Yesterday was my day off so I had all day to write, and once again, I was a slacker. I mean, I did write a bunch, but not nearly as much as I should have. But, I do have a legitimate excuse... it was the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 premier! I was too excited to write. :P
Ash, Jake, and I went to dinner with Emily before we went to the theater. We went to Moe's (YUM!) and since it was Thursday night, the illusionist was there. (He is there every Thursday from 6-8 or 6-9... can't remember right now.) He just completely blew my mind. He placed a single red, squishy ball in my hand and counted to three for me to open it and when I did, there were two balls! I kid you not, while he was counting, I could feel the second ball forming in my hand. He uses this stuff as his ministry so I am pretty sure he has Jesus magic. (Like, Jesus literally helps him do what he does.) There was no other explanation for it. It was amazing. If you have a Thursday night that you're free, go to Moe's on Gunbarrel in Chattanooga, he is awesome.
After dinner, we had an hour and a half to kill before 10:00, which was when we were planning to go to the theater. So we went to Walmart and looked around a bit, then we headed to the theater for the two hour wait to see HP7.
Usually with premiers, we have to wait in the lobby forever until they actually let us into a theater, but as soon as we got there, they seated us in theater 4. It was much more organized and way less chaotic, but I actually enjoy waiting in the lobby and people watching, especially when people dress up... and these people were dressed up. But no worries, we actually had a fun group of people in our theater. There were about 10-15 teenagers who were playing different games in that open space between the front row and the screen. They started out with ninja, then went on to charades (which the whole audience got involved in), and they played a few other games I wasn't too familiar with. It was entertaining.
The movie itself was incredible. It was epic, it was dark, it was perfect. My body was literally tensed up the entire time. I was so nervous that at certain points, I realized I was holding my breath... I had to make myself breathe. It was that intense. I don't really want to say anymore than that about it because it really is something you have to see for yourself. This really is the most amazing movie franchise ever, I will be sad to see it end next July.
It was 2:30 am by the time the movie ended. I was too wired to go to bed right away when I got home, so I wrote for a while. I wrote over 1,000 words to be more precise. Watching that movie made me just want to keep writing all night, I suppose it gave me inspiration. After a while though, I had to go to bed because I have work today. But even so, for going to be around 4, I am not even tired. Crazy, huh?
I am going to write tonight, of coure, but to make sure I don't get too distracted, I am having Ashley be with me to watch my every move so that I write without ceasing. She knows how to control her sister. :P
Friday, November 19, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Prologue.
Thank you so much to everyone who became a follower... You guys rock!
And a special thanks to Jacob for being #30! You sealed the deal. ;)
It was cold and rainy all morning - my ideal weather. Needless to say, I am in a great mood and very excited to share an excerpt from my novel with you.
And a special thanks to Jacob for being #30! You sealed the deal. ;)
It was cold and rainy all morning - my ideal weather. Needless to say, I am in a great mood and very excited to share an excerpt from my novel with you.
Here is a little background before you read the prologue:
The novel is in first person point of view.
The guy whose view it is in is named Riley. (Haven't chosen a last name yet.)
Age reference: he is a senior in high school.
Chapter 1 starts at a time before the events in the prologue happen. The story will lead up to this point and then you will get to see what happens next.
I hope it is intriguing enough to grab your attention and I hope you enjoy it!
p.s. Sorry for the roughness of the grammar and what not... it hasn't been edited yet.
---
My name is written in the unmistakable handwriting of the girl next door. But why? Why do I have this sealed envelope in my hands when she should be here beside me?
It has already been almost two hours since they started my treatment in this small, cold hospital room. I have asked everyone that passes through where my best friend is. Brielle should be here. She promised to be here. It seems as though everyone is avoiding me; even my parents.
Brielle's father was the last to stop by. When I begged for an answer, he only handed me this envelope with my name on it. Mr. Porter did not even look me in the eye when he said, "She wants you to read this."
"Where the hell is she?!" I yelled at him. The way his face went white was unnerving. The guilt from my outburst never surfaced because of the overpowering rage I felt.
Something is wrong and these people are not telling me what it is. Why won't Brie just come tell me what she needs to say instead of having her father give me this stupid letter?
I hear the door click open.
"Riley, how are you feeling?"
"Angry, Mom. Where is Brie?" I demand.
"I meant, how is your chest and body feeling? Sore from where they put the IV in?" She asks in a shaky voice.
"It's fine," I say, lowering my tone; I don't need to be so upset with her. Whatever this is can't be her fault. "Mom, I really need you to tell me where she is. Is she still upset with me? Why won't she come see me?"
