A Boy Named Fritz {WriterlyWednesday}

"Fritz lay on the front porch swing, his body turned sideways, aligned lengthwise with the swing, and his legs propped up against the swing’s back.

He was in the midst of his daily school assignments, and how he despised them. Algebra, in particular. The 14-year-old boy sighed, bored, staring down at the book propped up on his lap. Why did that mother of his have to give him so much bland, dull, tedious work to do? It wasn’t even a sort of work that would help him in everyday life, either.

He rolled his eyes, rehearsing in his mind the many reasons why learning algebra was a stupid waste of time.  One of these days, he’d present that lengthy list to his mother and try to convince her of his rightness concerning the matter.

Sighing again and running his slender hand through his cottony, messy white blond hair, he cast his eyes off in the distance, unable to focus on the arithmetic.

He was trying to surmise, for the hundredth time, how many orange trees exactly were in the citrus grove across the street, when suddenly his attention was caught by something else.

He swallowed, and as he did so, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and then down on his throat. Suddenly, he realized his mouth had become dry.

His eyes locked on a tall, full-figured girl with coffee-colored hair tied in a bun on the nape of her neck. She strode up the street purposefully, a sense of command and power in every step.   She wasn’t wearing anything special in particular, certainly no silk ball gown or fancy Garibaldi blouse, but Fritz didn’t really care at the moment. She was, in actuality, wearing faded, stained old work clothes: A blouse and skirt with an apron over top. No hoopskirt, probably no corset, either. Truth was, this girl was rather a mess, and quite obviously a country girl who had been working in the okra patch all day.

But Fritz didn’t take note of any of that.

Wow… He breathed, his heart nearly stopping at the sight of her. He propped himself up a little straighter on the swing, his pale blue eyes taking in every inch of the girl. She was none other than the captivating Emma Darson.  

Oh, he absentmindedly noted, there was somebody with her. For a brief moment he pulled his gaze away from Emma and to the person walking alongside her. It was another girl, one possessing a head of bouncy auburn waves and a face chalk-full of freckles.  He could tell by her rapidly moving lips, she was talking up a storm and would soon be doing so with him.

His shoulders slumped.  

It was Lydia, Emma’s 13-year-old sister. She was a spritely girl, extremely energetic and a wee bit crazy, fun to be with for the most part.  Or better put, amusing.

And despite the fact that she was now waving at Fritz and grinning broadly at him, he could not stop himself from locking his gaze back on Emma.

He swallowed again, hardly daring to blink. Stray bits of hair fell loosely around her hairline, framing her face.  Her eyes were a mesmerizing shade of grayish blue and he was suddenly aware that they were looking back into his own eyes. He continued to stare back at her, locked in a moment of eye contact and wishing the moment could last for eternity. She was perfection.  

Ah, but the kind of look she gave to him was not the sort he extended to her.  He sighed to himself, still looking intently at her face.

She looked back at him with a rather emotionless, tense expression on her face. Her eyes were hostile and fierce, boring into his for a brief second before she then broke eye contact.

He slowly exhaled. She didn’t seem too pleased to see him, unlike Lydia.

Nonetheless, he let his gaze fall from her face to the rest of her body. Shivers ran up and down his spine. Wow.  He found himself grinning. Every inch of the 15 year old girl was simply incredible.  As she and Lydia walked up the little path to the front porch, he observed the way she walked, the way she swung her arms back and forth. Her long legs, concealed by the dirty work skirt.

“Hullo Fritz!” At that moment, he heard Lydia’s vivacious voice.

He forced himself to turn and acknowledge the spunky girl. “Hi Lydia,”

Emma didn’t say anything except a very cool, impassive “Fritz,” and with that, she quickly trotted up the porch steps and into the trading post. He swallowed, watching with disappointment as she left his sight.  His body still tingled with excitement at her presence even though he was stuck with just Lydia now."

