How Important You Think Education Is

Look, I'm here ON TIME with Day Nine!

*Laughs maniacally*

Today's question is:

How Important You Think education Is

Well, it really depends on what type of education you're talking about.

I think people should read. Obviously. I think if more people in the world read more books, we'd be living in a smarter, more brilliant society. Yet people don't and I want to throw books at them until they decide to pick it up and learn something from the wonderful world of fiction.

But really, if people read more, they would become braver, they would think more often before they speak, they would have better role models, better spelling, be better able to care for people and small things in the world. Ahhh, what a perfect world that would be.

But, if you're talking about education as in what they teach in any ordinary school?

Well...

I'm homeschooled myself, and I've never stepped foot into a public school building, but I have many friends, and I understand what goes on inside a classroom, and... I think that some things schools teach kids these days are good--such as math and typical subjects, because everyone needs to learn things like that, right?--But I also believe there are some things... I guess, some things that they aren't teaching them.

They may be teaching them education, but they are not showing them how to use it. Sure, hand a kid an essay; they may do good, they may not. But what comes out of it? Do they walk away with anything besides a bunch of random information they don't know how to use, or knowing if they accomplished it or failed it?

School is supposed to grow people in their education, but there is more to education than math books and science. If you're going to get all these kids in the same place at the same time, why not teach them something worthwhile? Teach them how to use their education instead of dismissing it, and show them how to be good people.

If school's didn't treat students the way they did today, teaching and not letting them learn, I think the next generations would be with more open minds, more patient, more excited to learn, ect.

I think education is very important, don't get me wrong--but I also believe education shouldn't be all there is. school should not be the only time you're learning, and half of the people in our world? That's exactly what they're doing.

What is YOUR opinion on education? What's your favorite subject in school?

Thanks for reading and I invite you to check back tomorrow!

Five Pet Peeves/What You Ate Today?

Okay, okay, okay, I know I didn't post yesterdays question, but it's okay because I'm going to answer both questions today, right?

*Nervously throws confetti*

Day Seven/Eight!

Five Pet Peeves?

First Pet Peeve: Improper Grammar/Spelling--but was that really a debate?

Second Pet Peeve: Fake People. If you don't like me, don't smile to my face. I can see through your mask, and you're not fooling anyone, right?

Third Pet Peeve: Itchy Tags. If a shirt has any size tag, big or small, I get wigged out and have to have it cut off immediately or else I'll scratch my face off.

Fourth pet Peeve: When Restaurants get my order wrong. I understand misunderstandings and such, but, really, you have one job!

Fifth Pet Peeve: When someone thinks it's necessary to use a swear word every other letter. Again, I believe throwing out inappropriate language is just a weak mind trying to make a strong statement.

What You Ate Today?

I mean, I ate a lot of things today, and I do mean a lot (And proud!). I ate Hardee's for Lunch, because it's obviously the best choice, then ate some of my Mother's wonderful Pork Roast and salty Mashed Potatoes. And right now I am scarfing down a Chicken Wrap from McDonald's, because what else would you be doing at this time of night?

So, there were Today's and Yesterday's questions asked and answered!

And, quick update in case anyone cares:

I finished my Halloween story!

*Celebrates and rests sore fingers*

I'm more than certain it was complete gibberish near the end, because I was running on Midnight energy when I finally finished it, but oh well. I'm glad I was able to complete it, good or bad!

And... Am I the only one freaking out that NaNoWriMo starts in, like, four days???

Luckily, I am eagerly freaking out, not the Omg-I'm-So-Unprepared-And-I-Can't-Do-This-And.

I would start this book tomorrow if I could, yet I shall wait for Nov. 1st. I am beyond excited to write the Third and Final book to the Dragon Master Trilogy!

Anyway, that's what's new for me.

 What about you guys? What Novels will you be working on this November?

Thanks for Reading, and be sure to check back tomorrow!




Your Views on the Mainstream World

Day Six, anyone?

I'll try to keep this brief, because it's been an exhausting day, and I still need to get some done on my short Halloween story!

Today's Writer-Blog Question is:

Your Views On The Mainstream World?

Well, personally, I'm proud to say I'm a Hipster at heart, and I just don't do 'Mainstream'.

I think that some things titles mainstream are okay, but most of mainstream things are just plain bad, and nothing good comes out of it.

Our Mainstream world, to me, is just a bunch of people pretending to like the same thing, and pressuring others into liking it, too, to be 'cool' or whatever.

Peer-pressure is a horrible thing, and I think our Mainstream World is full of it to the edge.

I believe in being your own person, and not allowing anyone to tell you differently.

So what if you don't wear the clothes that everyone else wears? So what if you don't like the same TV shows, listen to the same music, say the same things, act the same way, because--honestly-- that's all it is: An act.

