Beautiful Books: The Pieces of Us

(Beware: This post contains a lot of formatting issues that came up out of nowhere, and they are not cooperating with me no matter how many times I edit this post. XD)

There is less than half an hour before NaNoWriMo 2016 officially starts, and I have a test tomorrow, but I’m writing this instead of studying, because I’ve never participated in a Beautiful Books linkup before and I am so excited about NaNo that I can hardly wait to start typing. This year is off to an exciting start. The first surprise was that I was actually going to participate (because how can one face these things while in college?!?!), and the second was that I came up with a plot four days ago. The characters are just screaming to be written, they have a pretty interesting story to tell, and I am so excited to see where this month takes us.

Beautiful Books, if you're interested, is a lovely linkup hosted by Sky @ Further Up & Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. So many people participated in the linkup this month and I might or might not have been stalking so many posts to see the incredible things people are writing. I can already tell this NaNo will be great. I hope all of those books get published so I can hurry up and read them. XD

Anyway, without further ado, I shall introduce The Pieces of Us!

1. What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

Well, as I mentioned above, I’ve had the idea for about four days now, and we’re still going strong. Two of the main characters, Ivan and Dani, have been in my head for about five days, though, because they were really what got the ball rolling with this plot. As far as inspiration goes, I was actually more inspired by pictures this time. I have a board on Pinterest devoted to faces for unnamed/uncreated characters, and I felt like writing that night, so I picked a photo, and I wrote about the guy in it. That was Ivan, and the same thing happened with Dani. So I guess you could say Pinterest pinspired me to write this novel (oh my gosh, not puns; I should really be studying right now).

2. Describe what your novel is about!

Dani Whittington knows that girls like her don’t get happy endings; that’s just how it works. Her foster brother, Ivan O’Direk, knows that life isn’t fair, but he’s done with the system. Soon, Dani will be eighteen, and they can finally get away from their foster father and Arkdale, Alabama as possible. 

Enter Levi Han: a reclusive introvert making a last-ditch effort to graduate high school. In order to graduate, he has to spend an entire summer working on a project, getting to know one of his classmates personally. There’s only one catch: The student the school placed him with is one mistake away from expulsion or - worse - juvie, and it’s up to Levi to keep her out of trouble. 

But wherever Dani Whittington goes, trouble follows, and before he knows it, Levi is embarking on a journey across the country to attend the funeral of a man he has never met. As their stories intertwine and what was supposed to be a simple trip becomes a murder investigation, Levi, Dani, and Ivan find themselves caught in a web of deception and danger with no way out.

3. What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!

4. Introduce us to each of your characters!

Oh my gosh, okay. There are only three (four if you count Alexander, but all he has is a name; there's also an inkling of another female character in the back of my head, but she has yet to reveal herself). Let me tell you, these three characters listed below are monsters. Once I started writing about their personalities and backstories, I couldn't stop. I'll try to condense everything into a few sentences if I can, but I make no promises.

Levi Han, ladies and gentleman. I'm not sure that I've ever had such a mischievous adorable character before. Despite the fact that he is the main character and the story is in his perspective, I found it hard to get to know Levi. He watches the world, but there is not much he wants to reveal about himself. UNTIL TODAY. So, I was just minding my own business, attempting to form some sort of outline this morning, when all of a sudden, Levi casually throws in something about him not being some easy going, only child, who wants to graduate high school.

Apparently, something serious happened a year ago by the time the story starts, and I still don't know what it is. But it is serious, and he isn't telling anyone about it. Also, there is a more recent conflict with him, too, and I am just like, "Okay, kid. Why are you so messed up? You were supposed to be the GOOD ONE." But no. He isn't the good one. Not even close.

I'm not sure what else to say about him. He doesn't know how to swim. He wants to be a filmmaker. He's a little brat but I love him.

This is Dani Whittington. Her picture is even sideways out of spite for those who want to tell her who to be. I didn't know much about Dani when I first started writing, only that she wasn't the person everyone seemed to think she was, but it wasn't until I began delving into her character more that I realized she had a lot to say. She has grown up in the foster care system since she was eight years old, and it has had a detrimental impact on her life.

