Monday, August 03, 2015

Staycation Writing Retreat Week 2

Hey guys! My timed post thing didn't work so once again, this is a delayed post. I really need to figure this thing out....
Anyways, this week marked a lot of exciting events but I still got my writing time it. One of those things is a job interview with a bookstore. A writer's dream, right? Fingers crossed that I get the job :)
Also, good news! I will be published next year in "Focus on the Family Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse" magazine for my article in the Truth Pursuer section. Woot, woot! I can't wait to see my work in print in a big time magazine like this one.  I'm super pumped ^.^
One more piece of good news is that I got into university. I'll be studying psychology for four years in an undergraduate degree. You can bet I'll be posting what I learn here! 


Weekly Resource

Every heard of the Emotion Thesaurus? It's exactly as it sounds. It's a database of tons of human emotions and includes the physical, mental, internal, acute/prolonged, and suppressed responses to each emotion. It also includes a list of which emotion the once listed can lead to. 
While writing, I looked up a lot of different emotions to help me with description and internal monologue. It's so much more useful that I ever expected—a brilliantly written book to say the least. If you've seen this book around and have wondered if you should get it, let me be the one to tell you: get the book!


Find it on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles



 Weekly Writing Music

The scenes I wrote this week were a mixure of mysterious and intense atmospheres so I chose to listen to the Insurgent soundtrack by Joseph Trapanese. My favourite track this week is "Dauntless Arrive". It sparked a lot of very intense moments. 




Weekly Progress

Not as productive as I would like but I'm moving forward and that's all that matters :) 

Current Word Count: 5,154

Onwards to the next week!
Any update on your summer goals? 

Saturday, August 01, 2015

The Infinity Dreams Award

So I went onto my blog today and saw that my timed post didn't work -_- So anyways, here's what was supposed to be yesterday's post.

Before I begin I'd like to thank Annika Smith @ Writer and Proud for the nomination :) I love reading her comments and was flattered to find out that she nominated me for this. Also, it's super fun to do this kind of things!

Rules:

1. Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.
2. Tell us eleven facts about yourself.
3. Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.
4. Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them.

Onwards to the facts and questions! 

11 Facts About Me

1. I'm a sucker for soft clothing. If I find a soft shirt in a store, I will immediately try it on and hope it fits. If I'm rubbing my belly, I'm not hungry...I'm just petting my shirt XD

2. My ideal temperature in the summer is 22°C (71°F). It's best when there's a light breeze. Yes...I'm a little particular about my weather....

3. My favourite home-cooked meal is my mom's meatloaf. It's so freakishly good....
My sister doesn't like it for some reason though so we only get it when she's not home or something. I will never become a vegetarian for this reason alone.

4. When I was in high-school, I sang in my school choir. We made it all the way to nationals and got a silver rating when we had only been together for two years! I never want to forget what it felt like to sing and dance on that stage. 

5. It's on my girly bucket list to get kissed on a ferris wheel. *crowd gasp* I know, right? This long-boarding, karate loving, doesn't wear much makeup girl actually wants to get kissed one day o.O Shocks even me. 

6. A secret dream of mine has been to act as a Disney Character in one of the parks. I would love to be Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I have the hair and eyes for it too ^ ^ 

7. I'm a huge fan of the night sky. I have an app on my phone that tracks the northern lights and tells me my percentage of seeing them every night. I also will watch for upcoming meteor showers and eclipses :) 

A self portrait I took back in May 2015
8. I play the ukulele! :D 

9. I have a thing for a avacado. Put in in a salad, on a burger, on toast and most definitely when it's turned into guacamole--I will immediately like you more.

10. When I was a kid, I used to think that my toys came to life when I was sleeping. (and I hadn't even seen Toy Story!) My sister and I would set our toys up and try to memorize what they looked like before we went to bed. Then in the morning, we would see if they changed positions. XD

11. I love hiking! Especially in the mountains where the hikes are harder but more rewarding. :)

11 Questions From Annika

1. What is the strangest food you've ever eaten? 
I don't really eat a lot of strange food. I'm very open to trying new foods but I don't know if I'd call them strange. Maybe I need to get out more XD Once I had this juice made out of rose petals though....that was really weird. It was also way to sweet for my liking.

2. If you had to turn into some sort of plant, what would you choose?
I would be a huge tree! Like a redwood or something. Call me crazy but I find trees very majestic. I admire them. 

3. A coconut and a pineapple are arguing over who is better. Write out their argument (do they focus on looks, usefulness, tastiness, etc?).
Coconut: How dare you call me nutty!
Pineapple: How dar you call me prickly!
Coconut: I can produce a healthy drink. 
Pineapple: I'm hated by less people. 
Banana: Girls, girls....you're both apeeling fruits. 

4. What is the most irrational fear that you've ever had?
I'm afraid of many insects to this day. I really don't have a reason to for a lot of them too...
Pluto has a special place in my heart.

5. Which is your favorite planet?
Pluto because it's distant but not separated from the solar system. It's misunderstood and lonely but it has a way of still existing beautifully despite being a misfit. Also, you should listen to the song by Sleeping At Last called "Pluto". I guess it's partially the reason why I chose it XD

6. Why would you make a good President of  the United States?
Because I'm a Canadian ;) Free polar bears and maple syrup for everyone! 

7. What is the longest book you ever read? Tell me about it.
I can't really remember what the longest book I've read is. I know Insurgent was pretty thick. Maybe it was just because it was a hardcover though. I really enjoyed my experience reading it—even more so than Divergent (call me crazy if you'd like). 
Maybe it was because I read while camping one summer. After intense or emotional scenes I would bike around the lake and then come back and continue. 

8. Have you ever received flowers? What kind and from who?
I have! I got a bouquet of 18 roses on my 18th birthday from my dad :) He wanted to be the first to give me roses which I thought was very special. 

This was another classic moment ^.^
9. Did you ever watch Veggie Tales, and if you did, what was your favorite part?
Veggie Tales was a part of my childhood! My favourite part was anything with Junior. Junior was my favourite character. I also remembered loving the Christmas episode with the toys in the small village. My favourite line was, "Why couldn't we do something safe like mousetrap? You roll the dice, you move your mice...nobody gets hurt!"

10. Tell us a few facts about your first crush.
My first crush was a friend in kindergarten named Curtis. I thought he was so cool because he played soccer and had an plastic electric car XD 

11. Would you prefer a lightsaber or Excalibur?
Excalibur all the way! No argument there ^.^


11 Questions for the Nominees

1. Do you prefer land or sea? 
2. What's one food that you always refuse to eat? 
3. What's the most played song in your iTunes library? 
4. Flight or invisibility? 
5. If you could live in any country other than your own, what country would you choose? 
6. A wizard tells you that he needs your help. You're going on an adventure! What weapon do you choose? 
7. What's your earliest childhood memory? 
8. Is there a certain type of foreign food (ie. Thai, Korean, South African) that you really like? 
9. Would you rather it rain all day or be hot and sunny all day for the rest of your life? 
10. What's a book or movie character that you identify with? 
11. Who's your biggest role model? 

The Nominees




7) Lily @ Lily's Notes in the Margin


8) Sarah @ Inklined


9) Rachel @ Secret Scribblings

I'm sorry I don't have eleven...I'm not social enough I guess XD 

Stay tuned for Sunday's writing update and don't forget to check out last week's update where I have a link to a cool writing resource :) 

Continue having a great summer everyone! Stay cool!