tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61829968249585985622024-03-18T21:40:10.979-07:00Writing in the FieldsJakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-29650707709316452392023-10-01T10:29:00.012-07:002023-10-01T10:32:40.672-07:00Fall Writing Frenzy 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtGclfyPKugMXFXsLi31nbFr_yavkklLpgLM9IWg6n9UgBmwLwvQLZ1hMYwXXuV9mYwtIQMgsYAfJINjADMXTRdYAjR3VVQanIMxEgNsGlCgcoqF4lTYyPJuAVCAvr9uMggM0tVJgThHYEVEnS6J1YoU_nG9BuPhzcgHCfAkeMhFfDyO-cRjNTDtY2Ly0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtGclfyPKugMXFXsLi31nbFr_yavkklLpgLM9IWg6n9UgBmwLwvQLZ1hMYwXXuV9mYwtIQMgsYAfJINjADMXTRdYAjR3VVQanIMxEgNsGlCgcoqF4lTYyPJuAVCAvr9uMggM0tVJgThHYEVEnS6J1YoU_nG9BuPhzcgHCfAkeMhFfDyO-cRjNTDtY2Ly0" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #383838; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.25px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><p>4. Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/ri_ya-12911237/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4498132" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0087be; text-decoration-line: none;">Ri Butov</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4498132" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0087be; text-decoration-line: none;">Pixabay</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;">The Beekeeper’s Secret</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;">By Jakki Licare</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">A bee zoomed over the thatched roof and rapped against the window. Lavender unlatched it, letting the sunshine and the bee in.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">“Did they follow?” Lavender asked, closing the curtains.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">The bee landed amid the hundreds of bees crawling along Lavender’s arms and danced his answer.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">Lavender sighed. “Good. We can’t move her now."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">She checked on Ms. Oakes, her mentor, who slept feverishly. Her bees lay eerily still over her heart. Black veins snaked around where the deadly white spider had bitten her. Ms. Oakes was the only person who could cure its poisonous bite which is why they had attacked her. Lavender thought Ms. Oakes’s magic would heal her, but she wasn’t improving.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">Desperate to help, Lavender snatched a jar of honey. Closing her eyes, she focused on her bees’ tiny feet tickling her skin. Their dance created a buzzing energy which flowed through her fingers, saturating the honey with her healing magic. She spooned the honey into her mentor’s mouth and prayed. Exhausted but hopeful, Lavender fell asleep next to Ms. Oakes. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">Angry buzzing startled Lavender awake. She stared at the ceiling in horror as hundreds of white spiders crawled through the straw.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">They had found them.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-62495303722233305562022-10-01T13:28:00.000-07:002022-10-01T13:28:39.326-07:00Fall Writing Frenzy 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVVeiLTdk11PcdiPDry7u_VRkcPyew17HJaRCZDZWhIFOpn8dR1eqgRs3NP_XLxZBXtoSlzTb6iyg_f_vDUn8WJT4lMR9POX28ZBHLQIugoO66rTrvC49LRBgYaf_LlbjK-YTjAqdfL2bV4ujc-fcDxrdO0Eh8RDFC_HwCAZSOZVy-sFqRKfDOBhG/s1365/daniele-colucci-for-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVVeiLTdk11PcdiPDry7u_VRkcPyew17HJaRCZDZWhIFOpn8dR1eqgRs3NP_XLxZBXtoSlzTb6iyg_f_vDUn8WJT4lMR9POX28ZBHLQIugoO66rTrvC49LRBgYaf_LlbjK-YTjAqdfL2bV4ujc-fcDxrdO0Eh8RDFC_HwCAZSOZVy-sFqRKfDOBhG/s320/daniele-colucci-for-unsplash.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fall: Daniele Colucci for Unsplash</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">My City<br />By Jakki Licare</h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As the magical city, Vignette, readies itself for its fall show, chimneys puff gold, brown, and red smoke against the canvas of the sky. The city’s nervousness skitters through my veins as I shove the last log in. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> “Don’t be nervous,” I say. A mournful puff of smoke escapes the fireplace. “You’ll be spectacular, as always.”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Soon, Vignette’s trees will explode their colorful leaves skyward, while pumpkins will swell until they’re building-sized. Street lamps will twinkle and fountains will mist autumnal rainbows, a fall painting created by the city itself. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wish Vignette luck, grabbing my sketchbook as I exit. I wade through the crowd, heading for an alleyway which will frame this fall’s show perfectly. The city’s jitters make my heart tremble, but then the flutter turns into a stabbing pain. I clutch my chest. What’s happening? I’m magically tied to Vignette, I can’t get sick. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Using the wall for support, I stumble down the cobblestone alleyway where a single lantern glows. I yelp when my hand sinks into the wall. The slimy colors ooze down my fingertips. Touching the wall again, my hand dips in as if the brick has rotted away. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Is Vignette sick? </div><div style="text-align: left;">Am I? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div><br /></div>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-10720548238967215722021-07-06T10:58:00.002-07:002021-07-06T11:00:08.774-07:0052 Books in One Year: May & June Wrap-Up<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFCP8NYEAIy1RkEnoOGfYfPtypDGqWpwTcCEddvQlKL4U5oz7cfPi3zE7UjxPzD43TR7J-oqhYAu1QYF71mkbhVxTl32cHbS3gg8WXhlFZt-PqnuqnltdDhUGN6S2GLT94j5Wor3rb2Y/s940/52+books+in+1+year+challenge+May+%2526+June.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFCP8NYEAIy1RkEnoOGfYfPtypDGqWpwTcCEddvQlKL4U5oz7cfPi3zE7UjxPzD43TR7J-oqhYAu1QYF71mkbhVxTl32cHbS3gg8WXhlFZt-PqnuqnltdDhUGN6S2GLT94j5Wor3rb2Y/s320/52+books+in+1+year+challenge+May+%2526+June.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Okay so May and June have gone by in a complete blur. Another season on the farm has begun and I’ve been busy helping my husband prep the fields and plant. As I write this the corn’s silks are emerging and our baby pumpkin and squashes are sprouting. