by Naomi L. | January 1, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Happy New Year! It’s the first day of 2014, and as we all know, the start of a new year means the promise of new beginnings. It also means the emergence of those infamous promises we make ourselves: New Year’s resolutions. Sure, maybe most of them don’t make it past February, but I still think it’s good to motivate ourselves to make the next year even better than the last. That’s why I want to start this year’s blog posts with a list of my own resolutions for my 2014 writing experience!
Since I’m in vacation mode, I’ll keep this post short and sweet. Here are my hopes for 2014:
1) Be more productive with my writing. Not that I haven’t been productive already, but there’s always room for improvement, right? It probably goes without saying that I’d love to be able to write even more in 2014 than I did in 2013, as much for my blog as for my stories. What writer wouldn’t want the time and inspiration to work on several projects at once?
2) Work more on my novels. I admit it: I haven’t been working on my novels as much as I should. I could blame it on all the other projects that I’ve been busy with lately, but in the back of my mind, I still keep telling myself I should be working on my novels every day, even if it’s just a little bit at a time. Hopefully I can get back on track this year. Like many aspiring writers, I dream of the day when I can finally say I published a book!
3) Read new books. Guess who got Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy for Christmas? Hint: she’s so excited to read these books that she’s blogging about them right now! I’m looking forward to reading some great new books this year, and maybe even adding them to my list of book reviews!
4) Connect with more writers. I really should be networking more. After all, if I want to be a successful author, it’s essential that I connect with as many other writers as possible. I’ve already met some very interesting people in the past year; I hope to meet many more in the year to come!
5) Keep having fun! Need I say more?
So what about you? What are your hopes for 2014?
by Naomi L. | December 25, 2013 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Merry Christmas! It’s the last Wednesday of the year, so to finish off my creative writing posts for 2013, here’s a brief review of what I’ve enjoyed most about my writing experience this past year. Enjoy!
Learning about blogging (and more importantly, that I can do it)
Of course I had my doubts about blogging before I started. What blogger hasn’t? But being active in the online community has turned out to be an amazing learning experience. I figured out blogging pretty quickly (the basics, at least), and I’ve learned that I’m surprisingly capable of maintaining my own site. But the best thing I’ve leaned about blogging is that it’s a lot of fun, and I look forward to writing many more posts in the foreseeable future!
Developing discipline
Honestly, when I started this blog, I wasn’t sure I’d have the discipline to write consistently for a long time. I knew the passion of writing would keep me going strong in the beginning (and it did), but as with many of my hobbies, the fire tends to burn out after a while, leaving me with a choice to either continue with an activity that now feels like work or just give up altogether. More often than not, I simply bail, but blogging has turned out to be different. Having made a commitment to my writing publicly keeps me motivated to stay on course, and with that, I’ve been developing a stronger sense of discipline. To my surprise, I’ve found that this actually helps keep the fun in writing, and more importantly, it will certainly be useful when I write my novels!
Discovering new ideas
If there’s one thing the Internet is full of, it’s creativity. Being active online has been great for brainstorming, since there never seems to be an end to the interesting ideas I find. From reading blog posts to trading writing prompts to sharing opinions, being part of the blogosphere has kept my mind active and the new ideas flowing. Could I ask for anything more?
Meeting new writers
This is one of my favorite parts of my writing experience this year: meeting other writers on the same journey as me. Sure, we all may be at different stages, but the important thing is that we all understand what it means to be a writer. We know the joys of building worlds out of words, the sorrows and frustrations of writer’s block, and the satisfaction that comes with finally typing the last period in a story. We all know the ups and downs of writing, and for that, we find strength in supporting each other through the process. In a way, we’re all in this together.
And that concludes my creative writing topics for 2013! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! Here’s to more wonderful writing experiences in 2014!
by Naomi L. | December 18, 2013 | Blog, Creative Writing, Off The Bookshelf |
It’s the holiday season, and that means it’s the perfect time to share a blog post about a Christmas-themed story! I had originally planned this post for next week (Christmas Day), but when I realized Christmas is also the last Wednesday of the year, I decided to bump this review up and save next week for a special post instead. So here it is a week early, a review of another of my favorite Dr. Seuss books: How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Dr. Seuss
Summary
Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot,
But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did NOT!