Moving from family to family, constantly facing uncertainty and instability, Dani learned to rely on only herself, though in her heart, she longs to trust others. The only person she has remained close to for an extended period of time is Ivan, her foster brother, and although she'll never admit it aloud, she has an enormous soft spot in her heart for him.

She also has a "get-the-bleep-out-of-here" fund and she eats strawberry poptarts for breakfast.

Meet Ivan O'Direk. He was the first character to pop into my head, and also the first (and last) to be quiet so the others would have a turn to talk. I decided to just type whatever came to me the night Ivan was created (instead of obsessing over the smallest of details, which is my usual forte), and this was the second sentence I wrote about Ivan: "He was the kind of guy you could count on to bring you Sour Patch kids at two o'clock in the morning, but the kind of guy who would leave you stranded at a bus stop in the pouring rain because he thought it would make for a great story later."

I don't know what that means, to be honest, but I couldn't continue writing at all until I wrote that down, so I think it's just Ivan. He's kind of quirky, rough around the edges, but when he cares about someone or something, he is loyal and dedicated. He's a weird mixture of a bad boy and a teddy bear, and I still don't understand how that works, but it does. It's Ivan, my quirky little baby.

5. How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)

I've been attempting to outline lately, mainly because I know that I'll be busy with school and papers and tests, but I have a feeling it might be more howling as the month goes on, because I'm writing 50,000 words on top of school and papers and tests. Chocolate sounds nice, too (let's face it: I'm not prepared).

6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

I am definitely looking forward to all of the surprises my characters have in store for each other. I think they're all quite similar, but simultaneously so, so different, so it will be interesting to see them work together and get to know one another. I'm also looking forward to the storyline. It is more focused on crime than any of my other books have ever been, and I think it will be fun to write about that side of things.

7. List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

A town too small to hold wild dreams, a car too small to hold wild teens, and a church too small for a fist fight.

8. What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?

Levi's goal is obviously to keep Dani out of trouble in order to keep him from failing his project. Dani is the one who stands in the way of that, as always. Dani's problem is that she wants to discover who she is, but she is so far disconnected from the life she might have had that she can't quite figure out where she fits into everything else. I'm not really sure what Ivan's goals are yet. He's still being quiet.

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

I'm thinking that they'll all have changed drastically by the end of the novel, mostly realizing that there's nothing they have to face alone.

10. What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

Trust, adventure, crime, friendship. I'm sure these will evolve into other things as the story goes on, but for now, those are the book's themes. I hope that readers will feel encouraged, maybe a little sad (in a good way). I hope this book will cause them to reflect on their own lives and relationships more.

Voila!

Well, that is all! I managed to (barely) finish this before the clock strikes midnight! I'm so excited about this NaNo, and I can't wait to see where these characters will take me!

What about you guys? What are you writing for NaNo? How are you getting along with your characters? How do you prepare to write? I can't wait to hear all about your stories!

The Diary of a Fictional Character in Love

Alas, I am afraid NaNoWriMo has ended, but my story has not. So far, you've heard from Lorcan and Elroy. But it's my turn now. We're still writing in our journals, since Jill has not yet completed the novel. In my opinion, giving us journals was a great idea. I mean, seriously, I'm one of two girls surrounded by a group of loud, smelly boys. A journal is long overdo.

You see, none of the guys would want to sit through me talking (except Corlan, but . . . he's kind of an old guy and he went back home some time ago). And, of course, Princess Neala is a girl, but I doubt she wants to hear me whine about feelings and other things that bother me.

So, that's what you're here for. :) I suppose I should first introduce myself and then my predicament.

My name is Fiona Harren. I'm seventeen years old and I am currently traveling with a group of nobodies (and one somebody!) to find and rescue King Ieli, bringing him back to safety. My real home is in Hanoria, Dalithorne. My middle name is Arlene and I hate it (so don't you dare tell anyone). I dream of being rich and able to afford nice things. I'd also like to live somewhere nicer. I stay with my mother, but I spend a lot of time hanging out with my friend, Driscol, who runs a bar in our small town. I have recently fallen in love with the most incredible guy on the planet and . . . Well, that's where the predicament comes in.