Beautiful people like you are acting, tricking themselves to think things are cool. They aren't true to themselves. They become copies of one another, because, that's what 'all the cool kids' are doing.

The world is full of bodies with masks--all looking exactly alike-- to hide their perfect soul that God created.

People now days think they can't be themselves and be cool, or perfect, or interesting. They look to all things Mainstream, trying to to lie to themselves and say this, this, is what will finally make them popular/cool/beautiful/exciting/ect, when, in truth, they were just becoming another ordinary Human.

We are souls, dear Readers--NOT Humans.

Humanity is the part in us that falls for temptation and lives for Sin--The part that wants to be like everyone else. Our Souls are who we are, the person within, the one that is eternal.

God created us first as perfect beings, then the Mainstream World tainted our light and tells us lies.

So, in short, I don't agree with the 'Mainstream World', and I like my life much better as a Hipster--Living the way God intended me to, liking what I like, being my own person, and speaking my own mind--not someone else's.

What are your opinions on the Mainstream World? 

Thanks for reading through this, even though I sort of sounded like a motivational speaker for a minute there!


Things You Want to Say to Bullies/Mean People

I'm here with Day Five of the Writers-Blog Challenge!

Today's question is:

Things You Want to Say to Bullies/Mean People?

Oh, boy...

This is a tricky question for me, because, honestly, I'm not one of those 'Get in your face and tell you what-for' type of people. I believe in embracing your hurt feelings, and the stupidity of some people, but staying silent and sending out a quiet Prayer.

Yes, I Pray all the time for my enemies, as the Bible says:

"bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."- Luke 6:28

That's one of my favorite Verses, that I try to live by daily.

But, that doesn't mean there aren't quite a few things I want to say for Bullies and rude people, but that doesn't mean I would ever say them.

No, not that I'm being a coward. Trust me, I would love to speak freely with my mind sometimes--but, then, would I be any better than they are?

If I went around judging and talking without thinking, am I not doing the same thing I hate about them?

Besides, I think insults, swear words, arguments, ect. is just the outcome of a weak mind trying to make a strong statement. 

I believe in valid points; all things that come from your mouth should be thought through first, and then be backed up with proof and emotions. If you go around yelling and kicking, absolutely nothing will become of it, besides making things worst.


If every word you ever said appeared on your skin--wouldn't you be more careful with how you speak?

So, I think Bullies and mean people are just what comes out of misguided souls, who are incredibly lost. 

No one was born obnoxious or rude. Bullies aren't born--they are made from broken heroes.

People who find joy in other peoples pain, people who like to put other down to make themselves feel better--This is just a twisted heart originally made like mine and yours.

Let's face it--everyone can be a bully sometimes. some people don't mean to, but at one point or another, accidents happen.

But to choose to Bully is completely different. It is a sad, low thing to make a choice to insult someone, back-stab someone, mistreat someone, abuse someone, make-fun of someone...

Bullying and mean people are, to me, one of the saddest things in the World, but really, it's everywhere.

Friends become enemies, enemies become Villains--It's hard to find friends and it's hard to stay positive in a world full of negative, twisted beings.

But if you just keep praying for you enemies--THAT, my friends, is the only thing that will ever make a difference.

I know many people who suffer from Bullies and the mean, nastiness of people, and I know there are many, many more out there, and all I can say is this:

Keep your head up and your courage strong. Do not let petty people get in the way of living your life the beautiful, joyful way it was intended to be lived. Learn lessons from these Bullies and move on. And most important of all--Smile, because you have God on your side.

How do YOU deal with Bullying?

Thanks for Reading, and be sure to check back tomorrow!

Something That Could Ruin Your Whole Day

Hey All!

Quick update before I get to todays Writers-Blog Challenge:

It seems I'm throwing out random words in my latest short Halloween story, trying to get it finished in time!

I'm not writing this story for any particular reason: It's a deadline I set for myself, and I'm hoping to accomplish it.  I think things like NaNoWrimo and personal set goals are a good practice to get a writer prepared for the set-in-stone deadlines we will have to obey once we're published.

And, speaking of NaNoWrimo--Who's ready?! I am! I've got my new playlist full of epic classical music for my Novel (I highly recommend you check out the Album Illumination by Jennifer Thomas. I just found this music, but it's already one of my favorites!), I've got many plotting Free-Writes and multiple Plot Outlines made, and I think I've finally prepared enough for the third and final book to the Dragon Master Trilogy.

*Celebrates*

And now, I shall continue on with today's question:

Something That Could Ruin Your Whole Day

I can imagine many things that would put a damper on my day, from tripping down the stairs or being kidnapped by Aliens, but I'd have to say the most common would be finding a plot hole or having a bad writing day.

