She's Wants (Character Development), a ROW80 Check-In

It's time for mid-week check in for ROW80 (Around the Words in 80 days.)
I can't believe its Wednesday.  My most busy day of the week and its all in the evening.
First: Healing Prayer Service at my church.
Second: Book Club, also a church gathering, we're reading Francis McNutt's The Power that Heal It's about praying at home with family for healing.
Third and Last: Coffee Club where we discuss God over steaming cup of coffee at the local coffee shop.
And now my ROW80 check-in
On Sunday I realized I didn't know what my heroine wanted. Click this link for the post all about that part of my novel writing journey here titled What Does She Wants, A ROW80 Check-In,

I haven't been writing.  A lot on my mind. Like what do I want to do with my life? What Career? No I'm not a high school student or college student but I'm at that point again in my life where I must make a decision. I was kind of hoping God would just hit me over the head with a brilliant idea for a job and I could go on my merry way down that path.

What I really want to do is write.  Write fiction. I want to be published to see my book on a shelf or even just a e-book with an amazing publisher's name standing behind it.
But I need a job to make money as I write, and as I learn.
Maybe Feathers and Deaf will be pubished in the next few years. Oh wow I could dream that all day. but I need to finish it and I will finish it with the support of my new friends from ROW80 (Thank you guys) and my crazy friends here around me too.

Sorry I got off track but it's what I've been thinking about since last Wednesday.
What does my main character want? She wants to find her friend.  In the first chapter she's in the lunch room trying to find her best friend in the crowd.  In different ways through out the book she'll be looking for her friend.

How are all the rest of the ROW80 writers doing this week?

Annie Laurie

Looking For Signs Everywhere?

Another post for Valentine's Day
I don't know about you but I'm always looking for signs.
Signs that I'm on the right path (The path that God's created for me)
Signs that today's going to be a lucky day.
Signs that a guy like me.
Signs from God that I'm liking the right guy this time around.
Signs.
Signs
Everywhere looking for Signs.
I even look for signs in dreams.

Last week I had a dream where I'm at a house party looking for the guy I like.  When I find him he looked like a mix of guys I liked over the years.  He's in his room, must be a his house.  We need up laying on the bed.  I'm horizontal across the bed and he's vertical.  The only parts of our bodies touching are our right hands, fingers intertwined.  My right arm is bent above my head.  It must be a big bed. (remember this is a dream)
The next day I pray to God what does this dream mean if anything.
With my eyes close I see the dream from a different angle from above.
We're laying there our bodies going in different directions but connected.  God "tell" me that our bodies are our paths, that seem to be going in  different directions but are about to cross and we are already connected in a way, by our fingers.  Maybe I'll meet the right guy soon or realize I
Today I created a prayer.

Thank you Lord, that you make my joy complete by intertwining my path with the path of my future husband. That we may be the same mind in Christ, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on the same purpose and connected through you Lord Christ.  In the name of Jesus I pray Amen.

And here is a really good and cute video about Signs.

What Does She Want, A ROW80 Check-in

What Does she want?
I've been writing and brainstroming my story turning it into the 2nd draft.  This morning in church I realized something I'd no clue what my heroine whats.  (yes, my mind wondering away during church but just for a moment.)
In the first draft my heroine wanted her two best friends to get along and be best friends with each other.
Well in the second draft I changed the two best friends into one best friend and the new girl at school.
I know what the best freind wants.
I know what the new girl wants.
but what does my heroine want? This happen to me everytime I write even if I know before hand the main want or goal of my heroine.  I get writing and the desire the main goal for my hero or heroine will disappear and I'll realize it.  Or it turn out this not strong enought to make it 200 pages.

Goal before Wednesday is to come up the answer to this question. What does she want?

Annie Laurie

A Prayer for Talking to Your Crush Before Valentine's Day

If you walk into any store right now within moments you know Valentine's Day is coming.  You can't miss the display with all things red a few feet away from the door. Red hearts full of candy, red teddy bears, and a frog or two. Many things of red saying buy me your sweetheart wants me.

