U is for Unrealistic

If you look at any Disney Chanel TV show, you can see what I am talking about. There are unrealistic scripts with unrealistic characters. Confused? Well, how about I give an example. Lets take the show Ant Farm. It is about middle school kids going to high school because they have a gift. Each of them is a genius in a different way. (eg. Photographic memory, gifted musician ect.) This show irks me. All of the authority figures are portrayed as idiotic. In real life, parents and other authority figures are smart and we are to respect them. The situations that come up in these TV shows are simply unrealistic. I do not like unrealistic plots or characters. I think a good piece of literature is relateable but just different enough to create interest.
Your thoughts?
~Leslie

T is for Tacenda

Essentially, tacenda means things that shouldn't be mentioned. I think that sometimes, writers (and people in general) go a little overboard on what needs to be said, or what a certain age group can handle.

Let me give you an example. I was at a Christian weekend camp, and the pastor was giving a sermon. They started talking about Jesus' death, and to explain it thoroughly, they played a long (I want to say 10-20 minute long) clip of The Passion.

Now, for those of you who don't know, The Passion is a movie emphasizing on Christ's last human hours. And it's rated R--for good reason. It does a great job showing what really happened then, but it is very gruesome.

I would say that it would probably be appropriate for people 16+.  So, if it was just a high-school weekend, it probably would've been fine.

But there was more then just high-school students there. There were 6th, maybe even 5th, graders there--most of which were covering their eyes and looking the other way.

They weren't getting the message of "Wow, Jesus went through all of that for me--He must really care." They were getting the message of, "Oh my goodness, please turn this off before I throw up!!"

Sometimes, I think it's best to keep it simple. Try dropping small, yet clear, hints to your point--minds mature enough to pick up on it will get your meaning, but those too young for the message will skim right over it.

Christopher Paolini, for example, does an excellent job at this.

I hope that you found this useful!

~Elizabeth

S is for Skinny

We all see the examples of "the perfect body". All the models, movie stars and celebrities seem to be these super thin creatures who are almost impossibly good looking. I am so annoyed that I care about how they look and that I compare myself to them. I do not want to be like them, yet I find myself doubting how I look because I will never be like that. I feel that I am not pretty at all. There are so many others like me that feel like they are not beautiful because we do not all look like a stick figure. It hurts. The "perfect body" is forced upon us all the time. On TV, in schools, even in books there is this belief that everyone will have skinny legs and flat stomachs. I believe that a character who has a perfect body is not as relateable to the common girl. Instead of getting ingrossed in the story, they will obsess over how the character looks. Now, I may be wrong, but I find myself doing that. I challange us all to reject the unabtainable "norm" and embrace being different with the way we write. Your thoughts?

~Leslie

R is for Randomness

I have been told by many a people that I am very random (in both good and bad ways). Some (ahem) claim that my ideas are absurd and unrealistic. Others find them merely entertaining.

What I want to know, however is this: What is wrong with the occasional random idea? I realize that ideas can't always be strange and silly, but honestly, isn't life random in and of itself?

Like, how Leslie said in her "Q" post, one of her characters has a strange thing with garlic bread where it will show up in random places, dragging him to new levels of aggravation.

So what if it's random? Use it!

~Elizabeth

Q is for Quidditative

quidditative = quirky; eccentric


I am almost positive that none of you have ever heard this word before. To be honest, I looked up "obscure words that begin with the letter Q" and this word was on a huge list of Q words! When did anyone have time to come up with that?! It was pretty cool. Well anyway, I really love this word. It describes me to a t. (Liz agrees;) ) Because of this word, I chose to give one of the characters in my book a strange "thing" with Garlic Bread. Shocking, I know. So far, he has burnt it and eaten it with a spicy taco. Later, he is going to be assaulted by a man in a garlic bread costume and have a dream where he is eaten by garlic bread. Oh, if anyone has any good ideas about how else I can use garlic bread, please leave me a comment with your idea. (Liz, you are not allowed to post any crazy ideas from two in the morning!)

What does this have to do with writing? It is an awesome way to flesh out your characters. Giving them a quiddity of some sort can make a character more relateable. If you want, send in some quirks that you think are good ideas!