You see--This answer may seem a bit unrealistic, but it's true! If something happens in my writing that I don't like, or I find something that doesn't work, I beat myself up worst than anyone. I go on the rest of the day feeling unsatisfied and disappointed in myself, until I can plow forwards and fix the problem later.

My writing life and my real life is the same exact thing. There is no separating them, and there is no pulling them apart.

When something happens in one life, it effects the other, and vise versa.

It's a bit stressful at times, really, but sometimes you get that day where both sides are going good, both sides are exciting, and it creates a very happy me.

But, other days they don't match up at all and I'm left torn in two.

...A dramatic day in the life of me, right?

So there's my deep answer that is lacking logic, but I don't care. You probably think I'm some crazy psycho now, but I promise, I only talk to my cats when they talk to me, first!

What is something that could ruin YOUR day?  Do you separate your writing life from your real life?  

Thanks for Reading, and join my tomorrow for Day Five of the Writers-Blog Challenge!








A Book You Love and Why?

Oh boy-- Todays question is really asking for it!

Day Three of the Writers-Blog Challenge question is:

A Book You Love and Why?

I'll try to keep this under five pages long, but let's see, shall we?

A book I love... I'm going to choose Unremembered.

Unremembered, written by Jessica Brody, is not just one of my favorite books, but one of those books I love to love--Make sense?

It's not just the characters and the story and the idea that I fell in love with--it was all of the little things.

First reason of why I love it, is that it is highly apparent that Jessica Brody did her research before starting the first word; everything is smooth, and calculated, and it's one of those books that you can read without effort, which means a great deal of effort was put into the writing itself.

The subject is a rather confusing idea and the plot gets so ASDFGHJK at one point that it's insane how the Author created it all, but it's written in a way that it's so simple.

It makes you think hard, but it's a lovely story that I LOVE to love.

Reason number TWO would be, of course, the Romance.

Now--let me explain.

I fall head over heels for a good Romance (Good romance being Not-Twilight.), but this one takes the prize for my favorite!

This isn't one of those:

"Girl meets boy. Girl falls in love. Guy pretends he doesn't care. Guy falls in love. Drama. Drama. They spend 200 pages of the story kissing. Happily ever after."

This story delivers Romance--REAL Romance-- as it should be.

This doesn't give Teenagers now days the illusion of 'perfect-love' like nearly every other book/movie/TV show in existence. It doesn't say True Love looks like two unsupervised Teenagers meeting one day, being totally in love. it doesn't tell Teenagers now days that True Love is loving a boy even if he's a total jerk to you, or allowing him to mistreat you, but 'he's just too attractive to leave'.

This story shows almost an old fashioned Romance--before modern-day twisted and turned it into what it is
today; casual and disturbing.

For an example:

The main couple in this book spend their time talking to one another, and looking after one another, instead of going through all of this Drama and stupidity. Instead of having huge 'Making-Out' scenes, the most precious thing is a kiss on the head, or a meaningful hug, but it's done in a magical way that carries impact.

I absolutely loved this book because it shakes things up. It makes people walk away with:


  • A different view on Romance.



  • A different view on how to write.



  • A different view on reading.



  • A different view on life.


It's truly an inspiring book filled with mystery and excitement and total Presh with every word. This book is powerful, and very brave, and I love that.

Big thanks to the wonderful Jessica Brody for writing them!

Hm, this wasn't nearly as long as I had expected! WIN. 

What's a book YOU love?

Now go out, buy the book, and join me tomorrow for Day Four of the Writers Blog Challenge!

Thanks for Reading! <3



Something You Feel Strongly About

Hello All!

How is the people of the wold doing today?

I have  ULTRA-SUPER-AWESOME-EXCITING news to share with you coming this November! So GET EXCITED.

Now: Time to answer question number TWO of the Thirty Day Writers-Blog Challenge!

Today I'm supposed to write: Something You Feel Strongly About

This is really a harder question than what it seems, considering I feel strongly about many things, but I suppose the topic I feel most strongly about is words. 

Figures, right?

Because out of everything else in the World that is constantly changing and stretching and morphing into something different, each and every day, words stay the same.

Words express feelings, words can break a person or calm a person, they can be used as commands, something to read. Books full of words, pouring from the pages into our hearts--for hundreds of years they've done this! And, overall, words create things.

It's one of the many reasons I'm a Writer.

People fade into the Universe, items can wither and decay, money can rip and Friendships can break; But words are forever.

It brings me back to one of my favorite quotes:

"You won't last forever, so make sure to create something that will."

That's exactly what I find with words. I can last forever through my words, being read who knows how far into the future. You can to!

So when the World changes and the ground slips from underneath my feet, words are one of the only things left that bring me comfort.

While writing, I feel eternal. It's a wonderful thing. I feel like I'm working towards not only my dream, but someone else's. Someone else who will read it however many years from now and fall in love with the characters all over again.