            Or it’s all saying Sorry just not your year is it? No sweetheart? Bless your heart.

            Ok, the last part is what all the hearts are saying to me. Yup I'm single.  No boyfriend this year.

            I thought I share a few prayers with the other singles out there maybe one of us will find a sweetheart by Valentine's Day or at least a date.

            "Thank you Lord, that they will be able to speak with their mouths what fills their hearts. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen" 

            Prayer by Joy Lamb in her book "The Sword of the Spirit The Word of God" Inspired by Luke 6:45 with is:

            "The good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." NIV

            This prayer can mean a number of things.  It could be for someone already in a relationship and wish to communicate better, with their sweetheart or other love ones.

            When I first read it, I thought about trying to talk to my crush.  How I wish I could just say what's in my heart.  No, I don't mean just walking up to him saying I like you do you like me.  No, not that.  Just wish I could talk to him and get to know him.  Have a "getting to know you" conversation. Or better yet he come up and talks to me.

            Not because I think men should make the first move, its more that I'm shy and not sure and I have tried to talk to him. 

            I walked up to him and just said "Hi, how are you?"                                                            

            When he answered "Fine, how are you?" I realized I couldn't hear him and he wouldn't look at me long enough for me to read his lips.  (Yes I have hearing loss) So I asked him to repeat himself, then because I'm leaving... (yeah I got up the nerves to talk when I'm leaving... yeah not the best idea..., ) and I still didn't understand him (won't look at me, and I can't hear his soft voice.) I say "ok, bye" and left, feeling unsure and silly.

            I put aside the fact that I couldn't hear him or tried to anyway and felt that God was giving me courage and helping me get pass my shyness and tired to talk to him a few more time. The last time I tried to talk to him he answered the how are you question before I finished the question.

            One of my guy friends told me if a guy gives you a quick answer he's not interested.  (and I wondered if I was getting on his nerves.) With that in mind I lose my courage to talk to him every time I see him now.  So I also pray to God for the courage to come back.

            Maybe he's not interested, but I pray "That you Lord that they will be able to speak with their mouths what fills their hearts." just hoping we'll talk. Not sure I'll get the courage back to try to talk to him.

            But I'm still praying.

            I planned to share a few more prayers with you as we get closer to Valentine's Day so stop by again and check it out.

Annie Laurie

P.S. Lets not forget about the One who truly loves us.

Nicole Nordeman's What If

A notebook, a pencil, and ROW 80 Check-in

A notebook, a pencil, and ROW 80 Check-in

As some of you know this is my first Around the words in 80 days or #ROW80 as its called on twitter.
It's been a learning process.  I keep changing my goals since I'm learning about how I write and learning how to write this book "Feathers and Deaf"

When I wrote the first draft I remember writing 500 words a day. What I forgot was that I didn't write every day when writing the first 1/4 part of the book or the intro act of the book. Some days I just brainstormed, or plotted.

And here the the other thing the story flowing better when I sit down with a notebook and pencil vs sitting at my laptop.

All my characters are changing but maybe one who I haven't even wrote into the story yet since he made an appearance into the first draft until later in the plot.
Things that changed:
My heroine is not a cheerleader, she doesn't have two best friends, at least not yet. 
One of the best friends Mallory, turned into the new girl at school, the first day of senior year.
The remaining best Friend Karen, is not starting a new relationship but had a boyfriend since 8th grade.
Oh and least not forget that my heroine is now hard of hearing.
This is all in the first chapter.


Without a doubt this is a Work in Progress!
But I'm having fun, can't see my life without writing. I think I'd write no matter what.

Annie Laurie

ROW80 check-in and FashionBeans

It's that time of the week again, its either the first day of the week or the last day of the week depend on how you see Sunday, and it also the Sunday check-in for Around the Words in 80 days.

On Wednesday I had a happy preppy report for my check-in about what I discovered about my 1st draft of Feathers, now called Feathers and Deaf, at least that how I've saved it on my computer.

