I’ve Moved On

I missed having a writing blog, but I found a different forum that I am more comfortable with. I just got it up and running today, and will be posting a lot of the same stuff from this blog for a little while, but there will be new stuff, too. So, if you’re interested in following me over, please do! I would love to see some of my followers from here find me on the new blog.

I hope to see at least a few familiar face over there. If not, thank you all for your support while I was still active here. It meant a lot to me and I learned much from my experience here.

Love always,

Raina

Apparently Life Isn’t Going to Play Nice

So… I was all set to get this blog up and running full force again. Then my scheduler thing mucked up and didn’t post for two weeks and then life decided it was going to screw up on me again. I’m afraid I’m going to have to put this blog on hiatus, yet again. I’m not sure how long, or if I will even be able to get it back up and running. I thought I would be able to balance everything, but I was very wrong. I hope I don’t disappoint too many people with this. You are always welcome to keep an eye on my writing via deviantART. I will occasionally post briefly to keep you all informed about what may or may not be happening with this blog.

Thank you all so much for all of your support and feedback. I appreciate it all and I will hopefully be able to get back to this blog in the semi-near future.

Lots of love to you all,

Raina

Sharing is Caring

Hey everyone! I don’t have a list of 13 planned out for today, so I decided to try something new for today. This may become a more common occurrence if I have enough positive response. What is ‘this’ you ask? Well, keep reading!

I’ve decided that on days where I find myself unprepared or uninterested in the daily post, I’m going to share a fun fact about myself. This could be my writing self, something about myself in general or just something random I have discovered about life/writing. The point of this is to get other people to share with me. I know I have quite a few followers but I don’t really know who my followers are. With this, I hope to gain a bit of information about you, while you all learn a little more about the person behind the blog.

 

So let’s get started:

 

I have been writing short stories and novels since I was 10. I’ve been creating stories since I could speak. I began writing poetry when I was a junior in High School. As a junior in college, I have recently begun to write creative non-fiction. My life would seem very strange and empty without any sort of writing.

 

Now it’s your turn. When did you start writing? Can you imagine life without it?

Prayer

It’s Wednesday! Which always means a writing prompt! I want to apologize for no posts yesterday and Monday; for some reason, they didn’t post even though they were scheduled to. Hoping that doesn’t happen again.

Anyway, here is your prompt.

 

Write about someone’s prayer/wish/dream coming true. 

 

 

I ask that, if anyone chooses to use these prompts, they share them with me. In the comment section, post the link to wherever your piece of writing can be found(deviantART, writing forums, your own blog, etc.) If you do not have anywhere online to post the writing, you are welcome to either use the comment section to place your story, or email me at: FantasieAutor@gmail.com with either an attachment or the story as the body of the email.

Sunday Sharing

Normally I would be sharing 6 sentences from a piece of writing today. I’m still in the process of deciding if I will be continuing with that or not, so bear with me. In the meantime, it looks like today will just be a day to fill everyone in on what I have going on in my life, both involving writing and not. It may help give an idea why I have been so sporadic about posting since my ‘come back’.

• Homework: Since coming back to the blog, I’ve been swamped with school work. Tomorrow, I have a 15-20 page paper to complete that compares, contrasts and analyzes two poems and their authors. I have yet to actually start the paper. I’ve had 4-10 page papers due every week, on top of regular class work, for the last 5 weeks.
• Sad Things: A dear friend of mine was in the hospital, in a coma, for a few weeks. This had all my attention, and therefore homework was always a struggle to complete the day it was all due. Life got pretty hectic. Then, a few days ago, another friend got into a severe car accident which resulted in him going off the road and flipping his car. He is fine, but his car it totaled.
• Social: My friends have been around a lot… mainly as support as I dealt with the troubles with the friend mentioned about, but also to try to bring some fun into my currently not exciting/fun/happy life.
• Writing: I was fully unable to do any writing at all for a while. That has changed, however the writing is slow going thanks to other aspects of my life. I am hoping it picks up soon, though, and that I can get some short stories or chapters to novels worked on.
• Blog: Some of the set themes for this blog are going to change. I’ll fill you in a little more once I figure out the details, but for now just be aware that there are changes on the horizon.

I guess that is everything. Check in tomorrow for an excerpt!

What’s in a Name? Naming Your Characters: Part 2

I did a post back in January about Character Names and promised others. While the first one focused on easy to pronounce (but not too simple) names, this one is going to focus on name meanings.

I know a lot of writers who create a character and give them names based on their personality. For example; Merrick is a very powerful and well known individual among his kind. He is aware of his fame and power, but he doesn’t flaunt it. In fact, he tends to hide away from it as best as he can. Why is all this important? Because the name Merrick derives from words that mean ‘fame’ and ‘power’ and is always associated with very humble individuals. The name goes well with the personality and the character in general.

Sometimes, however, authors don’t take the time to make sure their perception if a names meaning is actually the true meaning. Some people choose names based on what societal belief of the meaning is, not the true meaning. For example; Lucifer is a very dark, mysterious and evil character.* He thrives on causing pain and suffering. No one gets in his way and if they do, they don’t live long to tell the tale. This doesn’t work; societal belief is that name Lucifer is evil. Wrong. Lucifer means ‘Bringing Light’. Thanks to (surprise) Hollywood, the name is forever immortalized as being evil, when in truth Lucifer is simply a fallen angel and not evil in the least.