And I think I've rambled on enough about this, don't you? But, really, you don't ask a Writer what they feel strongly about--You'll have them talking for hours!

What do YOU feel strongly about? Anything you could go on for hours about?

Thanks for reading!


Five Thing You Look For in Friends

Hello All!

I just got back from St. Louis today, from a wonderful meet and greet/Book signing with Shannon Messenger!

I'm so honored to have gotten to spend nearly two hours talking to her about anything and everything. She was everything I hoped she could be, and more. She writes wonderful books, and she's an even more wonderful person!

If you EVER get a chance to meet her, DO IT. If you don't, you're missing out on meeting one of the nicest, most creative people in the world.!

And NOW, onto the first post of my Thirty Day Writers-Blog Challenge! 

*Happy Dance*

Question number ONE is:

Five Things You Look For in Friends

This isn't a question I've ever really contemplated before, considering I like to think of everyone as a friend, but...

First Way, I'd say, is to be a nice person. Because, really, that's what matters most to me. No, this doesn't mean be perfect or never make mistakes, but to have a positive outlook on life, and to be friendly even under stressful circumstances. I like to hang around nice people, to encourage me to also be unconditionally nice.

Second Way: I especially like people who have good Grammar/good concept of spelling, though this isn't necessarily a MUST. I like people who put effort into even the little things like spelling and grammar.

Third Way: They need to be fun! My friends can't be those kind that don't like to be stupid and ridiculous. I look for friendly, fun friends!

Fourth Way: I look for people who are themselves. People who don't have multiple masks they wear in front of different people. Someone who is happy to be themselves.

Fifth Way: I can't think of a last one! I honestly like anyone, no matter who they are or what they're like. Unless the person's a total jerk/a murderer/a creeper/ect. chances are we'll get along nicely!

What do you look for in a friend? 

Thanks for reading, and check back tomorrow for another answer!











Updates!

Hello All!

Just wanted to give a quick update:

First off, I promise I'm not planning on being this lame forever. I haven't had time to plan a new Blog Post or you guys yet because I've been busy preparing to go out of town this Monday, which leads me to my SECOND update...:

I'm heading back to Saint Louise (Considering I was just there last week to meet the wonderful Rick Riordan.), to THIS time meet...

Wait for it...

SHANNON MESSENGER!

*Confetti explosions... DYNAMITE Song Blaring Through the Ground... Million Person Dance Party*



I KNOW right???

So I am BEYOND excited.

Shannon Messenger is one of those Authors, to me, that is not in the same league as the others. There IS no competition. She has written some of the best stuff I have ever read, AND she is a super awesome person, so I cannot WAIT to meet her. 

She is the Author of Keeper of the Lost Cities, including Book Two, as well as Let the Sky Fall.

Her stories make me SQUEE so hard, and I just. I can't.



I'm just afraid I'm going to do something embarrassing when I see her, like pass out, or burst into tears, or giggle like an idiot. I've already warned my family, who will be coming with me, that I cannot be held responsible for any fainting or exploding that may take place.

So, that's MY plan for this week--What's yours?

ANOTHER thing on my TO-DO list; 

I am trying to work on a Halloween story, set in my already made world, as a side story or such. I've done this last year with my Atrea gang, but this year I thought it be cool with my other friends, those from the Dragon Master Trilogy. 

I'm still working out the annoying details, such as when in between the books it actually TAKES PLACE, but so far I've come up short with a place I can squeeze it in. So this is all still up in the air, even though I'm DYING to write it, annoying details aside. 

But ANOTHER option is to just write a short Halloween story, that is unrelated to any of my current Novels. 

I have much to contemplate.

Anyway, I'll be back soon after Monday with, I'm sure, pictures and I CAN'T.'S about my event with Shannon Messenger, then I will be starting the Blog Challenge that I introduced HERE.

SUPER excited for tons of reasons. I have MANY new things planned for Defying Impossible, and they will all be known to you sooner or later, but most certainly sometime after Monday.

Now I must go Explode while trying to focus on my Halloween story. 

Even though I probably can't.

Because. I just.



SO EXCITED.

Let's Get This Party Started

Hello All!

So this would technically be one of my first posts on Defying Impossible's Blog, considering some of the others are taken from my Facebook page, AKA the original Defying Impossible home, so.

CELEBRATIONS! 

*Confetti attack* *Party Music* *Strobe Lights* *ALL OF THE EXCITEMENT*



And I've decided to 'start out' by doing this fun little 'Thirty Day Blog Challenge' I've found!



