A Practical Romantic

I've probably mentioned before, that I'm what you might call a practical person. I've been known to thump my friends on the side of the head when they start sobbing over something nonsensical and remind them that the present is more important than the future. Sometimes I say and do strange things because I don't really care about what strangers think of me. I like spontaneous adventures. "Hey, let's go for a hike!", "Let's get a massage from that random Asian lady at the mall!", or even, "We should go sing outside our friend's window just for fun!" are a few of the phrases that might pop out of my mouth. However, as much as I like to think I'm a teenage girl who isn't bound by convention...I'm a little more typical than I prefer to admit.

I like romantic movies.

I like Taylor Swift songs.

Sometimes I see an attractive man (usually on tv), hold a hand to my chest and say "lawdy lawd"

And believe it or not, sometimes I even enjoy...*gulp* shopping.

The fact of the matter is, while I'm practical, I can be romantic too. And I think writers should realize that we all have a romantic sensibility which we use on a daily basis and prevail upon whenver reading, writing or brainstorming. Let me reiterate, aaaaallll of us have it. Yes, even you the girl who sits in the corner at parties and thinks Doctor Who is waaaay cooler than Vampire Diaries or whatever the cool kids are watching these days. But this doesn't make us romantics. There's a difference, see. A romantic is known to sigh blissfully at the sight of a couple eating dinner together, or be holding the box of tissues while watching any movie that features Ryan Gosling. But then, you might be like me and you have what I like to call "a romantic sentiment". In other words, you can be ooey gooey when you want to, or sentimental when you want to, or a little bit typical when you want to. And that's ok! Because that same ability to appreciate the more ethereal things of life, will help us as writers and observers. You probably don't realize that writing your story in a coffee shop is a romantic thing, but it is. Think about it: you're prevailing upon a stimulating atmosphere to invigorate your imagination. Isn't letting our emotions be influence by our surroundings a romantic thing?

All I'm trying to say is, it's ok to be different but it's also ok to be a little bit normal. Sometimes writers (especially young ones) become snobby without realizing it by thinking that it is much more intellecutual to cry over a good book than a good movie. When in reality, the same thing is happening in both circumstances. Your emotions are being govenred by someone else's weilding, and it requires romanticism and empathy to respond. Embrace your romantic side people! When we're willing to admit that we're all in the same boat, it becomes a lot easier to empathize with popularity and get off our high horses.

The "Haunted House'

On a hot summer day, three bored children roamed their neighborhood streets, in a frenzied search for some stimulating occupation. Katie, the oldest and natural ringleader rode in circles on her bike. Kendall, the youngest, scooted on her, well, scooter while Karoline walked near her friends, itching at mosquito bites and complaining about the heat. Nobody remembers the reason why the girls did not prevail upon their siblings for further gaming ideas, but either way, the proceeding events would remain etched in their memory for many moons. Well, it would at least remain etched in Karoline's memory for many moons.

Braking her bike, Katie planted her feet on the ground, shook her shaggy bob into place and gestured her head to the left. "You know, I kicked a ball into that guy's yard the other day."
"Why haven't you gotten it yet?" asked Karoline.
Katie surveyed the large, and by the way, totally un-menacing brick house in front of them. She shuddered and declared, "I think that house is haunted. Nobody ever comes in or out of there."
Kendall and Karoline exchanged skeptical glances. After all, a haunted house in a gated neighborhood that was no more than five years old, seemed unlikely. In most stories, ghost inhabited old, decrepit houses. But Katie looked so confident, and she was rarely wrong...or so they thought.

"But, I need to get my ball back." said Katie.
"Well, I'm not knocking on his door if it's haunted." Kendall declared.
Katie stared into Karoline's eyes, testing her friends bravery. Shifting nervously in her battered sneakers Karoline finally relented, "We could all go together."
Seeming pleased, Katie followed her younger friends towards the porch. Nice, friendly windows were on either side of the front door, permitting a clear view indoors. Naturally, they peered through said windows before ringing the doorbell. After all, how many opportunities does a little girl have of looking into a haunted house?

"Look!" said Katie. "The tv is on, but there's nobody on the couch!"
Although the house did seem eerily quiet, the girls weren't ready to give in. "That's not so weird." said Karoline. But they all gasped and did a little a leap when the tv changed channels...and still, nobody was seen to be doing the changing.
"Are we gonna ring the doorbell or not?" asked Kendall.
Karoline knocked on the door, and just when they were about to turn away, a bearded man in a boring white shirt and pajama pants, opened the door at a leisurely place. "Yes?" said the stranger, who was suspiciously not opaque.

"Uh," Katie stammered, "We kicked a ball behind your fence, can you look and see if it's there?"
During the man's brief absence, Karoline and Kendall disparaged Katie for dragging them into this clearly messy affair. Would he reappear with a ghost army? A pitchfork? The remote control of doom? The possibilities were endless. Finally, he came to inform them, "Naw, I don't see a ball."

"Ok, thank you." Karoline squeaked; she thought that her heart might burst.
Kendall and Karoline turned towards their friend with wide eyes, feeling much like captives who had narrowly escaped death.
In reply to their shocked countenances and parched lips Katie shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, I guess it's not haunted."

Thank you for reading the first post in my series which shall be called, "Dramatically Retold Childhood Events". Feel free to comment below and let me know what you thought of this! 

