Inkblots Blog

Hello, wonderful followers!

It's me.  In case you haven't noticed.

I'm just popping on here to say that my Inkblots writing club went and got a blog a few days ago, to help us be motivated to write.  So if you'd like to become a virtual member of the club, please read the two intro posts and leave us a comment.

(You can also see a picture of me with a very famous author.  Like world wide famous.  Tempting...?)

Here's the link: http://inkblotswritinglog.blogspot.com

Also, I'm doing Nanowrimo this year (FIRST TIME), so here's the link to my account.

I hope you're having a wonderful fall season.

- Ellyn

Boarding up the Windows

via

I pause at the doorway of my little vacation house, my satchel over my shoulder and my suitcase wheeling behind me on the wood floor.  My eyes scan the dim interior, checking to make sure that the windows are properly boarded and the filmy curtains drawn.  It looks like a different place - sad and lonely.

But vacation is over, and it's time to move on.  As I slowly close the door and turn my key in the lock, Indy whinnies from his horse trailer.  I glance one last time at my temporary home.  The ferns by the log walls will curl up for winter and the leaves on the trees will fly, without me there to watch and marvel.  Grass will grow up over the gate, and no one will mow it down.

But when I come back, I'll rediscover what I've missed and won't be any worse for it.

via

I'm boarding up the windows.

I'm leaving this blog.

I owe you a lot more explanation than that, though, so here are my reasons....  

1. The long and short of it is, I need to start living more of my life off the computer.  I need to do more, rather than doing a little and then documenting it all.  

2. I need to get my writing on track.  It suffered this summer, and I'm afraid that if I don't force myself back into it, I'll lose it.

3. I want to fully concentrate on school and stay ahead in my classes, while still making time for Indy and my other responsibilities.

4.  I'm dissatisfied with my blog, wishing it had more of a purpose.  I'm at a loss for what posts I should write, since I cover almost everything under the sun on one web page: horses, fashion, weather, family, small town life, health, books....  If / when I start up again, I want to narrow down my blog subject.  I've recently discovered that I'm very interested in interior design, and always have been, so I may start a blog with that subject sometime.

I love you, followers! (And I can't believe I got up to 92 - you're the greatest!) You can stop following now, if you wish.  Or you can keep following so that in half a year, or a year, if / when I come back, you'll be able to see if I've changed much.

You'll still be able to find me commenting and reading other people's blogs.  Especially Gwyn's, Carlotta's, and Margaret Free's, and I'll also keep participating in Stephanie Morrill's writing prompt contests.  I may be on Cleiti, if that starts up again.

And of course, if you're brave, you can always visit me on Pinterest.

If you'd like to keep in touch, shoot me an email and I'll do my best to talk to you regularly :) I'll stay tuned on LBaaG to get any last comments / questions, and then, I will take my leave.

It hurts to say goodbye.

But nevertheless, goodbye.

- Ellyn

College is the New High School

shirt: maurices
key necklace: key an antique from flea market
jeans: target
bag: gift (i know it doesn't go with my outfit very well, but i love it lots.)

I have my class numbers scribbled with black pen on my wrist.  My jeans are new and not yet broken in - they crease uncomfortably when I'm sitting in science lab.  My shoulders erect, chin up, trying to look several years older than my sixteen.

I'm not just a homeschooled highschooler going public for the first time.  I'm a homeschooled highschooler going to college for the first time.  Where as before I only had one person in my English class - me - I now have twenty or more, and most of them are college students.

What's up with that? 
PSEO.


Do those letters mean nothing to you? 
Post Secondary Enrollment Option.

Do they still mean nothing? 
PSEO is a program for highschool juniors and seniors, which makes it possible for them to earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree at the same time.  Imagine having a four year degree by the time you're twenty!

And best of all, if your state offers PSEO and you are qualified for it, they will pay for your tuition and necessary books.  Do you know how much a college textbook is? We're talking $135, give and take.

Two years of free college may sound pretty good, but PSEO is not for everyone....

How do I get qualified for PSEO? 
Firstly, you must make sure your state offers it.  I believe only sixteen or seventeen states do.

Then, in MN at least, they will examine your high school transcript and check your grades.  Then, you take a PLAN test.  Mine had four sections - reading, English, math, and science.  After getting a passing score on that, you will take the Accuplacer test at the college you hope to attend.  If you score high enough on that, you should be set for PSEO.