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I wrote this one evening just for the fun of it, because I thought it might help to gain a better perspective of Fritz, a boy in my primary novel The Rebels of Florida. He's very much a minor character in the scheme of the story. He is Emma's annoying lovestruck stalker, the insipid cottony-haired boy who has been pampered to no end by his ever-doting mother. He's the rich kid among a community of cattle-ranchers and citrus farmers. He is starved for adventure and starved for attention, even though he technically gets far more than his fill of that.

I'll have you know, this little blip above is NOT in my book. The story is not written from Fritz Faircloth's POV. I like to leave a shade of mystery behind minor characters who are not being written about from their own perspectives.

Do you ever write just for the fun of learning more about a particular character, or just to see how they might react to a particular situation? It can be an enjoyable, eye-opening exercise. 

Hope y'all are having a wonderful, blessed week so far! I just turned seventeen yesterday so I'm feeling pretty ancient today. Oh, but God is so good. I am so beyond thankful to Him for letting me be alive another day, another year!

P.S. Want some cool, Western/rock music to listen to? Ghostriders in the Sky - The Outlaws is one of my favorites to listen to as well as play on guitar. (There's also a good Johnny Cash version, which I also really like...the guitars sound so uniquely Western and eery in it, I love it.)

Up From Down {Character Study}

(I didn't take this picture, found it on Pinterest. I am going to use it as cover inspiration for the film.)

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Lines are blurring, I’ve been running

Away from my past, I’m just barely existing

Not sure how to tell

Up from down

Fabricate lies, throw on a disguise

Tell the world that I’m fine, just buying more time

Not sure how to tell

Up from down

I burn with desire, I burn like a fire

I am the Judas, and I am the liar.

Not sure how to tell

Up from down

Stage has been set, the money’s been bet

Those who stole my world, I’ll avenge yet  

Not sure how to tell

Up from down

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This is part of a song I've been writing, with a character from Fugitive (my screenplay) in mind.

Dominik Schaar is a very broken teenage boy who lost his parents as a young child. They were murdered. He watched it unfold before his eyes. Now, he is a jaded, cold shell of a human who cares for no one and has learned to shut out reality, and even the moral state of his existence. He has learned to tune out his conscience, or at least, most of it. He has trained himself to hate and hate passionately. His eyes glare icily out at the world, untrusting, cynical. His heart burns with a longing to exact justice on those who he deems deserve it.  

His one desire in life? To get even with his parents' murderers, the Communist government which oppresses the country wherein he lives. Ever since he witnessed their shootings, he knew what his purpose in life was.

Rebel against the tyranny.

Every day, he trains his body to accomplish the ultimate fitness and strength possible. He escaped from the many foster homes which tried to take him in, and now he survives in the wilderness alone. And besides the never-ending nightmares and constant sorting through what is truth and what is not, life is decent enough for him. He's surviving, anyway.

And then, one day, his life is turned upside down for the millionth time. He stumbles upon a group of city kids...eleven of them, to be precise. Eleven city kids surviving (more or less) out in his neck of the woods. Eleven Christian city kids. They might as well be criminals, outlaws, due to all the anti-Christian laws in the country at that time. Actually, they are criminals. Their parents were arrested for their faith.

And yet somehow, here they are. In Dominik's territory. As he soon discovers, his life will never be the same.

Ever since a fellow writer friend suggested Dominik's creation, I loved the idea. He has evolved into one of my favorite characters in the screenplay. He is so broken. So dark, so lost inside. Outwardly he plays it cool, showing no emotion except that signature icy glare, and maybe the occasional sardonic sneer. But inwardly? He is an empty shell, his soul iced over, harboring nothing but hatred and anger. And no matter how hard he has trained himself to try and forget, there are still those sharp daggers of pain which pierce him daily. He has thrown away all memories of happy childhood before the shooting, he has forgotten what is was like to laugh, to smile, to love. 

But there is hope. I won't go into the details of his possible redemption, because the truth is, we never know what happens to him, whether he truly is redeemed or not.

But there is a sliver of sunshine which is penetrating into the dark blackness of his being.  It may be small, and very subtle, but it's there. There's hope for this troubled boy.

