Nano Writing Update! // Comment Q&A

Throughout April, I have been super busy with writing! After feeling burned out with Third Chances for a couple months, I decided to give it another try because I truly want to finish a full first draft. I didn't think I would like this story (I thought the plot was too weak), but as I read through what I had written I was surprised by how much the characters were shaping up to be and how I really did LIKE how this story was coming along! It's far from perfect, but this story is special to me on so many levels and I'm so so so excited to see where God leads this WIP of mine.

So today, I am doing a Nano Writing Update and I may just give ya'll some snippets of Third Chances!

I started out with the reasonable goal of 10,000 words. I didn't want to overwhelm myself, and I knew that 10k was definitely realistic. But, within the first week or two, I passed 10k so I decided to up my goal to 15k instead. But then, I passed that too. I upped it a third time to 20k. But with three days left of Nano, I passed my goal AGAIN! So, I decided for my final Nano goal to be 23k. And I'm so extremely happy to get anywhere close to this goal!

Special thanks to my writing buddies and those who encouraged me to write this month! It was a huge help!

~Word Count~

This is my word count log for the month:
Day 1: 1,399
Day 2: 713
Day 3: 1899
Day 6: 1,399
Day 7: 1,263
Day 8: 379
Day 9: 596
Day 10: 770
Day 13: 519
Day 14: 792
Day 15: 525
Day 16: 1,128
Day 17: 1,562
Day 20: 1,004
Day 21: 2, 073
Day 22: 878
Day 23: 905
Day 24: 457
Day 27: 747
Day 28: 1,658
Day 29: 1,564
Day 30: (Tomorrow)

~Snippets~
Here are a few of my favorite snippets. Consider yourself lucky, I almost didn't share these, but I hope you like them! And I hope you enjoy this sneak peak... Also, tell me in the comments which was your favorite snippet!!

Snippet One:

        “Alright, if you insist… but you do know we are way too old for that, don’t you?” Aimee had just turned twenty-five, not necessarily a secret handshake age.
“Hey, you might be too old for a secret handshake, but I’m surely not!” Natty’s single grin could brighten a roomful of frowns.
Aimee shook her head but went ahead and performed the fist bump, high five, fingers snap, twirl, and handshake anyway. Some traditions were too special to break even though they seemed elementary.

Snippet Two:

“Why?” She sobbed aloud, her forehead resting heavily against the steering wheel.

She didn’t know if she was asking God or maybe she had lost her mind and was talking to herself. She assumed it was the latter. Years of unresolved problems came hurtling back in one fell swoop. They pressed in around her like the darkness that surrounded her car. She was suffocating in the pain of her childhood rejection. Oh how the memories came rushing back to her while she sat pulled over on that country road. Did God not care? Was she not good enough for His peace?

Snippet Three:

“Colt! A cow in the road!”

Clara’s alarmed voice snapped Colt out of his earlier thoughts of his dad and he immediately slammed on the brakes. Mere inches from a cow standing in the middle of the road. For Pete's Sake, he had never encountered such a roadblock before in all his 26 years. 

“That was close…” Colt muttered under his breath, a small amount of adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

Snippet Four: 

Exuberant was only one of the many words Aimee would use to describe Zoe’s personality. How can that girl possibly be that happy all the time?

The object of her thoughts bounded down the porch steps of the ranch style house and went straight to the Ford F150 parked in the driveway. 

Snippet Five:

"He laughed and it was obviously a joke. The only thing was, joking didn't soften the blow of reality."

Snippet Six:

Clara helped make the pizza dough with Catrina, the two of them goofing off and pretending that they were great Italian chefs doing a cooking show together. Cory joined the fun by trying--but failing--to do a traditional pizza dough spin above his head. The dough dusted white flour on his dark brown hair before coming dangerously close to hitting the floor.

At his dramatic bow, Carlie giggled until hiccups rendered her speechless.

 

Snippet Seven:

Aimee shrugged, “I’m not sure yet, got any ideas?”

“Hmm, well, you could paint scenery. Like,” she thought for a moment, “what about an ocean scene?”

The ocean made her think of peaceful waters yet crashing waves. Maybe if she painted an ocean scene, it could serve as a reminder every time she looked at it: in order to get to the peaceful waters in life, you have to get past the waves. Only she wasn’t entirely sure that her analogy was correct because she had never felt the peaceful waters, only the crashing waves.

As she slapped blue, white, and sand colored paint onto her canvas, her mind whirled more than the swirling wave she painted. 

When was she ever going to meet the peaceful waters?

~Writing Related Photos in April~ 

^^Just kinda love this pic!

^^Gotta start somewhere...