30 Day Writer’s-Blog Challenge List:


  1. Five things you look for in friends
  2. Something you feel strongly about
  3. A book you love and why
  4. Something that could ruin your whole day
  5. Things you want to say to bullies/mean people
  6. Your views on the mainstream world
  7. Five pet peeves
  8. What you ate today
  9. How important you think education is
  10. Put your music player on shuffle and list the first ten songs that play
  11. Your family
  12. Five guys whom you find attractive in Fictional books
  13. Your opinion about your appearance and how you comfortable you are with it
  14. What you wore today
  15. Favorite Animal, Food, and Sport
  16. Something you always think “what if …” about
  17. Something that you are proud of
  18. A problem that you have had
  19. Five items you want
  20. Your fears
  21. How you hope your future will be like
  22. Your favorite scent
  23. Something that you miss
  24. Five words/phrases that make you laugh
  25. Something you’re currently worrying about
  26. Things you like and dislike about yourself
  27. A quote to try to live by
  28. Somewhere you’d like to move to or visit
  29. Five weird things that you like
  30. One thing you’re excited about

So I'm SUPER excited to get started on this in a few days!! I think it's a great way to get this Blog up and running, and to introduce myself to the World of Bloggingness.

Yes, 'Bloggingness' is a word now.

Thanks for reading and I hope you check back soon!

The Time I Became Thesaurus.com

Imagine with me:

You're sitting at your computer. You have a big cup of Coffee or Sweet Tea, perhaps a cat or two on your lap, and you're PLOWING away the words. You may be writing great, or you may know it's a little bit crappy, but it doesn't matter. Look at your word count! You're flying towards your goal!

But... Something doesn't feel right.

You stop and try to figure out what it is. You reread some of it: Your dialogue is flowing, your characters are acting true to themselves, your plot is moving along with strength, but...

Your words.

You're using the same ones over, and over, and over again.

You've described the same this three times, and used the SAME words!

You're using bland words that don't convey the emotion properly!

Oh, no. This is just TERRIBLE!

But wait, this can be fixed!

The only way I've found to make this not happen is to FIRST: Program your mind to NOTICE when you start to get repetitive. This is a hard thing, and it will often slip sometimes and you won't notice, but that's what rereading is for, right? So, when you get that awful feeling, force it into your head to notice WHILE you're writing. I've finally achieved this, and I notice nearly every time I use a word that was already in the past paragraph/sentence/page, or a boring word.

I know I hate it when books keep repeating the same words TIME AFTER TIME like there aren't 135 words that mean the exact same thing you could use instead.

And SECOND, you need to have the Thesaurus.com open on your browser.

This may sound lame, and incredibly tedious, but I promise, it makes a HUGE difference.

Anytime you want to find a different word, or you're repeating, or any number of other things, look to this tab.

The first few times I've done this, I noticed just how many times I needed to use Thesaurus.com in only five pages full or so. At first it was annoying; I realized how often I needed to find a new word, and it was began to make me feel small. How many times did I actually need to use this thing? I'd rather stumble on unknowingly than take the time every few sentences to click over to my other tab, right?

But then, something happened.

I started to use it less often, but not because I chose to ignore my repeating or old and boring words; I was doing it ON MY OWN.

It's like I BECAME Thesaurus.com, using all of these rare, brand new words.

I programmed my mind to not only NOTICE when I use a repetitive/old word, but also to instinctively FIX it.

My writing got SO much better, just in the course of a week or so! My words became fresher and better chosen, and it hardly took any effort from me.

This is an aggravating practice, but trust me, it pays off in the end.

There are many, many words out there, so why not use them?

Do YOU guys have any other methods for easily fixing repeating and old words? And just for fun, what are you FAVORITE words? I would love to know!

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful week!

Let's Talk About Villains

VILLAINS EVERYWHERE!
*Lightning Blast, Explosions, Evil Laughter*

Hey guys! I'm back from my Book Coma, finally. For realz tho, I never wanted a book to not end so badly.
Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile? Buy it, read it, love it, then join me in the fangirling.

But anyway, I'm here to talk about Villains today.

Ahh, Villains. Those cruel, plotting little characters that we use to torture and ruin our Protagonists life.

Villains are the conflict in the story; all obstacles we throw at them are somehow caused by the Villain in the story.

I read something on one of the blogs I stalk follow, that, contrary to what we may think, a Villain doesn't necessarily have to be a PERSON, which I found very interesting. I'd never thought of it like that before. The 'Villain', AKA the conflict, the trouble, the evil in the story could be an illness, it could be something that isn't even tangible. A Villain is not a wicked person, but, more so, a Wicked Cause.

Something or someone that taunts the Protagonist and does all in it's power to stop their happiness.

Sometimes the Protagonist gets caught in the cross fire of this rampaging Villain, or sometimes the Villain's evil is directed straight towards the Protagonist.

Now, I'm going to focus on Villainous BEINGS for a minute.