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Considering everything that has been going on, I feel very proud that I managed to read 7 books</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the past two months. Now, granted it should have been 9, but I’m only ten pages away from finishing one book and the other is an audio, so I feel very confident that I’ll make up these goals. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4c22bc78-7fff-faba-2bb2-430fe210fa97"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But while I hit my reading goals in May I did fall into a book slump. And then I had the brilliant idea of reading genres I don’t typically read (usually because I don’t like them) in the hopes that they will pull me out of my reading funk. Not surprisingly, this further entrenched me in my book slump and I had a hard time pulling myself out. Thus, spiraling me into not wanting to read in June. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think the number one thing I’ve learned from this book slump is that I </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hate</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> characters who have no agency! A main character must be making decisions and moving the plot forward. I will not lie, I’m cringing as I write this because I know that I committed this awful offence in a draft I wrote last year. I think it’s easy to fall into the idealistic security that a plot is enough to pull a character through, but it’s not. Character’s desires and actions are far more important and way more interesting than any cool plot devices.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did find two books that I highly recommend: Circe by </span><a href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03jI3lsvRcs50ANSr35D9bELO97Lw:1625592533432&q=Madeline+Miller&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LVT9c3NMyozDHNLizIU-LSz9U3yIo3zS4q0pLJTrbST8rPz9YvL8osKUnNiy_PL8q2SiwtycgvWsTK75uYkpqTmZeq4JuZk5NatIOVEQBeztvDUAAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIvISM_M7xAhWHiOAKHcFaAS0QmxMoATAuegQIPhAD" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1a0dab; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Madeline Miller</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Once and Future by </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03yJIAEfctekh5R097ALCzCqwl3pA:1625592556430&q=A.+R.+Capetta&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LVT9c3NEwzq7QoyjXLVuIBcTPSTfKSLdPNtGSyk630k_Lzs_XLizJLSlLz4svzi7KtEktLMvKLFrHyOuopBOkpOCcWpJaUJO5gZQQA7uEDG1AAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2k4CX_M7xAhXITN8KHfLDDKsQmxMoADAbegQIQhAC" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1a0dab; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A. R. Capetta</span></a><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> & </span><a href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03yJIAEfctekh5R097ALCzCqwl3pA:1625592556430&q=Cori+McCarthy&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LVT9c3NEwzq7QoyjXLVoJwkw3N4ovSTMu1ZLKTrfST8vOz9cuLMktKUvPiy_OLsq0SS0sy8osWsfI65xdlKvgmOycWlWRU7mBlBACe7E9vUQAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2k4CX_M7xAhXITN8KHfLDDKsQmxMoATAbegQIQhAD" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1a0dab; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cori McCarthy</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. First, a quick shout out to Callie and Bean’s Books Youtube channel. Callie recommended these books in her video </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slRVOFVoXno" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fun retellings</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I am so thankful I watched this video because it finally pulled me out of my book slump. Circe I think was my favorite of the two, although the books were so different they are hard to compare. Circe was so beautifully written, Miller’s way with words was pure magic and pulled me right in. I love the fact that Circe was so flawed and made so many mistakes, but she kept trying to make things right and worked hard to heal and accept herself. She was truly a character that will stay with me forever. And to further prove that Miller is amazing and you must read this book: her character was an exile on an island for almost the whole book and the plot never sagged, not once!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once and Future was just fun. The writing is hilarious and I laughed out loud several times. I loved following this retelling and trying to figure out how things will play out. Merlin’s aging backwards was such a unique idea which really added to the fun of the novel. I also really enjoyed Morgana’s development through Act 2 and 3 (I don’t want to say too much, but I really enjoyed it). If you are looking for books with great LBGTQ representation then this is a must on your reading list. The friends were so diverse and amazing, but also felt completely natural and worked well with the story’s arc. Definitely worth a read!</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-27267091612453299452021-05-26T14:16:00.006-07:002021-05-26T14:20:18.547-07:0052 Books in One Year: April Wrap-Up<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsfs5-yBUkCmgtXLiGe3jMwhPkfWesSz1Nj1G6sm5GA4bZLprzBkmkeVTPFGLSL_ohPBWtMZ9YLY5-l2uVQI-iShjGxgSmTxDWU1JJJkrLjPJz8YEFTb9AqxRdd5FvQmUguv10AQas44/s940/52+books+in+1+year+challenge+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsfs5-yBUkCmgtXLiGe3jMwhPkfWesSz1Nj1G6sm5GA4bZLprzBkmkeVTPFGLSL_ohPBWtMZ9YLY5-l2uVQI-iShjGxgSmTxDWU1JJJkrLjPJz8YEFTb9AqxRdd5FvQmUguv10AQas44/s320/52+books+in+1+year+challenge+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span>I did it! I hit the goal of five books this month! Taking a break from the nonfiction this month really helped. Overall, I had a great haul of books this month which always helps me hit my goals. I also used audiobooks to help me stay on track this month. I fly through the books when I have the audio versions since I’m able to listen to the books while doing the never ending household chores.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f7fc1de9-7fff-226c-a82d-7ef55a893281"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This month I focused on multiple points of view mentor books to aid in my endeavors to tame my current beast of a revision. My favorite multi-pov book was I’ll Give You the Sun. I think Jandy Nelson did an amazing job of not only getting into a characters' heads, but viewing the world through their eyes. Jude is always seeing good luck and bad luck in everything that is happening around her while Noah is always seeing the world through an “artistic” lens. I could open this book up at any point and read one sentence and know exactly which character’s pov I was in. Which is amazing! She also used her MC’s quirks to really ground the reader in their pov. Noah always has these little notes about how he would paint his emotions and Jude’s sections had quotes from her grandmother’s “superstitious bible”. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is trying to write a multi-pov book.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f096e253-7fff-79be-7147-6f51d2894f31"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another favorite of this month was Spellbreaker. This book made me realize the importance of holding information back from a reader. I devoured this book because I </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">had</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to find out why Bacchus needed that one spell so badly. And the more information Charlie Holmberg gave me, the more questions I had! I’m definitely going back and pulling out some information from my first chapter and sprinkling it throughout the story like Charlie Holmberg does.</span></span></p></span>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-4388805475770249942021-04-27T11:20:00.002-07:002021-04-27T11:22:33.519-07:0052 Books in One Year: March Wrap-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RMY-6TLNpboTL47KpUKDCRxImqO20GqlwABLTrPblFauQKpqQn2KwBn0phZF7Rua95DAmHNlSgjVleL71c2Rh6vZ39_qJNkDEVH8tlTxZDf3GfLf8vcuybOa7UnNwCE8PLszzzD2QnI/s940/52+books+in+1+year+challenge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RMY-6TLNpboTL47KpUKDCRxImqO20GqlwABLTrPblFauQKpqQn2KwBn0phZF7Rua95DAmHNlSgjVleL71c2Rh6vZ39_qJNkDEVH8tlTxZDf3GfLf8vcuybOa7UnNwCE8PLszzzD2QnI/s320/52+books+in+1+year+challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-46433b5d-7fff-5ffe-563c-83305d7a38f9"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span>Well, it’s official, I’ve fallen behind. I didn’t follow through with DNFing books that weren’t working and of course I got off track. I did get halfway through the nonfiction book that I should’ve DNFed, so I’m hoping that over the next few months I’ll be able to finish it on the side. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 48px;"><span> </span>So while I enjoyed the books I read this month, I didn’t pick out a favorite. They were all well written books, but none of them really resonated with me. So I’m hoping next month will be a better book haul and I’ll have two to put up.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next month, I’m ditching the nonfiction books. For whatever reason they aren't working for me. I do plan to try to pick up nonfiction again in the future, but I think taking a break next month is for the best.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m also going to be focusing on dual and multi pov next month to help me prep for my big revision! I’m currently working on re-outlining my next wip and I’m taking it from one pov to two. It’s been crazy trying to create two smooth character arcs when there used to be only one and then trying to decide what needs to be tossed and what should stay. But I’m making great headway and I’m looking forward to next month’s mentor books. Some of these have been on my list for years. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></p></span><p> </p>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-29252146154913385662021-03-26T08:13:00.002-07:002021-03-26T08:13:30.570-07:00 52 Books in One Year: February Wrap-Up<p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-02209744-7fff-0ff0-451b-41aaab397f7a"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQDRfGNSlIBeYpLis3-Lw4z5-Mm1Kr2TIeTTMAr7rCd21-ZhHisZv-HWKiAmRD1NUhp4ZFUMvcveII0Xt7UNDBolRcZGrppJwO2dBo7knOyq4ejieeYFAidiym6PPJqwAhfZIgAGv7q8/s1600/February+favorite+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQDRfGNSlIBeYpLis3-Lw4z5-Mm1Kr2TIeTTMAr7rCd21-ZhHisZv-HWKiAmRD1NUhp4ZFUMvcveII0Xt7UNDBolRcZGrppJwO2dBo7knOyq4ejieeYFAidiym6PPJqwAhfZIgAGv7q8/s320/February+favorite+book.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I barely squeaked by meeting my goals this month of 4 books. I definitely had a rough start to this month because I ended up DNFing a non-fiction book. I did make my goal of 4 books this month only because I had started an extra book last month. But hey, I did it! </span></p></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-a69bb512-7fff-1cbd-0168-7c58647e7272"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing I learned this month is to DNF and hopefully realize this earlier in the process. I’ve got to stop trying to waste time slogging through books I don’t enjoy. I don’t have time for it, so why am I doing it? It’s me being stubborn. While this trait can help me finish writing drafts, it can also lead me down dead ends. I really hate stopping something I’ve started, but it’s something I’ve got to start doing. Otherwise I’m wasting my time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another thing I learned about myself this month is that I really need cheery books in February. The gloominess of February ALWAYS gets to me. Between the cold and clouds, I start getting really sad. And then reading boring or gloomy books on top of it doesn’t help. Luckily, I finished reading Creating Your Best Life this month and it was the perfect read for February. Really inspiring and helped me reevaluate my life and goals. Next year, I am picking beachy scenes, fun romances, and high pace adventures for February.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><div><br /></div></span>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-75734504461636140512021-02-04T11:26:00.005-08:002021-02-04T11:26:58.459-08:0052 Books in One Year: January Wrap-Up<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdscrMchQ4lk6z_ezFINNDKOBcXpoOH4attBNcc2UbqHmFFCjFWKrShw6PK_XIfFN8e8g-jsN2ZOgZNp7m6-fIS7nc29SraUuWVy-1_NSom_E85gGO3_fDGvV3UjySZyafXJ0qdAFBXs/s1600/January+favorite+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdscrMchQ4lk6z_ezFINNDKOBcXpoOH4attBNcc2UbqHmFFCjFWKrShw6PK_XIfFN8e8g-jsN2ZOgZNp7m6-fIS7nc29SraUuWVy-1_NSom_E85gGO3_fDGvV3UjySZyafXJ0qdAFBXs/s320/January+favorite+book.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3facb193-7fff-57d4-e1b0-cdaa6af33e26"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feeling really pumped going into February because I actually exceeded my January goals. I read 4.5 books this month! I cannot believe this. I used to struggle reading 3 books in a month. Making reading a priority has really been the key to this success. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This month I tried to work on my focus. As I mentioned in my previous post, I really need to keep an eye on my youngest during his zoom meetings. So, I’ve been reading at the table with him, but I found the zoom audio to be very distracting. I did try ear plugs, but the ones I bought didn’t fit properly in my ear canal. So, I pulled out my old noise reducing ear muffs from the farm. Not the most fashionable accessory, but they did the trick. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Another thing I noticed this month is that </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I tend to fall behind on the weekends. The flexible schedule seems to be my downfall! This is something I’ll have to work on next month. Luckily, the first book I read, Truthwitch (also my favoirte pick of the month), I was able to get on audiobook as well. That really helped me catch up on the days that I fell behind.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, I’m really pleased with my progress this month! There are definitely some things that I need to fine tune, but I’m hoping I can keep up the good momentum. I wish you all luck pursuing your goals this month!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><div><br /></div></span>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-67863107415809308822020-12-13T10:38:00.003-08:002020-12-13T10:38:37.468-08:0052 Books in 1 year Challenge: The Test Run<p style="text-align: center;"> <span> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjhV6p_JC8aOyhZ7oXRpTCrhsfcGvezamf_BEd3zyNVOYSyr_YeDUnTQ8TRp9OxAr6s4kk1Ty0NonwbxN0pBIw_bmY6i61V3NA_R97Kvzc_ovhuW3w0RZ0Bd6Lu3P90bRUmDB0E0oulo/s1600/test+run.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjhV6p_JC8aOyhZ7oXRpTCrhsfcGvezamf_BEd3zyNVOYSyr_YeDUnTQ8TRp9OxAr6s4kk1Ty0NonwbxN0pBIw_bmY6i61V3NA_R97Kvzc_ovhuW3w0RZ0Bd6Lu3P90bRUmDB0E0oulo/s320/test+run.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3648ba8c-7fff-f13f-3a5f-63b437545ef0"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a8b2d23c-7fff-514d-9e19-2196ccd27a17"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As much as I want to make reading a priority, I can't help feeling panicked about the challenge I have set out for myself next year. How on earth am I going to make the time to read a book a week, draft a new book and revise my existing books, AND oversee my kid's remote learning. There just can’t be enough time in the day.</span></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This fear skittered around my brain ever since I wrote my last blog entry. So, I decided to see if I could actually read one book in one week while my kids were remote learning. I picked up a shorter book, </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything/dp/0143120530" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moonwalking With Einstein</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Joshua Foer and broke it up into seven sections. Each section was only forty pages. Surely I could manage that! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And I did! I read a whole book in seven days. And while I am really proud of myself, I did discover a few problems that I’m going to have to work if I’m going to keep up with this momentum.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Problem #1: Time</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the kids remote learning from home, managing a time in which I can focus isn’t easy. My boys don’t have the same breaks or even lunches. It seems that someone is always needing help with their work, computer, or just plain needing a reminder that they should be doing work and not staring out the window. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I did discover one time of the day when they were both focused and working, their morning meeting. So between nine and nine thirty I started reading regularly. While this time does work it did lead to a new problem...</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Problem #2: Focus</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At first I thought I'd be able to read in my bedroom while my kids had their morning meetings, but I soon realized that my youngest couldn’t remain focused on his own. So, I started reading at the kitchen table while he logged in with his teacher. Now, under my careful watch, he was able to stay on track with his work. Unfortunately, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> focus was now distracted. Next month, I'm going to have to figure out a way for me to retain my focus while reading in the same room with my youngest.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Problem # 3: Slow reading speed</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Okay, I'm not a fast reader and not only was unable to read the forty pages in a half hour, I couldn’t even read thirty pages. I was only getting twenty pages in and having to pick up the rest at odd times during the day or at night. Granted this slow reading speed is tightly related with my focusing problem. But, if I could pick up my reading speed even just a little bit, I'll be able to get through bigger books in one week. So, next month I'm going to have to start looking into some speed reading techniques to help me pick up my reading time. I don't need to be reading a thousand words per minute or anything, but if I could get myself up to 300 words a minute, it would save me a lot of time.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To get myself psyched for next year's challenge, I've been scouring good reads for some awesome new books to read. What books are you looking forward to reading next year?</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-50489829205515750812020-12-04T08:56:00.005-08:002020-12-04T08:56:59.372-08:00 You Write What You Read<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPQ7WIwMH3tFQvklYWb1c6U2CTlqwpAN5g60SlVG7nkYym1AFYp8iMFdfhfldvtMI5dxFLQwLDzP1oi9hqr3nxgMkBUhEIJA3yEKGwTvNBHUvyhnRSyxSdpNN332gP-X3i_yDYblYXgM/s1600/52+Books+in+one+Year+Challenge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPQ7WIwMH3tFQvklYWb1c6U2CTlqwpAN5g60SlVG7nkYym1AFYp8iMFdfhfldvtMI5dxFLQwLDzP1oi9hqr3nxgMkBUhEIJA3yEKGwTvNBHUvyhnRSyxSdpNN332gP-X3i_yDYblYXgM/s320/52+Books+in+one+Year+Challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-158f5705-7fff-50cc-51d0-b837becca074"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have decided that 2021 will be the year of reading! I’m so
