Starting Chapter Five

Hello everyone. This is LaVel Moorehead! I've been sick over the past week so I'm not feeling my best. However, I'm sticking with writing so don't worry. I will update every day. Unfortunately, this post is at midnight (which I shouldn't do! This is a habit which I must break!) :) But, I still wanted to create a post for Tuesday so here it is.

Where am I now? On to chapter five. This chapter is titled "The Golden Key" because Bilal (main character) discovers....you guessed it, a golden key. Not just any key, but the key which will open the secrets of "Dragon Earth." Figuratively in the sense that Dragon Earth is the title of my book but literally as well. I won't say what Dragon Earth is yet but this is the chapter that catalyzes events and binds the main characters here on out.

I wrote a couple of pages this evening. Here, Leo (who's the thief from chapter four) feels guilt from stealing a magical object. He's in the lunch room of Mace Lane's Middle School ( a real school in Maryland, mind you) and when he thinks about this, someone in the lunch room is being bullied. This bully is called The Bull. Don't you like that title? Well, the Bull is ferocious and I wouldn't want to mess with him. And the bully antagonizes a boy who Leo doesn't associate with. He's a nerd, and Leo's an athlete. I mean, what athlete messes with a nerd? (I bet they're tons who do but go with me here). Surprisingly, Leo may want to help this kid out and events will unfold in the coming days. I can't wait to finish the chapter.

So, I'm off to bed. But I will leave with a bit of advice. Prioritize. If you don't you'll be like me writing at midnight. Painful, but true. Alright, I'm gone. Peace. :-0)

The Thief, the Book Bearer, and the Investigator

Hello everyone! This is LaVel Moorehead, how are you this morning?

I have to make a confession. Over the past week, I have not felt up to it. I felt tired, sick, and just empty of all inspiration. I'll give myself some slack because I have flu like symptoms. However, I made a promise that I would post an update once a day, no matter how small. So today, let's make this happen. I will post an updte on my novel whether or not I wrote a lot or not that much in my novel. :)

So, I finished chapter four last night. The chapter title is "Ghosts" by the way. Oh no, don't think that this book is going to be scary. No! In fact, these ghosts may not be what you think.

So, like chapters one, two, and three, I divided chapter four into three sections. Each section features a different character, and these points of view will meld together in chapter six. This has been the biggest challenge where I write in different points of view. The reason for that is because these three characters: Alexis, Leo, and Bilal experience seperate but HIGHLY important tasks. In this chapter, Leo steals an important magical object. I can hear someone gasping "no he didn't!" Well, yes he did I'm afriad. Alexis receives a book earlier in chapter two and couldn't find it in chapter four, until she..."sees a ghost." Of course, I won't tell you what this ghost looks like. You'll have to read the chapter when the moment arrives. And last, Bilal sees a ghost with another character named Derrick see a ghost near a myterious house. What do all these events mean? I don't know, but something BIG is going on!

Now that I almost forgot, I must say this. I must post the prologue to the blog. Wohoo! I can't wait to do that, but first I must send it to Professor Orlando (a friend of mine) so she can look at it. She doesn't necessarily want to edit and revise it for me, but she wants to point out parts of the prologue which catches her eye and/or should be changed.

Now, where do I go from here? On to chapter five, that's what. This upcoming chapter is called "The Golden Key." Bilal shares a special moment in this chapter, a magical moment which you won't want to miss. Well, the others do as well, but Bilal caps this chapter off. I'm absolutely excited for it.

Well, I need to go. I have to go to church, but I need to clean my room before that. Authors and their space (or more like their dens). I hope you have a fabulous Sunday.

Peace. :-0)

Writer's Block - We All Have It

Hello everyone. This is LaVel Moorehead. Today, I want to bring up the topic of Writer's Block. What is it and how can we as writers overcome it?

I just read the article "How to Get Past Writer's Block" by Stanton Rabin. Ms. Rabin published 6 books since 2008 and helps writers prepare their manuscripts for submission. I love her take on Writer's Block. She says that we all have it; the way that people describe Writer's Block as "insurmountable" instead of surmountable. In her view, we all have problems in our writing, whether you're a seasoned writer or not. We just have to get through it.

How do you define Writer's Block? Ms. Rabin defines it in two ways. One, the writer has a psychological block. This psychological block deals with fear and failure. "Oh, I don't want anyone to see my work. Oh it's absolutely terrible. Yadda, yadda, yadda." I've said that to myself a thousand times. Writers write manuscripts and many go in the trash bin because they don't like the work or they understand that it needs improvement. So, understanding that writing doesn't mean that with one manuscript you're on the way to success and stardom is key.

An example Ms. Rabin uses in the article relates how students feel intimidated in writing a scene that requires a lot of emotion. She points out that this intimidation may be a way that we as human beings deal with conflict. Ghosts of Russian czars in a scene that Ms. Rabin wrote in "The Curse of the Romanovs" reminded her critics from her previous book. The ghosts told her main character Alexi to "give up," a reflection on how she felt before. Writers like myself need reminding that not everyone will enjoy our work and that criticism is part of the game. That's just life. Ultimately, we need to move on because someone out there will enjoy our work and we need to work on improving ourselves, not absorbing lies that we are useless.