But it isn't just your academic scores.  During PSEO, you will be surrounded by college students, using college language, etc.  Will you be able to handle this? So far, I haven't had a hard time at all, but it is only the first week. :) It depends on how "sheltered" you are and what school you have attended before.

If you are mature, firm in your beliefs, and able to get passing scores on the various tests, I would heartily recommend PSEO for you.  It's a great way to get ahead in life. (And save money.)

If you have any questions about PSEO, or advice about past experiences, please let me know.


- Ellyn

Summing Up Summer

special moment

As Apache broke into a run on the dirt road, I urged Indy to do the same.  The stampede strings on my hat sawed against my neck as he took the lead, hooves pounding in perfect rhythm.

As the dirt turned to gravel, Shelby and I straightened up to slow our horses.  I plopped my hat back on, shadowing the huge, silly grin that had spread across my face.

What am I going to do when summer is over? I wondered.  What am I going to do when I have to actually think about things and solve problems? Math problems?

l-r: pheona, demetria, guinivere, me (gisella)

"What shall we crash next?" Pheona asked the rest of us, leading the way across the parking lot.

"County Market," I replied.  "They have candy.  Although we might already have enough at Guinivere's."

The rest of the party agreed, and in we went.

Guinivere got snagged by the bridal magazines, and so we settled down on the floor of the supermarket, oblivious to passing stares, and "oohed" and "aahed" with great pleasure.

I looked around at my three best friends (I have more than three, but these three all go together) and smiled with anticipation for our long weekend ahead.  I don't ever want this to end.  We can't go another year without doing this again.  We just can't! What will I do when summer's over?

kaylee and anna running tandem

As I galloped over fields during the benefit trail ride...

lovely

As I gathered sea glass with my brothers at Duluth...

unedited!

As I plucked the first strawberry from our garden...

the brothers being very supportive of me in my old age

As I turned sixteen...

war and peace

And as I lounged in the hammock, reading - sometimes ignoring the background noise - I would think to myself, What will I do when the summer's over?

The answer? I'll start school.  And I'll realize that life is not over.  I'll still ride, I'll still read, I'll still enjoy the simple pleasures of life.  And added to those pleasures will be the crisp pages of my textbooks and my new black moccasin school shoes.  When I start PSEO classes on the 22nd (that's in three days, in case you didn't know), I'll get to exercise my naiveté.

I'll also get to smell my newly sharpened pencils.  I've always thought they smelled like brown sugar.  Your thoughts?

In short, summer is over, but life is not.  Not by a long shot.

Lérowen's Challenge - Days 13, 14, and 15

Well, everyone, it's the last installment of the writer's challenge! I hope you had fun reading my answers, because I certainly had fun writing and posting them.

Day 13: Your favorite book about writing.

I have two.

via

I've only read the last four chapters of this book, but they were very straightforward and inspiring, and they helped me get out of writer's block, so... :)

Even though the title has "short story" in large letters, most of the stuff Bickham covers can apply to novels as well.  He talks about characters, putting in themes and symbols, editing, marketing, and much more.

via

If you're a young writer who is not in the mood for reading a thick, dry book about how to write a story, pick up this one.  Writing Magic is extremely fun to read, and after each chapter, there are writing exercises to help get that pen flowing.

Day 14: One of your favorite quotes about writing or books.

One? Are you kidding?

"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting." - Edmund Burke
This reminds me that there is more to reading than just enjoyment.

"The story is always better than your ability to write it." - Robin Mckinley
So true.

"Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book." - Anon.
:)


Day 15: Your favorite song to write to.


I enjoy "Unwritten", lots of country, the Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack, and Enya.  It depends on what mood I'm in, really.  A serious "I'm-going-to-sit-down-and-write-and-not-stop" mood, or a lethargic "I'm going to write and play on the computer at the same time"mood.



And that's the writer's challenge, folks! Thank you so much for hosting, Lérowen. <3

Lérowen's Challenge - Days Eleventy-Twelve

Day 11: Your favorite female author.


I think picking the male was easier than this, and when does that happen? I have to hold to my "rule" for picking favorite authors in that I have to have read more than one of their single books or series'.

But right now, I'm obsessed with Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games.  (Though I've only read the first installment.)  The first person / present tense style works perfectly, and...and...this book is just amazingly written.  :D  Read it now.

To go back to my rule, though, Shannon Hale is very good.