– How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (Dr. Seuss, 1957)
Originally published by Random House in 1957, How The Grinch Stole Christmas! tells the story of a grouchy creature known as the Grinch and his plot to ruin Christmas for the town of Whoville, located just south of his cave on Mount Crumpet. Annoyed every year by the festivities of the warm-hearted Whos, he dons a makeshift Santa Claus costume and descends into Whoville on Christmas Eve to steal all their presents, food and decorations, in the hope of stopping the holiday from ever arriving. Come Christmas morning, however, he is surprised to find that despite his best efforts to discourage them, the Whos still have the spirit of Christmas in them, and that day, the Grinch learns a valuable lesson about the true meaning of the holiday season.
Review
I’ve always appreciated How The Grinch Stole Christmas! for its uplifting message about the holiday spirit. With all the commercialization that Christmas has undergone over time, it’s easy to lose sight of the simpler things we should enjoy during the holidays, such as the company of our loved ones and all the possibilities that come with a new year. Puzzled to hear the Whos singing on Christmas morning, the Grinch starts to wonder why his plan didn’t work, and comes to a heartwarming revelation.
Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
It probably goes without saying that the author’s intention with this story was to criticize the commercialization of Christmas. Interestingly, the Grinch has been compared to Seuss himself, who claimed to have found inspiration for the character after seeing a “Grinchy” face in the mirror on December 26th. His idea was to write this sour character in order to rediscover the meaning of Christmas, which he felt had been lost on him at some point in the past. The same way he did with Horton Hears a Who!, Dr. Seuss drew from his own life experience to tell a heartwarming story that readers of all ages can enjoy for its important lesson.
The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Like most of Dr. Seuss’s children’s books, How The Grinch Stole Christmas! is written in rhyming verse and illustrated with colorful and bizarre characters, making it a fun and memorable read for the whole family. A noteworthy adaptation of the book is the 1966 TV special directed by Chuck Jones (of Looney Tunes fame). I remember watching it often as a kid and smiling every time the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes at the end of the story (not to mention Cindy Lou Who was probably the sweetest little thing I’d ever seen in a classic cartoon). It’s an adaptation I’d highly recommend, so if you haven’t seen it yet and it runs annually on TV in your region, be sure to watch it this holiday season! And while you’re at it, you may want to read the book again; it’s truly a Christmas classic!
Inspiration
What I find most inspiring about this book is the way it never fails to fill me with holiday cheer, regardless of the time of year. I enjoy a good story where the villain is the main character, and seeing the Grinch embrace the Christmas spirit helps me remember that there’s more to the holidays than presents (not that I ever needed much reminding, with a wonderful family like mine).
Overall, How The Grinch Stole Christmas! is a very enjoyable read, and one that should definitely be on every Seuss fan’s bookshelf. Whether I’m in the mood for his fun stories and illustrations or for his good life lessons, I always find something wonderful to enjoy in Dr. Seuss’s charming holiday tale! Enjoy, and have a very Merry Christmas!
by Naomi L. | December 11, 2013 | Blog, Creative Writing |
It’s the last Writers Reveal round of the year! This month’s topic was sent to me by Emily Hawker, who suggested the prompt “Santa Claus is real”. Based on that idea, I wrote a short story with a Christmas theme. Hope you like it! Thanks for the topic, Emily! Happy Holidays, everyone!
Catching Santa
Noelle crouched behind the living room sofa, staring at the fireplace as quietly as her excitement would allow. This was it for sure, she thought. The cookies and milk had been set by the Christmas tree, and hanging over the fireplace was a laundry basket tied to a rope that ran over the shelves all the way to her hand, exactly the way she’d seen her big brother do it. Everything was in place, and she was confident her plan would work. This year, she was going to catch Santa Claus.
The eight-year-old girl waited in the dark corner for what felt like an eternity. She was all alone in the living room. Her parents had gone to bed ages ago, and she had made sure to sneak back downstairs long after the lights had been turned off. The only illumination in the room came from the moonlight through the window and the dim lights on the tree, but it would still be enough to see Santa when he came… right?
Yes, of course it would. After all, the room starting to grow darker was just her imagination. She was so excited to see him; that’s why the lights on the tree seemed to be fading. She couldn’t possibly sleep now. No, she only needed to rest her eyes, just for a second…
“Noelle?”
The eight-year-old stirred at the sound of a female voice above her, and she slowly opened her eyes… until she remembered where she was. Suddenly, Noelle bolted upright to see her mother looking down at her from over the couch. At the same time, the string that had been trapped under her weight broke free. A second later, there was a loud crash, and mother and daughter turned to see a man sitting by the fireplace with a laundry basket over his head and some boxes wrapped in bright paper sprawled around him.