If you wish to name your characters by meaning, please make sure you actually know what the meaning of the names are. While not all characters are named by meaning (we’ll talk more about that next time), ones that are, should be done correctly. Your strong, warrior heroine who has been surviving on her own for years should be given a name such as Valda or Bree, which mean ‘power’ rather than something like Lamis or Belinda, which mean ‘soft’. Your dark sorcerer who enjoys murdering innocent people and taking many an unwilling county lass to his bed should have  a name like Shyama or Ciar, which mean ‘black’ rather than something like Gil or Ronen, which mean ‘joy’ (unless you’re going for a humorous opposite effect, which we will discuss later).

Personally, one of the ways I use to help match name meanings to my characters (when I feel like doing so) is using baby name books and websites. One of the best that I have found and used many times is Behind the Name. This site has a large array of names and meanings and weeds out all the created names that people often mistake for others. I’ve used it for not only characters in stories, but also for characters in games (Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft, mostly). It is a tool I utilize quite often and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in name meanings.

Now, I mentioned naming a character by meaning using the ‘humorous opposite effect’. There are some authors who, while they enjoy delving into name meanings, prefer to name their characters names that mean the opposite of what they are like. Let’s assume the creator of the character Lucifer (that I mentioned earlier) was going for this effect. It works, now. That tough-guy barbarian character you have could be named something that means ‘soft’, ‘gentle’ or ‘flower’.

Naming a character based on meanings can be taken in several directions, but it is important to make it clear what your intentions are. Simply naming them isn’t always enough. That barbarian named something soft and gentle should be aware what his name means and either hate it or find it hilariously ironic. Lucifer should wonder at his name, perhaps he believes that all the chaos he brings is his ‘light’ and that his name fits him perfectly.

Names are (in my opinion) more important to characters than most people recognize. Not only are they a way to identify a character, but they are also a means of giving them an existence. When naming your characters, no matter what your methods, please take care. You could have the next Harry Potter in the making; what name would you want to be immortalized for?

Stuff and stuff

Hey everyone! No worries, I’m not vanishing on you again. I had some other stuff take care of this week, so (unfortunately) the blog got set on the back burner. I’ll post Saturday with something interesting and, hopefully, won’t have anymore hiatuses after this. At least, not as long as this one.

 

Thank you to everyone who follows this blogs and takes the time to read my posts. I appreciate all the support and I promise to have more interesting stuff for you to read soon!

Too Much of a Good Thing

I’m a writer (well damn, what a surprise that is!) and while some people may not believe it, I get tired of writing sometimes. It’s rare, but it happens.

I have a huge list of stuff to write, not least of which is homework related. I have fanfictions, short stories, a handful of novels, poems and other creative pieces, too. I have this blog, plus a collection of other blogs I update either daily or weekly. And the list just keeps growing. Why? Because I’m procrastinating. A LOT.

I have plenty of things to work on, obviously. I’ve worked on some of it now and again, but my writing spurts don’t last as long (or come as often) as they used. At first, my mojo was missing completely. Now that I have it back, it is less that I can’t write and more that there are more fun things to do.

Wait, there is stuff more fun than writing? That can’t be right…

I have a tight little group of friends that live with/near me. We have been spending a lot of time together, watching shows on Netflix, playing games (D&D and WoW) and just all around having fun. Last night, three of us went on an impromptu trip to a waterfall near my apartment (at 11PM, mind you) so that we could gaze at the stars without the added light from the houses, cars and street lamps. It was one of the most awe-inspiring and fun things I have done in years. Years I tell you! And that’s quite sad, in my opinion.

In my writing, I can do anything that comes to mind. I can fly on a dragon, dance in moonbeams, get married to a prince. But it’s all on paper (or laptop). None of it is something that I can actually experience. I can’t feel the mist of a waterfall on my face if I simply write about it.

I’m not saying I quit writing; one cannot rid themselves of their soul so readily. I’m just saying that I am probably going to take a much needed break from doing so much of it once I catch myself up on my to-do list. Now that I can write again, I can also choose not to. And as soon as these 14 pieces of writing get completed, that’s just what I am going to do (except blog posts; those are a constant. No worries!)

Thursday Thirteen

It’s been a very very long time since I have done a list of thirteen for ya’ll. This week, my list is 13 things I love about my life. Things have been a little stressful lately, so I’ve decided that I need to start looking at things in a more positive light than I have been. These things are not listed in any particular order. The more important ones tend to be more difficult to verbalize so they may be further down the list. I’m also just very random in my thought process, so I just add things as they pop into my mind. So, without further delay, here is my list of thirteen:

 

Things I love about my life:

1) My family. I don’t get to see them very often, but every time I do I remember why I love them so very much. And so many of them keep in touch with me through either facebook or texting. It’s always wonderful to get a message from someone just checking in to see how I am doing. I am blessed with a giant, crazy, loving family.