It's natural for people to fall in love. It happens all the time, everyday, all around us. Sometimes it's love at first sight and, at other times, a friendship slowly blossoms into something beautiful. In my case, it was the first.

Rylan Laury is his name. He has shaggy, blond hair and eyes so blue the sky can't even compete. It's no wonder it was love at first sight. But, you see, love at first sight won't always work out, for a person has to have at least some sort of personality. And let me tell you, Rylan Laury's personality completes him. He is, indeed, perfect, in every sense of the word.

In fact, just the other day he--

Oops. Hold on. Jill needs me for something. (I think it has something to do with my father, who recently returned. That's a LONG story. I'll whine about it when I come back.)

~ * ~ * ~

"I think I'm gonna throw up," muttered Elroy, scanning the page once more to make sure he hadn't missed anything important. " 'His eyes so blue the sky can't even compete'? I mean, really, what is that?"

"Dude, it's called love," Donovan explained, reading over his brother's shoulder. "Maybe she's just faking, though. I mean, why would she leave something like this out in the open?"

Gael rolled his eyes from where he was leaning up against the trunk of a tree, sharpening a stick with his knife. "Isn't it a little childish to be messing with something that doesn't belong to you?"

Elroy snorted. "Yeah, because you're such a saint." He shook his head and stood up. "Just mind your own business for now. It's not like we're doing anything wrong. She left it here."

Gael never responded, so Donovan turned back to his brother. "Maybe he's right. We shouldn't read her diary. Girls don't like it when guys invade their privacy."

"And how do you know?"

"I got caught reading Neala's journal earlier . . ."

Elroy sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll just put it back where I found it." And he did, but not without scribbling something of his own on the page first.

~ * ~ * ~

I'm back. SO much happened while I was gone, but I'll have to tell you about that later, because it's getting dark and I don't want to get too off subject before I have to stop writing. Where was I . . .?

. . .

. . . . . . . . .

What.

WHAT?!?!?!?!

Okay. That's it. I won't write anymore tonight. In fact, I might throw you into the forest to be forgotten forever. Thanks a lot, Diary. Now excuse me while I go wallow in my embarrassment.

~ * ~ * ~

Slamming her diary shut and letting out a scream muffled by her hand over her mouth, Fiona Harren truly did wallow in her embarrassment. She made a big scene, pacing back and forth, muttering angrily to herself, wallowing in her embarrassment some more, and then finally deciding to simply collapse on the ground, since there was no one there to see her. Everyone had gone down to the lake when she went to retrieve her diary.

She officially hated her life.

And she hated it even more when, suddenly, she opened her eyes, and realized that, not only was it dark outside, but directly above her stood Rylan Laury himself, concern written all over his beautiful features.

She stood up quickly, brushing the dirt off her clothes and trying to make her hair look presentable (of course it never did). "Rylan . . ." Her voice trailed off and she could feel her face turning all shades of red, so she ducked her head.

"What's wrong?" he questioned casually, like he knew nothing about what had happened, like everything was fine, when it definitely wasn't. "Why were you sleeping on the ground?"

"I wasn't sleeping," she explained quickly. I was trying to forget about how perfect you are.

He nodded slowly. "Oh. Well, we're about to have dinner, if you're hungry."

"Berries again?"

"What else?"

She rolled her eyes and then the two of them fell into awkward silence as the crickets chirped around them. She was still kicking herself for ever writing in that stupid diary. It was the worst decision she'd ever made and she'd never stop regretting it. But Rylan knew everything now and there was nothing more to hide. It was both thrilling and terrifying.

"I'm so sorry about the diary," she blurted, causing him to jump in surprise. "I didn't know you'd see it, otherwise I would have never admitted those things. But I didn't know anyone would read it and I didn't realize you'd--"

"Wait, what?" he asked and she wondered if he was just trying to make her feel better.