You can't just throw a black cloak on a random guy who cackles a lot and call it your 'Villain'.

Villains are characters too. You should always have TWO main characters: Your Protagonist and your Villain. Both should be just as well developed and as much thought put into one as the other. They are equals, in a way.

A Villain has his/her own likes, dislikes, meanings, causes, story motivation, lost ones, happy memories. A Villain is just a destroyed Hero. A Villain should represent your Protagonist--but instead of still standing strong in the end through all of the trials and heartbreaks like the Protagonist does; the Villain broke.

Every Villain needs a cause--They can't just be evil because they feel like it.

They need a deep rooted jealousy, a burning hatred. They need revenge or they need to belong.

Every Villain should have a heartbreaking story to tell, but they hide it with the anger/wickedness within.

Personally, I love creating Villains. They are such deep, meaningful, sad characters that are so lost and so tortured in their mind that they turn more monster than human in their soul.

I love this.

Your Protagonist and Villain should share similar qualities.

Now--That may sound weird, but let me explain.

It's great in books, where you realize the horrible Villain is not so different from our hero. Whether this is sharing something obvious as the same power, the same love interest, ect. or something more hidden like the same determination in their cause, whether right or wrong. The same ability to love endlessly.

The Protagonist should posses the same darkness, the same evil spirit as the Villain, but hides it through what he/she knows is right.

Like I said before, the Villain is simply the Hero that broke. The one that could have possessed great qualities, but chose to ignore them and use instead the darkness that is inside all of us.

So, WAY deep down, somewhere, the Villain and the Protagonist ARE the same, they just chose to hide their similarities in different ways; one cloaked in light and the other dark.

A Villain is the reflection of the Protagonist; All that he/she COULD have been, still COULD be. All that they fear inside themselves and the darkness they try so hard to hide fights against them.

Can I just say again? I love Villains!

From fire breathing dragons to illness, from long lost childhood friend to a raging madman; Villains are in the story to taunt and try to destroy the Protagonist, and remind them of what they themselves COULD BE.

What is your opinion on Villains? What is your Villain like?

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

My Five Tips/Tricks/Advice for Writing Good Dialogue

Hey Guys!

So I made a post about all of my rules when it comes to writing good Dialogue a little while ago, NOW I'm going to give you some tips and advice on how to follow them, and overall become a better writer at dialogue.

My Five Tips/Tricks/Advice For Writing Good Dialogue:

Trick Number One: Practice Dialogue coming from your characters.

Something I find the MOST useful (Seriously it really helps.), is sitting down at your computer/notebook, opening a blank document/page, and start to write from your characters POV.

It doesn't matter if your original story is in Third Person or First Person, Past Tense or Presence, write as if this is your characters Journal.
Write about their day at the park, write about being attacked by a monster, let the character talk about himself/herself, his/her looks, taste in clothes, favorite hobbies. Just the random thoughts a REAL person would write down in a Journal.
 It may be hard at first to speak through your character, but after a bit they take over. But still, you really have to pick your brain sometimes about what they would say, how they would say it, what they would talk about, ect.
It helps you to not only get to know your character WAY better, but it also helps you to learn their VOICE, which is just important. You learn the little things about them that make them REAL. It's YOUR job to do that. So ask them questions, answer them as your character, become their best friend, because, overall, that's what they are, right?

Remember to do this with not only your main character, but preferably ALL of them. Yes, even the 'Villain'.

Advice Number Two: There should only be two different types of Dialogue in every book in the world.

The two different types of dialogue is: dialogue of the main character talking to the reader (The Narration), and the Dialogue among the characters.

 That's it, no strings attached.

So if you get into this mindset, that it's really not so different writing your characters conversations as it is your character talking to the reader, it gets a LOT easier.

Tip Number Three: Each character should sound different.

No, I don't just mean the two main characters, or the three best friends.

I mean, EVERY character. That person they passed on the street, the guy who only comes in on one chapter, the Villain, ALL of the supporting characters. If you put them in the book, you need to dig deep into EACH AND EVERY ONE, important or not.

Human speech varies from person to person. EVERY SINGLE personality is different, so EVERY SINGLE speech pattern is different, so don't go halfway and make a random statement, even if it's out of the characters voice.

If you know your characters as well as you SHOULD, this will come completely natural. They will speak for you, and YOU will do your job as a good little author and simply WRITE IT DOWN. But what do we do about those side, SIDE characters who we don't know the backstory to, the life details, the little things?

I have a few characters like this, that aren't THAT big, but still have a few things to say and do. What do I do to figure out their voice?

I do what I do with all of my other characters; talk to them. Learn about them. Ask them questions.
It may seem useless, and completely boring, but it helps overall with the story.

If you want to go HALFWAY with something, then writing is NOT for you.

Trick Number Four: Speech can easily be conveyed through EMOTION.