What do you think of Dominik so far? Do you have any characters which are similar to him? Dark, broken, lost, spent, cynical? I would love to hear about them!

P.S. The reason I'm posting today is because, since it will be my birthday party tomorrow, I won't be able to post a WriterlyWednesday post unfortunately. Sorry! I was really looking forward to posting that next name list, too. Hopefully today's post satisfied your writing side a little. ;)

 

Nothing Left to Say

(Taken when I was 14- Sorry for a random, old picture, I'd upload something more recent and exciting except Blogger won't let me upload new photos for some reason. Grr....)

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I keep falling, I keep falling down/If you could only save me, I'm drowning in the waters of my soul/I'm giving up, I'm giving up, hey hey, giving up now.

Imagine Dragons' song "Nothing Left to Say" has really been hitting home to me in my life today. You know how some days go really well, others go simply awesome and, sometimes, you get a day that's about one degree away from utter perfection? I'd love to tell you that today I experienced one of those days.

But that would be lying.

Today was actually the worst day I've had this year. I don't know why exactly and the reasons I have figured I need not go into detail with. But I truly have been "falling down, drowning in the waters of my soul."

Without God, this could be true for every day of our lives. It's only when I get off track from His will that I find myself in this situation, drowning. I know that I've been doing some things which are not what He would want me to be doing, so I can only blame myself.

Do you ever feel like you've confessed to God the same sin literally hundreds upon hundreds of times? This is another thing I've been struggling with, and if not dealt with properly, it can eventually lead to drowning.

I've come to the position and conclusion that as the song says, it's true. There's nothing left to say.

The Lord didn't save me because of what I did, but what He did.

When I ask for forgiveness of my sins, He forgives me because His mercy is never-ending, not because of my mere human words or what I do to try and prove myself.

There's nothing left to say.

You just have to surrender to God, admit you were wrong and thank Him for His ever-so-abundant mercies. That's all. You don't need to go into lengthy detail, just ask His forgiveness, and mean it.

Ask Him to help you repent, and He will. But you have to LET Him. This is very challenging in itself.

And here's where we come to letting go, giving up.

"I'm giving up, giving up, hey hey, giving up now."

Give up those emotions of hatred, anger, resentment, bitterness, heartbreak, whatever they may be.

Give them up entirely. Don't let any smidgen remain in your soul. Let Him take them away, wipe your slate clean.

There's nothing left to say.

Mark of the Beast?

Judge finally rules on ‘Mark of the Beast’

Check out the link above for a rather disturbing article about a 15 year old high school student in San Antonio whose school was requiring their attendees to wear microchip badges..which tracked them wherever they went on campus

Why do I call it disturbing? This is a breach of privacy and unconstitutional. And yes, it does smack near the ID microchips which I believe shall be used in the end days when the Antichrist will come.

"School officials contend that a continuous monitoring and tracking of students will reduce absences, and they will be able to collect an additional $1.7 million in funding from the state by the time the monitoring program is installed in the district’s 112 schools."

"The judge noted that the chip “is not noticeable,” and he claimed the badges 'do not work off campus.'”

“No matter how many ways school officials attempt to justify this program, the key here, as NISD officials have themselves acknowledged, is the fact that this program is about one thing only – making money for the schools at the expense of students’ constitutional rights and potentially their safety,” Rutherford attorneys explained."

Read the article and tell me your opinion.

It's just another reason I am thankful to be homeschooled.

 

You Name-Caller! 30 Dystopian Character Name Ideas {WriterlyWednesday}

{1st post in the new WriterlyWednesday mini-series You Name-Caller!}

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Picking names for your characters can be one of the most fun parts of building your story. For me? It's something I have spent hours on for some particular characters. That may sound a bit obsessive, but a name can say a lot about a character, and even describe a bit of their personality. So why not obsess over names? You want your MC to have an awesome name which fits his character to a T, don't you?

Name-choosing can be an art in itself, if you let it. Or, it can be something totally random and serendipitous.