2) My friends/Chosen Family. Without these people, my life would be very dull. I’ve recently become very picky about my friends, but those that have managed to stick by my side through thick and thin, and those that have recently become major parts of my life are very important to me. They are the brothers and sisters I never had. They are the strength that keeps me standing when I can’t be with my actual family. They are what keeps me going and keeps me from going insane.

3) My pets. It sounds silly, but I have two cats, a hamster and a whole bunch of fish. When I am stressed or sick they cheer me up. My cats have been the only solid point in my life several times over the last couple of years. I would be devastated to lose them or any of my other pets. They give me a kind of strength and love that only pets can offer.

4) My writing. Despite its random hiatus recently, my writing is one thing that keeps me sane. It is a filter through which I sift my emotions. I can (almost) always rely on it to be there when I need it to. And it gives me hours of entertainment at any given moment.

5) My books. In the same way that my writing helps me deal with real life, my books help me escape to fantasy worlds and far from real life. When writing, I can occasionally do the same. But it is different with a book because I’m not (usually) constantly pausing to fix a spelling or grammar mistake or to fix a sentence. In books, I lose who I am completely and become part of another world entirely until I am ready to emerge and face my own life again.

6) My apartment. I could very well be without this. Money is more than a little tight these days, and it rarely gets any better. My landlord is amazing and understands my struggles and works with me. And, while I sometimes hate this place, my apartment is the first place I have been able to call ‘home’ in a while and truly feel that I mean it. Here, I can escape from the outside world. Here, I do my best writing and exploring through books. Here, the best times are had. Here, I am safe.

7) Supernatural. It seems silly adding a television show to a list of things I love about my life, but it is true. This is a show that I have become fully immersed within. Not only the episodes, but the fandom as well. And what a fandom it is. There are some fairly amazing things that the Supernatural Family has accomplished and still hasn’t failed to shock me. I am proud to be a part of it.

8) My Online Friends. Just as the friends I see in person, the people I talk to online have become a sort of family to me as well. With them I know I can discuss things that I might not be able to talk to people around me about. They give me advice as someone who has  bias towards one side or another of a situation. And they are always willing to let me vent. On top of that, my online friends have become a bit of a community, a family, on their own. They are all pretty much connected in one way or another and I am so glad for that.

9) My Mother. This woman has been through Hell and back with me and on her own. She lost herself for a while, but has recently bounced back pretty thoroughly. She’s beautiful, loving and strong. She has taught me what it means to love with everything you have, but also how dangerous that can be to yourself. She is the person I turn to for advice, the one I look to for support above all others. She is my mother and I am proud to say so.

10) Gaming. Another silly thing. But gaming helps me deal with my emotions sometimes; if I am angry, there is nothing better than shooting some virtual aliens in the head. Gaming helps with my creativity, too. See, sometimes I have characters form, but don’t have a story to go with them. Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) helps with that problem. And gaming isn’t always about helping me with problems; it’s fun, too. And sometimes I need fun more than anything because I forget what fun is.

11) My health. While I get sick an awful lot (more than most people I know), I am still very much alive and strong. Recent events have shocked me into realization that there are people in the world (even people I know and love) who don’t get very lucky with the health card. People younger than I am are fighting life-threatening diseases or health problems while I’m battling a simple cold. While my thoughts and prayers go out to them, and I do everything I can to let them know I care… I also thank whatever higher being there may be that the worst I get is Bronchitis and a sinus infection tag teaming me.

12) My imagination. I suppose this kind of goes hand-in-hand with my writing (and gaming) but it can also stand on its own. Ever since I was really young my imagination has been more active than most children. I always had a few imaginary friends to hang out with (even into my teens) and while I thought that I was insane for doing so, I still loved it. My imagination allows me to fall deep into books and explore the world side-by-side with the main characters. It allows me to create worlds and characters for others to discover. It allows me to see and feel everything the character I am playing in a performance sees and feels. Without my imagination, I fear I would go completely mad.

13) Myself. This might sound a little vain; I love myself. But it’s true, despite what I might say sometimes. It’s important to admit you love yourself once in a while, and showing confidence in yourself helps others feel more confident around you. And besides, without me I wouldn’t have my life or all the other amazing things I’ve listed. So I guess loving me isn’t so vain after all.

 

Thursday Thirteen is not something I have created on my own. There is a large community of bloggers who participate in this and they can all be found on the Thursday13 main page. Please take time to view other Thursday Thirteen posts!

Wrapping

It’s Wednesday! That means it is time for a writing prompt! I haven’t done a prompt in a really long time, so I am hoping lots of people find and use this and then share it with me! 😀

Moving on, here’s your prompt!

 

 

Write about something that has been wrapped.

 

 

I ask that, if anyone chooses to use these prompts, they share them with me. In the comment section, post the link to wherever your piece of writing can be found(deviantART, writing forums, your own blog, etc.) If you do not have anywhere online to post the writing, you are welcome to either use the comment section to place your story, or email me at: FantasieAutor@gmail.com with either an attachment or the story as the body of the email. I will never claim your work as my own, just as I expect the same respect from my readers when I share my own works.