A New Year: Bookish Goals for 2019!

Wow, I can hardly believe that 2018 is over already. It seems like it just started! So for 2019, I came up with a few writing and reading related goals. I thought I’d share them with all of you, and, hopefully, you can help keep me accountable!

1. Finish Forcefield. I’m super excited to be working on IDIA #3, and this is my biggest writing goal. I’ve been working on plot ideas, and while I started the book during NaNoWriMo… I didn’t make much progress (and I definitely didn’t win NaNo). I’m hoping to work a lot more on it this year!
2. Create a regular writing habit. Right now my goal is around 250 words a day, but in general, I just want to try and write more. Even if that means 100 or 10 words, I want to work on sitting down to write something every day, even with a crazy college schedule.
3. Post at least once a month. I’ve been really bad about posting during the school semester, which is understandable due to the amount of work college entails. But it doesn’t take much to whip up a quick blog post at least once a month! This is one I really plan on working on this year.
4. Read more! Reading also slips through the cracks when it comes to college. My goal is to read 24 books this year, which is about 2 a month. Even if I can’t read during the semester, I should be able to make that up this summer. We’ll see…

And that’s it! Here’s to a year of (hopefully) more regular blog posts. What are your goals or resolutions for 2019, reading or otherwise? I’d love to hear what they are! 

Inside IDIA: The History of IDIA

Before I get started on this post, I just want to remind everyone that the IDIA Fan Creations Contest is open for submissions! You can see the entries I’ve already received on the new IDIA Fan Art page. Go check them out! They’re so cool, and they may give you inspiration for your own creations. 🙂 Now, on to the post!

Hullo, friends! Remember that poll where I asked all of you what you wanted to see me post? Well, one of the top things was an Inside IDIA series, where I talk about various Easter eggs, characters, and behind the scenes info for the series. I decided that the best place to start this would be with a history of how I came up with the idea for IDIA. So let’s begin, shall we?

I may have talked about the origins of IDIA a few times, but mostly just in vague mentions, never in detail. I was rereading some old stories and realized that the tale of IDIA is one worth telling.

The first thing I came up with was the name: The International Defense and Intelligence Agency. To begin with, it had absolutely nothing to do with superheroes. I actually first used it as a normal spy-type government agency in a sci-fi novella I wrote, partially for a creative writing class. I was honestly really proud of coming up with an acronym that made a (sort-of) real word and sounded official. I finished the book and even used a few characters in one of my Tales From The Writer’s Desk, but I ended up deciding that sci-fi wasn’t my thing and left that novella on my computer to gather virtual dust. (I actually went back and read that story, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Although if I ever decide to publish it, I’ll have to rename that spy agency…)

A year or two later, I came up with the idea (he-he) for Twinepathy, and I was looking for a name for the organization of superheroes. Somehow, IDIA came to mind again, and I decided to give the organization a revamping. Lo and behold, the IDIA you know today was born! I had a ton of help from beta readers smoothing out the organization. The various ranks in IDIA (alphas, betas, deltas, gammas, and omegas) weren’t added in until a later draft of the story, and helped make IDIA more structured and official. So thanks to beta readers and creative writing class, we have the IDIA you know today!

What do you think of how IDIA came about? Have any similar stories? What did you think of this post? Comment below with your thoughts!

Be Careful What You Say In A College Coffee Shop

Hullo, everyone! Did you know that sometimes you have to write for school? Isn’t that nuts? I recently finished a 700+ word essay for my comp class about one of my least favorite subjects: *whispers* poetry. So much fun. But yesterday I got to write a short story for American Lit! Yay! I thought all of you would enjoy it, and it’s been a while since I posted a short story, so I present to you… Be Careful What You Say In A College Coffee Shop.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Steven said, rubbing his forehead. “She won’t eat anything except spicy chicken wings anymore.” The college coffee shop buzzed around the two of them, their lattes sitting untouched.

His friend Colin smothered his laughter and pasted on a solemn face as he leaned across the table. “That’s a problem all right. Have you tried everything? Steak? Ribs? Ground beef?”

Steven snorted. “If she develops a craving for steak or ribs, I’m in trouble. My wallet’s having trouble with chicken wings as it is.”

“Well, they’re normally picky, just not that picky,” Colin commented.

“I’m not sure what to do next. I think I might—” Steven stopped, looking over Colin’s shoulder at the person sitting next to them. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Colin turned around to look, and the girl turned from her computer screen. “W-what do you mean?” she stammered.

Steven pointed at her computer. “I saw it! You’re writing down our conversation!”

The girl shifted nervously and glanced at her laptop. Colin leaned over and read it. “‘If she develops a craving for steak or ribs, I’m in trouble.’ You are writing down what we’re saying!”

