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Monday, September 29, 2014

Dear Writer


Flying BookDon’t be scared.

If there’s a story in your heart, write it.

And write it bravely.

Through my journey of writing, I would often come up with some wild ideas and always thought, “Oh, I could never write that.” For my current WIPs, plot points popped in my head on a constant basis and you know what I would do? I’d laugh, think that would be fun to put in the book, but be too scared to actually write it.

I always kept it safe.

I was scared.

“Is that idea too out there?” “That’s too complicated to sort through.” “Am I really capable of pulling that off?”

These thoughts and fears swirled in my head, pushing me back, keeping me from growing in my journey of writing.

But one day, only about a year or two ago, I asked another question.

Why not?

Why not throw something wild and crazy and fun in my stories? Why not write that book? Why not divert from the cliché, safe path and make it my own? Make it something interesting and different?

See, I was holding myself back because I was scared. I never wanted to veer from that safe path. But one day I did. One day I decided I’m going to write my books how *I* want them written. And that’s when I finally started making strides in my writing.

Because you can’t write for other people, you can’t be scared, you can’t hold yourself back with doubts and fears, worried that maybe that plot point is a bit too different or that scene only appeals to you.

Just write.

Write what you love. Write what moves you deeply. Write what you know. Write what you don’t know. What you wonder about. Think about. Feel. Love.

You can’t please everyone. You have to write for yourself. But you know what? That’s when your story really shines. If you pour your heart and soul into your story, it will be the best it can be. If YOU love it OTHERS will love it. So write a story you love. Don’t stay on the safe path. Veer off. Make it yours. You’re an imaginative, creative, unique person. So write those imaginative, creative, unique stories inside you. Never, ever let fear stop you. You can’t move forward if you’re always letting doubt hold you back.

So write.

And write bravely.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Naps, Roses, and Hobbitses


I’ve been staring at the screen for several minutes trying to think of a clever way to open up this post, but my brain’s all, “Haha, nope. Go take a nap or something.” I tend to ignore my brain, but a nap sounds awfully nice.

Pooh Bear Nap

So Thursday my throat started feeling like murder, and then as the day progressed I slowly seeped into a state of death. Then over the weekend it all came in full force—fever, a throat that felt like a dragon was lodged inside trying to claw and burn its way out, a headache akin to a volcano ready to erupt, all that fun stuff. So yeah, if it has appeared to anyone like I’ve disappeared off the planet, I haven’t. My brain feels like it’s floating through space, but I promise I’m still here. Just been sick. Still am, actually, but I’m slowly improving. I do tend to relapse all the time though, so any prayers that I’ll get well soon and actually stay well would be such a blessing to me!Rose

Last Saturday (the 13th) I officially finished my Beauty and the Beast novella for the Rooglewood Press Contest! Writing it went surprisingly well and I’m rather happy with it, but it is going to need a fair amount of editing. I was planning on tackling said editing last week, but we were gone for the first half of the week and then I got sick the last half, resulting in zero editing. All my brain’s been good for is staring blankly at the television these past few days. Not exactly the best time to be perfecting a story. Scary thought, really.

I was really hoping to have it written and edited up for my beta-readers by the end of this month, but now I’m not sure I’m going to have time. Which also means it probably won’t be completely finished by the end of October like I was planning. My hopes were to have it done and sent off before NaNoWriMo. Ah, plans, how you do like to explode on me. Or just laugh hysterically. Ah well, if I have to send it off in November it won’t be the end of the world (I mean, it could be the end of the world, but I promise it wouldn’t be my doing). I’ve been trying to accept life as it comes and not put it on a schedule. I can get pretty stressed when my plans go kaput. I’m learning to just roll with it. Still a WIP, but I am trying.

I know I haven’t really said anything about the actual story. Since it’s for a contest I don’t want to give too much away. And since it’s short, explaining the plot would pretty much spoil the majority of it, you know? But if you’re all that curious about it, it does have a Pinterest board that you’re welcome to peruse.

Also I listened to THIS SONG while writing most of the last section of it. It’s one of the most gorgeous songs I’ve ever heard. Seriously, go take a listen. Thank you, Pandora, for hooking me up with beautiful music! I declare that site reads my mind.

I must get well soon. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is literally sitting in our house right now from Netflix and I can’t watch it. My brother and I like to watch those movies in his room with his nice TV and surround sound system but I don’t want to germinate his room, so the disc is just sitting there, tantalizing us. Being sick is so very not fun. Who cares if I technically saw it in theaters. I NEED to see it again! Because, obviously, I need my heart ripped out and torn into a million pieces again. You understand, right? RIGHT?