Another main issue is the storyline. Is there a bump in the road of your story that you can't seem to pass over? Well, Ms. Rabin has some advice here. Alexi & his sister Alexandra plan to rescue 11 prisoners in "The Curse of the Romanovs." However, Ms. Rabin couldn't understand how they would get the prisoners out of a well-protected fortress. How, how, how would they pull that plan off? In the end, the author was inspired by Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandle in Bohemia" where Holmes uses a smoke bomb. Ms. Rabin was able to implement the smoke bomb in her story for her characters. Sometimes, writers just need to sit back and think and not worry too much. The solutions will come, only if we think the plot points through. Worrying won't help, it'll just stack on other worries where you're worrying about worrying. How's that for a tongue twister? Worrying wastes time. You just need to move on.

Before I go, let me leave several points that Ms. Rabin says that writers should consider (and some are shocking!)
1. Contrary to popular wisdom, don't "write what you know." -She says this because this may unconsciously place blocks to where you don't want to write about your past or you don't look at the work objectively to see if it's written well or not. Personally, I don't mind writers "writing what they know," but it's definitely good to look out for what she says.
2.Know that it's OK to abandon a writing project. - I've dealt with this personally this past summer. I started on the project "Pharador" thinking that everything was going to be brilliant. It wasn't. Once I looked at my manuscript and saw diverging plots such as virtual reality, mythical creatures, a magical land outside of Earth, I knew that I had to change course. Sometimes, it's advisable to stay on course and tweak your story, but sometimes, you should just change course.
3. Don't edit yourself too much while you're working on a first draft. - This is VERY interesting. Usually, we want to edit and revise immediately. For a manuscript, writers can save a a whole bunch of time by moving on to the next chapter. You can edit and revise later.

So, what do you think about this topic? I will attach the link to this post. Have a wonderful day. I will come back with more great articles and updates on my novel. :)
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=8aaa3f92-f7f5-425b-b45c-431ec38a6585%40sessionmgr111&vid=2&hid=119&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=31259234
Peacec. :-0)

"What are you doing in my room?!?"

Hello everyone. This is LaVel Moorehead. I promised to get back to you sooner than later. Can I tell you something? These past few days have been hectic for me. I mean, combine non-stop reading with a tired LaVel and you get the picture. It's been hard for me to write, but I had the courage to write last night. No matter what, I made a promise to myself that I would write something in my book. It doesn't have to be anything lengthy like 5 pages, it could just be a paragraph or two. I need to keep the creative juices flowing and that means staying in my work for the long haul. :)

Now, where are we? Oh yes, you may be asking "what is the title all about?" Well, one of my characters is freaking out. Apparently, someone entered this character's room...I take that back, this character's house! Why? Of course, you will have to read it of course. But it doesn't make sense. I titled chapter four of my book "Ghosts" because there are a couple of "apparitions" appearing in this chapter. I won't give out what they are, but one of them appears in my beloved character Alexis Sinclair's room and another appears near an invisible house that only 3 young children can see. Cool, huh? It's a mystery that must be solved and one that I must write to the very end.

So, I must get back to my writing. I will post a couple of articles today that I found interesting concerning Writer's Block. The main challenge posing me is regulating myself and keeping a consistent framework to where I have time for my book. It's easy to wake up later because I want to rest my pretty little head. Well, time is limited and I won't have much time to write because I must balance it with college work. I would love to talk to other writers about how they balance their lives with their writing. That would be an interesting subject to take on. Okay? Have a wonderful day and enjoy the sunshine.

Peace. :-)

Finished Chapter Three & My Thoughts

Hello everyone. I told you I would have a quicker update, didn't I? Well, I finally did it. I finished Chapter 3 with 10 pages! Wonderful. I wondered when I would have time to finish it and I took time this morning to write as much as I could and I succeeded. :)

One of the main objectives that writers (this can be applied to anyone really) is to manage your time wisely. Sure, that sounds obvious but most people don't put that into practice very well. It's easy to get up late in the morning right before class instead of getting up at 7 am and knocking out a couple of pages or so of writing. That's what needs to change. Writers need to prioritize what's important to them and if writing is indeed a central focal point in their lives, they need to ensure that it becomes methodical.

So, what was chapter three about. If I could sum it up in three bullets, it would be: a dream, clever wizards, and an evil plot. Just for your information, the picture of the lake at the top is where the dream takes place, but the dream occurs in the dead of night! ;) It's a bit of a tricky chapter because three characters have the same dream so I want to tap into some of their thoughts that they have about the dream. "How will this affect me" is basically the main question. This chapter is the diving point for my novel because it sets up the suspense and drama where the main characters understand that they have an enemy. They don't really understand who are whom their enemies are, but they know they're out there and are planning to conquer them. Thus, the main characters realize that they need some help & protection to confront the unknown. Exciting? I think so!

