The most amazing people in the universe!

So I suck at posting every day... OTL I think it's because when I get busy it gets harder to think of things to write. I love writing here though, so tonight, even though it's late, I want to acknowledge a person who has made me the happiest author on the planet today!!!

Okay, actually two people. =) First is of course my lovely and beautiful sister Kiki!!! Who sent me a picture on Facebook that has really brightened my life! This week has been really tough and it's only going to get tougher through April, but every time I see this picture I smile.

Even now I'm smiling because this is just the best! I love it!! She makes me so happy. Yay for best friends!!! 

The second person who has made me SUPER happy for VERY good reason is the wonderful Fanfiction member Leslie-potter-daughter-of-Zeus. Not only is she the first person to officially follow our Disney's Reality story. She's also the first to officially follow us as authors! I know this week hasn't seen a DR chapter, but getting that email tonight only made me want to write more for you guys! So not only have I finished the DR chapter three and four, I've started on writing our second Fanfic! Unfortunately, we've made the decision not to post anything until after Easter. So you'll be seeing those next week.

So Thank You!!! To Kiki and to Leslie-potter-daughter-of-Zeus. You two as awesome!!!!!

Why so much work?

Because Kiki is graduating!!! That's right. She's graduating from college and I'm so excited and proud of her, I'm going up to visit her! Woohoo! Unfortunately, that leaves me with five weeks to come up with seven hundred dollars. Yikes... Needless to say I'm a little stressed. I mean, wouldn't you be? So that's why there's been less time for writing. I was able to get Elizabeth out yesterday and hopefully Andrea out today. You haven't met her but you will!

DR chap. 3 is also almost finished so fingers crossed it's out tonight!

Apologies and Goodies

I haven't written anything in several days, and I think it comes down to one thing. Not making the time. And I don't mean, I haven't written the blog. I mean nothing. Nothing's gotten done in the last several days! I can say it's because I've been busy and that wouldn't be a lie. I've been very busy an stressed with work. But the fact is, when I had free time, writing was not the first on my to do list and it should have been.

For those of you keeping up with the blog and with Disney's Reality, I do apologize for the lateness of chapter three. It'll be up as soon as possible. And I apologize for the lack of posts. It will go back to once a day. Also, Spring has been stalled but no more! That's my first priority after work.

Thank you for your understanding and for sticking with us. It means so much. Hugs to all!!!

A Lot of Thinking...

Several people have asked me recently why I don't study writing. If I love it, I should study it, right? I've been doing a lot of thinking about that. My answer to their questions have always been that if I have to do it, I'm afraid it will become more of a chore than a joy. But now I'm wondering if maybe taking a few creative writing classes might be good...

I don't know... still thinking about it, but that's all that's on my mind today. That and work. I've got a big trip coming up in a few weeks and need to makes sure I have the money to pay for it. So... other than that... Have a good Monday. =)

Saturday...

Yesterday I didn't get to finish the TS chapter because while running errands my tire exploded on the expressway!! So we were out there half the day trying to figure out how to change it. Luckily, a very nice business man came. Our knight in white dress shirt and shiny red tie! He helped us change the tire, load the hold one. Let us borrow his cellphone to call someone to let them know. Showed us how to do it again. Then made sure we were on our way before he went on his. It was really an amazing story and if he wasn't already married, I would have said it was the perfect meet cute!

Needless to say, I will be using this in a story coming soon...  >_>

In geekier news, I SAW THE HOBBIT!!! And seriously, my favorite part was watching the sexy vampire from BBC's Being Human, Aidan Turner, as an even sexier arrow shooting, sword swinging dwarf! -sigh- I'm so making a character out of him!!! Just wait!! xD

So hopefully a TS chapter will be up tomorrow if not later tonight. Disney's Reality will be up for sure on Monday. And as always, we're constantly posting in Spring if you want to check it out. PLEASE DO!!!