I kinda of like it, deaf and death kinda sound alike and it's goes with the plot line.
I have my good days and my bad days as far as writing my (changed) daily goal of 500.  I haven't wrote today yet.  I still have time after supper to write.  I'm going to the Rice Box to get Chinese in a little bit. I'm hoping to have my 2nd draft written in 100 days a total of 50,000 words. A good length for a young adult novel.

Today instead of writing I did a little characters resourcing over at FashionBeans a Men's Fashion website in England. I have three male characters in my story so far and since my heroine know her world more by sight since she's hard of hearing I wanted my guys to have a more individual fashion styles.  When I googled men's fashion that what came up and they had a section called Men's Street Fashions with 1077 photos seem like a good place to start.  (really wish my bbf was here with me to look, I think we'd have a good laugh over some of the street styles they found, you don't see most of these in Alabama. But I did see a few styles that remind me of guys I've seen at the coffee shop my go to place to people watch and write)

I realized yesterday I didn't write a writing prompt this week. 

My editing goal has turned into writing my 2nd draft, trying to decide if I still want to write my memoir about my spiritual journey the last few years.  If so I'm going to have to change my daily goal again.  Maybe 100 words on memoir and 500 words on Feathers and Deaf...
Need to decide, maybe I'll know by next check-in on Wednesday...

Annie Laurie

Only 10% of the world's population is this and I'm one of them

Ok thought I share a fun fact or two about me.

Only 10% of the world's population share this fact with me.

I'm left handed.

And the other fact I share with even smaller percent of the world, don't know the number.

My brother is also left handed.  Not only am I left handed but my sibling is too.

Nope, neither parent is left handed, they are both right handed.

Interesting, right?

Arise, Called The Lord Our God

My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;"
Song of Songs 2:10-12

I read this during my quiet time with God sometime last week.  Now I keep thinking "Arise! The winter is past."
The Lord Jesus is telling me the "winter season" of the past year or so is in the past, it has passed. I am now to "arise."
My questions to Him are:
Ok, I am to arise and how do I do that?
What am I suppose to do to get out of this winter season?

But see He told me the winter season is past.  He's saying Annie, the winter season has PASSED. You are out of it.  It's is IN the PAST.

Ok, but what am I to do?
Then the idea of praying come to mind.

I need to pray not do, listen and wait like the wild seeds do during winter.
The Lord said that the Father provide for the birds and the plants, what more He will do for us. (Matthew 6:24-34) 
Like the plants from the seed, the winter called last year might be over, in the past but I still need to break through the shell and the hard ground formed from that winter.  And the only way to do that is to trust my God, my Lord.

Right now I think He want me to write, this week during quiet time, scenes for my story are blooming in my mind. Inspired by God or my own imagation? I'm going to go with inspired by God - the Holy Spirit. 
Here is a YouTube time lapse video of Fern sprouting from the ground. 

  

ROW80 Mid-week Check-in Writer's Voice

ROW80 Mid-Week Check-in

I read my 1st draft of Feathers (Working title) while it didn't have big plot holes it didn't have a strong plot. I did find a few scenes that suggested a stronger (I hope a stronger) plot.

I need to get rid of the love triangle between heroine and two boys, just make it one boy.

I changed the heroine's name again. It's was Stormy Anne, than Hannah (which make me think Hanna from the T.V. show Pretty Little Liars [Love that show] and while my book is placed in a small town, the best friend is missing possibly murder and who did it anyone guess I don't want it to also share a character's name)

Add a little Switched at Birth (Love this show too) and me into the plot.  My heroine is now hard of hearing.  I'm hard of hearing and see/experience the world differently why not write about it.  It might help me find my writer's voice.  (So of course Switched at Birth is one of my favorite shows look at all the deaf characters and actors and part of the plot deals with everyday things people who are deaf deal with)

Speaking of writer's voice I found a blog post on YA Highway by the author of Divergent Veronica Roth about Embracing Your Own Voice not changing it.  After reading it and looking at the parts of my 1st draft I liked I realized I'm a sparse prose girl and not a lyrical prose girl.  But I have learning over the years of writing that I love symbolism in stories and it show up in my writing whether I plan it or not.  In college ( lit major) one of my favorite short story writers was Nathaniel Hawthorne.  I'm sure this symbolism is part of my writer's voice.