Captain America - A lot of feelings

Speaking of epic movies, MOCKINGJAY PART ONE TRAILER. My excitement levels are so very high.

And while we’re on the subject of movies and things. . .

Today is Bilbo’s and Frodo’s birthday!

Frodo and Bilbo

Who doesn’t love those two hobbitses? The one who was determined to stay in the comforts of his hobbit hole only to stand face to face with a dragon. And the unlikely hero to save all of Middle Earth. Both of whom remind us that however unworthy and small we may feel, we can conquer anything if we put our minds to it (and aren’t afraid to accept help, occasionally from very unlikely friends). Sometimes I need the inspiration of those two. So happy birthday, my dear hobbitses!

Bilbo's Birthday Cake

To all you Whovians, what do you think of the new season of Doctor Who and the 12th Doctor? Because I kind of instantly fell in love with 12. I am SO excited. I honestly didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t against Capaldi, but I had never seen him in anything and had no clue what type of Doctor he’d be. But. . . *incoherent squealing*

12th Doctor and Clara GIF

He’s great! Speaking of which, I haven’t watched the newest episode yet. Another thing my brother and I like to watch together but can’t right now. I need to get wellll! I need a Doctor! (See what I did there?)

Well, I think I’m off to read or nap. Or, you know, something that allows me to ignore the world. My brain is still a little too dead to accept the fact that my inbox is exploding and I need to edit my novella and do some critiquing for other people and start on a guest blog post. Hopefully in a day or two I’ll be a bit more back on my feet and can begin tackling these things. But for now I’m just like derp.

And yes, this post has absolutely no point or order to speak of. But sometimes I like to just type and talk and let my random thoughts roam free. A dangerous thing, but it takes a lot of effort keeping them locked away inside my head all the time. Plus, between linkups and reviews and tags and whatnot I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve written about just life. Every now and again I need some random posts. I do hope you don’t mind. Hopefully next week my brain will be more functional and can work out something actually tangible.

So what kind of posts do you guys like reading in the blogsphere? Do the random, life-oriented posts interest you, or do you rather more focused articles? And what types of posts do you like writing more?

Have a hobbit-filled day! (Because hobbits make everything better.)

Frodo and Bilbo (2)

Monday, September 15, 2014

Beautiful People - Visance {September 2014}


Oh, look at that, it’s a new month. Oh, look at that, it’s. . .halfway through an apparently not-so-new month. Well then.

That’s right. New month means new Beautiful People, and per the Christine norm I’m late in jumping in the boat. But hey, it doesn’t leave the dock for another half a month, so not too late. Riiight?

Beautiful People Blog Button

I believe you’ve got this down pat by now. Beautiful People is a writerly linkup by the oh-so fabulously fabulous Sky and Cait. Each month they give us 10 questions to answer about any character of ours. Useful and fun. What’s there not to love? So creep your way over to Sky's post and/or Cait's post to link up and join in on the useful fun-ness.

Why are we creeping? Because this month is very special. It involves VILLAINS. Who, naturally, are the experts of all things creeping.

The idea of focusing on one of my villains was an exciting one, but it put me in quite a conundrum. What villain would I feature? My first thought went to Fallen Matter (I know you’re surprised), but to say that book even has a villain is stretching it. It’s. . .complicated. Revealing the villain in that and in other stories would be spoiling things. But, in the end, I came to a conclusion. I decided to revisit my currently biggest fantasy series, Colors of a Dragon Scale, the series I write each book for during NaNoWriMo. And since NaNo is actually not far off at all (meep), I thought it’d be fun immersing myself back in that world. Although, this particular villain probably won’t be making an appearance in the next book. Still, I couldn’t resist because, well, villain or not he’s captured a little bit of my heart. (Oh, come on, you know you love your villains, too. How villains become so loveable is something I’ll always be asking.)

So, meet Visance! He’s sort of the right hand man of the main villain in the Colors of a Dragon Scale series. He played a significant part in book three, More Purple than Amethysts, which was my NaNo 2012 project.

VisanceVisance pushed himself off the tree he leaned against and sauntered toward his sister. "Do I not get a greeting or anything? When was the last time we were together face to face?"

Terreth placed her hands on her hips and studied him. Though she held a stern expression, he could see the mischief in her eyes. "Months now I'm sure. You've been off romping through Aerigethel stealing away princesses and who-knows who else, while I've been stuck in Velnoroth taking up your slack."