"Son, just read the letter. She asked us to give it to you before anything else was said."
I look back at the envelope, "I'm scared of what is in it, of what is not being said to me."
Maybe if I never read it, it will all go away and she will walk through the door to comfort me with her smile. I squeeze my eyes shut. Lord, please let her be okay.
"I will give you some privacy. Push the call button if you need the nurse. Or even if you just need me. We will both be right in,” she says as she walks towards the door.
I stare at my name trying to uncover Brie’s secret through each letter that was carefully written.
Mom opens the door and turns back towards me, "I love you," she says as her voice weakens to sadness. The door clicks shut.
Maybe this is all a dream and I am about to wake up. It has to be.
How can it be a dream, though, when I can feel the sharp sting and burning pain in my chest? It is time for more pain killers. The medicine will help me sleep; it will keep me from reading this letter. Maybe I should call the nurse in to give me the medicine so I will not have a chance to read it.
I don't want to read whatever this letter says. I should tear it up and throw it away. Brie not coming in here by now for whatever reason is just ridiculous. What could she possibly want to tell me in a letter that she could not tell to my face? We grew up together, we know each other, we talk about everything… if she wants me to know what she has to say, she can talk to me right here, in this room.
But what if something bad happened? Now that I think about it, each person I asked responded to my questioning with the same expression... first sadness, then pity. Pity for me, though, not her. What could that mean?
---
Let me know what you think!
Leave a comment below.
:)
Monday, November 15, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day 15
The month is halfway over! I am still behind on my total word count, but I am trying to get back up to speed. Within the past 24 hours, I have gone from 11,597 to 15,805. And that is not counting the paragraphs I wrote right before taking this blogger break.
By the end of tonight (if I had stayed on task), I should have reached 25,000 words. So, as you can see, I have got a lot of catching up to do. Pray for me! :)
This past weekend's Carolina Beach plans fell completely through. Bummer. But we did get to spend a few days with some of the most awesome people in the world. ;)
We spent the weekend at Blakeley's house in North Augusta. It is always a blessing to be able to stay with her family because they are like my second family. They take such good care of me. We pretty much just hung out and laughed all weekend, which was nice.
Here are some pictures taken on my MacBook:
By the end of tonight (if I had stayed on task), I should have reached 25,000 words. So, as you can see, I have got a lot of catching up to do. Pray for me! :)
This past weekend's Carolina Beach plans fell completely through. Bummer. But we did get to spend a few days with some of the most awesome people in the world. ;)
We spent the weekend at Blakeley's house in North Augusta. It is always a blessing to be able to stay with her family because they are like my second family. They take such good care of me. We pretty much just hung out and laughed all weekend, which was nice.
Here are some pictures taken on my MacBook:
Haha.
We also made a completely random, yet hilarious video. Click here to view it.
So, even though we didn't get to go to Carolina Beach with Emily and Paige, Ash and I still had an awesome weekend with my friends and family back home.
While I was there, I did not type anything for my novel. I was so distracted by all the fun being had. Sometimes, it is just so hard for me to concentrate.
Okay, back to writing!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day 10
Yes, the truth is that it is day 10 and I am far behind from where I need to be in my word count. So, instead of dwelling on that horrifying fact, I am going to tell you about my day 9.
Yesterday, I did not type one word towards my goal. All day at work, I sat in a daydream. Usually, when I'm not having to do actual work, I read other blogs, check my stats, text, or play on my phone or iPod. Yesterday, though, I hardly did any of the above. I mean, I did check Facebook and my blog stats a few times, and maybe texted a little, but for most of the day, I found busy work to do or just stared out of our front door. Matt asked me several times what was wrong, but I never really had an answer. I was just tired, I guess.
Towards the end of the work day, I decided I wanted to go see a movie. I needed to spend some time not in my world, time away from thinking about my book. Leah met up with me and we saw MegaMind. It was funny; a really cute movie. We got home around 10:45 I think. Maybe 11? Not really sure. But when I got home, I sat in my bed and opened my Mac so that I could start writing, even if only for a little while. Somehow, I ended up laying down, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
I woke up at 2 something. My big light was still on and I will still wearing my clothes and contacts. Also, I was laying in a really weird position and my entire body felt tense.
What woke me up was the dream I had during that short period of time. I dreamt that everything I started, I couldn't finish for whatever reason; people kept coming in or tragedies were occuring or I just didn't think I could finish whatever it was. I was so frustrated.