"The diary!" She groaned pathetically and ran a hand through her short hair. "I'm sorry, but I really can't take any of it back! I mean, I want to -- trust me, I want to -- but it was all true! Your eyes are more beautiful than the sky and you are perfect! And I know it sounded stupid, but that's just how I feel and I completely understand if you never want to talk to me again!" She took a deep breath, looking right at him and feeling almost free. It was finally out in the open. "I feel the way I feel, Rylan. You don't have to feel the same way, but I do expect you to accept the fact that--"

"What diary?" he questioned, just as she exclaimed, "I'm in love with you!"

Both fell eerily silent, staring at each other with wide eyes. Brody shouted at them from a distance, saying something about eating berries, but neither one responded, or moved, or breathed. They only stared at each other, unsure of what to say or do next.

"U-Um," she stuttered, trying to avoid his gaze as her face started turning red again, "you didn't . . . read my diary?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "No. Why would I do something like that?"

"Then who . . ." She looked up. "But there was a note from someone in there! It said you'd read it all. Your name was signed at the end. It had to be you!"

He shook his head slowly. "Nope."

Now utterly humiliated, she slowly turned around and started back toward the journal she'd left next to her favorite, large, oak tree. "I know who it was," she muttered, wanting nothing more than to crawl into a hole and never come out. "Just leave me alone for now. Go eat."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead, he turned and started back up the hill, where the others, oblivious to what had just happened, were waiting for him.

She picked up her diary and quill, sighing again as she cursed herself for ever agreeing to write in that stupid journal.

~ * ~ * ~

Dear Diary,

Elroy is so dead.

Oh, and I hate you.

Love, Fiona. :)

Dear Diary/Journal Thing, Elroy Was Here

Yo. <----- That's the cool word I discovered this morning. No one ever uses it in Dalithorne. According to my author, yo is a word used to attract someone's attention. It can also be used as a greeting. In this case, it was both. Right . . .?

In honor of finishing Pretenders by Lisi Harrison in four days during NaNoWriMo, Jill assigned me and the guys (plus Neala) journals. I know. What you're thinking is probably the exact same thing I'm thinking, Journal. What. A. Stupid. Idea. We don't need journals! We're adventurers! We're men! We can handle ourselves and we don't have to write about our feelings to do so!

But she said if we write in our journals every single day, we'll get free food.

Yes, that's right.

She starves us. Such a slave driver. It's supposedly "for a good cause," but I doubt starving us could ever save some kittens.

Anyway, Donovan (my few-minutes-younger, twin brother) doesn't mind. He still has month-old candy in his pockets, so he won't be going hungry. But he writes, anyway. He was so excited when Jill brought this idea up. He grabbed a quill and started writing immediately. I mean, what is he? A girl? No man should ever have so many feelings welling up inside that he must write them the moment the idea is suggested to him.

No.

We put a fight, we argue, we lose the argument to a girl, and then we write. :)

. . . Phew. Close one. Jill was reading over my shoulder. I had to write that.
 
I'm not speaking to her anymore, not after what happened this morning. We're not on the best terms and I'm making sure she knows that. She deserves more than just the silent treatment after the way she treats her characters.

(P.S. Lorcan's blog was a lie. Characters don't control the story and, even if they try to, the author still dictates it.)

You see, I started a food fight in King Morain's castle and what did I get? Almost arrested.

Donovan resists arrest and what does he get? A kiss from the princess of Spirulous. Like he's all that. I'll have you know, he's a dork. (That's another word I learned today. It means, "a stupid or foolish person.") All he used to do back in the village was cook, or help Mama in the shop, or do all his chores like a perfect kid. He was nothing like me: a bad boy with ladies chasing after me left and right. I'm the exciting one. If anyone deserves to kiss a princess, it's me.

