Allie

First of all, I have to say that this was an incredible book. I have put off posting a review about it because it’s a little hard to just talk about the book. It’s the kind of thing that you really have to experience for yourself. That said, I’m going to give a review a shot.

Kaylee Wren is ten years old and lives in an almost unimaginably horrible situation. After being abandoned by her mother and trapped in a tiny shack with a man who abuses her terribly, Kaylee is no longer able to speak. Instead, she amuses herself by reading a dictionary and imagining what the words sound like. Sierra Dawn is a thirty-four year old artist whose past mistakes haunt her life. When the two meet unexpectedly, events are set in motion that will change both of their lives and lead them toward the healing that is found only in Jesus.

This is an intense book. It is written in first-person present tense, which really pulls the reader into the minds and hearts of the two main characters. It deals with some very difficult topics with great insight and sensitivity, and ultimately points to the peace, hope, and love that God offers each of us. Despite the heavy material, there are some sweet, light-hearted, and heart-warming moments, especially with the precocious and word-loving Kaylee. Yttrup is truly a gifted writer and this is a remarkable book. I highly recommend it, especially if you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse. In spite of the ugly beginning, it is ultimately a beautiful tale of redemption, healing, and hope.

Whew! November was certainly an interesting month. I think I can honestly say that I have never given myself a writing goal and then actually worked toward it before. In some ways I liked it and in some ways I didn’t. I think I wrote some pretty awful stuff just so I could say I had written something. I did make significant progress in my novel, and had the joy of writing several scenes that had been stuck in my head for quite some time. Probably for years. I did not, however, “win” National Novel Writing Month by writing a novel of 50,000 words, and I didn’t finish my book. I wrote 25,000 words and am now about 2/3 into my book. For me, that’s pretty good progress in a month.

I learned a lot during this process. I learned that it really is a good idea to have writing goals and discipline. It’s also a good idea, for me at least, to write first and edit later. NaNo forced me to just keep going, even if I’d just written something that I thought was really awful. Maybe when I go back later, it won’t seem so bad. And even if it does, I can always fix it.

I am planning to try again and actually win next year. Next time, I’ll plan to start a new novel instead of beginning the month 30,000 words into one, and see how that goes. Even though I didn’t win this year, I am glad I decided to give it a try. I now have 55,000 words written, and am hoping to have a complete rough draft in another month or two.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Well, we’ve passed the midpoint of November, so of course I should have nearly 30,000 words written so far.  I don’t. I’m a little behind.  By about 12,000 words.  However, the good news is that I’m feeling better, I actually have about 45,000 words written in my story, I’ve passed the midpoint and I’m getting into some good stuff.  So even though I’m dreadfully behind, I am choosing to stay positive and believe that I can still finish this thing by the end of the month.  I’ve been wrestling with a particularly difficult plot element for some time now and I think I may have a solution for that.  Last night at church while I was sitting in the class I’m taking on worldviews I had a moment of inspiration (completely unrelated to the class topic) that provided a possible way to deal with my problem.  I’m very excited about it, even though it will require significant rewriting of what I’ve already written.  However, November is not National Novel Rewriting Month (I think that might be December, unofficially), so I’m going to move on with new words and fix my existing words later.

This is also a good time for an announcement: If you usually read these posts when they magically appear as a note on Facebook, this is probably the last time you will be able to do so.  Facebook has announced that they will no longer automatically import blog posts into notes.  So beginning with my next post, I will be sharing via a link on my Facebook page and I would be so happy if you would follow those thinks and continue reading the random meanderings of my mind.  Enjoy!

When I started National Novel Writing Month 10 days ago, I anticipated there would be some obstacles I would have to overcome in order to finish.  I did not expect to immediately get sick with a lingering respiratory infection or hit a wall (figuratively) about 5,000 words in, but so far that is what has happened.  In spite of those things, I have reached the 10,000 word mark.  I’m a little over 5,000 words behind my target word count at this point, but I am comforting myself with the knowledge that I have never written 10,000 words in 10 days or less at any other time in my life.  Also, I’m not hopelessly behind.  I’ll just have to step up my game a bit in order to catch up.

One thing I have learned so far is that writing is hard.  It is one of the most natural things in the world for me to do, but it isn’t easy.  I confess I often read books and find myself thinking, “I could have written this better.”  It’s one thing to see ways that an existing story could be improved, but it’s quite another to invent a story completely out of my own head.  It’s a challenge, but it’s a fun and exciting one, and I am loving it.  Most of what I’m writing right now is pretty bad, so none of you will be reading it any time soon (and you can thank me for that, trust me), but I’m confident that it will improve in the rewrite process.

Now that I’m starting to feel better, I’m looking forward to charging ahead and getting caught up, and then finishing this thing.  10,000 words down, 40,000 to go.  Obstacles?  Bring ’em on!

For most people, November brings to mind images of family time, a chill in the air, football, and turkey. I have recently discovered that for the writing community, November means National Novel Writing Month: a totally insane writing frenzy during which both first-time and experienced authors take the plunge and attempt to write a novel (or 50,000 words of one, which really isn’t enough words for anything but a children’s novel) in one month. It’s exhilarating, scary, and exhausting…or so I hear. Although I had heard of NaNo before, I had not participated because honestly, it was too scary. But then last month, the writer’s chat that I have recently joined picked NaNo for a topic, and I was intrigued. Then I was excited. Then I was terrified. Then I was hooked.