Today, I thought we could look at some neat examples of different dystopian names since so many people I know are writing novels set in that time era.

GIRLS:

1. Eyva - A twist on the traditional Eva, pronounced phonetically, instead of the traditional pronunciation Ee-va.
2. Flair/Flare - A twist on Blair, and making use of words which aren't traditionally used as names.
3. Gliese  - This is an interesting one, and I believe it to be pronounced glees.
4. Bryony - I personally think that this one sounds a bit Irish. It is a twist on the traditional Brianna. Pronounced bree-ahn-ee, to my knowledge.
5. Indigo - Once again, making use of commonplace words. I like this one a lot. It could be used as a boy's name as well.
6. Kae - Basically just a funky way of spelling Kay. Pronounced the same way.
7. Wren - A number of bird names can be used as names, and this is one of them. I picture this as particularly effeminate sounding, personally.
8. Meav - This is actually more traditional than the others, but I think it could easily be a post-apocalypse era name easily.
9.  Laine - Pronounced layn. A pretty variation of the male name Lane.
10. Willow  - A lovely use of the tree name.
11. Raine - A twist on the commonplace word rain. Pronounced in the same fashion.
12. River - The first thing I thought when I heard this, was of the character from Firefly which bears the same name. But if you can get past that connection, it's really a lovely dystopian-sounding name.
13. Cherisis - To my knowledge this has not been used before, thus I created it maybe? *grins sheepishly* Well, whether or not that is valid, it is a variation of the name Cheris. Can be pronounced a variety of ways, but I prefer shair-eh-siss.
14. Carolina - Dakota has been used as a name, why not some of the other states, too? I like Carolina in particular because it could also be a twist on the traditional Caroline.
15. Rynn - This could be a fantasy genre name too, in my opinion. A simple name fit for the strong heroine who has been through all to save her country. Pronounced rin.

BOYS:

1. Archer - This is one of my absolute favorites for boys' names, in general. Making use of commonplace words/occupations/sport titles.
2. Eames - If you've seen the film Inception, you're probably recalling the gangster-like character therein with this name. Setting aside that connection, I think this is a very dystopian-sounding name which traditionally has probably been used as a last name. Pronounced eems.
3. Damascus - Making use of location names.
4. Forest - Ignore the mental connection you might be making with the film Forest Gump for a moment, and picture how this might sound as a nice guy's name. Very earthy and raw, rich and full.
5. Griffin - Another personal all-time favorite. Making use of mythological creature names. I think this sounds very masculine.
6. Tiyev - I think this sounds rather Russian. Pronounced tee-yev.
7. Zander - A name with a very strong dystopian aura. I am not sure what origins it descends from.
8. Reed - A variation of the traditional Reid.
9. Yancey -  I saw this in a novel, used as a last name, but I can picture it easily being a first name, pared with a single-syllable last name.
10. Shiloh - Making use of location names, once again. I really like this one. Another earthy-toned, full sounding name. Pronounced shy-low.
11. Tavis - A play off of traditional Travis.
12. Mungo - A Latin-sounding name which reminds me of the character Thresh from THG.
13. Ash - Another use of a commonplace word. I like this one, too.
14. Lance - This may be a contemporary name in use commonly today, but I still think it sounds rather dystopian.
15. Ronan - Similar in sound to Nolan.

Hope this short list was helpful to you! I could list a dozen more names but I'll save that for another time.

Next WriterlyWednesday, we'll continue the You Name-Caller! mini-series with a post containing 30 Civil War names.

Blessings, y'all!

Ambition Is My Middle Name {15 goals for 2013}

Some people tell me I am too ambitious.

. Some people have told me I was adventurous because of that ambitious nature, and I think they meant it as a compliment.

Either way, I'll agree with them, I am ambitious and that's just how I have always been. It's what makes me me. It's how I work and operate. And even though it may cause me to be in a constant scramble 24/7 to get everything done, I couldn't imagine living any other way.

