tailbone being broken and school not being so much fun, life's seems to have weighed me down. But because the school's policy on electronics has changed and I can now tote my baby (tiny laptop/notebook) around with me, there's more time to write so my mind is wired to "Get schoolwork done, and write!" It's been the best!

*=I am a firm believer in internet safety--no matter what. My picture has been edited like crazy, and was only put up after showing it to people that see me daily and having them ask me who it was. I mean, you can still see a person. Sorta. Just... it could be anyone with a head, two eyes, big bangs, and a mouth, right?(;
**=Jinni, my first novel, is being written for a second time this April! Yay?


Any questions on writing? Want to learn how I outline? Any writing stories? Questions on NaNoWriMo? Post them in the comments! 

Introducing...

Hi everyone!

Today, I want to introduce a novel that I'm writing:

Whatever Remains

This novel is one I'm really excited about writing--it's been stuck in my head for years! It's kind of sad, dystopian, romantic; the whole nine yards. But this novel stands out above my other novels because it's been requiring thinking--but not obsessive thinking.

Let me explain.

Writing, to me, is like dating someone. In an unhealthy relationship, the two are OBSESSED with each other. In a healthy, the two can get along well, might need an occasional break for a few days or so, enjoy a warm cup of tea together... The gist. Well, obsessive novels and I don't get along well. I get all of this steam and let it out in the first few chapters and then it's completely gone and oh cow where on earth did my book go?! (like that run-on) Well, this book and I have had a good, healthy relationship. Every weekend I'll pound out a few pages, save it, post it as a note on Facebook for my designated reader to look at, and then we'll move on, do the same thing a week from then. Often, when given a day off of school, I'll do the same thing: get up, get dressed, eat food, and write!

But, I suppose I'm missing what's really important: I don't think about this book as often as you would think. I don't walk through my life thinking about the plot obsessively (as I used to), and I just relax and let my characters role with it. And, it's been pretty awesome thus far. I enjoy it, I think it's fun stepping into my character's world for a bit. As we have a snow day tomorrow, I think I'll be mapping out my character's current location so I can describe it better--it's all a bit crazy in my head at the moment (I'd suggest this to any 'visual' learner--draw out the world, then describe it!).

Writing, though, is an amazing joy for me. Probably because I'm never wrong--it's my world, after all. But, it shows me so much about people that I've never realized before. I hope I can keep going through this novel, and start making some much-needed revisions soon.(:

Also, I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo! Anyone else? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers!
Jenn