All that dealt with my editing goals now my writing goals.

 I woke up Monday with a head cold I thought for sure it would hinder with my writing.  Nope. I think I wrote more thanks to this cold.

Since I'm working on my 2nd draft I turned to writing in my notebook.  Something about the drag of the pencil helped the ideas and scenes emerge on the page.

Funny what you can learn while being stuck inside by rain, cold weather, and a head cold.

Annie Laurie

Row80 Sunday Check In

My editing goal for the week was to read my first draft of "Feathers" (working title). Ghosts of high school English past would haunt me for the first draft.

So one of my new goal is to write my second draft.

I'm not writing every day more like every other day. Next week is a new week. Still sticking with writing 100 words a day.

I'm managing to write one Writing Prompt post a week.

Thank you for taking the time to read my check in report for around the words around in 80 days.

Writing Prompt: Merriam-Webster word

Go to the Merriam-Webster word of the day web site ( http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/ ), and write a story based on that word.

Realia is the word for today 1/11/13

Realia: objects or activities used to relate classroom teaching to the real life especially of peoples studied
Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/#igdcQAiX8WqAMqrW.99

Joe stared inside the old cardboard box he held in his hands.  Strange pointed rocks covered the bottom.  His grandmother called them realia from an ancient world long gone from this world.

            Whatever they are, he thought, their smooth surface made them perfect for skipping across the creek.  After all, they're rocks.

            He picked one from the box and whipped it toward the water. It jumped three times.

            Beside, he thought, Grandmother in heaven. She doesn't need them anymore to remember Granddaddy by.  She's up there with him, no longer with me.  He whipped another one, it skipped five times. 

            Not here with me, he thought again, throw the next rock hard, "Ahhh" he yelled at it. "Stupid things anyway." He mumbled.

            Another one flew across the water.

            And another one.

            The last one in the box.

            He picked it up.

            "Joe," a woman called behind him.  He turned to stare at her, his grandparents' neighbor. "the woman from child service is here."

            He stared down at the last rock, red like the Alabama red clay beneath his feet. He whipped it across the water, "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11, 12." he counted it's skips "and gone like them."

My I Hope It's Not Boring ROW80 Wednesday Check In

Updated: I forgot to run spell check earlier sorry I hope it didn't scare anyone off.


I'm wondering how to write this so it doesn't sound like the report it is.

We all know report cards in school were boring.

This is my first Around the Words in 80 days. I started small my daily word goal was 100 words.  On Monday the day I signed up I wrote 300 words about 2nd grade, an imaginary friend, and angels. On Tuesday (Yesterday) I wrote zero words.

Today is a brand new day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice in it.
I'm house sitting so today I need to clean up, and pack up.  My friends are getting back tomorrow.
Write?
I hope I can write tonight after Coffee Club (where my friends and I discuss God and our lives over coffee and tea at the coffee shop.  I'm thinking about ordering a mocha frappe.  For some reason I am craving one)

Oh right I said I'd edit one page of my 2011 NaNoWriMo novel I finished in 2012.... I'm going to have to change that goal.  First I need to read it, and find all the big huge plot holes in it.  So my goal before Sunday's check in is to read "Feather" that a working title.

Yup it's about angels.  It's my theme right now as I write. Angels.

Thank you for taking the time to read my report.  Happy Writing to all the rest of the Row80 challengers.

Feel free to say hi and comment in the comment box below.

Annie Laurie

My ROW 80 Writing Challenge Goals.

I have been wondering what is this #Row80 I kept see on twitter in my writing friends tweets.
So I noticed it sign up time for this Row 80 this time around I google it.
It's a writing challenge for 80 days, but unlike NaNoWriMo you set your own writing goals.