Oh, well. She didn't like it, anyway. I could tell by the way her face got all red. She asked to come with us after that, when we were heading out of the castle (more like running from guards, but whatever). I think it was because she saw me coming. I don't blame her, really. I am devastatingly handsome. You know that. ;)


Anyway, I really don't like the way Jill has set things up. I mean, what made her think I wanted to be with a bunch of idiots on this journey? Granted, she probably didn't want (a) girls, because they'd fight over me, or (b) smart people, because then it wouldn't be as obvious that I'm the greatest of all characters. But, you know, it's a lot of pressure being this cool. Jill really likes to put all that work on my shoulders, but I take it like a man, since I am one.

Which brings me back to the first part about why I shouldn't have a diary.

She said if she had to write all November, we did, too. Gael was brave enough to challenge her, but he lost when she threatened to have Morella (his five year old sister) appear and tag along for the journey. She threatened Rylan with having Fiona show up. She threatened me with Mama. That's why I'm writing right now.

I'm not sure whether or not Mama or Fiona will show up, but I've read some of Jill's ideas. Lying to her characters . . . Tsk, tsk. Poor Gael won't even see it coming. I don't plan on telling him, not now. There's no way I'm sticking my neck out and risking my mama showing up. She's scary when she's mad.

"Just write about how you feel," Jill explained earlier, as we all stared at her like she'd grown seven heads. "Or write about your day. I don't care what you write as long as it's nonfiction and something you wrote yourself." Lorcan groaned and then she added, "Fine. Write fiction if you want, but you have to write it yourself."

IMHO (a phrase I learned, it stands for "in my humble opinion"), she didn't give us enough details. So, I don't know what to write. I think I'll just sit here and pretend I'm writing. Oh, wait. I am writing. I guess this counts, since it's taking up space. Word. Word. Word.

Elroy.
 
Plemmons.

Is.

Awesome.

Wow. This is nonfiction. :D

Well, I guess I'll get going for now. My author is about to start writing again and apparently I'm needed on the set. Or something.

BTW (stands for "by the way"), Jill has the key to your lock, Journal. Please don't let her open you. Resist. Be strong, even if she tries to read the true words I've written, don't let her. She will take it and turn it into something else. You're the last bit of freedom of speech I have.

Great. Now she's yelling at me. With a smirk on her face. Her blog is open. I know where this is heading.

BE STRONG, DIARY MANLY JOURNAL WITH FEELINGS OF ONLY AWESOMENESS WRITTEN IN YOU.

With Love From Characters Who Hate Your Plot :)

Hello. It is I, Lorcan Madill. My author left her blog open again and, since I recently discovered all the terrible things she's going to do to us -- particularly me -- this November, I decided it wouldn't hurt to type something up here. I should have just started this post pretending to be her, but it's too late. I'm already here and I'm not erasing anyhting anything.

So, I considered writing a story about Jill and seeing how she likes it, but Donovan won't let me. He says it's too dangerous. He's probably right. However, instead of a story about my author, I'll write one about myself that'll be ten times better than that silly novel of hers. Prepare to be amazed.

~The Legendary Lorcan and Friends~

He stood there, surrounded on all sides by the vicious knights who'd come to take the princess back to her palace. There was no escaping. With their swords drawn and their bodies fully covered in armor, they were prepared for a fight and a fight they would get.

You see, they weren't about to battle just anyone. They were going to battle Lorcan Madill, the greatest fighter Dalithorne had ever seen. He'd won numerous fights against villainous thugs and his idiotic friends. He wasn't well-known, but only because anyone who had ever crossed him never lived to tell the tale.

He stared at his enemies, confidence evident in his brown eyes. This was going to be a piece of cake.

"Your eyes aren't brown," came a voice suddenly, startling our protaganist and all the knights surrounding him. "They're gray."

Lorcan rolled his eyes as he turned to face Elroy, who had been given no permission to enter his story. "I think I would know what color my own eyes are. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to save my darling Cahira from those evil men over there."

Elroy smiled mischievously as he stared at something behind his friend the person he was annoying. "Ah, but your darling has already been saved."