Thanks for reading and for your support. Hugs and Chocolate Chip Cookies for you all!!!

Easter Funday!

Easter Sunday is coming up and I just have to say... WOOHOO!!!!!

So the other day my mom and brother and I went on an early Easter hunt of our own. We hunted Skylanders and I don't know if' you've ever played but that game is addicting as all get out! We've played all day yesterday and all morning so needless to say, now much writing has been done... But they are awesome! We had to go to three Targets, four Walmarts, two BestBuys, and GameStop before we were finally able to get all the game pieces we were looking for! Even the very rare NinJini! Seriously, you have no idea what we went through yesterday to get all these.... The walking and the embarrasing asking of questions and the getting lost on the expressway and Siri NOT TELLING US where the Target was!! But we made it! We're alive!!! 

The Newest Peoples... See what I mean? A lot of hunting... >_>

-distracted by kitty's constant meowzing-

She finally shut up... (Zees ees un old picture)

But back to talking about Eater. Like actual Easter... As much as I hate getting up early for Sunrise service at our church, we get to sleep ALL DAY!!! Or in my case, WRITE! I already know what I'm going to do. First RPs, then Disney's Reality, then BANG! Can't WAIT for that!! Kiki and I decided that yes, we would go ahead and put Bang on FictionPress once the first chapter was up and we'll be adding to it as it's written. Obviously it's not written on as often as some of the others but hopefully we'll still be able to make the weekly deadline. Can't wait. Seriously, I'm SO EXCITED! 

What's your favorite part about Easter Sunday?

In Character

One of the hardest things to remember to do while writing is to stay in character. Because a character is an extension of its writer, it is very easy for the author's emotions to reflect through the character. The character may be in the midst of a very touching, romantic scene. But if the author is writing after having a very bad day, the scene might take a turn for the worse, and this normally sweet, romantic character will become bitter and snippy. Or vice versa. The character could be angry and the author mellow so then the prelude to a battle becomes a mellow argument that really takes the story nowhere.

An author must also always be cautious of the way a character talks. They don't talk the way you talk, because then all your people would sound the same!

This all sounds simple, but it really isn't. I've found myself rewriting things several times because the characters sound more like me than themselves.

One helpful thing to do is to answer a questionnaire in the voice of the character. That way you'll be able to flesh out how to write the character. How he will speak, think, even his favorite color. Not all of that is necessarily something that will go into the book but it will definitely make the characters more believable.

From mah cellie...

Unfortunately, Kiki and I are both still sick. And unfortunately, life does not stop when you get sick. Good news is, cellphones work from bed... So I can still write and post here. Can I get a round of applause for that?? No...? Okay...

Well, good news is it's Hump Day! So the weekend is almost here! And, we'll be posting a new story on our FictionPress account tomorrow. So that's pretty exciting. :)

For more updates, follow us on our twitter and Facebook. Until next time!! -waves-

A Battle with the Bees

So... Confession time. I am terrified of bees! And wasps and anything else that stings. They're like the worst EVER!!! So, every couple of months my grandparents will go travelling and I'll take care of the animals at their ranch for them. It's not the most pleasant experience. I don't mind animals but I'm really not a fan of sheep and that's about all he has out there now. Sheep and dogs... He used to have a horse, but she's gone now. -moment of silence-

So whenever I go out there, something always goes wrong! I mean like really. Nothing is ever just as easy as "give them hay and water and you're done!" This one time in particular, I was feeding the sheep every other day so I didn't notice when I walked in on the second day of the job that there was a tiny wasps next right above the door to the shed (where we keep all the animal food). The third time I went, that neglected tiny little wasps nest had tripled in size! And it was covered with little stinging creatures. I ran back to the car, grabbed the wasp spray and covered myself in a hoodie and sunglasses and driving gloves (for protection, of course). It was a long battle that took up the entire spray can but FINALLY I got rid of the wasps. My first battle with them at the ranch.

Later that day I discovered two more nests and that I had to try to ignore until the next day when there'd be more poison. I thought my troubles were over... That's when I discovered that all the sheep had gotten out of the pasture and there was a big hole in the fence!! There was nothing I could do but go as quickly as possible and lock ALL the gates to make sure they didn't get out of the property! Then when I went to check on the pen of males (who'd been separated after some nasty fights) and found dead birds in their water!!! So I had to climb into the pen of MEAN rams with LONG horns to dumb three big buckets of water and refill them and get rid of dead crows!

You have never seen the horror.... -scarred for life-

All this to say... I hate the ranch and I hate bees, but it's always nice to come home from those adventures, take a long hot bath, and curl up with my notebook to write. It's like...a reward. =) What kinds of adventures do you have? And how do you reward yourself for them?

Idea Jar!!

Here's a treat. Our idea jar! And a whopping three ideas in it! Plus, Captain Hook photo bombing! ;) That's right. Take in the epicosity.

It's the After Spring Break CURSE!!

The inspiration is wonderful! When you have all the time in the world you can write all you want in the world. When real life starts again... there's still all this left over inspiration and way too little time to do all of it!!

So I've started a system. Every time we have an idea for something, I write it on a 3x5 card and fold it up, then put it in what I call my idea jar! Then, when we're ready for a new idea, we pull one out and do whatever it is! Right now, we're working on a new Rise of the Guardians fanfic for our FanFiction page. So excited!! The idea jar is kind of empty... but it'll get there. Believe me, we have tons of ideas and very little time to actually do all of them so it'll fill up fast!

On to more updatey thingies... The second chapter of Disney's Reality is up. Yay! Please go read it. Rate. Subscribe. The link is here. We'll love you forever if you do!! Reviews really help to keep going, I'll tell you that. And we LOVE to hear what you have to say anyway! Also, if you're reading that and want to cheat and peek ahead, we update a few paragraphs at a time on Gaia. The link is over in the side bar with the coolio little banner thingy! But don't look at that one if you don't like spoilers! That'll definitely spoil it. lol

Also, we've hit page two of Boom! Exciting stuff, I know!!! ..... Okay, yes, progress on that has been a bit slow... but in my defense, we HAVE been doing a LOT of other stuff. Like PLENTY of posting in Spring. Daily updates are there and on our facebook. You can check those out in the side bar and at the banner above.

Also, for those of you who don't know. If you're curious... The writer on Gaia named "IrelandKiss" is Kiki and the writer names "STAR on CrAcK" well... yeah, that's me. Haha. And you can tell we have out good and bad days, but the gaia posts are rough drafts. All will be rewritten and made awesomer!!!

Thanks for reading today guys! See you tomorrow! -waves-

Sunday Secrets #3

Okay. Kiki -holds microphone to your face in a very invasive, reporterly like way- How does being ill affect your writing?
Well Ms. Ash, being ill makes it quite difficult to write because -flies into fit of coughing and sneezing-

-hides for dear life behind microphone- Oh my... And uh... How do you over come this...challenge?
Well I just -coughs and sneezes again-

Haha. All joking aside, Kiki's secret is working through illness. When you're sick, like with a cold or flu, it's really hard to focus. Your brain is like dead... When you don't feel good, inspiration is hard to come by. But a good long nap, some DayQuill, and maybe a big bowl of Ramen if you can find some, and the inspiration will slowly start to flow again. But don't give up! It'll be slow getting back to writing just like it's slow getting back to pace after you've been sick. Luckily, there's always friends around the corner and nice hot tea and warm beds to sooth the ache on the way there.

The End

We've come to the end of Spring Break, but our momentum is not over!! We will still be posting weekly on all out stories, and hopefully daily on all the RPs. We'll definitely be updating daily here to please keep reading, stick with us. And we'll keep writing to and for you. Yay!

Have fun on your last day of Spring Break!

An Author's Core

Just saw Rise of the Guardians the other day. If you haven't seen it you should. It's really good! But for now, if you haven't seen it, let me tell you this. In the movie, Santa uses a matryoshka doll to illustrate that deep down, every holiday figure has a core. Something they contribute to the world. Well, I was thinking about that the other day and, in a similar way, you can attribute that same illustration to writing, both in a general sense and a specific.

In general, writing can be entertainment. It can be distraction and escape. It can be sending a message out to the world. It can be a ticket to fame and fortune. It can be expression. But most of all, at the core, I think writing is the author's desperate need to work out personal issues in a world that makes sense. In the example of Harry Potter, the author put herself in the book as Hermione, along with her dearest friend whom she put in as Ron. In real like, the author was in love with her best friend, but he was gay. In the book, not only were they both very best friends, they were also both romantically attracted to each other, solving her desire to be with the man she loved. Now it's true, she may not have intended to ever write things out that way, but in the end, that's how it happened. An author's subconscious drive to solve their own problems.

I think it's a new way of looking at the books you read. Even way back when, people were trying to solve their own issues through their writing and I think reading can not only be enjoyable, but give you a window into the author's heart. Writing is very personal. I'll tell you one thing, I'm reading Edgar Allen Poe in a whole new light. What authors do you see differently?

Productivity? Seems Legit...

This is all I did today:

Sisters Before Misters!

So today is Wednesday. And for some reason I happened to be thinking back to about two years ago... It wasn't the easiest time in the world for me. I'd been pulled out of university because I couldn't afford it, and the man I was in love with was still there, 1,280 miles away. You can imagine, all I wanted to do was leave home and somehow find my way back up to school and my boyfriend. But now that I was home, my parents were depending on me for a lot of stuff and I couldn't just pick up and leave yet. I started working, but work kept me so busy I could hardly write at all! And almost never got to talk to Kiki or my BF. It was about then that Kiki introduced me to the show Two Broke Girls and we made a plan to move to New York together once she graduated. Of course you can imagine I was thrilled! My best friend in the world wanting me to move to the best city in the world with her! The possibilities seemed endless. I could go to NYU. Get a job. Publish my books. It would be epic!!! And as I'm sure you can imagine, I couldn't wait to tell my boyfriend. That night when he called, all that came out of my mouth was this excited rush about Kiki and New York and publishing. And you know what he said? My super sweet, encouraging, wonderful boyfriend? He said "That's kind of dumb of you, Ash. New York is a nice place to visit but why would you ever want to live there?! And you've never even met this 'Kiki' person. How do you know she's not really some old guy in his mom's basement? Even if she's who she says she is, you're not gonna still be 'best friends' in another three years. By the time she graduates, you'll both have grown out of this Internet phase and grown up. Just think about reality, Ash. It's not gonna happen."

Yeah, my COMIC BOOK GEEK boyfriend told ME to grow out of my "Internet phase"??? We didn't talk for several days, and when we did I tried to defend my best friend. Three weeks later, he dumped me. But you know what?! He promised to still be my friend. Swore on his life. And where is he now? I have absolutely no idea because he refuses to talk to me at all in anyway but guess who's still my best friend. So SUCK IT, JACKSON!!!

And that's why I'm so excited about Kiki's graduation coming up!!! Because he said we wouldn't be friends and we were childish and stupid, but he was wrong. We're closer than ever and have grown together as people and as friends. And he's still a single comic book geek/gamer living with his mom. (Yeah, I Facebook stalked him. Found that out. Ha!) So I wonder who needed to grow up after all.

Spring break!!

I love Spring Break. For one reason. Staying up ALL NIGHT and not worrying about stuff in the morning!!! Yes, yes indeed. Spring Break is the one time of year we get the most writing done. I really have no idea why... There are other, longer breaks like Christmas, but for some reason more just gets done in March. Maybe it's the weather? Who knows...

Example, though. Just yesterday, we've written in Spring and our novels, planned some new stories and worked out kinks in old ones, posted a story on FanFiction, and still got all our normal stuff done!

It's amazing what you can do when you have all the time in the world.

My favorite Spring Break was a couple years ago when Kiki and I both decided that neither of us were tired. On top of that we were both more inspired to write than I can remember ever being. That night alone we finished three forum pages worth of posts in several stories, adding up to several chapters of several different books. And after a short three hours of sleep we still got up and wrote more! It was the best fun we'd ever had!! I'm just waiting for the day we get to do it again. It was awesome!!!

If you want to check out our latest stories, we're posting quite frequently now on Spring. The link is in the side bar, and you can follow us on Facebook or Twitter for instant post updates. Also, we'd love it if you checked out our most recent story. Though we've been roleplaying Disney's Reality for a while, now it's finally available in novel form, chapter by chapter as it's written! More stories will be up soon!! We'll do our best to post once a week and would love your feedback! Here's a link to the story --> I'm a link!

Thanks for the reads and the reviews. LOVE YOU ALL TO PIECES AND A HALF!!!!

Bye. ^_^

New Stuff here!

We've been MIA for a week, I know. With spring break coming up and working on the new books it's been a bit busy.

But that's no excuse!!!

I promise we've been working. I HAVE made progress on Bang. A whole page! Haha... Yeah... And! We've been posting in Spring so you should definitely go check that out! Link is in the sidebar. =)

Also we've established accounts on both FictionPress.com and FanFiction.net and they are ~Awesome~!!! So you should go check those out here (for fictionpress) and here (for fanfiction)!

What have you been doing this week? Let us know in the comments!

You can also follow us now on Facebook... Here! And on Twitter... Here! See you tomorrow!

Sunday Secrets #2

If you can't think of anything to write, don't panic. Just like a test, you can skip it and go back later. Sometimes if you find something to write that gets those creative juices flowing, it's easier to go back to where you were stuck and pick up again. Just make sure, if you're skipping around in the same story, to keep your pieces flowing smoothly. It's a secret. Readers don't need to know which part you wrote first ;)

Unexpected Inspiration

One of the things I struggle with most in writing is finishing what I started. For some reason it is hard for me to write the end of a story once I've finished it in my head.

I love reading novels, but it's always been hard for me to find a book that can capture my attention long enough for me to finish. Most of the books I pick up are boring. And even if they turn out to be really cool, they start out boring so it takes forever for me to get to the cool parts. I don't remember how old I was when I decided to actually try to publish a novel, but I do remember thinking "I want to write something that'll catch people with the first few lines and carry them all the way to the end.

Now the thing I struggle with is finishing the books. I have a hundred and one good beginnings, a few middles here and there if the story was lucky enough, but no ending. There are lots of story plans lying around if you look in my room. They're not hard to find. I keep them in a binder marked "Outlines." And there are even more story ideas than I can count! Those are in a jar. But I have no finished novels. Nowhere.

Here's the problem. While I'm planning and writing this story, I come up with hundreds of different characters. Hundreds of different ideas and scenes to put them through. And for a long time, well into the writing process, I'll struggle with the end. I could be several chapters into the book and still have no idea where it's headed. When I find out what the ending is, the will to write the book completely disappears.

I told my mom this the other day. She told me it was selfish. That now I've filled MY need for good stories but no one else will ever be able to read them.

Kiki's really been helping me with this. With writing to the end and finishing stories to share with the world. She's been so supportive and encouraging. She told me once when I was blocked "You're thinking too much, Ash. Just let the words flow. Just start typing. It'll come to you." and it did! That was one of the best posts I've ever written for our stories!

She also told me once, a good writer writes all the time. Even if it's just one sentence every day I have to write. And that if you write one, it's easier to write another and another. Before you know it you've written a whole page and could keep going! She taught me that, and I wouldn't still be writing right now if it weren't for her. She's the best!!!