I have been writing for years – mostly in secret, because apparently writing is not something that rational people do for a living – but I have never finished a novel. It’s sad but true. Recently I’ve realized that starting in on a story, then setting it aside for a year or two, then coming back to it and deciding I have to rewrite it before I can continue, then setting it aside again, then starting back and rewriting it again was really not getting me anywhere. I got over that and decided to start a different story. Now I’m 30,000 words into it, which is more words than I’ve ever written in a single story before. So here’s my confession: instead of starting again with a totally new story, like you’re supposed to do in NaNo, I’m going to start from where I am in my story and finish it. 80,000 words should do nicely. When I first started thinking about doing NaNo, I was going to follow the rules and start fresh. But I like this story, and I really just want to finish one before I start on something new. I think in some ways it will make the challenge of writing 50,000 words in a month more difficult, because I’m already dealing with some plot hang-ups and wondering just exactly where I’m going to go from here. Still, 50,000 new words is 50,000 new words, and that’s what I’m going to do. I wrote 1,000 this morning. Only 49,000 more to go. Wish me luck!

Who am I?  Such a little question, but the answer can be so many things.  Who I am is more than the things I do, the (sometimes stupid) things I say, how I spend my time, or the people in my life…although all those things make up who I am.

Do you ever wonder who you are?  Or who you are meant to be?  Or do you think you know, but are you afraid to admit it to anyone else?  Because putting it out there, saying “This is who I am,” can be a scary thing.  What if you make that announcement and then no one likes it?  Or likes you because of it?  Or what if you don’t even like it very much?  Or you wish you were more than who you have become?  What then?

In thinking about this, I can’t help but think of the ultimate “I AM.”  He wasn’t afraid to put Himself out there.  All throughout the Bible, God tells us who He is.  He is holy.  He is righteous.  He can’t stand sin, but in His grace He provides a path for the sinner.  When Moses asked Him, “Who should I say you are?” He answered: “I AM WHO I AM.”  Unapologetic.  Unafraid.  He simply is who He is.  And yet, He cares for each of the people He created so much that He gave each of us an identity, too.  We are made in His image.  As His Holy Spirit flows through us, we reflect that image to the world around us.  We are not cookie-cutter copies, but something different.  Something richer and so much more creative.  God is so infinite that we can all be made in His image and still be individuals, with a unique set of gifts and personality quirks that can all be used for His glory.

So who am I?  Can I tell you a secret?  I have always known who I am, but it has always scared me.  For years I tried to be something else, anything else, as long as it fit into whatever I thought was “normal.”  I took my identity and called it a dream, an ambition, something that I would maybe do someday if I had enough time or money.  I set it aside for awhile because I knew there were other things God wanted me to do, but it never changed.  Now I’ve grown up a bit, I’m a little braver than I used to be, a little more confident that God has a plan and He can do whatever He wants to in me, and a little more willing to step out of “normal” and into the unknown.  I believe that God is giving back what I gave Him years ago.  I don’t know what He’ll do with it, but this is what I know: I am a writer.  People can attach any number of labels to that.  I might be a good writer, or a bad writer, or a crazy writer, or a novel writer, or a freelance writer, or maybe even a published writer, but none of that changes who I am.  Of course I am other things, too.  Look on Facebook, Twitter, or my profile on this blog and you can see all those other things.  But the scary secret is out.  The truth is, whatever else I may also be, I am a writer.  Always have been, always will be.  I have always known.  Now you know, too.

Time for another confession: Mythology fascinates me. I have pretty early memories of reading the sections on Greek gods in my illustrated encyclopedia. (Yes, I spent many happy hours reading that encyclopedia. I doubt this surprises anyone) The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters sparked my interest in Egyptian archaeology and mythology. So naturally when I discovered that the author of the delightful Percy Jackson series, which moves Greek gods and goddesses into modern America, had started a series involving the Egyptian pantheon, I just had to read it. I was not disappointed.

The Red Pyramid is written as a transcription of a recording by Carter and Sadie Kane, a brother/sister duo raised separately following their mother’s tragic death when Sadie was six. While Carter followed his globe-trotting American archaeologist father on various research expeditions, Sadie lived in England with their mother’s parents. Six years later, during their Christmas visitation time, their worlds are blown apart again – literally. During a visit to the British Museum, their father Julius performs some strange ancient magic and releases five imprisoned gods including the evil and powerful Set, Lord of Chaos. Set imprisons Julius in a magical sarcophagus, and it is up to Carter and Sadie to find and free him. There is quite a bit more to the story, of course, including a long-lost uncle, a mysterious guardian cat, and a host of enemies like ancient magicians and minor gods. Add some great unfolding destiny, off-beat humor, and the possibility of mass annihilation to the mix, and you have a really fun, action-packed thrill ride that spans the globe, stopping at several well-known landmarks across the way.

I really enjoy Riordan’s style. He writes with fast-paced, slightly-sarcastic humor that I appreciate. I also like the way he describes places. Whether it’s Central Park, the Cairo airport, or White Sands National Monument, you get the feeling that he’s actually been there. Without wasting words on flowery language, he paints pictures of people and places in such a way that reading his books is almost like watching a movie. It’s fun.

So if you think ancient mythological gods and goddesses make for good entertainment, check out The Kane Chronicles. I’m looking forward to reading The Throne of Fire, the next installment in the series.