Emotions are a vital part in making realistic dialogue. If a character is worried, show us they are through what they say, how they say it: How loud, how quiet, how slowly. Is there voice shaking? How do we KNOW they're really worried?

You should be able to close your eyes, and imagine just HEARING the characters voices. What do you hear?

Emotion shows through our voices, so make it show through theirs
.
Here are a few references on Dialogue that shows:

"I looked back up at them and shrugged casually. “I guess this means I’m completely powerless. You can kill my friends now.”"

"“Whatever. So, are you here to kill me, or what?”"

You can just HEAR the sarcasm. Another big key is the actions that go along with the dialogue. It's there to help; So USE IT!

“You’re not touching any of them.” I was surprised at the fierceness in my own voice."

Even without the clarification after the dialogue, you can still tell how he's saying it, right? You can still imagine it. This is because of the word selection, even down to the punctuation. If it was instead:

"Don't touch any of them!"

This could come across panicky, almost frantic. Perhaps angry, but not as a fierce growl as the other one suggests. Practically the same thing, but the tiny word choices make a BIG different when it's delivered.

“What?” Zeen hissed. “Feel what?”

This is a bit frantic, but angry. Without the note that she 'hissed', I would guess she was panicking. Would you?

Advice Number Five: There is a Balance with He said/She said.

I read somewhere that before, after, between Dialogue there should only be: He/She said. I read that an author should never use He growled, She cried, He groaned, She whispered, ect.

BUT. I COMPLETELY disagree. COMPLETELY.

It's not a book without the dialogue clarifications.

USE dialogue narration. It helps convey the words properly, it makes it easier to read, and it's just fun sometimes.

BUT (Again). There IS a balance.

You have free reign with the dialogue narration, but make sure not to go overboard. Sometimes a simple 'He said, she said' at the end/before/between a line of dialogue is all it takes.

In fact, I enjoy it when books does this sometimes. IF the words are chosen good enough, it doesn't take more then He said.

Reader's can figure things out for themselves sometimes, so give them that chance. Chances are, they'll imagine it being said just as you did.

But I must agree that there are many occasions where the He said She said just isn't enough.

Okay, so I think I picked and prodded this whole 'Dialogue' thing WAAAAY too much, but I hoped I may have helped someone!

I'm looking forward to doing a post on creating believable, effective Villains, so stay tuned!

Do you have any Tips/Tricks/Advice for Writing good dialogue? What is your favorite part about Dialogue?

Thanks for Reading!

My Five Rules of Writing Good Dialogue

Here's a post that MIGHT actually teach you something!

You see, I often have trouble giving out advice, because I just don't know if I make sense half of the time, or if my advice is any good considering I'm still learning stuff myself, so don't take any of this as THE TRUTH AND ANYTHING ELSE IS WRONG AND.

Because this is just what I've come to learn. This is just sharing my experiences hoping it might help someone else.

So.

Enjoy...

My Five Rules of Writing Good Dialogue:

Dialogue, to me, is like the glue that holds the story together. Among other things, Dialogue can either make or break a story. Sometimes it's hard to find where dialogue belongs, how much is too much, how little is too little, and if it doesn't sound natural.

Dialogue is a hard thing to do, but here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

Rule Number One: Dialogue should be consistent.

It aggravates me in books where there will be a whole four to six pages FULL of back and forth dialogue. Sure, it fits the scene and is necessary--But then there is the next five to ten pages full of descriptions, thoughts and actions.

This is inconsistent writing. To me, it's as noticeable and disturbing as a book switching from first person to third person, then back again. It's abrupt and basically just shouldn't happen.

It may not seem so big a deal while writing, but it's one of those things to keep an eye out for.

The most annoying part is; it can be fixed easily! You can't have constant conversation through your story--of course not, it might not fit and it may become TOO much--but you CAN slip in little statements here and there between the gapes to make it more consistent and less noticeable. It's the same if there is a long part of explaining or discussing through dialogue; put in breaks of action or thought to even it out.

Rule Number Two: Never use dialogue to tell the READER something.

And by this, I mean; If the reader already knows that they must go from point A to point B, don't have the character tell the other the same thing. If the characters already know this, it doesn't make sense for them to discuss it again for the readers benefit.

To get across information like this, have the character thinking it, if it's something important. But learning it through the characters speech is just a bit grating and annoying. Unnecessary, almost.

Rule Number Three: Dialogue should contain EMOTION.

Dialogue should be a part of the story. Dialogue should convey as much emotion as the plot and the relationships and the events.

Dialogue is not just making a statement, or saying something new. Dialogue should grow characters together, change elements in the story, and tear characters apart. It should do many things.

Dialogue is a weapon, so use it wisely.

Rule Number Four: Avoid Dialogue Dumps.