Noelle jumped up and hurried across the room to the man now lifting the basket off his head. Could it be…? No, it wasn’t Santa, she realized when the lights were turned on; it was her father. The man rose to his feet as his wife approached and the girl apologized profusely. After they asked if he was all right and he insisted he was fine, both parents turned their attention to their daughter.
“Noelle, sweetie, what are you doing?” said the woman.
The child looked at her feet, embarrassed. “I was trying to catch Santa Claus.”
“But why?”
“Tommy said Santa isn’t real, so I wanted to catch him to prove that he is!”
“Sweetheart”, said Noelle’s mom, kneeling down to her level, “you shouldn’t listen to your brother. I know you really want to meet Santa, but… it’s very hard to catch him, especially on Christmas Eve. He’s magical, and he’s always a step ahead. He probably knew about your plan all along, so…”
“That’s why he left your presents in our room”, said Noelle’s dad awkwardly. “He wanted us to put them under the tree for him.”
“Right.” The woman smiled at her husband before turning back to her daughter. “OK, sweetie? Now it’s time for bed.”
Noelle’s mother scooped her up while her father set about cleaning up the mess left by the trap. The girl sighed as her mom carried her upstairs, watching over the woman’s shoulder as her dad placed the boxes under the tree. Was Tommy right after all? Did their parents really leave Santa’s presents every year? Or were they the ones telling the truth?
Tucked into bed, Noelle bid her mother goodnight with a kiss and watched her step out of the room. Alone again, the child fell back on her pillow and turned on her side. That was when she noticed the red envelope sitting on her nightstand. Curious, the girl turned her lamp on and opened the envelope to read the neatly written letter inside.
Dear Noelle,
I’m sorry for ruining your plan to catch me tonight. As you know, Christmas Eve is a very busy time for me. As much as I would love to help you, I have a lot of presents to deliver to other good children like yourself, and I wouldn’t have the time to stay. I hope you understand why I needed your parents to help me.
I’m sure we’ll have a chance to meet next year. Until then, keep being a good little girl. And try not to trap your dad with a basket again.
Thank you for believing in me, Noelle! Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Your friend,
Santa Claus
P.S. Don’t worry about Tommy. He doesn’t like to believe in me because I put him on the Naughty list every year. He isn’t very nice to his little sister.
Noelle smiled as she read the last line of the letter. Jumping out of bed and rushing to the window, she looked outside just in time to see a silhouette flying past the moon, shaped very much like… Could it be?
Yes, it had to be. She had proof right in her hand, and she clutched the paper tight as she flailed her arm at the figure waving back at her. She didn’t need anything else for Christmas, not even to prove she was right. It was enough to know the truth in her heart.
From that night on, Noelle promised she would never again doubt that Santa Claus was real.
This has been a special topic post in Emily Morgan’s Writers Reveal. To learn more, just follow the button below to her site, and be sure to check out the other blogs participating in the event. Thanks for reading!
Other bloggers in the Writers Reveal
Emily Morgan: Emily Morgan Writes
Melissa Khalinsky: Melissa Writes
Jodi Gibson: JFGibson
Becky Fyfe: Imagine! Create! Write!
Rhianna: A Parenting Life
Ashley Howland: Ghostnapped
Emily Hawker: You Learn Something New Every Day
Emily Toxward: Have A Laugh On Me
by Naomi L. | December 4, 2013 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Flash fiction is quickly becoming one of my favorite formats of creative writing. Interestingly enough, I didn’t even know what it was three years ago. I discovered it through my 2011 creative writing course as a format called the “short short story”, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with it.
Short short stories, also known as flash fiction, are stories with less than the typical short story word count, though exactly how much that is depends on the source. From my understanding, a short story consists of at least 1,000 words; anything shorter is considered flash fiction.
As I soon learned, this style of writing was perfectly suited for me, and I’ve been writing more often in this format over the past few years. I haven’t been familiar with flash fiction for too long, so I can’t really go into an extensive lesson about it. What I can do, however, is list the main reasons why I’ve enjoyed my experience with it so far, and why I think others could enjoy it too. So just for fun, here’s a list of five reasons I love flash fiction.
1) Quick to write, quick to read. Who has the time to read long stories these days? OK, a lot of people do, but for those who don’t have that much time on their hands, flash fiction is a great alternative, for readers and writers alike. While a novel may take days to finish and short stories need time to be fully appreciated, several flash fiction stories can be written and/or read in a single sitting, making them the literary equivalent of “snacks” to the longer stories’ “supper”. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t believe a writer should take any less care with a short short story than with a novel, but when the demand for editing grows exponentially with increasing word count, flash fiction is probably the best place for the less experienced to start.