She shifted again. “Um, yeah. About that. What in the world were you talking about? I just tuned in.”

Steven gaped at her. “We were talking about my dog. Why were you writing that down?”

She laughed. “Your dog! And here I thought it might be your girlfriend.”

Colin leaned towards Steven, eyeing the girl. “I think she might be crazy,” he whispered.

The girl’s cheeks turned pink, indicating she had heard. “I-I’m sorry. I’ll stop.” She stood up quickly and began to pack her things.

“No, wait.” Steven stood up. “I want to know why you were writing down our private conversation.” He focused on making himself look as imposing as possible.

The girl visibly cringed. “Um. Well, I’m a writer. And your conversation sounded like something interesting to make a story out of.”

Steven gaped. “What?”

“That’s a story I’d like to read,” Colin said under his breath.

The girl sidled to the side, hugging her laptop to her chest. “Um, can I go now?”

Steven stepped back. “Um, if you want. I’m, uh, I’m sorry if I intimidated you.”

She scampered off as quick as she could, and Steven sat back down at the table. Colin smirked. “I guess the lesson for this ‘Embarrassing Episode In The Life of Steven’ is ‘Be careful what you say in public, because you never know who could be listening and your words might end up in a book someday.’”

Steven glared at him. “You need to work on that.”

Colin grinned. “I know.”

Giveaway Winner And A Few Other Things

Hullo, everyone! In case you missed it, yesterday was my blogiversary!!! *throws confetti and sprinkles* As you may have noticed, I hosted a little giveaway for a PDF copy of my novella, Paralyzed Dreams. And I am here to announce the winner.

But before that, let me tell you how I decided the winner. Because suspense and stalling, of course.

I wrote all the contestants’ names down on slips of paper and then put them into my wonderful Avengers cup.

This is clearly an animation or drawing, not a real cup, but hey, it’s the same as mine. And it’s all I could find.

Then I shook it up…

A lot…

Okay, fine. The winner is…

Claire B.

*throws confetti, glitter, and sprinkles towards Claire* Yay!!! I hope you’ll enjoy!

Now for the “other things” mentioned in the title.

1. THE DEADLINE IS COMING UP FOR THE JUNE CONTEST! Hurry and get your entries in!

2. My friend Daisy over at The Bookish Flower is hosting a contest, too! Hers ends on the eighth, so you’ve got a little more time than for mine. So go check it out!

3. I don’t believe I’ve mentioned it before, but I got a Goodreads account! Go ahead and follow me, friend me, and add my book to your shelves. 😉

And that is all for today, friends! *bows* Until next time!

TCWT April 2015 Blog Chain: Hello, Ms. Romanoff

My first time doing the Teens Can Write, Too blog chain… and I’m late. *sigh* Somehow I read that I was to post on the 16th, and I was really supposed to post on the 6th. I take complete responsibility. I was originally planning on doing a letter to fictional couples in general, since I couldn’t think of one in particular, and then… BAM. The Age of Ultron TV spot reminded me of one… and I went ahead and started over. 😛

Dear my beloved friend,

Hello, Ms. Romanoff. Look, I know you have trouble, surrounded by five guys, not to mention all those other SHIELD agents, but please. Could you just settle on one guy? I know you probably never took Tony seriously, of course. I *cough* haven’t watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but from what I’ve heard, there’s a little romance between you and Steve. And then in The Avengers… don’t you remember? Loki saying all the stuff about love and “you bargain for one man” and “KNEEL” and all that nonsense? You wouldn’t even have come in if Clint hadn’t been compromised.

And now the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailers hint at a relationship between you and Dr. Banner. Really? Please tell me you’re not going to fall in love with Thor in Thor 3. Seriously. You switching around from guy to guy is really, really annoying! You really should just pick one and settle down. While still working for SHIELD and the Avengers, of course.

I hope you will seriously take this into consideration. Also, please note that I am fully a Clintasha supporter. Just sayin’.

Yours truly,

Bri

5^th – http://www.adventuringthroughpages.wordpress.com/

6^th – http://www.theworldofthewriter.wordpress.com/ (*cough* 16th…)

7^th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

8^th – http://freeasagirlwithwings.wordpress.com/

9^th – http://miriamjoywrites.com/

10^th – https://erinkenobi2893.wordpress.com/ (Hey, if you liked my letter… she wrote one to Pepperony and Peggy and Steve! 😉 )

11^th – https://introspectioncreative.wordpress.com/

12^th – http://whileishouldbedoingprecal.weebly.com/

13^th – http://nasrielsfanfics.wordpress.com/ 

14^th – http://unikkelyfe.wordpress.com/

15^th – http://ramblingsofaravis.wordpress.com/

16^th – http://www.juliathewritergirl.wordpress.com/ (*cough* And me, too!)