"What?" Whirling around to see who could have possibly ruined his story further, Lorcan spotted none other than Donovan Plemmons, Elroy's brother, running away from the sea of distracted knights, holding the hand of Princess Cahira, who looked rather ticked off. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"This isn't realistic at all," said Cahira, who let go of Donovan's hand and glanced back at everyone else. "If you're going to write about me, at least don't make me a damsel in distress."

"But you are one."

She shot a glare in the direction of a smirking Rylan Laury, who had appeared out of no where. "Who said you could be in this story? And, if you're here, you might as well help me out. Don't be such a guy."

He rolled his eyes, climbing into one of the nearby trees and motioning for everyone else to quiet down. "I hear something."

Elory snickered to himself, elbowing Lorcan playfully. "Careful, guys! He's thinking! This could get dangerous." And then a hole appeared in the ground beneath his feet and he fell straight down it, never to return again. Even as he dropped further and further, his voice could still be heard, "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO MEEEEEEE!"

"It's my story, so, yes. I can." Lorcan grinned proudly. "Now I see why Jill likes this stuff!"

"Something's coming," Rylan told them again, but Lorcan ignored him, snapping his fingers. The princess appeared in his arms and he was nearly giggling with glee before the knights all took a step forward, pointing their swords at him. He held Cahira closer to him, closing his eyes and smiling. "If writing is always a dream like this, please don't wake me up."

"Lorcan?"

"What is it, darling?"

"Put me down."

"My apologies, Princess, but that cannot happen. If I put you down, I'll wake up."

Pushing herself out of his arms, the princess laid flat on the ground with everyone else just before a humongous creature swooped down, nearly hitting all of them.

Actually, it did hit Lorcan, who found himself suddenly hundreds of feet in the air, falling from the sky. He considered screaming, and even fainting, but, after a while, he finally came to his senses and realized that neither of those things would be very manly, especially not when he was the best fighter in all of Dalithorne. So, instead, he closed his eyes and smiled just as he had earlier, not even thinking about how it would feel when he collided with the treetops or whatever it was he found his face crashing into, several seconds later.

"Hey, Lorcan!" someone shouted at him over the wind. Looking up, he recognized Princess Neala Fulton, that crazy chick who followed Gael around everywhere. She looked pretty enchanting, sitting there with the wind blowing through her hair and her smile lighting up the cloudy sky. (Really. You write yourself into my story to say something cheesy like that? -_-)

Wait. Why was the wind blowing through her hair? He looked down cautiously, holding on for dear life when he realized he was on the head of something green and scaly.

A dragon? Okay. Who gave the crazy girl a dragon?

"This is fun, right?" she exclaimed. Her eyes were sparkling with joy, or maybe it was just the wind, but, either way, she looked like she was having a good time. At least that made one of them. "I've almost figured out how to steer this thing!"

"Almost . . .?" It was true that there were not a lot of things that scared Lorcan Madill, but he figured anyone in his place would be terrified, so he took a moment to close his eyes and hope he'd make it out of this to tell the guys he'd survived yet another life threatening situation.

She giggled, looking more like a hyena than a princess. "Hold on tight."

He was about to ask what she was going doing when he suddenly felt himself sliding downward as the dragon started a nose dive toward the treetops. "Hey! No! Neala, go up, up! What's wrong with you?!"

"The others are probably worried about you," she explained, like it all made perfect sense. He finally allowed himself to scream as they got closer and closer to the trees and, finally, she knocked him right into a branch, sending him free falling toward the earth again. "Sorry, Lorcan!" And then she was gone, her half hearted apology echoing in his pounding head.

He was pretty sure Neala had just done the knights' job for them, but he couldn't bring himself to hate her for wanting to have some fun. So, he shouted for someone to rescue him as he hit branch after branch, getting closer and closer to the forest floor.

He was almost to the bottom of the first layer of branches when, suddenly, he hit something, hard, and went right back up into the air again, this time with someone else in front of him. "GET OUT OF MY STORY!" he screamed.

Gael barely glanced back at him, but the icy glare was unmistakable. "Fine. Next time I'll let you drop to your death."