^^Pic of when I hit 25k in my overall WIP 

^^I got confetti!

^^One time I wrote in the greenhouse! 

^^When I hit 5k!

^^Third Chances!

^^Since I've found that I like to write about food... this was something I had to look up! 

~Songs~
I couldn't figure out how to link to my Spotify playlist, so here is some of the songs on my Third Chances playlist! They are all such great songs if you ever want to look them up! *winks*

Check out the Pinterest board I'm making for Third Chances HERE.

I am also doing a Comment Q&A, so ask me a question in the comments below about Third Chances and I will answer!

Did you like hearing about my Work In Progress? Which was your favorite snippet? Do you have a question for the Q&A in the comments? Let's talk writing books in the comments below! 

Many Blessings,
Brooklyne 

Journal Clips

Today you get a very rare glimpse into my closest writings: my journal. I've been journaling off and on since 2015. And today, I'm sharing with y'all a couple clips from the last three years.

2018

♡Who am I to write devotionals today? Who am I to try and help with others.

♡ I'm so not fun. Those are lies, I know, but tonight they feel like they are true.

♡All I know is God's got it. Whatever it is, He's got it under control. All I need to do is seek Jesus-- the Giver of peace. And take one step, one day at a time. I want to live in these moments no matter how stressful, painful, or unknown they are. Because someday I will look back and sing "you're gonna miss this..."

♡But, have you ever thought that God's plan works best when you don't have it all together? God uses the unknown to build trust. God uses the change to grow closer to Him, and God uses the comfort zones to teach you to not be conformed. To not settle, to not be scared, to be bold. Every time you break through a stubborn comfort zone, God is just unfurling His plan in your life, creating so much more chances to make a difference and to life for Him. God uses our weakness to show His perfect strength.

2019

♡I'm truly just a terrified little girl that the world sees as old enough to be considered an adult.

♡It's just so hard
I don't know why things
have to happen

♡ No one can help, and the Someone who can, does in a way that I can't see.

♡It's ok to be original to who you are.

2020

♡Sometimes it's hard for me to live in the moment. But this is something I need to work on: being content where I am. It's okay for me to dream about "someday" but if I get so wrapped up in someday, then I'll miss all the amazingness of today.

♡Life is unexpected.

♡Jesus looks at the heart and not at the outward appearance. Wearing a skirt or jeans has nothing to do with salvation. Jesus looks at your heart.

♡Stop looking for flaws when you're fearfully and wonderfully made.

♡My future husband is out there, not on a white horse, but on a turtle and he's lost. :)

♡You can be different and still make a difference.

♡Stop holding the darn grudge, smile, forgive. Show some grace.

Do you keep a journal?
 Comment below and tell me something good that has happened in your life this week! <3 

Also, how's Camp Nano going for those who are doing it this year? Would you guys like to see a writing update? 

Many Blessings,
Brooklyne Elysse 

What Airplanes Can Teach Us

What Airplanes Can Teach Us...

Last December, I flew for the first time in 10 years. I don't typically like airplanes because I don't like trusting someone else for my well being. Also the "what if's" usually come to mind and I get a little nervous. But there is one thing about flying that makes it almost worth the fear of being off the solid ground: the views. I love window seats, and every time I look out that plane window, I am AMAZED. Flying up in the sky, watching the clouds that God has created and admiring the painted masterpiece is just breathtaking.

But let me tell you a little about my experience.

We boarded the plane after navigating through the busy airport. I was praying hard as I stepped onto the plane. It was icy/snowy so they de-iced the plane, which was kinda neat to see.

As soon as we took off, the grey smog flew past my window. I was praying even harder. But then, as we got higher and higher, we passed through a layer of clouds. As soon as the grey clouds cleared from my view, I saw something beautiful. And when I saw the clear sky and sunrise, I felt a peace. I'm not joking or just saying that ya'll. I was so nervous and then all the sudden, I was just peaceful because I was so in awe of the view.

Then we accelerated even higher and my peace went away. I saw yet another layer of gray cloud my window and I couldn't see the peaceful sunrise any longer. I was tense again and started praying. Since I was just sitting there, there wasn't really anything else to do. But to observe those around me (can't help it, I'm a writer) and eat the snacks I brought. The snacks helped with my ears popping for anyone new to flying. Skittles were especially good! *winks*

But then, as the clouds cleared, my praying ceased because all was good again. The view I saw was even more amazing then before. The sun was so bright and I couldn't help but to think, "Wow, God." Not to mention how fluffy the clouds below us looked. It was a perfect ocean of clouds. Soon after, I saw a "rainbow" that the sun had made. I don't know about you, but rainbows bring a sort of promise to mind. A promise that through and after the storm, God is still here with us. The rainbow calmed me further and I couldn't help but relax and enjoy the view. That's when I took 83649857 pictures out my plane window.