excited to be making reading a priority in my life. Not only do I love to read,
but reading will also help me improve my writing skills.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, what’s the goal? A book a week. That’s right 52 books in one
year. This will be a huge challenge for me, since I’m an incredibly slow
reader. I honestly only read about 2 books a month at the moment. But I’m
feeling incredibly inspired after watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll2C2J6Q3SY">Jim Kwiks video</a> about how to read
more and I’m ready to up my reading game.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How am I going to possibly accomplish this miraculous feat? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">1. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 36pt;">Read
during the day: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I usually read right before I go to bed. I mean, is there anything
better than cozying up in your blankets and diving into a story world? Sigh, I
love that, but if I want to succeed at this challenge, I’m going to need to be
more alert and well, more awake. My new dedicated reading time will be between
9-9:30 in the morning when the kids are having their remote morning meetings.
If I don’t finish my allotted pages for the day then, I’ll follow up at night
in my super cozy bed.<span> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Audiobooks:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Two hours.
Every single day I spend two hours making meals and cleaning up the dishes from
those meals. While this is a necessity of life, it isn’t exactly enthralling.
My new plan is to listen to some audiobooks while cooking and cleaning.
Not only will it help me make my goal, it’ll make these boring tasks a little
more interesting.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span> <span> </span> </span><span> </span>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Read Exciting Books:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">January 1st I’m diving into writing a new YA fantasy so most of
the books on my 2021 list will be YA fantasy. Many of these have been on my TBR
list for a long time, so I cannot wait to dive in. But I’m also challenging
myself to read a nonfiction book every month as well. My nonfiction selections
are all over the place. They range from writing craft books to mindfulness
to psychology to even investing. Wait, investing? Isn’t this section titled
exciting books? Okay, so investing books aren’t necessarily exciting reads, but
my husband and I are chasing our dreams of being fulltime farmers and writers. Investing can definitely help us achieve that goal, and that <i>is</i>
exciting.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If any of you are interested in challenging yourself to read 52
books a year OR are interested in buddy reading with me please feel free to
comment below or DM me @j_licare! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So comment below and tell me what your 2021
goals are!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p></span>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-82396426043561092202020-10-01T10:00:00.002-07:002020-11-11T10:43:15.997-08:00Fall Writing Frenzy Contest<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fall Writing Frenzy Contest</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z3G1GqCOlOzcSNkzg-WtW7dXAng_73BWL9GwdgJ4HPrpVaV9wrncowS4u6JUXDKAlqa2khBgXTPTC_xLxsHY91huLKNB2Lc18obXm7WHO9lRJFXUWuvxA-ajSNaCalaYe2ifR6Hau38/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="705" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z3G1GqCOlOzcSNkzg-WtW7dXAng_73BWL9GwdgJ4HPrpVaV9wrncowS4u6JUXDKAlqa2khBgXTPTC_xLxsHY91huLKNB2Lc18obXm7WHO9lRJFXUWuvxA-ajSNaCalaYe2ifR6Hau38/w384-h307/image.png" width="384" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1sXAk5uuBLpDpR6Iq0qYIHOdaoFFgAKfY7pITRPp4FF_aytaBMzSSas5dj5B1TSTLUVIM5fcjAyUk-_VCnWUerucxYbMqQgEnYKqJakcrWXyJx-Iu6Uosmi34_gnU_mJ4FIfcx12K9M/s288/20201109_181845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1sXAk5uuBLpDpR6Iq0qYIHOdaoFFgAKfY7pITRPp4FF_aytaBMzSSas5dj5B1TSTLUVIM5fcjAyUk-_VCnWUerucxYbMqQgEnYKqJakcrWXyJx-Iu6Uosmi34_gnU_mJ4FIfcx12K9M/s0/20201109_181845.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Red Spark</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Jakki Licare</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span> My little sister holds the bright, red leaf up to her eye. “One more time. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8a4e13c7-7fff-51e7-07a9-16e64f6fb5a1"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I shouldn’t have done it before,” I say, pulling her down the path.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Her lip quivers, making my resolve disintegrate. I really shouldn’t. If I’m found out they’d take me away, but it’s nice to share my magic with someone who isn’t afraid.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I check around and the path is clear. “Last time.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her wide smile is so warm, it wraps me up like a woolen scarf. I concentrate on the leaf’s flame-red color and it begins to sizzle. Its tips curl as the smoke mixes in with our steamy breath. Until pop, a spark flies into the air, then another and another. Crackling sounds silence the chattering squirrels and the glowing flecks hover like stars come down to earth. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I send the red sparks to dance around my sister and her giggles fill the crisp air. She chases the sparks as if they were fireflies. Flinging them into the sky, we ooh and awe as they explode like fireworks. All the red sparks fade away, except one. In the distance, the red glow of a cigarette smolders as someone watches us.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f3847; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez and Lydia Lukidi for setting this up. It was a fun challenge! </span></span></p></span>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-21755969189213290342020-06-26T10:44:00.004-07:002020-06-26T10:50:43.483-07:00How to incorporate Background info without boring your readers: An analysis of Veronica Roth's Divergent<p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsQlnKFwhiMf1H2V-n3wtNz6fYJCgBqtz7UXT3mjqCf6DKBzDLthQ4BCWNHopOVlwUtEJ1CTSxtqGIO8w_buR1Hpfe08UdxAwgWR5kMB1vxL20kt-YyjO74h3CvzYdgHz_8rPLpFAvaw/s1500/Background+Info+Divergent.