2) Best of two worlds. When I was introduced to short short stories, I learned that they’re considered a middle ground between poetry and short stories. Since I love both formats, being able to mix them into one has proven an excellent option for me. With the brevity of poetic verse and the structure of short stories, flash fiction encompasses the best of both worlds, and for that, I love it all the more.
3) A challenge for the mind. How do you tell an entire story in so few words? Trying to condense a plot – complete with characters, setting and conflict – is an exercise that I’ve found quite challenging, and it’s really helped me develop my skills as a writer. By challenging writers to cut a story down to the bone, I think flash fiction is great for helping beginners understand the essence of fiction, an essential first step for any aspiring storyteller.
4) Cutting out the “purple”. Another challenge of writing short fiction is having to place significance on every single word of a story. When working with a limit of very few words, there’s no room for unnecessary flowery details. It’s imperative to get straight to the point with only the most basic details, and that makes flash fiction excellent practice for avoiding “purple prose“. Tell a story, period.
5) It’s fun! I think this pretty much says it all. For all the reasons above, I have tons of fun writing flash fiction, and that’s why it’s one of my favorite styles of writing!
What about you? Why do (or don’t) you like flash fiction? Any other points you would add to this list?
by Naomi L. | November 27, 2013 | Blog, Creative Writing, Off The Bookshelf |
Since last week’s post was dedicated to the amazing children’s author Dr. Seuss, I wanted to follow it up with a post about one of his many wonderful books. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how hard it would be to choose which book to feature; there are so many good stories by Seuss that it’s almost impossible to choose just one favorite. Eventually, though, I settled on one of the books I find most inspiring: Horton Hears a Who!
Horton Hears a Who!, by Dr. Seuss
Summary
First published in 1954 by Random House, Horton Hears a Who! tells the story of Horton the Elephant, a resident of the Jungle of Nool, and his quest to help the Whos. After hearing a small yelp coming seemingly out of thin air, Horton discovers the microscopic civilization of Whoville living on a speck of dust. Deciding that every life has value regardless of size, he places the speck on a clover and sets out to find a safe location to keep the Whos out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, being the only one with ears keen enough to hear these tiny people, the elephant has trouble convincing the other jungle residents that Whoville exists, and when they decide to put an end to his crazy antics by destroying the clover, Horton must struggle to save his new friends and teach the people of the Jungle of Nool an important lesson: “a person’s a person, no matter how small”.
Review
Horton the Elephant is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss characters, mostly for his kindness and integrity. He stays true to his word no matter what; as seen in the previous story featuring his character – Horton Hatches the Egg – when Horton makes a promise, he has every intention of seeing it through, and that makes him one of the best role models in Seuss’s stories.
I meant what I said
And I said what I meant.
An elephant’s faithful,
One hundred per cent!
– Horton the Elephant, Horton Hatches the Egg (Dr. Seuss, 1954)
Like many of Dr. Seuss’s books, Horton Hears a Who! is more than just a children’s story. It also teaches good lessons, such as the importance of open-mindedness and understanding the issues of isolationism. Horton’s biggest challenge is convincing his peers that something they can’t perceive or fathom actually exists – which, when you think about it, is a story that’s only too familiar in real life. But what’s really interesting about this book is the history behind its lessons. Once strongly opposed to Japan, the author changed his opinions after World War II, and used this book as an analogy for the American post-war occupation, even dedicating the book to a Japanese friend. Overall, the metaphor of two worlds overlapping creates a beautiful message, one that children can certainly understand and appreciate.
Horton Hears a Who! is one of Seuss’s most notable works. From the children’s book to the TV special to the 2008 full-length feature film (which I thoroughly enjoyed; I swear the “We are here!” scene gives me chills every time I watch it), this story is wonderfully imaginative and fun for readers and viewers of all ages. Though they may have been written for a young audience, no one is too old to enjoy the stories of the great Dr. Seuss!
Inspiration
What I always found inspiring about this book was the main character’s determination to help an entire community that he couldn’t even see. I admired Horton’s devotion to his cause, and the respect he had for all forms of life made him a truly lovable hero. With colorful characters, adventure and a heartwarming message, Horton Hears a Who! is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories, and one I’ll definitely enjoy for the rest of my life.
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