He grinned at her. "Velnoroth would not even be able to function properly without you."

~*~*~*~

1. What is their motive?
Currently? Whatever the main bad guy, Vithen, tells him to do. Vithen took Visance and his younger sister, Terreth, in after witnessing Visance’s strength and Terreth’s unnatural skills in thievery. As payment, they do whatever he asks. When the story starts, his motive is stealing away the Princess of Sivral, one of the steps in a much bigger plan of Vithen’s.

Visance’s main motive of always following orders is because Vithen gave him and his sister work and a place to live, while before they were living on the streets struggling to survive. Visance feels he owes Vithen a lot for that.

2. What do they want, and what are they prepared to do to get it?
Visance’s personal desire is revenge. Revenge for the life he was thrust into due to one of the other main characters. He feeds off his need for revenge and it blackens his heart more and more daily. He will go as far as tearing down entire cities to destroy this one person.

3. How do they deal with conflict?
Visance isn’t past murdering if he has to. He’s experienced enough trauma and darkness that his conscience has hardened. But, I will say this, if it wasn’t for his experiences in life he’d actually be a pretty passive person, and that still comes out from time to time. Conflict isn’t his favorite thing. Naturally, he’d rather let things take care of themselves than get in the middle of it. But when it comes to the people he loves, he’ll go to great lengths to keep them from trouble.

4. Describe their current place of residence.
Visance is often traveling, Vithen sending him off on some mission or the other, but his home is in Vithen’s castle. He has a nice room, large, stone walls and floors, the usual medieval setting. It’s your run-of-the-mill bedroom—bed, dresser, oh, and a wall entirely covered in weapons. Necessities, you know.

5. If they were writing this story, how would it end?
Wow. Not well for a lot of people. Firstly and foremost, he’d have gotten his revenge, and the head of the person he hates so much would be hanging from his belt. Yeeeah, the dude has some issues to work out. After that, I think he’d want Vithen’s plans to come to pass, gaining him and his sister a comfortable life in Vithen’s castle. Beyond revenge, his main  priority is his sister’s happiness. He’s watched her struggle enough and is sick of it.

6. What habits, speech patterns, etc. are unique to them?
He’s not one to waste words. He talks in quick, short sentence and gets right to the point. But, he also likes to think about his words before saying them, so sometimes there may be pauses in his conversation. And while he does seem like the dark, brooding type at first, he actually enjoys having fun and making jokes.

7. How do they show love? What do they like to do with/for people they love?
His little sister Terreth is really the last person he truly loves left in his life, and his love for her triumphs most of his other feelings. He has sacrificed much to take care of her, even if she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. He doesn’t shy away from affection toward her. Mostly he gets amused by her antics, but he also takes his big brother role seriously and doesn’t hesitate to be stern if he has to. It takes a lot to keep Terreth in line. . .

As far as pastimes, well. . .their thing is kind of thievery. They were raised on it and used their skills to stay alive when they had nothing but each other. They actually enjoy thieving. They’re pretty good sports about teasing one another as well. Visance likes to joke around with Terreth. They also enjoy dragon riding. Speaking of which. . .

8. Do they have any pets?
Visance has an enormous red dragon named Koravek. But to call a dragon a pet may just turn you into a human torch. Companion would be the better term. Visance and Koravek are very close, which is always the case in this world where humans and dragons link together mentally.

9. Where would they go to relax/think?
Probably to the skies on Koravek. Or out in an open, empty field at night to watch the stars. He’ll take just about any abandoned, silent place though. He likes to be by himself to think on life.

10. What is their weapon of choice? (FYI: words, eyes/looks, and fists count as weapons, too.)
Visance uses a broadsword that matches his brute strength. But his fists can come in quite handy if his sword isn’t on hand. Which. . .never really happens, but you know.

Monday, September 8, 2014

The Maze Runner Book Review


The Maze Runner Book CoverWhen Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is empty.

But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclose by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark.

The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home. . . wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the Maze is unsolvable.

And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.
(Back cover blurb.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have a thing for survival stories. I love it when a small group of characters are stuck in one rather small location just trying to survive. And I’m actually enjoying this dystopian craze. (Shameful, I know.) So a dystopian about a small group of people trying to survive in some mysterious maze they can’t escape? Uh. . .yes, please! The premise completely and totally appealed to everything I love. I was expecting to be totally blown away by this story.

Well. . .blown away isn’t the term I’d use exactly.

I wanted to give this book 4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads, I really, really did. But, unfortunately, too many disappointing factors brought it down to 3 stars. Maybe 3.5? Because I liked this book, I honestly did. I read the entire last half of the book in a single day. Obviously something got my interest but. . .eh.

I think the best way I can describe this book is amateurish. It had so much potential and was very gripping, but everything just didn’t feel professional. It felt more like an early draft that still needed a good bit of polishing and tweaking.

Firstly, the writing needed a lot of work. For the entirety of the story the author told me everything, hardly ever showing. And that’s the number one rule of writing: Show, don’t tell. When you have sentences like He was frustrated or That made her sad it really detaches the reader from the character and story. Those types of sentences are telling the reader how the character feels, not showing. Instead of just saying the character is frustrated, we readers want to see said character snap at his best friend or slam a door, just little things like that to show his frustration. Unfortunately, it was all telling in The Maze Runner. On almost every page there was a “Thomas felt that and this” sentence. It just got rather annoying after a while.

And that wasn’t the only type of telling. I felt like the author didn’t think his readers were smart enough to figure things out on their own, so he had to constantly remind us. Over and over again we were told the obvious. Often the same bit of information multiple times, just to make sure we don’t forget that THIS THING is important. The repetitiveness went a bit too far, in my humble opinion. Then again, sometimes I do forget things and need reminding, so. *shrugs* It’s a hard thing to balance in writing, I know.

The characters themselves weren’t exactly loveable creatures. Some of them were downright nasty and, really, pretty annoying. I can put up with that if they feel real but. . .well, I just really couldn’t relate with any of the characters. I never could get a full grip on our main character, Thomas’s, personality. He felt really contradictory. I’m still not entirely sure what type of person he is. He has good intentions and supposed to be some kind of genius (I think. . .?) but he also was rather clueless. To me, he felt more like the author’s tool to relay exactly what information he wanted his readers to know. Thomas would often conveniently remember something at just the right time, or he wouldn’t know a very obvious piece of information just so the reader would be “surprised” when said information actually comes up. Most of the surprises and plot twists in the book were pretty obvious, they just didn’t supposed to be because Thomas wasn’t smart enough to realize them before they appeared. I don’t know. He had his moments where I liked him a lot. He sacrificed himself multiple times for people he really didn’t even know and genuinely wanted to help everyone out, but there just wasn’t anything deep about him.

The other characters were even more shallow. Thomas always kept the spotlight, kind of overshadowing the others which got annoying. He is our main character, yes, but every character in any book needs to feel real. We need to know they have their own lives and dreams and struggles and aren’t just there for supporting (or anti-supporting) roles to the main character. I didn’t feel like I ever got to know anyone else because Thomas was always in the spotlight. But, really, I wasn’t too curious about any of them because they all felt dull. Newt and Chuck were about the only two I kind of liked, but even they annoyed me quite often. When something tragic happened to someone (and tragic things happened a lot, let me tell you) I didn’t really. . .care. And I feel terrible about that! I know I should have been sad but I. . .wasn’t. I just wasn’t that attached to anyone.

What really infuriated me with the characters was how they always withheld information from Thomas. He’s new. He has no memory, no idea where he is, no clue what’s going on, and scared to death. Anyone would be! Naturally he wants any information he can get his hands on. But noooo. Out of about 50 or 60 boys living in this place, not a one of them is willing to just TELL HIM what they know. Sure, they’re all clueless about who they are or why the Maze is there, but they still know some stuff just from living there. But nope. They’re all too busy being jerks to help the poor newbie out. Most of the mysteries in the book were mysteries merely because no one was willing to tell Thomas anything. I’ll be honest, it drove me up the wall. I just wanted someone to be nice to this poor, scared kid. Really.

Then there was the slang. Goodness, the slang. Dialogue is my favorite part of books, but with this one sometimes I got to the point where I dreaded any dialogue because of the slang. So there’s roughly 60 teenage boys all living in the Glade, this wide, grassy square surrounded by the walls of the Maze. They’ve been here for a while, they’re all teens, and boys. Naturally there’s going to be some crudeness going on. I guess it wouldn’t be realistic without it. So these boys have taken on their own way of speaking, and every single one of them do it, all the time. Always. They have a few made-up curse words that they basically use every other word. Now, I’m glad the cursing was totally made up words. If they were actually cursing I wouldn’t have read this book. The author really did seem to try to make the situation realistic without riddling his book with cursing. And I appreciate that. A lot! There’s a lot of authors who haven’t been as courteous. But still, the slang was just over the top. The way the boys talked really got on my nerves. It just seems like they would sometimes have normal, decent conversations. I don’t know.

There was also a lot of things that felt rather unbelievable. All these boys supposed to be really smart, but their tactics are far from genius. Then Thomas, who comes in much, much later than the rest, just figures things out even without knowing much at all about the Maze. Too many gaps and plot holes made everything feel incomplete. There were a lot of moments that just felt like copouts for the author, not believable circumstances. That could have been my perception of things though.

My goodness! I’m making it sound like this book is awful and I hate it. That’s so very far from the truth! I wanted to give it 4 stars, remember? And I read half of it in a day. Because, seriously, this was a really cool book!

Despite the detached characters and amateur writing, the actual story was quite a fascinating read. I couldn’t stop turning pages, aching to know what would happen next, dying to find answers to all the riddles. Dashner wove together a very intriguing plot. His whole premise was completely unique and interesting. And, honest to goodness, I saw a lot of potential in his writing. There were many sentences that very much impressed me, or scenes where he really captured the intensity of the situation. I think he has some serious potential, this book just needed a bit of tweaking.

The setting captivated me. There’s something thrilling about mazes in and of themselves. But turn that into a humongous, unsolvable maze with killer monsters and mysteries around every corner. Well, how fun is that? Then you have the ever growing question of why these boys are sent to this place, memories wiped and all, and by whom. Plus there’s these monster-robot hybrid things called Grievers that haunt the maze during the night. I was genuinely terrified by these things. I thought the author did very well making them downright scary. And they add another layer of questions. Why are they there? What is this place even for? Really, how can this book not be interesting?

Now, I’m going to halt myself right there and say one more negative thing (last one, I promise). While this book was fascinating, it had so much potential that the author didn’t jump on. It was pretty action-packed and full of mystery and yet. . .there was quite a few dull moments in between. I think he really could have taken this idea and turned it into something outstanding. But, as is, it wasn’t totally mind blowing.

The ending now. . . The ending was something! I honestly am still trying to figure out if I liked it or not. It kind of melted my brain, but in a good way. Whoo! It threw me for a loop. But that’s all I’m going to say. You’ll have to read it yourself to see what I mean. *wicked grin*

Warning
This book had some seriously intense stuff in it. I think I’d suggest it for ages 16 and up, at least. Like I said, the Grievers themselves were pretty frightening, and much violence ensues. But not just from them. In a packed setting full of teenage boys there’s going to be some tension. Let’s just say these boys don’t always play nice, and it gets pretty disturbing what they’ll do to each other to keep order in their little “home”.

Like I mentioned earlier, they have their own “curse” words, so there’s technically no real cursing but they use these made up words so much it almost feels like it. But I will say there is a good bit of crudeness. There were a few words tossed around that aren’t labeled as “curse” words but aren’t things I’d ever say, so just be aware of that. And there was a time or two where someone almost cursed for real but didn’t actually say the full word. Again, I felt Dashner was trying to keep it realistic without really sprinkling his pages with anything foul. And I’m actually quite proud of him for that.

There’s only one girl and she’s not in the story much, so there’s no kissing or anything like that. I think she and Thomas may have held hands a time or two. . .? But there’s really no romance in the story.

Conclusion
I feel terrible about all the negativity in this review (and for getting so lengthy, whoops). All in all, I really did enjoy this book. It had a very epic setting, unique premise, and so much mystery that each page leaves you wishing to know more. It just makes me sad because it had so, so, SO much potential that wasn’t met. But, overall, it was pretty awesome. If you like this genre and are looking for some action and intrigue, then I absolutely think you should be getting yourself a copy of this book. I don’t regret reading it a bit and, in fact, verrrrrry much NEED the sequel now. I definitely want to continue the story. The ending left me wanting more.

So, overall verdict. . . This book wasn’t great, but it was good. Quite good! And I’m very much looking forward to the movie! I can see now why they chose to turn it into one. It’s got just the right amount of action and mystery to make an epic one.

(And did I mention the girl starring in it happens to be played by the same actor I chose for my character Tiff? That was a fun surprise to discover! I knew she was awesome.)

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes. . .”


I like the simple things in life. My favorite time of the day is right before bed when I can curl up and read before drifting off to sleep. Sometimes I like to just sit outside and do absolutely nothing but watch the clouds pass by. My heart did a little trill at the sound of thunder just now, the prospect of a stormy day to write thrilling me.

But, despite how nice the simple things in life are, we all need a little excitement. Even the quietest people dream big.

Me, I love the idea of adventures and excitement. As pleasant as those quiet moments are, the extrovert in me craves the chaotic thrills of life.

The absolutely precious Andrea Nan @ Fantasies and Fountainpens has passed on the Bucket List Tag my way. Dreaming of those big, exciting things I’d love to do before I die is always fun, so I was very excited to be nominated. Thank you so much, Andrea! And everyone do go check out her blog. She’s a true delight.

The Bucket List Tag Button

There doesn’t seem to really be rules along with this tag. Which is good because I usually break the rules anyway, don’t I? You post a few of the things on your bucket list, pass the tag on to others to do the same if you so wish, and there you have it!

So what sort of chaotic nonsense do I dream of doing before dying? Well. . .

Bucket List - Own a Pet Fox

Did you know I have a slight obsession with foxes? No? Oh. Well, I do. They’re one of my top favorite animals in fact. Actually having one as a pet, well, that is the dream. A fennec fox specifically though. They’re probably the most adorable creatures on the planet of ever.

And while we’re on the subject of animals. . .

Bucket List - Hug a Penguin

Did you know I’m also exceedingly obsessed with penguins? Seriously, I LOVE those adorable things. But since having one for a pet probably wouldn’t go over so well, I’ll just have to settle for hugging one.

Bucket List - Have My Own Personal Library

It’s gonna happen! This has been my dream since I learned what a library is! I want a room dedicated completely to books. Over packed with them. I can smell the magic seeping from that room already. . .

Bucket List - Become a Writer

Well, actually, I am a writer. But I’m not published yet, and that’s what I dream of. One of my very top dreams in fact. It may be the top.

Bucket List - Meet My Online Friends

I LOVE you guys! You’re some of my closest friends. So to actually meet in person. . .that would be beyond amazing.

Bucket List - Skydive

Okay, this one may not actually be possible due to health problems but, man, do I wish I could. So, SO much! I’m one of those crazies who actually adores heights. Yeah, I’m weird.

Bucket List - Visit Ireland

This one goes very near the top of the list and I have every intention of doing it someday. Out of all the countries in the world, Ireland is my first choice to visit. I must someday!

Bucket List - Go to London

And England is probably my second choice (or New Zealand, it’s a close call). But London specifically. What I would give to go there!

Bucket List - Travel to All 7 Continents

Why not just go to ALL the places? I would love to travel the world!

Bucket List - Attend a Masquerade

Yes, yes, yes! Why aren’t these still things?

Bucket List - Learn How to Draw

Another thing that probably will never be reality. I just don’t think I have the talent for it. My stick people looked deformed. No joke. But I’ve always had such a desire to be able to draw. I’m constantly thinking up things I would love to draw. But, alas, I can’t even make a smiley face look right. I guess I’ll always just have to paint pictures with words. But that’s okay. I wouldn’t give up storytelling for the world.

Bucket List - Move into an Apartment with My Best Friend

We’ve already started picking out furniture. *cough, cough* Hey, ya never know. It could happen. If we’re both still unmarried in our 30s. . . *shrugs* It’s always an option. But. . .

Bucket List - Get Married

This is obviously one of the top things on the list. It has definitely always been one of my greatest wishes. But I’ve handed it over to God. Whatever He sees fit for my life is okay with me. ^_^

Bucket List - Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

Oddly enough, this is one of the very top things. I have this weird obsession with hot air balloons. I don’t know what it is about them, but I just love them! I MUST have at least one hot air balloon ride before I die. It’s not a want, it’s a neeeed.

And lastly but by FAR leastly. . .

Bucket List - Go to an Owl City Concert

This is very, very, very, VERY high on the list. To see my favoritest music artist live in concert? Just. . .just. . . There are no words. It must happen. It MUUUUST!!!! (And this is so weird, an Owl City song just came on in my iTunes playlist while I’m typing this, out of 270 random songs. o.O)

That was a total blast to do. Thank you again, Andrea!

And since I have no idea who’s all interested in participating (but I secretly want you all to do it) I’m nominating no one and everyone. I would LOVE to see your lists, but I also understand if you don’t want to do it. Sooo if you do, take this tag. It’s yours. I insist! Or if you don’t want to blog about it, how about telling me your list in the comments? I would love to know what everyone dreams of doing one day with their lives. It’s fun to dream big.

Well, off I go to write. I can at least work toward something on this list right now, can’t I?

Hope you’re all doing wonderfully right now in this beautiful mess we call life. <3