Poem About my Family

My Family

My awesome Dad is a Marine,

A mean and lean running machine!

Lots of patience haveth he,

Because annoying we all can be!

My Mom homeschools all of us,

Even though we tend to fuss.

Horses she has always had,

She loves them even when their bad!

Writing is what I love to do,

I’m on novel number two.

Algebra I do abhor,

But music and science I adore.

My brother Alan can be a pest,

But at times he is the best!

The Hobbit he often reads

And on hamburgers he feeds.

My sister Josie is my friend,

On her I can depend.

In her room are jars and tanks,

Housing turtles and slinky snakes.

My sister Grace is really sweet,

At climbing trees she can’t be beat!

She loves to read, loves artwork too,

She’s always making something new.

My brother Andrew is quite cute,

Running around in his cowboy boots.

His temper is rather hot,

He thinks he’s right when he is not.

　

　

My brother Ben the youngest is,

He likes to think the house is his!

He loves to wander on his trike,

The word ‘no’ he doesn’t like.

I have two sisters and brothers three,

We’re part of the Battaglia family tree.

I have friends and hobbies too,

But they can’t replace my family, its true.

　

Sorry

Sorry i have not been posting, but High School and just life in general has been busy:)

So True!

2nd Drafts of Novels

     For your second draft you have to remember that you MUST NOT EDIT EVERY LINE!  Edit ONLY the big stuff.  This is always really hard for me to do, if i printed a few pages out i would scribble edits everywhere.  The later i would realize that i had to cut they whole chapter.  All of those line edits were a compete waste of time.  *sigh*  I could not overcome this by will power, (mine is really weak; put a bag of chocolate in front of me and its gone in 10 minutes)  To solve the problem I downloaded my first draft onto my nook.  Then i read through it, pen and paper in hand.  Whenever i came across a loose end, a plot problem, or a character flaw, i would write down the problem and the page it happen on.  when i was done doing this to the ENTIRE book, i went back and fixed these.  If I went line by line, this would have taken months and months, and half of those edited lines would have been deleted when i fixed all of the plot problems.  Focus on the big stuff, and the little stuff will come later.

Little-Known Holiday

Have a Happy National Cornchip day!!
I will be celebrating with chips and salsa:)

New Post Coming Soon

I will be doing a llama post within the next week. I really adore these animals i plan on getting one this Julyish.  Also, as i am moving back onto a farm this summer, expect a lot of posts on animals!

Character Names

I know 'Go Teen Writers' just did a post like this, but i have been wanting to do one for a while so here goes...

    The names of characters are important.   Writers need to realize that certain names do evoke certain traits in readers minds.  Most, (but not all) readers think of a sweet little girl when they hear names like Lilly, Charity, and Bethany.   Most, (but again not all) readers think of a very strong guy when they hear names like Bruce and Bruno.   They think the opposite when they hear the names Archibold, Ernie, and Fred.   Most of the time it is recommended to use names that fit your character.  Not the overused and cliche Bruce or Bruno, but still something that just sounds like your character. 
     As with every rule, there are exceptions.  Before reading the Percy Jackson books, the name 'Percy' made me think of the quiet and timid train on the cartoon 'Thomas the Train'.   Obviously this did not stop Rick Riordan from using the name in his book series.   Riordan's Percy is so believable it changed my perception of the name 'Percy.'  I no longer think of a timid little train with a squeaky voice, now i think of a tall, lanky, dark haired, green eyed, son of Poseidon.
     Another thing to watch out for is two characters that have names that are similar.  Having one character named 'Silvia' and another named 'Silver' is a no-no.   Character names should all start will different letters and vary in length.  In my most recent novel, 'Outcasts' i have an 'Alora' a 'Violet' and a 'Sage'.   All three of those names have different numbers of syllables and start with a different letter. 
     Unique spellings are all right, so long as they are used in moderation.  Don't make every character have a funkyly spelled name.  (the exception is in sci-fi books where all the characters have names that are odd)   Having a Tiphanii and Erin and a Mary is all right, but having a Tiphanii, Arynn, and Merri isn't.  All of those names are cool spelled all funky, but doing it to more than one or two characters can bother a reader.  {it also messes with your spell check (:} 

   Well that is about all i have to say for now.   But there will probably be another post similar to this a while down the road.  Naming characters is one of my favorite things to do, i literally spend hours pouring over different names for each character i have!