Her Books of Bayern series are all right, but Princess Academy and her new graphic novel are what I love the best.

Click on the link above to read my review of this book! It's fabulous.

The drawings are beautiful in this graphic novel, and I love the Wild West spin on Rapunzel's story.  I can't wait to read its sequel, Calamity Jack.

Shannon Hale has a rich writing style, and weaves deep themes into her stories.


Day 12: A song about writing or books.


This song isn't about writing directly, but I find it very inspiring.



Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Lérowen's Challenge - Day 10 (Importantest Thing)

Day 10: What is the most important thing I should know about writing?

I only had to think for a few minutes this time, and then I remembered what happened a week or so ago.  That was the terrible day I forced myself to open my "seaspear2.5" document for the first time in a while and sat staring blankly at it for a few moments.  Tears came to my eyes as all plot structure and character plans flew my mind.  I felt like everything was gone, and everything was terrible.

I minimized my document and fled upstairs, breathing hard (a little melodramatically), fearing I would lose all writing skill and knowing that I had to write something.  I remembered some advice from a few favorite authors - when you don't know what to write, say so.  I grabbed my notebook and a pen, and started scribbling.  When I was finished, I felt a little better, having gotten almost a whole page of ranting out of my system.

Here's a small summary of that rant that I put as my Facebook status.


Ellyn Gibbs 
is so mad at her book that she can hardly even manage to spit out its name. Why, why, why can't I WRITE? Why can't I love my characters like other authors do, much less feel somewhat attached to them? Why do I feel incompetent every single time I try to describe something on paper? I am in the DEPTHS OF DESPAIR.




I'm very thankful to my writing friend Sarah, who, after seeing this pitiful status, called me right up and gave me loads of encouragement to write.  I promised her I'd work on "seaspear2.5" that night, and I did, even though it was late when after watching Tangled with the family.  (Grailyn came out suspiciously like one Flynn Rider).  After that, I kept steadily plugging on, day by day, and I think my writer's block is gone.


My point with this - and I'm sorry if you thought it was a pity party - is to tell you that if you want to be a writer, don't expect a walk in the park.


You ain't gonna get one.

During another instance, some old friends we hadn't seen in a while asked me a question about my writing process.  I said, "Um....", thought for a moment, and then said, with a passion that I think they found amusing, "Don't ever become a writer.  Just don't."

Being a writer is not an easy thing - think of the mood swings a hormonal teenager has and make them five times worse.  (Okay, maybe only three times worse.)

When you don't have ideas, you may be frustrated to the point of tears, and when you do have ideas, they'll wake you up in the middle of the night.  Your characters will refuse to change, refuse to say what you want them to say, refuse to fall in love with the right people, maybe even refuse to use the name you've chosen for them.

If all you want to do is write, you'll get nothing else done, resulting in bad grades, a messy house, unfinished jobs, et cetera.  If all you want to do is avoid writing, your manuscript will suffer and you'll feel guilty all the time because you're ignoring your "baby."

One of my friends hit her computer during Nanowrimo, showing you how exasperating deadlines can be.

And, sometimes even when you have writer friends, you have to bear all these burdens alone.

Here's the bottom line: the most important thing you can know about writing is that writing is extremely hard.  


My advice for storms in the writing process? Go do something like this.

Are you sitting there shellshocked? Or can you completely relate? Tell me your experiences with writing.


- Ellyn

Lérowen's Challenge - Day 9 (Current Project)

Yes, sorry, I skipped Day 8 because it was "a video about writing" and I knew of absolutely none.  (And since I didn't feel like searching for any, I guess I kind of failed the challenge... :))

Still fun.  Okay, ready for Day 9?

Day 9: What is your current writing project?

Good question.  With the help of some encouraging friends, I just finished fighting back a bout of writer's block.  This was full-blown writer's block, too, friends.

But now, I'm back to working on Seaspear.  I finished the first draft late May, but that is only the beginning.  I had to rewrite and condense most of the beginning, and now I'm working on the middle. Here's the elevator pitch (a description of my story in 30 words or less.)



When a sailor girl meets a nobleman masquerading as a pirate, she is forced into a search for a legendary magic spear that will determine the future of her country.

Hearts Unbroken, the team story Whisper and I are writing, is kind of at a standstill.  She just got a horse, and I'm too lazy to bug her to writer her chapter, so, um...so much for finishing that up this summer.  I don't have a pitch for that right now, but I'll tell you that it involves three boys, three girls, and one quest.