In each story, there is the beginning climax when a sudden event happens to throw the character into a new world, a self discovery; SOMETHING happens to make the plot begin, leading the character to the different life style, whether it be with elves or dragons or in the same room but a different mind set.

And, after these events, there is usually a mentor, a friend, a wise old wizard, that knows what's going on, and they have to explain. Of course they do, part of the story is the main character being confused at this event or incident.

It makes enough sense, but, this is the WORST PART FOR ME!

You have to sit there and listen to this HUGE information dump about the history of the world, what is happening, the characters destiny, the answers to the main characters questions.

This would be acceptable, if there wasn't another way.

But there is.

little by little, information should be given. NO READER will remember or get from this Information dump what the writer had intended. The reader, like the main character, should learn and grow to understand this new world, new life style, ect. like we learn ABOUT the main character; Slowly.

Bit by bit you can drop information. You may understand and know exactly what is going on, and all of the history, but don't expect the Reader to pick up on it extremely quickly; You've had days, maybe months to figure this stuff out, while the Reader only has a few paragraphs.

In one of my books, the first in a trilogy, the main character is constantly learning new stuff about the world, about her future, about herself, from the first page to the very last. Now that's 123 pages, over 40k words.

So who ever said information needs to be given quickly?

We should be taught like you learn from a math book; one page at a time, one problem and one answer at a time.

Rule Number Five: Dialogue should be fun!

For me, Dialogue is that bit of the story I look forward to reading and writing.

 Through Dialogue we learn more about the characters, learn more about the story, learn more about the emotions and events. Dialogue should flow, should be quick and witty when needed, should be sharp and abrupt when needed.

Dialogue should be sculpted and molded to the story and the scenes and the characters.

Dialogue is fantastic, so have fun with it!

Hello Blog-World!

Hello!

This is a little place to learn 'All-About-Me', whether you're COMPLETELY INTERESTED or just vaguely curious.

I'm currently fourteen, but I believe age is just a number and the real age is in the Soul. Yeah, deep, I know.
I have already had a successful 'Blog' over on Facebook that you can find HERE.

I've already written a ton of stuff over there, but after a while I just got really tired of the 'Facebook layout'.
It was incredibly hard to put together good posts and so I decided to finally make a real Blog!

*Confetti attack*

I hopefully won't be leaving my Facebook page, but instead add it to my list of Defying Impossible that is ATTACKING THE INTERNETZ.

Ehm, anyway.

I'll explain some about my writing, yes?

I've been writing since I was eight, and haven't taken a break ever since.

 What got my started in writing wasn't 'the first book I read', but was instead my drawing. I would draw characters--Mostly animals and such-- and then I would put a story to them. I remember one of my favorites was A Cow Walking on the Sand. They were cartoons, almost. One day I may dig them out from my hiding place and look at them again, but I am content with leaving them buried, to be honest.

Practically, my mission in life is to Inspire other authors, and even other people, through my words and my stories, the way other books and authors have inspired me.

I have a five book series titled Atrea, and also another five book series set in the same world.

Recently, I've finished the first two books in my Dragon Master Trilogy, and I will be wrapping up the last one this November for NaNoWriMo. I'm VERY excited about that.

Now, I could go on all day about my stories. They excite me, they keep me entertained, and, well, they are my life. 

That MAY sound a bit ridiculous, like I'm some crazy cat lady who sits at her computer talking to her voices all day, and thought that is MOSTLY true, I have plenty of other things I find interest in.

I draw a whole bunch, and spend hours at a time organizing my room and reading more books than I can count.

I have many wonderful notebooks that never leave my side, and a favorite pencil I can't live without.

I live and breath stories, whether it comes out of a TV show (Such as Doctor Who, Supernatural, Merlin, Psych, Ect.), a Video Game (Such as Zelda, Pokemon, The Legendary Starfy, Ect.) or making them up as I walk along a street or stare out a window.

You can pretty much find me ANYWHERE on the internet, so make sure to check out the 'Where You Can Find Me' section down to the right on my Website!

I hope to be published one day, but who doesn't?

I have MANY authors that have books that inspire me, such as:

Shannon Messenger,

Rick Riordan,

Leigh Bardugo,

Marissa Meyer,

James Riley,

Cassandra Clare,

Soman Chainani,

Jessica Brody,

Marissa Burt,

Lisa McMann,

and many, many more!

I eat a lot, my characters are my best friend, and most importantly of all:

I look forward to starting this new part of my adventure, and sharing it with YOU!

So Hello to all of my returning fans and another Hello to all of the new ones! I look forwards to meeting you and sharing my experiences and crazy ramblings with you!

Now I'll be uploading some of my more 'put together' posts just to get caught up with all the time I've had my OTHER Blog open, so hang tight and thanks for reading!




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