17^th – https://clockworkdesires.wordpress.com/

18^th – http://horsfeathersblog.wordpress.com/

19^th – http://from-stacy.blogspot.com/

20^th – http://semilegacy.blogspot.com/

21^st – http://themagicviolinist.blogspot.com/

22^nd – http://www.pamelanicolewrites.com/

23^rd – http://arielkalati.blogspot.com/

24^th – http://irisbloomsblog.wordpress.com/ 

25^th – http://theboardingblogger.wordpress.com/

26^th – http://allisonthewriter.wordpress.com/

27^th – http://stayandwatchthestars.wordpress.com/

28^th – http://butterfliesoftheimagination.wordpress.com/

and http://abookishflower.wordpress.com/

29^th – http://gallopingfree.wordpress.com/ andhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Book-Gap/603228309718111

30^th – http://hautehealthhails.blogspot.co.uk/

and https://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (We’ll announce the topic for next month’s chain.)

Are you doing the chain? Which couple would you want to write a letter to? And, most importantly, who do you ship Natasha with? 😀

The Treatment – Part Two

The conclusion to The Treatment. See Part One here. Let me know what you think!

A date was set for the rummage sale, and Jessica and several friends from school began to work on getting ready for it. A gigantic cardboard box was set up in the church lobby, and smaller ones were set up at the school, the post office, and even the grocery store. Donations rushed in, but Jessica still worried as she remembered the price of the treatment. They had lots of stuff, but would it be enough? And would people actually buy all of the used items?

The day of the rummage sale dawned, and Jessica and her family were at the church very early. Tables were set up, items were displayed and priced, and the people who were going to work the money boxes began setting them up and organizing the change. Soon, people began to flow in, and the flow quickly turned into a torrent. People shopped and chattered while admiring the decorations put up by some of Jessica’s class, and children ran around on the playground outside, their laughter filtering into the room. A table was set up just inside the door with cookies and drinks that disappeared almost as quickly as they were put out. The smell of chocolate permeated the building. A cool breeze burst into the room every time the door opened.

Jessica stood next to her mom, who was working one of the money boxes, and gazed around with wide eyes. She’d never expected that so many people would come to the rummage sale. The money was flying into the money boxes, and the tables were quickly emptying.

“Jessica!” Mrs. Jacobson exclaimed, twirling Jessica around and giving her a tight hug. “This is so wonderful! You did amazing! The decorations are awesome, and there’re so many people. I’m sure this is going to be a great success.”

“She did an awesome job, that’s for sure,” Mrs. Hopkins said over her shoulder as she handed the man in front of her his change. “Have a nice day!” she told him as he left, smiling, with his new football under his arm. She wiped her forehead. “I’ll be surprised if there’s anything left at lunchtime.”

Her prediction proved correct, and the tables were bare before lunch. One of the workers had ordered pizza for them to eat after they cleaned up. Everyone pitched in, and the church was soon back to its normal state.

Jessica enjoyed her pizza, and then joined her mother and Mrs. Jacobson in the church office to count the money. She watched as her mom piled the coins in stacks and Mrs. Jacobson swiftly counted the dollar bills. The two mothers added their totals together.

Mrs. Jacobson covered her mouth with her hand, tears of joy running down her cheeks, as Mrs. Hopkins swept Jessica up in a hug. “What?” Jessica asked, confused.

Mrs. Hopkins grinned at her daughter. “Honey, you raised enough money to pay for the treatments three times!”

A Quick Quote from ULOR

In celebration of finishing the first vague round of editing.

“You have opposed me. For this, even though you have proved that you have the brain of a bug and the imagination of a plumber, you still must be punished.”

–Raltan Menger, ULOR

Do You Want To Write A Novel?

At the request of erinkenobi2893, I’m posting my version of Do You Want to Build A Snowman. Beware, I made this on the spur of the moment. 😉 

Do You Want to Write A Novel

Do you want to write a novel?

Come on let’s get to work.

Grab a pencil and some paper too,

We’ve got a lot to do,

So le-et’s start—

 

You’ve got to write a lo-ot,

Fifty thousand words,

So keep an eye on your word coun-ter—

 

Do you want to write a novel?

It doesn’t have to be a romance.

Or it might.

 

Do you want to write a novel?

You might not become rich.

But you’ll have a lot of fun,

And when you’re done,

You’ll feel overjoyed—

 

There could be a knight,

Or a ni-in-ja,

Or even a samurai—

 

Writer?

Please, I know you want to.

It may seem hard at first,

But after a while,

You’ll get the hang of it,

I know you will,

So why not try?

You’ve got something to sa-ay,

It’s worth share-ing,

So please won’t you give it a try—

 

Do you want to write a novel?