You can check the current status of all my writing projects on my sidebar.  I do update it.

  

- Ellyn

Lérowen's Challenge - Days 4, 5, 6, and 7

Sorry, Lérowen, that I'm getting so ahead of the game! I won't be home tomorrow, and I don't blog on Sundays.


Day 4: A novel or author that has inspired something in your writing style.

My weakness as a writer is setting and description.  Some writers glory in taking a page or two to describe a sunset, but me? It would be easier for me to stare at a blank page for an hour.  I've grown to appreciate description more, and I'm trying to use it more in my writing, but the book that jumpstarted that was:

Just from the beautiful cover, you can tell that this is one flowery book.  But the description was actually interesting to read, which was a first for me.  I was won over, and after I finished reading the book, I spent some time working on description in my notebook, vowing to become more like Patricia McKillip.    

You can read the first line of the book, along with my review, here.

Day 5: The least favorite character you have written.

I've thought about this question for a day or so already, and I have still not come up with the decided answer.  

It might be Queen Livia from Torn Heart, because she seems like a cliche antagonist.

But I did have trouble with Perrus from Hearts Unbroken.  For those who don't know, Hearts Unbroken is a story (temporary title) I am co-writing with my friend Whisper.  Co-writing is fun, but also difficult at times.  At first, neither of us really knew what Perrus's personality was.  And then, we both started writing him different ways, which is bad.  I was writing him as a flirting, rather foolish young ladies' man, because has lots of younger sisters. But Whisper made him much more responsible (seeing as he has all those younger sisters), a family man.  While still having a touch of a flirt to his personality, he is much more serious and admirable than he was before.  I love you very much now, Perrus.

Day 6: One thing on your bucket list that has to do with writing.

Get traditionally published and go on a book tour.  I have a feeling this won't happen until I'm older and can travel around by myself... my whole family is made up of homebodies.  Besides, I wouldn't want to be separated from them for that long, and it would be too expensive to take everybody.  

Day 7: Your favorite genre to write.

Fantasy without a lot of confusing magic.  But....lately, I've found myself wanting to experiment with steampunk / alternate history.  And I've been reading a lot of realistic fiction.  Could I be...heaven forbid...changing?

'Til Monday, friends!

Ellyn

Thrifting

I was feeling whimsical today - creative, even.  Like... well, you might say I felt like spending money at a thrift store.  So my ears really perked up when my mom mentioned taking the boys to town for haircuts.  (She just got nine stitches in her finger, so she couldn't clip them herself.)

We have three thrift stores in our little town, and I hit two of them.  At one I swiped a pair of skinny jeans for $1.50.

At the other one, I got two casual shirts for $1.00 each, and two books for $0.30 each.  Deal? Deal.

i wanted a babydoll shirt like this when i was thirteen and never found one....

hail, shirt, jeans, and books.

The designing book was a real find.  And I couldn't resist Specials by Scott Westerfeld...even though I haven't read Uglies or Pretties yet.  Come on, it was thirty cents!

I'll post days four and five for Lérowen's challenge tomorrow, as I have to get offline.

- Ellyn

Lérowen's Challenge - Day 3 (My First Story)

Day 3: Your first attempt at writing.

Most writers start young.  I'm no exception.  I wrote before I could read, and I learned to read pretty fast.  Later, when I did know how to read, I wrote in a "mirror" style, meaning - all backwards.  My dad says that when he wanted to read something I'd written at age four / five, he'd just hold it up to the mirror.

Incidentally, Leonardo di Vinci wrote the same way.  Just sayin'.

Anyway, today I'm going to share with you my very first story.  I believe I wrote it in Kindergarten or 1st grade.  Sorry the last page is sideways! Computer got cranky... And you can read it in plain print under each page.

Characters: Maxgold (a worm king), and Underbeaty (his wife).

I have no idea how I came up with the name Underbeaty.

 Once there was a little worm.  And he was king of all the.  Land oh boy how his crown Shimmered in the sun

his wife underbeaty got mad and said, oh. maxgold don't you know that your crown is mixing me to a very mad mood.  your...

...crown shines more than mine she said throu the window.  underbeaty began to cry then she sigde (sighed) and said I suppose all the...