"The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet" Review by Kate

WARNING: Post contains spoilers. This book is the sequel to The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet, another fantastic read. :)

The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill

 

Released: November 7, 2013
Publisher: Novel Teen Press 
Pages: 346

For once, Ellie Sweet has it all together. Her hair now curls instead of fuzzes, she’s tamed the former bad-boy, Chase Cervantes (she has, right?), and her debut novel will hit shelves in less than a year. Even her ex-friends are leaving her alone. Well, except for Palmer Davis, but it can’t be helped that he works at her grandmother’s nursing home. Life should feel perfect. And yet, it’s not that easy. Ellie’s editor loves her, but the rest of the publishing biz? Not so much. And they’re not shy about sharing their distrust over Ellie’s unlikely debut. Ellie has always been able to escape reality in the pages of her novel, but with the stress of major edits and rocky relationships, her words dry up. In fiction, everything always comes together, but in real life, it seems to Ellie that hard work isn’t always enough, the people you love can’t always be trusted…and the dream-come-true of publishing her book could be the biggest mistake she’s made yet. 

This book was perfect in every way! The plot was realistic and well-balanced when it came to showing both Ellie's writing life and her social life, I could easily relate to Ellie as a teen writer, and I found myself highlighting entire chapters in my Kindle because they were just so. Good.

Let start with the plot.

Like I said before, the plot was realistic and well-balanced. Ellie's writing journey wasn't a perfect, lollipop-lined, road of success. She had ups and downs just like any writer, and that's what made her so human. The plot twists were perfect in the sense that they alluded to them, but you didn't really see it happening until it happened. You really saw through Ellie's eyes, felt what Ellie felt, hoped for what Ellie hoped for.

Which brings us to characters.

I loved Ellie. She could be me in four years, except I probably won't have won the Great Debut Contest (and not only because it's fictional). I was able to relate to her as a fellow teen writer trying to make it in the world, but even if you aren't a writer, she definitely goes through normal teenage girl things. (Breakups, fussy relatives, friendships that don't always work out, etc.)

I loved Ellie so much, that I felt everything as she felt it, figured everything out as she figured it out. I saw through her eyes, and I thought that was awesome. When Ellie was swooning over Chase, I thought he was the greatest guy ever. When he frustrated her, I was frustrated. When he broke up with her, I was sad on her behalf (although I did recover more quickly than she did). The only thing I disagreed with her about was Palmer. Well, Palmer during her relationship with Chase. I thought Chase was too protective of Ellie. Palmer was right. When Ellie was dating him, being friends with Chase was a given, but when Ellie was dating Chase, Palmer was excluded. I didn't think that was cool at all.

I cheered when Palmer showed up on Ellie's doorstep with her book and they talked about "Rafe" (*cough* Palmer *cough*) and they finally kissed. Like in all the good romance novels, the heroine does end up with her best friend.

I even loved the "smaller" characters, like Tori and Betsy Ann. Jayna, the teenage girl who shows up to Ellie's signing and has been stalking her online for ages now, could've been me.

But the small things I loved in this book really made everything count. I loved . . .

Ellie blog, "Sweet Scribbles"
The way she and Palmer finally got together, through her writing.
Bianca and Marie showing up to her signing to forgive her.
The way Palmer asked Ellie to prom.
The ending line (so perfect).
The way Chase called her Ellie Jane.
The plot twist with Bronte and the Barefaced Book Reviews (SO SO SO PERFECT!!!!).
The way Palmer called her Gabrielle.
When Stephanie Morrill mentioned "Gilmore Girls" . . . twice!!!
Karen's support towards Ellie.
The snippets of Invisibly Yours.
All of the behind-the-scenes shown about the publishing industry.
Palmer, Palmer, Palmer.
And everything. :)

5/5

A note from Karoline Kingley: Thanks so much to Kate from themagicviolinist.blogspot.com for this great review! Be sure to check out her awesome blog, and leave your thoughts in the comment below! Have you read the Ellie Sweet books? I hope to soon :)

January Book Club!

Alright guys, so for the month of January, we will be reading THESE BROKEN STARS by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner. This book is definitely different to what I would normally read, however the reviews look promising and I'm looking forward to it. Kate and Marie are the two lovely ladies who will be posting their reviews along with mine on the first Thrusday of February. HOWEVER, I still want ALL of you to read and partcipate! Comment and let me know if you will be reading the book along with us :) Happy reading!

The Real Reason That I Write

Yesterday I went to see Saving Mr. Banks in theatres, and it left me feeling inspired on multiple levels. It's one of my new favorite films and while everyone should treat themselves by going to see it, writers will perhaps benefit most of all. While there are many lessons to be gleaned from the movie, the supreme theme and the one that touched me the most served as a reminder that is easy to forget: written stories are meant to redeem, and provide hope in a world where we often feel hopeless.

Without spoiling too much of the movie, I will lend that Pamela Travers (the author of Mary Poppins) wrote the stories to heal her childhood wounds. By writing an alternate ending to her own story, she was able to not only satisfy herself, but provide the same joy and faith to children and adults around the world.

I tend to say that I don't like sad movies or stories. I read books to learn, laugh and maybe cry in the middle, but we all want a good ending even if we wouldn't label it as a 'happy' ending. One of my main aims as a writer, and I'm sure many of you relate to my agenda, is to provide the world and future generations with novels that aren't just there to thrill, or provide a nice little love story that gives them unrealistic expectations. I hope to write and publish books that doesn't simply entertain; yet rather, teaches lessons about life and the literary realm and in all hope, inspire and heal. Just like the Mary Poppins books and movie did for so many people.

I thought I would share this all with you because as young writers especially, we are often tempted by fame. Looking at the current literary patterns, we know that if our book contains a love triangle, a little violence and suspense, folks today will probably readily read our material. But what good does that do besides provide temporary entertainment? No, I think we all want to write something we can take pride in, so I would encourage you to examine your motives, or realign purposes that may have gone astray.

 Folks in an already currupted world with so much death, pain and wrong, deserve an escape that doesn't just take them into another world, but stories that provide real hope and real truth.