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsQlnKFwhiMf1H2V-n3wtNz6fYJCgBqtz7UXT3mjqCf6DKBzDLthQ4BCWNHopOVlwUtEJ1CTSxtqGIO8w_buR1Hpfe08UdxAwgWR5kMB1vxL20kt-YyjO74h3CvzYdgHz_8rPLpFAvaw/s320/Background+Info+Divergent.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><font face="arial"><br /><br /><span> </span>As I was reviewing my first chapter, I realized that it was bogged down with background information. Large chunks interrupted the flow and completely ruined the rhythm of my manuscript. Yet, if I took these sentences out my readers wouldn’t be grounded in my science fiction world. I was stumped. How can I get that information in without boring my readers? I hauled out my mentor texts and started analyzing how the pros make this magic happen.<br /><br /><span> </span>In this article, I will be analyzing the first chapter of Veronica Roth’s Divergent. Divergent’s first chapter is roughly comprised of 120 sentences. Only 20 of these sentences convey the necessary information that a reader needs to understand the story world. By this I mean those 20 sentences didn’t have any emotional context or descriptive or narrative purposes. For example: “Candor values honesty, but our faction, Abnegation, values selflessness.”<br /><br /><span> </span>So what background information does a reader need to know to understand the Divergent world? Well first off we need to know that Divergent is set in dystopian chicago where there are 5 different factions. We need to know the names of the factions, what each faction believes, and the political atmosphere between the factions. So how did Roth manage to convey all of that when only 17% of her sentences were comprised purely of background information. Roth uses uniforms, her setting and actions to sneak all of this information in.<br /><br /><span> </span>Roth created each faction's uniform to clearly define each faction’s beliefs. Abnegation only wear gray drab colors so as to not draw attention to themselves. Candor wears black and white colors because they believe the truth is black and white.<br /><br /> <span> </span>Roth also uses her setting to push the faction ideologies through to the readers. Dauntless dare each other to climb sculptures to prove their bravery. Abnegation don’t have paved roads because they are so selfless that none of them have cars. <br /><br /><span> </span>Perhaps the most poignant way Roth delivers her background information is by how the different factions treat Beatrice. Most ignore her, but at one point a Erudite boy slams into her in the school hallway. Not only does this boy say rude things to her as he knocks her down, but no one else at the school helps Beatrice up from the floor. This key moment highlights the tension between Abnegation and the rest of the factions.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span> </span>All of these clever techniques allow Roth to cut out those boring sentences devoted to background information. I am looking forward to trying some of these techniques in my own writing.</font>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-31753845963776731782020-06-06T06:27:00.001-07:002020-06-06T12:57:52.675-07:00The First Draft Experiment: A Beginner Writer Tries to Write 5,000 words Per Hour <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQXB5qE-Uk6-6RyS2fJpxOu-Lb8CyaPwZoRvymjoKbiFGg7coNRnmArnhJndmQqwMOXDJHnCLZbn8VmK8cdYbRr6fD3UkGANbKULXONCZZrxaWdpwLR8n39QlvT0WWcF6_5q6ONJIooY/s1600/Is+Writing+5k+words+per+hour+Possible_.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQXB5qE-Uk6-6RyS2fJpxOu-Lb8CyaPwZoRvymjoKbiFGg7coNRnmArnhJndmQqwMOXDJHnCLZbn8VmK8cdYbRr6fD3UkGANbKULXONCZZrxaWdpwLR8n39QlvT0WWcF6_5q6ONJIooY/s320/Is+Writing+5k+words+per+hour+Possible_.png" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span><span> </span>After spending three years writing and editing my first YA novel, I promised myself never, ever to spend so much time on one book. So, to help me create better writing habits, I bought a copy of </span><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/000-Words-Hour-Faster-Smarter-ebook/dp/B00XIQKBT8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=5000+words+per+hour&qid=1590514260&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSEQ2WDdCNDNNS0VZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzgwMTI5M0JQOEhUNkVOUEtXUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTk5NzUzM0ZUN0hLVVFXTFkxSCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=" style="line-height: 1.5; text-decoration-line: none;">5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter</a> by Chris Fox</span><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It's a book that gets straight to the point and tells you exactly what you need to do to be a faster writer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="line-height: 1.5; white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I personally had been in a horrible cycle of writing a sentence, then editing the sentence. Then I would edit the entire paragraph and then the entire page, chapter, etc. Needless to say, it took me forever to actually finish my first draft. And guess what? When I did finally finish, I decided to trash that entire first two chapters and cutting one of the characters. I wasted so much time editing something that wasn’t necessary to the book (check out the lessons I learned from finishing my first manuscript <a href="https://rooteddreams.blogspot.com/2019/12/6-things-i-wish-i-had-known-before.html" style="line-height: 1.5;">here</a>). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="line-height: 1.5; white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="color: #111111; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s why Fox’s book appealed to me. His philosophy is when you are w</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">riting, you are ONLY writing. You do not edit, tweet, answer phones, or do anything other than write. He believes that once you are in the zone you will write faster. He has a lot of great tips that will help you get in that amazing writing zone. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="line-height: 1.5; white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So after reading his book (which is wonderfully short and sweet), I sat down and followed Chris’s advice. I started out writing a little under 2k words per hour. When I finished my first draft, I was writing over 4k words per hour! Something I honestly never thought possible. Plus, drafting became fun! When I stopped worrying about what I was writing, I was able to set my imagination loose.