Tales From The Writer’s Desk: Invisible Invasion

I hum as I finish off the last bit of a short story. I smile as I click ‘print’. I still have to proofread, edit, and revise the story, but I’m pleased with what I’ve done so far. I’ve always heard that it’s best to step away from a story for a while before going over it to edit and proofread, and I’ve found that to be good advice. I stretch as I stand up before walking over to the printer and pulling out the newly printed sheets. After stapling them and laying them on my desk, I step into the book room. I should probably work on organizing some of these stories, and the interviews, better. Or maybe I should just re-organize the whole room.

The first thing I notice when I step into the room is that there’s an open book simply floating in the air. I stop in my tracks. The second thing I notice is that the pages are flipping slowly, like someone’s reading them. Yes, very creepy. The third thing I notice is that the window is open. I sigh and put my hands on hips. “Iris!”

The book starts to fall to the floor, but I manage to leap out and catch it before it hits the ground. I close it and put it back on the shelf. “What are you doing here, Iris? You know this space is supposed to be off-limits unless I say otherwise.”

A teenage girl with wavy dark brown hair appears in front of me, a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry. I was just kind of bored and needed something interesting to read.” Iris pauses, then smiles. “I knew the perfect place to find good stories.”

I smirk. “Ha-ha. You know flattery doesn’t work with me. And, although I thank you for your compliment, you should probably leave.” She looks like she’s about to protest, but I hold up my hand. “Come back later and ask for permission. Right now, I’m going to be cleaning out and organizing, so I need the room empty. Unless you would like to help…” I suggest.

Iris mumbles something about needing to get back to the group for a meeting and disappears out the door. I smile to myself as I begin moving stacks of books. The oldest trick in the book.

Interviews From the Writer’s Desk – Ellis Reckle

Ellis is another one of the five main characters from my Teen Warrior series (in progress), the same series Haven and Iris are in. He’s quite a boring character, but that’s one of the things that make his story special. Please note that all characters are subject to change. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments.

“Benedict,” I call over my intercom. “Is Ellis Reckle here for his interview yet?”

“Yes, I’m sending him in.”

I pull over my laptop and open up a new document. After my last interview, I thought it would be a good idea to use my computer for note taking instead of pen and paper. I’m getting tired of blisters.

A young teenage boy steps in. He’s pretty plain looking, with dusty brown hair and medium gray eyes. He looks like he’s around five and a half feet tall, but the short description Iris sent me said that he’s 5.563 feet tall. Haven and Iris warned me that he likes to be precise. He looks like the average geek: skinny, pale, and quiet. Although, from what I’ve heard, he’s a pretty special geek. Boring, but special.

“Hi,” I greet him, smiling. “Have a seat. We’ll start off with an easy question, and then we’ll get to some harder ones. I assume Haven and Iris have already told you a little about what to expect.”

He nods. “They told me in deep detail.”

I grin. “Well, then you’re probably well prepared. First off, what is your name and age?”

“Ellis Reckle. I’m sixteen, the youngest in our group.”

“Can you tell me about your family?”

“I live with my dad in our cottage a little ways inside the city limits. He’s the one I inherited my brain and technological fascination from. My mom and my only brother died when I was eight, so it’s just me and my dad now.”

“Tell me about your Gift and its limitations,” I ask.

“Well, my Gift isn’t exactly anything too special,” he tells m. “Basically, I’m just really good with technology, and I have a photographic memory.”

I’m starting a new page in my document. “How would you honestly describe your personality?”

“Quiet and nerdy,” he states. “I’m not necessarily shy, just quiet. I like to think instead of talk. Sometimes it makes people think I’m rude, but I’m just quiet. If someone’s loyal to me, I’m loyal to them. I’m not easily angered. But, all in all, I’ve got a pretty dull personality.”

I blink, surprised. “Is that all?”

Ellis shrugs. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“What are some of your faults or bad characteristics?”

“I’m a total chicken. Bravery is certainly not one of the characteristic I possess. I’m boring, plain, and dull. My brain tends to get me in trouble, and I’m pretty much a bully magnet. There are plenty more, but, hey, I’m sure you have plenty more questions.” He grins.

I laugh. “You’re right. What are some of your strengths and good points?”

“Well, I’m smart, loyal, and trusting, I can fix virtually anything, and I’m good at planning things. I have a heart for doing good, and I’m a quick thinker. I’m cool and collected, too. Most of the time,” he finishes.

This may be my shortest interview yet. “Last question. What is the Name the King gave you?” I ask.

“I’m the inventor,” Ellis announces.

I nod, typing the last few words into my document. “Thank you so much for coming, Ellis. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Ellis grins. “It’s not often I hear that, and thank you.” He gives me one last smile before heading out the door.