Ask Away

I said this last week, but I'm going to repeat myself now.
If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them. Obviously, I'm not going to give away any story endings but other than that, ask away!

Just What I Need

She stands hesitantly, watching her surroundings that seems to put her in the background. Her dark hair is pulled back in a pony tail, rushed by the morning lateness. Her eyes are far away, as if she's staring into some distant world that only she can see...

Yeah. That girl is me, and the thing is I do stare off into another world. Whenever life gets hard, I disappear into that other world. It may not always be happier, but its a place full of magic and mystery. Just what I need.

Why?

When I was writing my novel, I got the funniest responses. If they make a movie, I want in. When you' 're rich and famous, don't forget me. The best one was always why?That simple question was asked with horror. Like, why would you do something like that? I mean, based on their response, you'd think I'd killed somebody.
I would always laugh and shrug. I wrote because I enjoyed it.
But I never realized how much that simple desire would affect other people. Now that it's getting published, other writers come and let me know that I have rekindled their desire to write. I didn't know that would happen. It makes me feel like I have great purpose, that I can not only entertain readers, but inspire them.
Yes, you can achieve greatness. It's not just for the rich and famous. It's for the dreamers.
So for those horror- struck people, that's why. I love write, it's my passion. But I love to inspire too. What else could I want?

An Author

So, if you haven' t seen this yet, this is the picture to be on the back of the novel, with my author' s bio.

Shattered

"The glass is scattered across the floor like broken dreams and the pieces of wishes long forgotten. The water pools on the floor, almost daring me to slip on it. The glass is threatening to slice open my skin if I try to clean up the mess. That’s not what’s so tragic about the whole thing though. The tragedy is the wilting flowers dying on the floor. The tragedy is knowing that the flowers, the best part of the arrangement, will die. And all it takes is the slip of a finger.
I’ve decided life is just like that vase of flowers. It can be beautiful, full of life and color. But, when that finger slips, it all comes crashing down. The pieces of the vase seem too broken to possibly be able to put it back together. And then there’s the tragedy of it all. The flowers are left on the floor, surrounded by the glittering pieces of glass. But soon they will wither and die. That’s what makes it so tragic. When the vase is smashed, there’s nothing left. Everything that was once in the vase dies."

This is opening paragraph from a new story about an alcoholic overcoming his addiction after his world is shattered by the death of his girlfriend. A death he caused while driving under the influence.

"Let your hearts rejoice"

I was reading my scriptures the other day when I came upon this phrase. "Let your hearts rejoice." I think it's something we should all remember. I think sometimes, we try to find the bad, like we just want to have something to complain about. I wonder if we just want others sympathy. but the thing is why do we need someone's sympathy? I think we should try to more often be happy. Focus on what you have.
Me, for example. I really have no right to complain about anything. I have healthy body. I'm beautiful in my own way. My biggest dream is coming true and I'm not even out of high school yet. I can write and have been blessed with determination.
I can't even complain about my flaws. Like my clumsiness. It is good for a laugh and it adds some personality.
So, I have no right to be ungrateful. From now on, I am going to let my heart rejoice.

Meaning of life and a life of meaning

“You can’t give up yet. What if this could change everything for you? What if life could have meaning again?” - Rylan, Segolia: Daughter of Prophecy

 And really, that's what counts. If you don't try, you will probably never know the path you missed. A meaningful life is about taking chances and never giving up.
And there you go for Segolia Saturday. That was a quote from my own novel
 Thanks!

questions, anyone?

So, I was thinking about it, and I figure this could be fun.
From now on, every Friday, I will answer any questions anyone might have. About writing, about nonconfidential information about Segolia, whatever you want to know.
So, ask away!

I Am Me

Whenever people look at me, they see something. Strangers see a random teenager, studious, quiet, one to stay in the background. My family sees the girl obsessed with writing and reading. My friends see a clumsy but strange girl who loves to have fun and laugh. I always am labeled by something, by someone. But really, who has the right to say who I am?
I am whatever I want to be. I am a writer. I am a clutz. I am a student. I am a girlfriend. I am a daughter and a sister. I am me.

Unstoppable

For my fellow writers, this post is for you.
When I decided to write a novel, I was only 13 or 14. I wasn't all that serious about it. I just thought it might be fun. I never could have guessed how far it would go. I'm still not sure how successful it will be in the world.
I've been thinking a lot about it and I realized something. I may not remember the exact moment I decided to write a novel, but I remember the moment I became serious about it. It was the fall of my freshman year in high school. In English, we were reading a story in which a character wanted to be a novelist but had given up. I realized that I really didn't want that to be me. How sad would it be to have such a wonderful dream and give up on it?
And that was the moment it all changed. Something changed within me, and I couldn't go back to thinking about writing a novel every once in a great while. I knew that no matter what it took, I WOULD finish a novel. And I did.
From that moment on, I was so determined to do it that nothing could stand in my way, not writer's block, not even a truck fire that would destroy all I had written. I was unstoppable.