I am pretty sure stress about finishing this book has finally gotten to me. I keep analyzing every detail I put into it and worry that it doesn't sound good or isn't interesting. I think that is what is keeping me back the most. Even though no one else is reading it, or has read it, I can not stop worrying how awful it is.
It's hard for me to just keep writing because I take anything that I do so seriously. I want to always be great at what I do and the truth is, I may not be. But even so, I set out doing this for fun and because I have always wanted to write a book. I wish I could take the advice I keep telling myself and "just write; don't worry about the details and flow of the book, you can fix it later." It's so hard though.
---
Here is a list of why I am already stressed today:
1. I have a ton of laundry that NEEDS to be done tonight so I can
2. Pack my bags for this weekend.
3. I NEED to clean out my nasty car because
4. Ash and I are leaving for North Augusta tomorrow after work.
5. We start our new Bible study tonight with our small group.
6. I have to run to Walmart for necessities.
7. I am so far behind in my word count that it's embarrassing. I need to type SOMETHING tonight.
8. And, there are some other personal things I could add to this list, but I won't.
Poor planning, Cassie. I am very disappointed.
Yesterday, I did not type one word towards my goal. All day at work, I sat in a daydream. Usually, when I'm not having to do actual work, I read other blogs, check my stats, text, or play on my phone or iPod. Yesterday, though, I hardly did any of the above. I mean, I did check Facebook and my blog stats a few times, and maybe texted a little, but for most of the day, I found busy work to do or just stared out of our front door. Matt asked me several times what was wrong, but I never really had an answer. I was just tired, I guess.
Towards the end of the work day, I decided I wanted to go see a movie. I needed to spend some time not in my world, time away from thinking about my book. Leah met up with me and we saw MegaMind. It was funny; a really cute movie. We got home around 10:45 I think. Maybe 11? Not really sure. But when I got home, I sat in my bed and opened my Mac so that I could start writing, even if only for a little while. Somehow, I ended up laying down, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
I woke up at 2 something. My big light was still on and I will still wearing my clothes and contacts. Also, I was laying in a really weird position and my entire body felt tense.
What woke me up was the dream I had during that short period of time. I dreamt that everything I started, I couldn't finish for whatever reason; people kept coming in or tragedies were occuring or I just didn't think I could finish whatever it was. I was so frustrated.
I am pretty sure stress about finishing this book has finally gotten to me. I keep analyzing every detail I put into it and worry that it doesn't sound good or isn't interesting. I think that is what is keeping me back the most. Even though no one else is reading it, or has read it, I can not stop worrying how awful it is.
It's hard for me to just keep writing because I take anything that I do so seriously. I want to always be great at what I do and the truth is, I may not be. But even so, I set out doing this for fun and because I have always wanted to write a book. I wish I could take the advice I keep telling myself and "just write; don't worry about the details and flow of the book, you can fix it later." It's so hard though.
---
Here is a list of why I am already stressed today:
1. I have a ton of laundry that NEEDS to be done tonight so I can
2. Pack my bags for this weekend.
3. I NEED to clean out my nasty car because
4. Ash and I are leaving for North Augusta tomorrow after work.
5. We start our new Bible study tonight with our small group.
6. I have to run to Walmart for necessities.
7. I am so far behind in my word count that it's embarrassing. I need to type SOMETHING tonight.
8. And, there are some other personal things I could add to this list, but I won't.
Poor planning, Cassie. I am very disappointed.
Monday, November 08, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day 8
I have been hiding myself in shame because I am not writing like I should be. *hangs head low* Right now, I should be at 11,669 words and working towards 13,336. I am currently at 9,768.
I really need to buckle down and write. I am hoping for a sudden urge to write until I my fingers fall off, but it hasn't happened yet. I did, however, receive motivation one night from Emily because she promised a great surprise if I wrote 1,000 words within the hour. I succeeded, of course. :) And last night, I wrote 1,000 more words because of a threat made by Bubba. Again, I met the goal. I seem to work better when I have something hanging over my head.
---
In non-nano news, Emily found out she can't go with us to the NC beach anymore... her work did not approve her to have this Friday off. :/ My curse took a low blow with this one. I never plan things because somehow, the plans NEVER work out. But when we were planning this trip, everything seemed in line and nothing could get in the way. Wrong, once again, Cassie; you should know better than to plan anything too far in advance. So with Paige and Emily out, Shelly having to work, Blakeley having a test/her bf coming in town for the first time since he moved away, Leah already taking too much time off of work recently, and Bubba having school, it looks like it will be just Ashley and myself. And possibly Cody! If he doesn't have a test, my brother will get to join us, so that is a plus! :)
I think Laken (Ash's friend who lives up there) will be spending most of the weekend with us too. So we won't be completely alone. I am so excited! We are leaving after work on Thursday and staying the night at Blakeley's house in North Augusta. Then we're off to NC Friday morning!