The scene out my window kept changing from blue skies, bright sunshine, patchwork clouds, and then the clouds cleared to be the ground below. The water, trees, rough terrain, etc! I literally got the birds eye view. Overall, my plane experience was a good one. But it had me thinking about my reaction to the unknown of the flight.

My outlook changed as quickly as my view. One moment, when the gray clouds covered my window, I felt more anxious. But as soon as the sun pierced through the clouds and we were above the clouds, I was ok. I was more than ok, maybe even enjoying the ride.

The point of this post:

Prayer is so important. But it's important all the time...

I found myself only truly praying when the plane ride got scary. And I think God desires a relationship with us that goes beyond the emergency prayers. Sure, He is right there with us when we go through tough times, He's even there before we utter a single word of prayer. But what about on the good days. The days when life is not scary, how often do I pray and talk to God?

This plane ride has showed me that God is with us through it ALL. Every passing moment, He is here. On the bad days, when we earnestly need His peace, He is there. On the good days, when we get distracted by life, He is still there. And He has given us prayer as a way to have a relationship with Him.

(Our world right now is in a constant state of uncertainty and fear of the unknown. We need to be praying for all affected by this virus, and know that God hears those prayers. When this is all over, He still hears our prayers. Although this grey cloud is over out window right now, blue skies are coming. Keep looking up.)

My challenge today, is to talk more with my Heavenly Father in all areas of life.

In both the gray skies and the blue ones.

Is there a time when you found yourself focusing more on the fear than on the faith? 

Have you flown before? What's your favorite plane ride snack?

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse 

10 Pinterest Quotes I Find Encouraging

Today, I thought I'd share with y'all a few Pinterest quotes I find encouraging! Check out more of my encouraging quotes I've saved HERE! Whenever I go through a rough time, I like to find good quotes. Quotes and pretty words won't fix the problems, but maybe they will give you a small bit of encouragement today. <3

Lets talk quotes! What's your favorite quote?? Tell me in the comments below!

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

Never Have I Ever...

1. Link and thank the blogger who tagged you. (Technically, I stole this tag from Kassie!)
2. Include the graphic somewhere in your post. (^^Up above)
3. Answer the questions truthfully and honestly.
4. Tag 3 bloggers. (Tagging the the first three commenters who call themselves writers!)

Never have I ever…

…started a novel that I didn’t finish.
Yes, I've started a couple, actually! *headdesk* Someday, I'll finish the most recent ones and someday, I might dust the older ones off and try again.

…written a story completely by hand.
Yes. It was a short story, nothing too long.

…changed tenses midway through a story.
On accident, yes!

…not researched anything before starting a story.
Yes... I don't know if I recommend it. But whatever works, right?

…changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft.
Changed it's spelling, yes. But not their name.

…written a story in a month or less.
Nope. Unless you count flash fiction. :)

…fallen asleep while writing.
No, never done that! Guess my stories aren't too boring after all! *winks*

…corrected someone’s grammar irl/online.
*slowly raises hand* guilty as charged.

…yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of a novel.
Um, not yelled. But I do write notes to myself in neon green, don't know why I chose that color.

…used “I’m writing” as an excuse.
Haha, yes!

…killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.
My lips are sealed! jk

…used pop culture references in a story.
Not much, but I might later on.

…written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Uh, not very frequently do I find myself writing this early.

…drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.
I've never had a entire pot of coffee ever. :)

…written down dreams to use in potential novels.
Maybe some dream have inspired different scenes, but no, I've never written my dreams down.

…published an unedited story on the internet/blog/Wattpad.
I've posted a couple stories I write when I was younger and tried to keep them closest to the original story. But I usually read over stories 230393898 times before I post something like a story.

…procrastinated homework because I wanted to write.
Not really.

…typed so long that my wrists hurt.
Yess! Sometimes I have to take brakes because my hands start to cramp.

…spilled a drink on my laptop while writing.
Thankfully, no!

…forgotten to save my work/draft.
I remember a time when I lost a whole short story I had written for a contest. Actually my dog stepped on the delete button I think... yep, good times.

…finished a novel.
Actually, no. But this is soon to change!

…laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.
No, but I can relate to this a little. :)

…cried while writing a scene.
Almost.

…created maps of my fictional worlds.
I once drew a map of the Oregon trail. But that's abt it.

…researched something shady for a novel.

Haha, maybe maybe not.

I hope y'all liked reading more about me as a writer! 

Have you ever written between the hours of 1 AM to 6 AM?

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse