Some Happetizers

Hello startlingly depressing rainy day!

What a perfect time to respond to Lady Emily's Happiness tag and list the things that make me happy according to the categories. I think I should note that my answers aren't necessarily my FAVOURITES of the things, but more the type of thing that make me happy. Does that make sense? No. Okay great. :)

books: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Dicamillo. It's short enough to binge read in a day, and it's just full of lovely characters and charming conversation and such good, deep stories all throughout. Kate Dicamillo is one of my most respected authors. Also, The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Again, lovely characters, charming conversation, and the way his writing just moves continuously in the most comical, simple way is really fun. And thirdly, any random chapter of any James Herriot book can instantly set me in a good mood.  

words: Cherry, Toaster, Bumblebee, Meteor Shower, Velvet, Denim, Sunbeam, Drift, Tone, Shiver, Cobalt, Sea Foam...

movies and tv: It can depend on who I'm watching the movies with, but Tangled, The Lego Movie, Newsies, Mary Poppins (with my whole family), Chariots of Fire (with my brother and sister), The Great Escape (with my brother), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (with my whole family)...and for TV shows, specific episodes of Doctor Who. 

scents: The smell of Montana in the morning, because my Grandma on my mom's side used to always open the windows in my room and there's a specific fresh, summer smell that doesn't even allow a sleepy, waking up feeling. Also, I love candles, but some candles smell like trash, so specifically cupcakes and peppermint. I also really like the smell of snowy mountains at night.

 
songs: I know it's so mainstream, but mine always has been and probably always will be "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. Anything by Owl City takes a close second, specifically "Technicolor Phase" and "The Bird and The Worm." Also "Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat and "Beautiful" by Phil Wickham.  

miscellany: Listening to my brother and sister quote movies, really good conversations with people, dancing at my show choir group, singing with my sister while washing dishes, doing anything anywhere with my clan of cousins, horseback riding, ice skating, skiing, the sound of snow falling and people shouting in it and sounding muffled somehow even though everything is so still and open!!...hot chocolate, colors, and stars.

Now you know a little bit more about me. :) I'd love to hear a little more about you! So I tag everyone, and just comment your thoughts below! Thank you so much guys! This actually is really happetizing. 

Good evening!
This week, I have slightly more ambitious hopes for the challenge I had in mind. We'll see if it kamikazes or flies, depending on your lovely involvement and talents. 

Welcome to this blog's very first Switch Off Story! (This meaning that I begin a plot, and everyone chips in and adds to it. I'm going to do my best to leave it free and open, so there's no limit or certain amount of words you need to write, and you can definitely feel free to write more than one part! I'll certainly be doing that, in any case, because I won't be able to help it. Smiley face. To make sure everyone's keeping up, I'll repost every commented next chapter onto the blog so that no one has to search desperately to see if it's been added to or not.) 

If you have any questions/ideas, please comment! Anyone and everyone who sees this is welcome to join in! I'm really excited to see what happens, but until then...

I'm beginning to find that, in the case of some of the best, most classic stories, there is a single line, or scene, that everyone consecutively seems to remember, quote, or envision when its story is mentioned.

For example, if I were to say, "Have you heard of The Princess Bride?"

Hopefully you have, and if so, you would most probably reply something along the lines of, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Or perhaps, "A-a-a-a-s yo-o-o-u wi-i-i-ish!" (If you were really cool, you'd say, "Have fun storming the castle!" But most likely you'd say one of the other two first.)

For something like the film Castaway, you would holler despairingly at the top of your lungs, "WI-I-I-LSOOOON!"

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Wax on. Wax off."

"My preciousssssssss."

"YOU! ARE! A! TOY!"

"I think we're going to need a bigger boat."

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

I promise I'm not just indulging myself here, because all of this is getting to a point. And guess what? This is where you come in!

As some of you might know, it is November, which means this month is National Novel Writing Month or "NaNoWriMo" as they call it. During NaNoWriMo, each person sets a writing goal for themselves. In my case, 1,000 words a day. For the next 30 days, I had to crank out 1,000 words of an original story every day. To some people, that sounds really easy, and to others, that might sound terrifying. To me, it's a bit of both, but mostly, it's exciting, challenging, creative, dogged work. For the past four years, I have done it. I've only succeeded twice, but it is really fun stuff to try. Sadly, this year, I am a super busy snowflake, so I will have absolutely no time to write 1,000 words a day. However, since I still love to write and create, and I'm still bummed out that I won't be doing NaNoWriMo, I have another challenge for you guys! Here it is:

Create a scene. The type of scene that would highlight a book or a movie. Try to incorporate perhaps a time stopping line, or perhaps an ironic, or iconic setting, or maybe an inspiring speech or conversation, or action. Once you've got an idea, write it out and post it. You don't have to freak out and think that it's not as cool as you think. I worry that too. Mostly, your goal should just be to leave me, or yourself, wishing you could read more. I hope you guys have fun, and I can't wait to hear back from you!

Glass not raised but higher than stone, it remains, retains, reflects.

All seeing is all knowing, and it knows but what it sees:

A canopy composed of solid pearl, freckled with oncoming droplets of dew.

And flaming, burning, crisping, turning, delicate starlets edge the scene by

Complimenting and focusing their attention on naught but a pair

Nay double a pair, of rubbery, yellow, infantile boots.

Though without these dear boots, be it still wonderous in ways no one could define,

The view from the ground would seem incomplete.

And so mindful of this tragical, bittersweet thought,

The thin sheet of glass cannot help but hope 

And wonder if you would stay for awhile

And wonders if you will remain with the rain.

Alliteration: a stylistic literary device identified by the repeated sound of the first consonant in a series of multiple words, or the repetition of the same sounds of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables of a phrase. "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers." See what I did there? Or one of my personal favorites, "Yaks yell." It could also seem not so bouncy, and slightly subtler, such as symphonic soundwaves swept such a summit across his superfluous eyes. If you look back, that was an entire sentence full of alliteration. 

Collocation: the arrangement of words in a sentence, specifically: the lyrical or more artistic arrangement of words in a sentence. Some words just sound delicious when spoken or read together. Some haunting, daunting, or flaunting. I also made a rhyme there, if you didn't notice. 

It is Autumn. 

And it is an actual scientific reality that our imaginations will be especially alive during the next few months. I entirely believe this, given the inspiration our Creator has given us with the colors, textures cross breezes, and sounds this season. I mean, come on, the leaves and the sky are complimentary colors!  

So! I'm challenging you to find some very autumn-y object or feeling or activity, and then describe it in as lyrical a paragraph you can, without necessarily even giving away what it is. The paragraph can include subtle poetry, rhythm, alliteration, collocation, and whatever else you can incorporate to make it sound like music, and do amazing justice to whatever you are describing. Mostly, just strive to give yourself and those who read it chills and good feelings. 

Once you're done, of course, post what you've written. Again, I'm not judging your work or anything, this is all for encouragement and creativity. And I would really love to see what you can do. Thanks so much! Happy Autumn everyone! 

All right, guys, should I color this with watercolor or colored pencil?