Welcome to 2013

Happy New Year's Day!
So. starting off today, I am starting fresh with the blog and giving it a new look. Along with posting scenes and poetry, I will start posting videos and pictures. Since my novel will be coming out in a few months time, I am going to start a countdown of sorts. Every saturday, in something called, "Segolia Saturday" I will post a quotation every day from the novel. On the Saturday before the novel is released, I will post a scene.
With all these new changes, I hope you enjoy "The Writer Within." Thanks!

Secrets

Dark shadows that follow you home
Like a stranger watching from a distance
Always in the back of your mind
Always just behind you
Like trying to run from a monster
That's ten times faster than you are
They're the scars that you would disappear
Buried beneath the earth
Forever, to stay with you
They never go away
Not until they're told
And even then
There's no telling if they won't return

Games of the Heart

I am lost in a sea
A sea of confusion
You are the one for me
Or that was the illusion
Oh, the games we play
They make my head spin
They turn night from day
I don't think you or I will ever win
Don't you get sick of it?
The vague hints and subtle clues
The pieces never seem to fit together
I think I am going to lose
How can a story end before its truly begun?
You can't ignore hat you feel
I know you feel it even when you're done
Or do you have a heart of steel?
I feel a damsel in distress
Calling for the knight
My heart is a mess
The dragon us calling for you to fight
But knight after knight fears the clash
Will you do the same?
I have waited for the man to act rash
And save me, not for fame
Good luck with that one
That's what my head tells my heart
They just want to have fun
The dragon is a fiery dart
The stories have all lied
True love is a fable
It has been gagged and tied
Bring it to the table
To you, I haven't lied
I've put my feelings there
Won't you please, I'm begging now
You've reached the dragon's lair
Defeat the dragon and take a bow
I'm tired of wearing a mask
Take off yours and I will too
I have just one request
I don't know what else to do
Please won't you?
Please say you love me too

Pain

Like the shadow that trails behind you.
Like the screams that follow the night.
Like the song that you can't seem to get out of your head
Or the rap that can't say anything but that one word.
Like the book you just can't seem to put down.
Its like the girl he didn't want to let go
Or the guy she couldn't leave.
Like the peace that just never comes

Its the one thing you can never escape.
Its the one thing that will always haunt you,
Like a ghost in an old, abandoned house.
That is just it.
Its the one thing you hate and love all at once.
Hate it, love it, hold it, throw it away.
Its still there
Because its too hard to live without it.

So, now I'm editing my novel with the publisher.
Its a lot of fun and a lot of learning. I'm learning my strengths and my weaknesses. I really am growing to love the story, more so than I already did!

The Guardians: Nissa: Meeting Rylan

The Guardians: Nissa: Meeting Rylan: He was different. I could tell from the very first moment. He'd been a fun-loving kid, always laughing and joking around. I remember the fir...

The Creation of Segolia

To all those other writers out there, I wonder if you feel the same as I do.
When people learn that I wrote a novel and its getting published, I get many responses:
"What are you doing?" they ask, almost in horror at seeing an open notebook with page 150 on it.
"Is that for school?" This response just makes me laugh. What high school teacher would have a student write novel for homework?
"If they make a movie, I want in."
"Why?" This question is spoken with particular confusion and horror. Like I am some abnormal creature that enjoys books and writing. I do it because it is my PASSION.
Writing is intuitive to me. That is my strength. I know in my heart how something has to be in story. Things accidentally click together all the time because of thise fact. So, when the book comes out, think about the work it took. Each even and every character was created out of my intuition.

Hero

"I may not be a hero. I made some really stupid decisions, and I regret them. But you can fix my mistakes A hero does that, you know. They take the hit and save those who cannot save themselves. I cannot save the world but you can. The world needs a hero. So, I'm asking: will you take the hit for me and the rest of the world?" -Taya Champion, 2112

Life or Death

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to die?
Last night, I had dream where that was what I had to face. In it, I was poisoned and had mere hours left to live. Can you imagine what that would be like? Its not fun. The dream felt so real, and I was convinced that I was going to die. I cried, telling this guy in my dream that I was scared. I wasn't ready to die. My last thoughts in my dream was this: would it hurt? Would I feel excruciating pain or would I just fall into a deep sleep, never to awake again?
The point is how would you feel if death was on your doorstep? Would you feel ready?
I didn't, and I was in absolute relief when I realized it was just a dream. There are many things that we need to be grateful for in life. What about the right to live?

2112: Die Like a Man or Live Like an Animal

"I didn't have another choice!" he protested. growing angrier than before. "They would have killed them all any way. Nothing I could have done would have changed that."
"You could have died like a man," I told him coldly. "But you chose to live like an animal, living by instinct rather than love."
Excerpt from 2112