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

Hot and Foggy

Have you ever seen clouds on the ground?

I have.  But nothing like how it was last night, as my mom drove me home from Whisper's house.  It was as if we were looking down at clouds from an airplane, except we were on the ground.  The dewy hayfields had become misty seas.  The lake was amazingly clear before it faded into a wall of fog.  

I wished I could have gotten a picture, but the camera wasn't cooperating.  Maybe it had heatstroke.

taken a couple weeks ago, on a cool morning.  how i loved it!

It is so humid here that every morning we can't see out of our windows because of the moisture on them.

Not even rain gives relief.  My cheers at the brief shower yesterday didn't last long - it just made things steamier.  Like the Amazon rainforest.

I was weeding the garden in the shade and came in dripping.  From sweat.

It's too hot to ride.

Too hot to play badminton with my brother.

Too hot to walk the dog.

Oh, how I long for a good thundery storm.

photo by someone else in my large family

Or some homemade strawberry pie...

unedited!

Or an adventure that doesn't involve any type of annoying, winged bug.

Then again, maybe I'll be content to curl up inside with the air conditioning and my computer.  And a pile of books.  Later, maybe I'll douse myself with the hose and go over to give the horses the same treatment.  

my new look for book trapper! check it out!

On another note, I turn sixteen in seven days! Hurrah! I'm praying that God will give me a special birthday wish and make it less than eighty degrees.  With faith, you can move mountains! (And the mercury in thermometers.)

How's your weather? I envy those of you who get dry heat instead of wet heat.  I've never experienced dry heat - ever!

Love,

Ellyn

My Kingdom For a Horse

It seems like my horse life and my writing life are always jogging each other at the elbow, trying to crowd the other one out.  Lately, my horse life has been winning.

--

An older friend recently told me that I needed to start feeding Indy.  He's always been a skinny bone Jones,  so I just took it as part of his genetic makeup.  But the endless feeding swarm of mosquitos, flies, and other summer bugs, weren't helping anything.  I got him some of Purina's Strategy feed and it's been working quite well.  I go over to feed him every morning, and he's already putting on weight.  His eyes are much happier too.  I also gave him a dewormer which should help - I found out my stable guy only worms the horses twice a year.  Hmm.

Since our trail ride, in which all my prayers were answered, I have 100% of my confidence back.  First time since my accident a couple years ago.  I am fearless! Well, as much as is sensible... Indy and I lope all the time now, and it's as if my horse knows something has changed.  He's so much calmer, just as I am.  It's true that they sense your feelings.

via

Also, two of my friends just got horses.  Remember Shelby? She bought a horse from the stable named Apache, who needs a lot of TLC.  But when that's over with, she'll have a good pal.  And you knew Whisper got a horse named Marquessa.  We hope to ride together next weekend.

quessa - look at her elegant head!

The last bit of news I will give you is that the two lovely ladies you will see below, Alpha and Red, have been sent off for breeding.  Know what means, right? There may soon be one or two foals at the stable.  How awesome!

alpha

red

Have any of you ever had / raised / trained a foal?


Love,

Ellyn


P.S.  Pray for Seaspear...

For the Glory of God

I am continually fascinated with the story of our nation and the careful work and bloody battles that went into its making.  The dedication and sacrifices that our founding fathers made are really amazing.  

This Independence Day, let's not forget America.  

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But more importantly, let's not forget why America began.


"Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia [...]" - From the Mayflower Compact


"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

- Patrick Henry

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Let's not forget why America is.




"The hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations." - George Washington to Thomas Nelson Jr.


"We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come." - Samuel Adams

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Do me a favor today, will you? Spend a few minutes praying for America and her future.


"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained." - George Washington 


"The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America….Our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal." - Ronald Reagan

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Happy Independence Day.