...qeens (queens) are like that she Looked for her husband but he was gone
the ligts (lights) were out and it was nigttime.  Everywone was gone

While she slept maxgold slipped to the store he bouht (bought) a new shiny crown WOW it was cristmas EVe and surprised when.

the Qeen. woke! By her Bed was a Shiny new crown. she loved it. and there was a baby the qeen had a baby

- THE END -

Lérowen's Challenge - Day 2

Day 2: Your favorite male author.

When I choose a "favorite author", I kind of make it an unspoken rule that I have to have read more than one of their series or books.  Even if one series is my favorite series, I try not to say the author is my favorite unless I've read about more than one of his created worlds.

So, Scott Westerfeld is out.  So is Kenneth Oppel.

I guess that leaves Charles Dickens.

The best compliment I ever got was when my dad told me that Charles Dickens and I would be great friends...or worst enemies.  It's because we both write character-based stuff.  Except he's a few trillion times better.

Here's what I've read of his:

• Great Expectations
• A Christmas Carol
• Oliver Twist
• Little Dorrit

Granted, his books can get kind of dull, over descriptive, tiresome.  But the way he ties all the characters together is amazing.  His characters are great - some funny, some downright creepy, some not what they seem, and all intermingle at the end.  

If you want to read something by him, I suggest watching a movie or TV series about it first, to increase suspense.  Two I can recommend whole heartedly are Little Dorrit and Bleak House, both by BBC.  I haven't finished Bleak House yet, but Little Dorrit is amazing.

And if you read the book afterwards, you'll be amazed at how much the same the characters are.

l-r: frederick, fanny, amy "little dorrit", william, tip

Tomorrow, the challenge is to post "your first attempt at writing", and I know exactly what I'm going to do for that! Stay tuned.

- Ellyn

Lérowen's Challenge - Day 1 (And Pinterest)

Lérowen from Eat...Sleep...Write is hosting a fifteen day writer's challenge, and I've decided to join in for hopefully most of it!

Day 1: Who is your favorite character you've written?

Hmm...
I've written many characters and I think I will have to give you two - a boy and a girl.

The favorite boy is definitely Grailyn.  He's so analytical and exacting, and in the new rewrite of Seaspear, he's going to be so much more mysterious.  You met him here, as well as the other Seaspear characters.

The favorite girl is a little harder to choose, but after some dithering, I choose Haiven from Hearts Unbroken.  I've been told I write her really well, and I find her fun because she's just so sweet.  Sweet, naive, and organized, yet smarter than what everyone takes her for.  Haiven is sixteen years old, and small for her age, which results in everyone treating her like a kid.

via - no, her hair is not this red.

Any strange questions about my characters? Ask away, please!

P.S.  This is random, but does anyone else have a Pinterest account? It was raining today and I spent oodles of time on my new account.  Let me know so I can follow!


 - Ellyn

A Little Bit of Small Town Flavor

Today, my family and I paid a visit to the event of the summer - the county fair.  When we moved about two years ago, we switched county fairs.  I like this one a lot.

4-H-ers almost dominate it, which means lots of horses, drill team performances, and barns full of livestock, photography, Lego creations, and other products of hard-working young minds.  Our family is not part of 4-H, but we enjoy marveling at the creativity and skills of others.

Not that those good qualities passed us by or anything... 

sarah on raisins

One of my favorite things to do at the fair is people watch.  I take in everyone - the groups of young teens giddy at newfound independence, the wispy-haired kids silently marveling the soft fur of a bunny rabbit, and the old ranchers - hats clamped over balding heads, spurs polished and secure on clunky boot heels as they sit back to watch the youngsters ride. 

county fair talent contest

Of course, we all enjoy the cool thickness of a smoothie on a hot summer day and the greasy contentment a french fry bucket can bring.

vendors hawking their wares

I loved watching my friends in a timed O-Mok-See horse show.  I miss you, Grace!

grace on mariah

And then there's the colorful world of the midway - where stray tickets fall underfoot in the hurry to board the Tilt-a-Whirl and Tarantula.  Kids form lopsided lines, jigging in excitement while they wait to pop balloons, chuck rings, and send their stomachs up into their throats.

my least favorite part of the fair :)

Yeah, honey, I'd take a horse over the ferris wheel myself.

little girls, big dreams

I was surprised how many people I recognized at the fair, from other social activities / classes in town and such.  I'm pretty good at remembering faces, but still...that's a small town for you!

a random cowboy on a pretty horse

Are you a regular guest at your county fair?

Love from a tremendously tired,

Ellyn