Lorcan made a face, but didn't say anything he'd regret later. "What were you doing down here, anyway? It's dangerous for dragons to fly this low."

"Well, since that idiotic princess is set on getting herself into danger, I didn't have much of a choice, now did I?" His jaw clenched and he leaned closer to the dragon, a red one Elroy had named Phoenix, just as they soared upward, away from the treetops. "She took one of the dragons when I wasn't looking. She's more trouble than she's worth."

"So, you're just going to chase after her? Can't you at least drop me off?"

Gael glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. "Do you really want me to?"

He was about to say yes, but thought better of it. "Nah, I changed my mind . . ."

They were just catching up with Princess Neala when they flew right into a cloud and then, suddenly, they were back on the ground, with no dragons in sight and Neala right by their side. "What happened?" she asked.

Donovan shrugged. "You guys kind of pushed us out of the story. Oh, besides, Fiona and Driscol showed up."

Fiona waved enthusiastically and Driscol offered a nod, smiling a bit.

Lorcan sighed dramatically, leaning his head up against a nearby tree. "Why me?" he muttered pathetically. "Why me? Why can't you guys just stay out of my story and let me save Cahira from all the knights?" He cast a sideways glance at the knights, who weren't even concerned with the princess anymore. They were now all sitting down, laughing and telling stories. "See? Even they aren't working with me."

Rylan smirked, hopping down from the tree to stand next to his best friend. "And you expected all of us to cooperate why . . .?"

"Because you guys are my friends! And you could have been in the story, but no one got to see my awesome skills thanks to you and everyone else."

They all fell silent, each of them exchanging guilty glances and apologetic expressions. "We'll try to let you have the spotlight next time," Driscol promised and everyone else nodded.

"No, you won't," came a new voice. They all froze.

No.

It couldn't be.

But it was.

There stood Jill, only a few feet away, Elroy by her side. She had her eyebrows raised and she wore a look of accusation. "Which one of you hacked my blog?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Wasn't me," Elroy said softly, sticking his tongue out at Lorcan.

The other boy shot him a look that probably could have killed, if he had anymore control over this story. "Why are you back?"

The redhead shrugged. "The plot needed me, I guess."

"What plot? I'm not even sure this is the same story anymore."

Jill smiled, walking over to Lorcan and cocking her head to one side. "So, tell me, what happened today?"

He shook his head. "I was going to write a story while you were gone, but all the characters wanted to do their own thing and it was ridiculous! They didn't follow the script. They wouldn't even listen to me, for crying out loud!" He shot an unpleasant glare at everyone surrounding them. "They made up their own minds and this story didn't go anything like I planned. Idiots."

She smiled wider now, but tried not to show how happy she was. "So, what have you learned today, Lorcan?"

"Never hack your blog?"

"No."

"Never write with friends in the room?"

"Nope."

"Never write at all?"

She shot him a look.

"Never let your author participate in NaNoWriMo?"

"YES!" everyone else shouted and Jill rolled her eyes. "That's not it either."

"I don't know!"

"What everyone learned today," she began, "is exactly how the author feels. She--"

Elroy gasped. "Or he!"

"--Or he can have something brilliant in mind and the characters often want to do something entirely different. Unfortunately, there's nothing the author can do about that, other than just go along with what the characters want and see where the story goes. Sooo . . ."

Lorcan looked down, biting his lip as he thought. "So . . ." A wild smile appeared on his face as he glanced up at the others. "So that means that no matter what you have planned for this November, we're in control!"

The others were silent as they exchanged looks of excitement, but it wasn't long before they caught on. "YEAH!"

"Whoo! Characters rule!"

"We're the real authors!"

"Have fun with NaNo, Jill!"

"BEST. DAY. EVER."

"Stop quoting Tangled, you idiot. We're not supposed to know about that movie."

"Who are you calling an idiot, idiot?!"

"Ladies, please. You're all gorgeous."

"ELROY!"

"Hey, where'd the dragons go?"

