Shady Friday #15

Hello Bookworms!
Alright, so it's been a while since the last Shady Friday. Still,  I've been pretty busy. So, Shady Friday time, what have I been working on? Power point! But don't worry, I don't know how to include power point in my blog. So, right now I'm running out of short ideas and working on longer books, which are harder to include. So, for the next few Shady Fridays I will be working on sharing the book idea I had about a month ago.
This idea is rather simple, and yet fascinatingly complicated. The basic idea is a zombie apocalypse book in second person. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's where instead of saying "He raced" Or "I raced", it says "You raced". Only, I'm also doing it present tense, so it's going to be "You race". Here's a small preview.
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You really wish your life had turned out differently. There’s something wrong with you, you know. Yeah, you know it alright. You’re the type of crazy that knows it. Insane. That’s the perfect word to describe you. A crazy lunatic that no one believes; no one appreciates. Well, they will soon enough, those that are left. You hear the man in the box, He tells you it’s getting worse, the plague is spreading. You smile a little. Ah yes, this you knew.

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So, basically it's about this one girl who gets a small hint that the zombie apocalypse is going to happen, but ends up in an insane asylum until two weeks before it strikes. The other thing to keep in mind is that she actually is a bit insane, so I'm not sure if it's actually happening, or she just thinks it's happening due to post traumatic stress disorder, as she was previously employed by the military, and wounded in action. 

Thank you so much for reading, PLEASE let me know your thoughts on the book! Thanks! 

Habent sua fata libelli. 

P.S. Yes, it may have been slightly inspired by Warm Bodies, but the main idea is mine

Plot Summaries, Warm Bodies.

Hello Bookworms!
Today I am first explaining what plot summaries are. It's basically when I review the entirety of a show, movie, or book, examining the fundamental aspects of whatever work I am examining, all from a writing perspective. I am hoping to be doing more of these later on. Anyway, today I am posting on a favorite movie of mine, Warm Bodies. Please keep in mind, I haven't seen the movie in a few months, so I am going on memory. Anyway, enjoy my analysis!
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Some people like the movie for the romance. Some like it for the zombie apocalypse setting. There are even a few people, (like my sister) who like it for the social commentary. All of these are brilliant reasons, and I fully agree with all three of those ideas. However, my favorite aspect in the whole movie is the undertones that I recognized before my sister. (Yes, there is sisterly rivalry!) That aspect, is the subtle details that lead me to realize the entire plot was Romeo and Juliet in the zombie apocalypse. (I'm really surprised that no one had tried it earlier.) If you didn't see it before, that's ok. Most people didn't notice it. Anyway, right now I am analyzing it from several of those views, along with looking at my own list of 'necessary film criteria'.
I will be skimming over the romance, as I'm only good at writing it, not analyzing it. They did a good job with it, but when you're following the plot of the bard, it's hard to go wrong. The main point is, (from someone who has never read the play, (I'm getting around to it!) and only seen about ten different adaptions) They seemed to keep the main aspects. Except the part where they both end up dead, but in all fairness he was dead already.
From the aspect of a zombie apocalypse, it was slightly confusing. According to accuracy it didn't do so well. But, for changing the nature of zombies, (as several people do these days) they did it well. The idea of there being two stages of zombies was completely inaccurate, but I don't see any other way to still keep a real villain. I'm not sure if people become zombies only if their brain isn't eaten, that may very well be accurate. Still,  for the most part they kept to the main concept as well as they could. So far there is no confirmed cure for zombies, they are generally viewed as evil by nature. Still, they did a brilliant job keeping the scariest sides of zombies. (Although they sense humans by more than their smell.)
From the view of a social commentary, this was fascinating. The main concept I could find was that modern society was causing the destruction of humanity, and spurring on the zombie apocalypse; taking this view, the cure was unity between people, families, and society in general. So, yes. Please spend more time with people, and prevent the zombie apocalypse!
From the story of Romeo and Juliet, I have nothing to say, except to point out the few references I could see. R. stands for Romeo, Julie stands for Juliet. Perry represents Paris, and Marcus is a reference to another of the Bard's characters. (I'm sorry, I don't know who!) Oh, and then the scene on the balcony.
Anyway. Now, it's time for me to analyze a few small things that I feel all stories need.
1. Character developement.
They did a good job with this. Not only did they visibly show R's development, but they also showed a slight change in Julie's mindset of depression, to that of wonder. Never underestimate character development. It's what makes the whole plot mean something.
2. Mid-range-predictability ending.
Some people write these stories, and you know exactly where they're going, and exactly how they are going to do it. This isn't good. But, the other is worse: having an ending that there is no way to predict. The best way to write a startling ending is to layer it in. If you read or watch something a second time and you think, "There's no way I could have seen this coming!" Then it's a terrible ending. They did it right. You kind of knew where they were going with it, but you didn't see exactly how until it actually happened. You knew that they would likely live, but you didn't see her dad changing quite like that. You knew the societies would come together, but you didn't see her dad having a part in that.
3. Humor.
One of the reasons I hated super-hero movies until a little while ago was that all those super-heroes were too strict, rigid, and single minded that they never seemed real. Their conversations were superficial, and they always seemed to grasp the devastation at hand without ever stopping to think, "This is funny, I should laugh!" Luckily, this movie allowed you to have your laughs, and also your epic danger of the world moments. Actually, it had a lot of laughs. That was really good!
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Anyway, thank you for reading that randomness, I hope that you keep reading my posts! I'm hoping to post tomorrow about a book idea I had, but we'll see.