So again, I'm at 70 pages now. I hope to hit 100 by the end of this week, but it isn't certain. I'll edit the chapter somewhat and refer back to my outline so I feel confident on where the story goes from here. I'm very excited as you can tell. This is where the action begins. This is where the characters start to bond together and learn more about each other. It's their time to shine.

Also, if I can leave a bit of advice which I may have said before (but I'll say again) will be: don't go into your piece trying to perfect it. All you'll do is say to yourself "this is rubbish" and never come out with any sense of accomplishment. Don't be so hard on yourself. Writing is a PROCESS. That's why you EDIT and REVISE. Yes, don't be lax, but don't think that you are supposed to be Jane Austen on the first go. Relax and enjoy what you're doing.

Okay? Well, I hope you're having a good day. I sure am. I'll be back with more updates and more advice to help writers. Have a wonderful day! Peace. :0)

The New School Year...and My Book!

Hello everyone out there! How ya' doing? :) This is LaVel Moorehead speaking. I've been gone for a while but wait no more. I'm coming back with more information on the progress of my book & the vision of my writing.

So...how has my writing been going? Very good actually. I've been immersed in the beginning of a new college year (Sophomore, yay!) I'm trying my best to get my bearings before I dive back into my novel and I may take a stab at it tonight. I'm in a scene where three main characters have an identical dream about an evil, evil wizard who plans to steal a magical object. Will he succeed? I don't know, but when I finish my novel, you'll find out of course.

This summer has been such a refreshing reminder for me. Like I said before in my first blog post, I've been a writer since I was little. So many people including my parents and friends complimented me on my writing. I've always enjoyed fantasy authors like C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, and Christopher Paolini and I've always wanted to write a fantasy book. I even tried writing one in seventh grade and the results...were not so stellar. I'm afraid to ask my mom for the manuscript which is probably locked in the basement. How about I don't ask her? Wonderful. :)

Anyway, after my parents gave me feedback (feedback in which they told me the truth in love) that my story needed a whole lot of work, I became discouraged. I thought that I wasn't a good enough writer. "What if I'm wrong? What if others are supposed to be writers? What if I'm just fooling myself?" Such negativity discouraged me from writing stories in later years. It wasn't until freshmen year of college that I took a creative writing class. Working with other writers replanted my old dreams in my head. I knew then that my dream and my desire hadn't fled away. It had just hidden under the rug of fear and now it's time to take it out.

So, where am I now? I've written a prologue and two lengthy chapters which have come to 60 pages. I'm estimating that when I'm done the third chapter I will be at 70 pages and from my vantage point, the novel will be at least 500 pages! Daunting, huh? I don't mind writing a lengthy book, but my PERSEVERANCE must be put to the test.

So, can I give you a sneak peak of my book? I promise I will. :) I still need to get my writing up and running, but I need to balance it with my school work and other endeavors (hopefully, less distractions). If you've forgotten, my novel is called "Dragon Earth." Well, what should I say about it? It's an epic quest...it's a little bit of coming of age. Someone asked me before if it's allegorical. In a way it is and in a way it isn't...some mythological elements are in and a smidgen on theological elements. But, let me tell you that the story takes place in and outside the real world. That was one of the debates I had raging in my mind before writing this book. Should it take place in an imaginary land or the real world? I won't tell you exactly what I mean, but the story flips back and forth. I think it may stand out in this regard and I hope others like it too.

What's one piece of advice I could give concerning Writer's Block before I leave? I want to say a couple of things. One, return to your outline and your written manuscript. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and sit down. Are you happy with your manuscript? Why or why not? Asking these critical questions can shed light on why you're not writing and move from there. Talking to other writers about your thoughts and ideas can expand wisdom on what additional steps you can take in your work. There are a couple of road bumps that I foresee in my work that I need to work out. Thus, I'll need to take a sip of my own medicine!

Another short piece of advice (and something I'll expand on later) is what I call the "Demon Mindset." All the time, we can be bombarded with thoughts like "Oh, you're writing sucks," "your vocabulary isn't good enough," "you need more time for your writing to mature," "yadda, yadda, yadda." Well, I always say that there's a piece of truth to what the demons say. Obviously, you're vocabulary and writing will mature over time, but that doesn't mean that this isn't your time to shine. All and I mean ALL writers have to start somewhere and one day, they didn't just pick up a pen and paper or a computer and become a gifted writer. Writing takes time. And the more you and I understand this, the better.

So, I hope these words encourage you. I'll have more frequent blog posts up to detail how my writing is going. Now, I must finish a book review for my fellow author Greg J. Down's "Mordred." Wonderful! And perhaps, the scene where my characters stumble upon an evil plot...dun dun dun! So excited. Well, farewell my friends and I hope to see you again soon.

Peace! :0)