Here are a few more words that begin with Q!

quiddity = unique essence; eccentricity

quat = a pimple; an insignificant person

quatch = a word; a sound

quadragesimarian = one who observes Lent

quadragenarian = a person between 40 and 49 years of age

quomodocunquize = to make money in any way possible

P is for Pessimistic

Though I try hard to rebel against very immature this side of me, there is a large portion of me that is a major pessimistic. I'm always terrified that things are going to go wrong. I'm scared of the dark.

I've had things stolen, heart broken, and have seen loved ones suffer (who hasn't?).

When I get on a roller coaster, I always look at the loops and wonder if the staff secured my straps enough, wondering if I will fall off and die.

But... I don't.

Yeah, it can be a rough ride and your head can hurt. You may be uncomfortable in your seat, or unable to stop screaming when it goes through all of the things normal for roller coaster, but not so common for our everyday lives. It's exhilarating, and  in the end, you're glad you did it (most of the time), and found that it wasn't as bad as you thought.

You see, that's where the other side of me comes in. The other side knows that, even if bad things will happen, it's all a small part in the bigger picture.

I know that I don't need to be afraid of the dark, because I know that it doesn't have the ultimate power. I don't need to be afraid of my past--because I have so much of my future (however long it may be) ahead of me.

In a way, this relates to writing. Sometimes we stop because someone has criticized our writing and claimed that it's not good enough. Some of us will go through dry spots where we simply don't know what to write. But why should that make us scared to write again? Because, you know what, if we spend so much time being pessimistic about the future, we'll be at the same place fifty years later.


~Elizabeth

O is for Omega and Omicron

 Do any of you have trouble coming up with names for places or things? (I know that Liz did a post on people names, but this is for inanimate objects or places.) I have trouble with it. 

I was trying to create a killer rollercoaster and couldent come up with anything. So, I looked up the name Terror of the Skys in Latin. I really like dead languages. Well, it turned out to be the Terror Caeli. I really liked that, so I did the same thing for another object, a Vox Eruditio Fabrica. It basicly means a voice of learning. 

If you are having trouble with names, just put the literal description or an atribute of the thing and translate it into a different language. If you want to be crafty, use a language that few will know. You could also use a well known language. So do you have any ideas for names? Tell me in the comments.

~Leslie

N is for Nature

Have you ever had the ever-present case of "Writers Block"? My guess is that you have. Here is a little tip that I have found to be rather helpful when I am experiencing a lack of inspiration.

Go outside! Let the wonders of nature inspire you. It's spring! Flowers are blooming, trees are getting their leaves... stare at something until your imagination is revived. It works.

For those of you that have been following for a while, you will know that I am a photography freak. I haven't posted pictures on here in a while, and considering the topic for today is "Nature", some pictures fit in quite nicely.

Here are some of my latest shots:


*Please note: These pictures are ones that I have taken the time to take and edit, so please do not use without permission.* 

Which one is your favorite? 

~Elizabeth

M is for Meaningful

One thing--for some reason, my post for "L" ended up being behind "K".  Just in case you were wondering, I do not have my alphabet mixed up.

Anyway, on with the post. Has there ever been any section of a book/movie where one of the characters stood up and gave a motivational speech, and you have had hope from it ever since? I know I have.

I think that it is very important that every book has one of these in some shape or form. Because, in the end, these passages can really encourage people (myself included) in their everyday lives. And that's BIG. I mean, sure, it's great to give people entertainment and all, but that pleasure is only temporary. When you have something that's really meaningful, it has the potential to change lives.

Here is one of my favorite meaningful movie speeches. Are there any that you find inspiring? Why? Tell me in the comments!

~Elizabeth

K is for Kiss

Kisses. Kisses. Kisses. Kisses. 

They surround our books, our movies, our music, and so much more--they surround our culture. 

But I have to ask--is kissing really the best way to build a (book) believable relationship? They are an expression of love, but how do they fit if the love isn't there in the first place? 

I cannot tell you how many movies I've seen (and books I've read) where these two people just randomly kiss, when you didn't even know they cared for each other in the first place. 

Or... 

They start out taking the time to get to know the couple, but then, once that foundation is laid, all the romance is is kissing. 

So, I guess this is what I'm trying to say--are your characters ready to kiss? 

~Elizabeth