My friend Donald (aka Bubba) started his very own blog last night. (Click here to read it!) Since he just started it, he only has one post, but I encourage you to go ahead and be one of his followers... it's going to be great! :)
I really need to buckle down and write. I am hoping for a sudden urge to write until I my fingers fall off, but it hasn't happened yet. I did, however, receive motivation one night from Emily because she promised a great surprise if I wrote 1,000 words within the hour. I succeeded, of course. :) And last night, I wrote 1,000 more words because of a threat made by Bubba. Again, I met the goal. I seem to work better when I have something hanging over my head.
---
In non-nano news, Emily found out she can't go with us to the NC beach anymore... her work did not approve her to have this Friday off. :/ My curse took a low blow with this one. I never plan things because somehow, the plans NEVER work out. But when we were planning this trip, everything seemed in line and nothing could get in the way. Wrong, once again, Cassie; you should know better than to plan anything too far in advance. So with Paige and Emily out, Shelly having to work, Blakeley having a test/her bf coming in town for the first time since he moved away, Leah already taking too much time off of work recently, and Bubba having school, it looks like it will be just Ashley and myself. And possibly Cody! If he doesn't have a test, my brother will get to join us, so that is a plus! :)
I think Laken (Ash's friend who lives up there) will be spending most of the weekend with us too. So we won't be completely alone. I am so excited! We are leaving after work on Thursday and staying the night at Blakeley's house in North Augusta. Then we're off to NC Friday morning!
My friend Donald (aka Bubba) started his very own blog last night. (Click here to read it!) Since he just started it, he only has one post, but I encourage you to go ahead and be one of his followers... it's going to be great! :)
Thursday, November 04, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day 4
I have been sitting here, staring at this screen, and digging around in my brain for something interesting to say to you all. There has been a lot of that for me today. No worries, I made it past my word goal for today, but I have been staring at my screen in various locations and have not written a word since about 2:30. I don't know if it's that I'm not in the mood or just tired, but I haven't been all that productive.
My brain is kind of on an overload because I changed one major thing in my story which requires medical research because I don't want to get things wrong. Luckily, Brandy explained most of it to me, but I still have to read up on it. I stayed up pretty late reading all about it and eventually passed out from exhaustion. I am not sure why I picked such a serious story to tell. I wish I would have picked something light and fun.
Everyone keeps telling me how excited they are to read my book and how awesome it is going to be, but I feel like they are getting their hopes up. This will not be a national best seller, trust me, and definitely not up to par in comparison to N.Sparks.
Ah, I feel so pessimistic. I need a mood uplifter.
---
As of right now, I have 14 followers. You are 16 away from my prologue! Come on guys, I know you each know someone who can easily become a follower.. you can do it!
And, if you do not know how to follow this blog (several people have asked me how to do it..) here is how: to follow me, stay on this page and scroll down a little... you'll see a "followers" box on the right side. click "follow" and it will prompt you to sign in with an account they have listed.. if you dont have one of those accounts, there is a link to create a new google account. it's fairly simple.
My brain is kind of on an overload because I changed one major thing in my story which requires medical research because I don't want to get things wrong. Luckily, Brandy explained most of it to me, but I still have to read up on it. I stayed up pretty late reading all about it and eventually passed out from exhaustion. I am not sure why I picked such a serious story to tell. I wish I would have picked something light and fun.
Everyone keeps telling me how excited they are to read my book and how awesome it is going to be, but I feel like they are getting their hopes up. This will not be a national best seller, trust me, and definitely not up to par in comparison to N.Sparks.
Ah, I feel so pessimistic. I need a mood uplifter.
---
As of right now, I have 14 followers. You are 16 away from my prologue! Come on guys, I know you each know someone who can easily become a follower.. you can do it!
And, if you do not know how to follow this blog (several people have asked me how to do it..) here is how: to follow me, stay on this page and scroll down a little... you'll see a "followers" box on the right side. click "follow" and it will prompt you to sign in with an account they have listed.. if you dont have one of those accounts, there is a link to create a new google account. it's fairly simple.
Leave a comment!
Or don't.
Whatever.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
A proposal for a prologue.
I have a proposal to set on the table: I will post the prologue to my novel on my blog when I acquire 30 followers. (I am at 9 right now, so I just need 21 more!) Come on, guys... you can do it! :D
Thank you for the support!
Thank you for the support!
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