"Don't. You. Dare."

Jill sighed, but this sigh was a happy one. She loved them all, as crazy as they might have been. So, with a smile on her face and her head held high, she eagerly awaited November 1st, when she and many other writers would begin their novels and write about characters that would grow very dear to them over the next month. She was about to publish the blog post, but Lorcan jumped in front of her. He had to finish his story first.

And so, Lorcan Madill overcame everything he was forced to endure. Although he went up against lazy knights, a crazy princess with a dragon, and the wrath of his author, he survived, but not without many battle scars. And as his tale comes to an end, he realizes he has learned a valuable lesson. He doesn't remember which lesson that was, but he knows he learned one. So, with a crazy smile upon his face, his story ends until November, when he and all the other characters will return, writing their own story and giving Jill the credit. :)

The End.

If We're All Outcasts...

Once upon a time...

There lived a girl who never updated her blog. Unfortunately, she even forgot about that blog for a long time, because she was experiencing something called:

Real Life.

So, as you can imagine, she was incredibly surprised when she suddenly decided to write a blog post on one, lovely evening in August.

She doesn't know what to write about, but she'll do her best.

I'm sure everyone has had those feelings where you want to write, but you don't know what to write about. It's kind of annoying, but it still feels good to know that I want to write.

There's so many things I could write about. And if I wrote to you everything that I think about in a week, you'd probably be even more confused than I am.

And anyway, I'm sure you don't want to hear a long, random stream of thoughts.

Yeah.

So... NaNoWriMo is coming up. Again. This will be my third year doing it. I love it, though. It makes writing even more of an adventure. 50,000 words in one month is a lot. Plus, there's school, family, music, church, friends, etc. But it's all good. I'm sure there's a way to equally balance all of those things while writing a novel. Many, many brave people have done it before.

And besides, NaNo makes November more exciting. I look forward to it every year and it helps improve my writing.

Last year, I wrote a novel about a popular girl and an outcast boy who had to do a science project together. It was mainly about how not everyone is how they seem to be - and you can't judge a book by its cover.

Yesterday, I watched a movie with my sisters that was very similar to my book. It was almost creepy. Of course, their storyline and purpose were a bit different. But it was the same in a lot of ways, too - popular girl, outcast dude, science project. They even had the same hair color which was shocking.

Other than that, my book and their movie were different.

Still, it's interesting when stuff like that happens.

I'll probably be writing something this year that has the same message. God's shown me a lot of  stuff since last November. I've been finding out that a lot of people feel alone.

A while back, when I felt really alone, I felt like I was the only one who felt that way, like no one else understood.

But at a friend's birthday party, I found that this cool, confident dude who had it all together was going through the exact same thing I was going through. He just wanted to be accepted and to stop being ignored.

He didn't even have to tell me that, because I saw it all over his face.

And then I started noticing more and more people who felt the exact same way.

You're never alone.

I once watched a movie called Logan. In that movie, one of the characters said:

"There's always someone going through the exact same thing you're going through."

I was thinking about that last night. Sometimes we feel like no one understands and no one cares. But there's always someone out there who understands - and there's always someone who cares.

Still, I find it ridiculous that we all find ourselves as outcasts sometimes. Like we're not cool enough or important enough.

But the truth is, we are.

If someone tells you different, then it just means that they're feeling insecure themselves.

We've all felt like outcasts before - each and every one of us.

So, if we're all outcasts, then there is no "in crowd."

Why do we all try so hard to fit in and be cool? Why do we want to be normal?

What is normal, anyway?

I think it's boring. If we were all the same, then this world would be quite confusing. And that, too, would be boring.

I'm not going to segregate someone or myself just because they're different or I'm different. God made all of us. And He said (Galations 3:28):

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

So, this week, while you're doing whatever it is you do, just remember that verse. And when you see someone who is different then you, think before you judge them. They may be going through exactly what you're going through. And they may be one of the truest friends you'll have, if you get to know them.

"God dances with the outcast."

-Steven James.

Be kind to someone this week. They might need it. ;)