One part of being ambitious is setting goals...and lots of them. Every new year's, I tend to do this. Dozens of goals which you end up not really covering completely, but ones you set with high hopes, thinking, "Oh yeah. Of course I'll get this done by the end of the year." Anybody relate?

Well, I thought I'd share with you people some of my goals for this year. I won't go into exhaustive detail, to spare you, because...well.. I'm still guilty of that creating-dozens-of-goals syndrome. *bites lip*

1. Become a stronger Christian, fall ever more in love with my Savior.
2. Spend more time with my family, get to know them better.
3. Hand out more tracts/witness to people more.
4. Run 20 miles.
5. Get a six-pack. (Okayy, you were probably snickering as you read that, but hey. With work, it can be done.)
6. Finish "The Rebels of Florida". I MUST.
7. Become the strongest and fittest physically I have ever been in my life.
8. Finish my Creation Worldview course.
9. Write in my journal every day.
10. Memorize a Bible verse a week.
11. Spend less time on Facebook and Pinterest. (the latter, especially xP)
12. Get up earlier, go to bed earlier.
13. Become proficient in archery and knife throwing.
14. Develop my herbalism/natural healing knowledge and skills
15. Make 2013 the best year of my life!

What are some of the goals you've set for this year?

Blessings,

Another Year, Another Crazy Adventure

(Adam on his and Andrew's birthday while we were at a local restaurant a couple weeks ago in December)

TWENTY-THIRTEEN. Now I will have to get used to saying that. As a friend declared on Facebook, "I barely had gotten used to saying 2012!" With every closing of a year, I always tend to focus on all the things I failed to accomplish that year.  But, as our pastor reminded us last Sunday, instead of dwelling on what you didn't get accomplished, focus on the many ways God blessed you, and the many things you did accomplish.

I can truly say that this year was a blessed one. Blessed far beyond my deserving. I am constantly amazed at how the Lord proves His goodness and mercy to me. Sometimes, it seems almost too good to be true.

So. Today I thought I'd share some highlights and things I'm thankful for, from good ol' twenty-twelve.

1. The opportunity to remain home schooled, and with my family here in the wonderful, beautiful countryside of North Florida. The continuing opportunities to spend time with my hilarious, sweet little brothers, my lovely role model mother and hard-working role model father. 

2. The opportunities we've had to travel to different places together. We got to go to Washington D.C. on a family road trip for one of my dad's conferences, and visit many historical sites and museums, including the National Air and Space Museum, in which the photo above was taken.

(Luke on his 6th birthday)

3. I've been able to babysit a ton this year, not only for my family but a paid job for some local kids which lasted several months and was an excellent way to bring in some money...and gain TONS of valuable stories and experience!!

(We had a really fun, crazy sleepover full of tea, chocolate, hair styling and foot massages!)

4. Got to visit with precious, beloved friends from out of state, the Caliguires. Love that family and it was so good to get to see them two different times this year!

(It was totally a surprise visit...everybody managed to keep it a secret from me until they got here...and keeping secrets from me is typically very difficult!)

(The second time the C's came down, in April. Here are us, them, the Floods and DeLucas all together in front of our church.)

(Daddy speaking at the ASGA conference in LA)

5. Got to accompany my dad on more ASGA conference trips across the country. Got to visit Boston, MA for the very first time, as well as Los Angeles, CA. My very first trip going to the west coast! Among other trips, also got to go to NYC, Orlando, and South FL as well as Jacksonville.

(Daddy and I in Boston at the U.S.S. Constitution)

(NYC!)