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">In the beginning it was really hard to break the habit of editing while I wrote. In fact the first two weeks, I cheated and went back and fixed all my mistakes. I truly cringed as I wrote horrible dialogue or terrible metaphors, but I’ve learned that all that can be fixed when I’m editing. The reality is, that it is so much more important to finish a whole draft and get your story arc right than having beautifully written dialogue for a character that you may cut in Rev 2.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="line-height: 1.5; white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also had to spend more time thinking about what I was going to write before I sat down to write. With my last manuscript I would write a simple sentence or two to guide me in drafting my chapter. This time, I needed 6-8 sentences before I could start writing. This prevented the slow down in drafting and also taught me to walk away from writing if I didn’t have the answer. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is give your brain a break.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-7b9ca3b3-7fff-aaad-1093-cae651556dcf" style="line-height: 1.5;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="line-height: 1.5; white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are looking for a book that will you set up good writing habits and help you write faster than you got to check out </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/000-Words-Hour-Faster-Smarter-ebook/dp/B00XIQKBT8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=5000+words+per+hour&qid=1590514260&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSEQ2WDdCNDNNS0VZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzgwMTI5M0JQOEhUNkVOUEtXUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTk5NzUzM0ZUN0hLVVFXTFkxSCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=" style="line-height: 1.5; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter</span></a></span></span>Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-25811250754467944862020-06-06T06:25:00.001-07:002020-06-06T12:57:06.437-07:00Water, Earth, Fire, and Air Writing Prompts<h3 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Water</span></h3>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The current pulled me down into its’ icy grip. I twisted and tumbled through the river, banging against rocks along my way. </span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The waves crashed over me, pushing me under again. I came up spluttering, blinking the salty water from my eyes. My heart scrambled when I realized the boat was nowhere in sight.</span></div></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The waterfall shielded me from their view. I shivered as I stood in my wet clothes, tears dripping down my face. </span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a moment’s hesitation, I reached my hand out. I jerked it back as a raindrop fell onto my palm. I couldn’t believe it, it really was raining.</span></div></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With a yell, I charged across the grass and tucked my legs as I jumped. I splashed into the pool. The cold water engulfed me. </span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I reached out my hand catching a large snowflake. I shivered as it turned into a puddle. Who knew beauty could be so cold and fleeting?</span></div></div></li></ol><br /></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Earth</span></h3>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My hands scraped the warm earth as I dug a little hole. I snatched the ____ from my pocket and dropped it into the hole. With a quick prayer, I quickly covered it back up. </span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Dust blew into my face, clogging my mouth and making it hard to breathe. I shouldn’t be out here, but I couldn’t go back without him. I spat out the dirt and screamed his name again. </span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The crystals twinkled above me in the dark cave. The cold air prickled my neck as gazed around the cavernous space. I've never felt so small and...</span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My nails dug into the dirt as I crawled through the narrow tunnel. I ground my teeth as rocks cut into my knees, but I didn't dare slow down.</span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My breath came in great gasps as I reached for another hold on the slick mountain side. A pebble tumbled down and hit my shoulder, but I didn’t dare watch it fall.</span></div></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Fire</span></h3>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> With a sigh, I wet my finger and grasped at the candle’s flame. It's pretty light dance across the table illuminating the empty chair across from me.</span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My heart pounded as I ran to the window. My fingertips trembled as I covered my open mouth. Smoke poured out from the volcano; it had finally erupted.</span></div></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Muttering under my breath, I pulled my chair closer to the fireplace. I tried to ignore the fact that she sat right next to me. The fireplace crackled, illuminating her smile.</span></div></div></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The smell of cinnamon filled the kitchen I swiped the sweat from my forehead as I pulled more loaves from the oven. I yelled as my hand hit the oven side. Could this day get worse?</span></div></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tears streamed my face as the smoke blinded my view. The peaceful green forest had disappeared and Orange now surrounded me</span></div>
</div></li></ol></span></span></h3><h3 style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Air</span></h3>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The soft breeze brushed my face. I sighed happily letting the warm breeze embrace me. I was free.</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sucked in a breath. The cold air stinging my lungs. I bit my lip till I tasted blood. I would never let them see me cry.</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We swooped upward. The ground disappeared below us. I flung out my arms and tried to catch the cloud as we flew through. </span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sucked in a breath that wasn't there. I wheezed struggling to get more air into my lungs. I banged on the wood, praying someone would hear me.</span></div></li>