Here a link for the main information post.

My goals for the next 80 days.

Write 100 words a day at least (if I easily reach this goal I'll set a bigger words goal later.) Right now I'm out of the habit of writing.

Post one Writing Prompt blog post a week.

Edit 1 page of my NaNoWriMo 2011 novel that I finished in 2012 so far titled "Feathers" which is taken but that way it's called a rough draft.  (again I could change that later)

These are my Around the words in 80 days goals.
Annie Laurie

Writing Prompt: You Wake Up, Road With No Memory.

Writing Prompt: You wake up by the side of the road lying next to a bicycle, with no memory and no wallet. What happens in the next hour?

            I opened my eyes, the world is blurry.   My hand moved to push my glasses back into place, but they're not there.

            I get down on my knees, the gravel cuts into my bare knees and my palms of my hands as I feel for my glasses.  I hope I find them. I think, the world one big mess without them.  Nose to the ground I can smell the dirt but don't see my glasses.

My head hit something, pain shot through my temple, and I fall back on my butt at the shock.

Looking up I see the big wheel of a bicycle spinning from the connect with my head.

Was I riding a bicycle? I asks myself, I haven't ridden a bike in years.... I think wait....

My mind goes crazy and my heart follow as I try to remember... anything.

The sound of tires cracking gravel make me look up to see a big blur of white coming my way.  The blurry door opens and someone steps out. "You ok?" a female voice asks. "Oh dear, your head is bleeding."

            "Joe, darling you think we need to take her to the ER or call 911?" she asked someone else.

There a grute reply.

"Come on Honey," said the woman.  She touched my back.

"I've lost my glasses."  I told her.

"Let's see" she said then silence. "I don't see them.  I'll help you to the car."

With her hand on my back she guide the way.  A sweet floral scent move with us.

Soon I'm in the back of an old van, it's smell of leather and rust.

            "Now, Honey, what's your name?"  the woman asked.

            Again my mind goes crazy trying to recall.

            "I don't know."

            She mumbles something ... not sure but I think she said "Those fools knocked the memory right out of her."

            "What was that" I asked?

            "Oh, nothing honey, just complaining about my joints."

            Something not right. I think.

            A cell phone ring.

            and rings

            and rings.

            "Are you going to answer that?" I asks.

            "No need, honey."

            I swallow as the phone's ring stops.

            Something not right for sure and I'm in the back of a van....

You Met Someone But They're Deaf Now What?

You met someone but they're deaf now what?
Well don't give up yet.

You can always grab paper and a pen and write down everything you want to say.

Here are some basic "rules" if you will.

1. Look at the person and make sure they're looking at you. A person who's deaf or hard of hearing can read lips to a degree, but don't breath easy yet.  Some people who are deaf or hh can lips like a A+ student but others can't.  For me I can hear so I use what I hear and what I "read" to know what is being said.  Take one away and I'm lost in seconds. Oh and don't pull a Jim Carrey and use big movements you are making it impossible to read your lips when you do this.
2. Speak up in a noisy area but don't shout this make reading lips harder and it's insulting.
3. To get a deaf/hh person attention:
• Tap them on the arm or shoulder. This won't bother them. They're think nothing of it. It's a normal way to get their attention.
• Tap the table or hard surface where they sit.
• Stomp your foot. (This will not get my attention, but I have gotten my friends' attention this way.)
• Wave really big.  A person who's deaf or hh will notice the movement.
• Yell Whoo (I want to laugh as I type this one.) Yell whoo? You asked with a shocked expression. Yes when this person is walking away or just won't look at you. I dare you. (I wonder if you have to be around people who are deaf to get this one, but really I dare you)
4. If nothing else grab that paper and pen.

I hope this help if I left anything out please add in comments.

Poem: I'm Sorry

My guts wrenched with an unsure feeling,
I had done something,
Unintentionally
I stared at his face,
The words shock, hurt, and anger flew through my mind,
at his expression. Somehow,
I don't know how,
I hurt his feelings
I'm sorry.