Writing block corner, writing tips

Hello Bookworms!
Ok, so it just recently hit me that I have a writing blog on which I don't give tips about writing. That shouldn't be! So, today I am giving random pieces of advice on writing, and I'm not entirely sure where they came from. Some came randomly, Some are from family and friends, and some I remember hearing a long time ago, so just remember that I probably didn't come up with the original idea myself.
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 #1 Keep Writing!
So you've probably heard this a lot, but one of the best things to do if you have writers block is to write down anything that comes to mind, no matter how bizarre it is. Sooner or later, you will have all the nonsensical ideas that you can't use down on paper, and you can focus on the really good ideas that you write for.

#2 Enjoy Your Writing (Esther)
When you start writing, you aren't going to be good to begin with. If you put off writing until you're good, you're never going to get there. But if you write to impress people when you aren't good, you won't get anywhere, and you will probably get discouraged. So write something you would enjoy in the years it will likely take to get reasonably good. I mean, it took me seven years to get here!
#3 Character Development
Ok, so I was going to do something on whether or not to plan out your stories, or to just let them run on their own, but I realized that to each their own; in other words you have your own specific way and style of writing, and I don't know what it is. But, when it comes to characters, I find that planning them out is much better than making it up on the go. With characters, I find it's best to plan where they start from, where they end up, and how they got there before writing it down. It helps realize where the story needs to go, and it also helps with character development, on of the major parts of writing.
#4 Feel Free To Ramble
"A writer is someone who has taught their mind to misbehave" Pinterest. When you are writing your plot, don't feel the obligation to follow a strict plan, let your story flow. Make it sound natural, and also insane. But don't go overboard on rambling! Don't spend three chapters describing something that has nothing to do with the plot, or character development. When all you do in your writing is get from a to z with as few complications as possible, you're writing an essay, not a story. So use that imagination!
#5 Details
One thing I found helps, is to visualize the scenery in my head, and write it out on paper. Nothing helps you pull the reader into your book like describing the little details. The crackle of the fire in a viking era fireplace, the dripping dew off of the emerald leaves of an oak tree; the reader should be living the scene as much as the writer. But don't get carried away! Tolkien took that too far, spending up to two pages describing traditions and gossip of a culture we didn't need to know that much about for the plot. But still, don't let that discourage you from details.
#6 History
If you come across a writers block and nothing is working, you might want to try tracing the history of your characters, culture, even important artifacts. You don't need to include this in your writing, but it can help if you are completely lost for words. Plus, it gives you deeper insight into your own characters.
#7 Read
 The single most important thing you can do is read books you are inspired by. You will learn how your favorite authors described the same events, and learn how to get past your own challenges. Also, it's always good to read a published author's work and learn how you think a sentence should work.
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Ok! So I hope these helped, and I hope to be posting more later!

Shady Friday #14

Hello Bookworms!
Thank you so much, I just reached 1,000 views on my blog! Ironic, two amazing things happen around the 14th Shady Friday, and my favorite number is 14. Anyway, I wrote this a while back, but I think it is my second best poem ever. Plus, it's the prologue to the second book in my trilogy. Enjoy!
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The stars guide the nations that fall into ruin,

The stars guide the ships that sail to their deaths,

The stars guide the travelers that never are found;

How treacherous the stars that we trust with our lives!

Yet when the worlds fall, and our people all die,

It’s back to these treacherous stars that we flee.

Those stars by their millions have stolen our hearts,

Yet always we gaze up to them in our plight.

What would we do if the stars disappeared?

If our guides would just vanish, ne’re to be seen?

As the stars fall away the kingdoms cry out,

As light fades from life, the oceans decay.

Back then, when this glorious light filled the sky,

Back, when the people knew not what would come,

The light from our lives began its descent,

As the treachery of mortals invaded the sky.

~Treachery’s end game, by Ciella Woodsbridge, chief squire of the forgotten lands.

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OK! I wrote that one morning on a long car trip, but for some reason it stuck. Oh, and yes, it is written in free verse. Thank you again, PLEASE comment, I would love to know what you all think! Oh, and please follow! Habent sua fata libelli!