(Mom, Me, and Mammy in Jax)

(The boys and I in Jax)

(Me in front of one of my favorite paintings at the National Gallery of Art in DC)

(Southern Son playing during the 4th of July Celebration)

6. I was invited to join Southern Son Ministries, a Christian southern rock band at our church. I have been playing with them for almost a year now and it has been a most interesting experience. I have learned an incredible deal about working with other musicians in an organized band, coping with sound systems, stubborn microphones and PA systems which like to be naughty on us, and improvising on the keyboard. We've played at multiple different churches and I've gotten to play on multiple different keyboards. One had the pedal installed backwards, meaning, you had to push it down NOT to get sustain. O_O That was a crazy night, to say in the least. Oh, yeah, and I'm the only gal in the band. :P

7. I started singing in the microphone. OFFICIALLY. At church, and in Southern Son. Once I started I got hooked. I sing back up vocals/alto/the harmonization parts mainly but I also sing solo on some songs. It is sooooo much fun and I will hopefully never stop.

8. YHWH let me reconnect with a very sweet lady who is now my best friend (outside the family). Maygan and I are sooooo much alike it scares both of us sometimes. I am truly thankful for her friendship. In April, ahe and I formed our own folk music band, Southern Lights. We have played at numerous locations now.

Several of my favorites? Ocali Country Days was a blast. We dressed up in period correct attire, swapped outfits, ate tons of shaved ice and junk food, and got to meet other home schooled musicians while there. Beside it being SUPER COLD one of the mornings we were there, all was wonderful.

Another favorite place we played? The McIntosh 1890's Festival. God blessed us incredibly that day with letting us make almost 70 dollars in only 2 hours or so. It was so much fun playing for such a big crowd. Thousands of people attend that festival yearly.

(It's fun just to jam at home, too!)

9. I picked up playing guitar. Never would have thought I would, but that's how things played out. I love it and it's a really fun instrument to play. I've also picked up learning bodhran, an Irish hand-drum. (pictured  above)

10. I discovered how much I love bluegrass music and playing it.

11. I've continued to play piano, but this year has been a year of teaching myself and being lazy about that most of of the time.

(Us in a hotel getting on a sugar high during a trip to a Rays baseball game)

(Adam at the Rays spring training baseball game)

12. I ran 10 miles.

13. I did a ton more meal prep and planning, and increased my skills in botany, herbalism, plant identification and natural healing.

14. I worked in my two gardens and successfully put two more fences up around them.

15. I continued to write in my primary WIP, The Rebels of Florida, and reached 70,000 words.

16. God allowed us at Glory Film Productions to make more short films including a 13 minute parody/remake of the classic fairytale Rumpilstiltskin. We started work on our biggest project ever, a feature length film.

17. I got to do a TON more drawing and sketching, and improve my skills in such art.

18. I discovered how much I love to act.

(The GFP crew, February 2012)

(The GFP cast in Rumpelstiltskin, April 2012)

(Andrew)

(Luke in one of his favorite places, the sandpile.)

(Will + facepainting =Very, very amusing)

(Luke)

(Maygan and I playing at the 4th of July Celebration)

(Driving Grizzly crazy after working in the garden)

(Mom enjoying some homemade ice cream at the Reddick BBQ Festival in March)

In twenty-twelve, the Lord taught me many spiritual lessons and showed me many things about myself and His Character.

Some of the things I struggled with this year, and survived living through?

A terrible season of flu and sickness earlier this March. If anything here on earth could be compared to hell in the least bit, that was it. Several weeks of horrible weakness and zombie-like existence. It was the roughest few weeks I experienced in '12.

  I struggled heavily with patience and gentleness, and learned a lot about controlling my temper. I learned how hypocritical I can be if I don't watch.  I struggled with putting God first in all that I did.

I struggled with trusting God and resting in the assurance that He forgives when we call upon Him for forgiveness, and repent.

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Overall, this year has been wonderful. Quite frankly, the best year of my life. So many learning experiences, adventures and precious memories.

I am eagerly awaiting making 2013 the best year of my life and quite confident already that God's going to do awesome, mighty things this year.

Adventure is out there. Twenty-thirteen, come at me. Give me what you've got, 'cause I'm ready for whatever you want to send my way.

I can't wait to fulfill the goals I've set, use my time more wisely, grow closer to my family and become a stronger woman of God. I can't wait to see what He has up His sleeve for the coming 365 days ahead.

How about you?