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Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-33740766348469079862020-06-06T06:22:00.000-07:002020-06-06T12:41:28.468-07:006 Things I Wish I had Known Before Writing my First Draft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />As I prepare myself to enter the query trenches, I decided to make a big list of all the things I learned from writing my first YA novel. Why? Because whether this manuscript will go on to be the first of ten books I have to write before becoming published or an instant bestseller, it’s all about improving my craft. And what better way to recognize my growth than writing it down. <br /><br /><br /><b>1. Don't constantly revise your first draft</b><br />This was hands down my biggest mistake in writing this ms. I wasted so much time going back and perfecting dialogue for characters who ended up being cut or rewriting scenes that had to be completely changed due to plot changes. Next time, I’m letting the mistakes sit until I’m sure the plot and characters are settled.<br /><br /><br /><b>2. Take the time to get into your character’s head</b><br />Before I started my first draft I had spent some time getting to know my character. I knew certain things about her personality and past, but I didn’t really take the time to get in her head. I was so excited about the book that I delved right in expecting to be able to figure things out as I went along. This was a big mistake because I kept throwing my personality into her dialogue and reactions. While her actions and decisions were definitely my mc’s, the rest was all me. So next time, I am spending A LOT of time getting to know my MC inside and out and hopefully keep me out of the mix.<br /><br /><b>3. Use your synopsis as a tool to play with plot</b><br />Yes, yes, yes, the dreaded synopsis. I put off writing the synopsis for the longest time, but after attending the most amazing lecture by Tara Sullivan I realized what a huge mistake this was. She opened my eyes to the power of the synopsis and how to use it as a tool to play with your plot. I could have saved so myself so much time, if I had just analyzed my plot points in a synopsis format instead writing out an entire draft!<br /><br /><b>4. Understand the pacing of your genre</b><br /><br />I struggled A LOT with pacing. Originally my pacing was way too fast because I lacked internal dialogue and taking moments for my mc to react. But then my pacing became too slow as I added in extra scenes to make my storyworld richer. I can’t say I’ve 100% nailed this one yet. I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot of practice. One thing that has helped me at least identify my pacing problems (other than great critique groups) is studying the plot progression of books in my genre. My inner ravenclaw jumped for joy as I broke out the sticky notes and highlighters and dissected my favorite science fiction books.<br /><br /><br /><b>5. Integrate action into dialogue. That's right, cut out that useless said. </b><br />My first draft had said EVERYWHERE. This was the hardest habit to break. Now I have new bad habit to keep my eye out for: don’t always put the action in the front of your dialogue. I need to mix it around<br /><br /><b>6. Active Verbs</b><br /><div>
This subtitle sounds redundant, but I truly struggle with verbs as a writer. I have my character thinking, seeing, watching, analyzing, etc INSTEAD of just doing the thing that needs to get done. My wonderful critique group is constantly pointing out to me my useless verbs and I am hoping to shake this bad habit off by the next book.<br /><br /><br /><br />I would love to hear what things you have learned from writing your first book, so please share!<br /></div>
Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182996824958598562.post-68701651163937424652020-06-06T06:20:00.003-07:002020-06-06T12:50:19.066-07:0025 Sensory Writing Prompts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of my favorite things to do is to take a few minutes out of my day and just journal. It allows my creativity to flow in an unrestricted manner. I don't have to worry about setting limitations, character development or plot. So, I hope these prompts help free some of your creative energy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJXijZv0FTTyuYg0GKPUjYTB8jN-3ZyoijGbvAMxImuETh-GJ5qdwL-hK2EeJm_yVdL0tu5bATtCmWTb123MPw8nqh12tPVzZib_7ocxpHj490gE1IUxx7Hu6CGvhuIbIVlOjuKfq5e4/s1600/Pinterest_smell+25+sensory+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJXijZv0FTTyuYg0GKPUjYTB8jN-3ZyoijGbvAMxImuETh-GJ5qdwL-hK2EeJm_yVdL0tu5bATtCmWTb123MPw8nqh12tPVzZib_7ocxpHj490gE1IUxx7Hu6CGvhuIbIVlOjuKfq5e4/s320/Pinterest_smell+25+sensory+%25281%2529.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Smell</span></h3>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The dog’s ears perked as he scented something I could not</span></li>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The minty smell filled the house and calmed my frayed nerves </span></li>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I wrinkled my nose at the strong smell of bleach.</span></li>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The bass of the music vibrated my whole body</span></li>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Her shouting hurt my ears, I wish I could</span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The clicking of utensils was the only sound at the table</span></li>
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The water sprayed my face. I liked my lips tasting its saltiness </li><li>The sweet food burned my throat as I swallowed it whole </li><li>I jerked my head backwards as the bitter liquid hit my throat </li><li>I laughed as his face puckered from the sour taste of...
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The darkness was impenetrable, I could only make out</span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The light from the ______ blinded me.</span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">From the corner of my eye, I saw a blur of movement. I now knew I wasn’t alone</span></li>
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Jakkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15479092675499298989noreply@blogger.com0