Another tag/meme

Okay, I'm in another tag, though this one is for writing. 

This was made by Manet, and Shelby tagged me to participate. And the rules are...


If you are nominated, you are allowed to put in one paragraph to continue the story.  If you’re writing dialogue, you may write two paragraphs if of speech 2 sentences or under (if it’s three sentences that they speak, not including interjections, you can only do one paragraph).  People may be tagged again two times at most.  The premise of this meme is that each time it’s posted, it’s a different story because it went to different people, but they all started with the same paragraph.  You also have to repost the rules and the entire story so far into your blog post that you have for this meme.  Just copy it off the post of whoever nominated you.


Here's the story so far: 

(MANET) The moon was full tonight, and it hovered over the teenagers as if blessing them.  Maybe that’s what it seemed like to anybody else.  But Ella had the feeling that it was cursing them. 

(KT) They had invited Ella to join them tonight, but instead of approaching them, Ella hung back.  She lingered in the shadows watching the teenagers stand so still it seemed like they weren’t breathing.  Ella took a deep breath preparing to step out of hiding, but before she could, a different girl walked confidently towards the ground of teenagers. 

(SHELBY) "Hey!" the girl chirped at the group. They suddenly stopped talking and slowly turned toward the girl dressed in bright colors. Glaring at her, they started to whisper to each other. I wondered what was going on. Did this have anything to do with me? I knew this was all a joke, just playing a prank on me again. 

Oh, how I wondered what they were saying. They didn't seem particularly happy, when the girl approached their group. I take a tentative step toward them, and could hear their whispering loud and clear. "What is she doing here?" was the most commonly whispered. I take another step towards them, before finally one of them noticed me. 

As you can see, the last paragraph was mine. And I don't know anyone to tag, that likes chocolate. So comment if you want to get tagged if you are a blogger, and like chocolate. And I'll tag you, so you can write another paragraph to the story.

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Another poem by Shelby.

Hello people, a person named Shelby- author of several great blogs, including one called Come All, Come Write.- sent in a poem. Feel free to comment, I'm sure she'll like that very much.

I’m a fish in a small pond,

Scared, shocked, every way I turn.

I’m a shark in the vast, blue ocean.

The fish try to run away, but don’t make it.

I’m a deer in the woods.

Roads are my biggest fear.

I’m an elephant in a zoo.

No way to escape, but I get attention.

I’m a cow on a farm.

This is my life. And it will end soon.

She did the animal POV's by the way if you're wondering. 

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My Contest Entry for the YWP Nano Contest.

Hello, I'm entering the contest from the YWP Nano. If you want to know more about it the contest just go here. Well here it goes.

It all started on a perfectly cloudless day. The sun was shining everywhere, giving everything a positive side to them, full of hopes and dreams, and a side full of negativity, and broken promises. I sit in the middle of a burbling brook. The cold water was rushing by, not giving anything around them a care in the world. The tears stream down my pale face, my heart shattered into a million pieces, flowing downward with the water, far, far away from their crestfallen owner.

“Why?” I whisper. Tears just continue to pour out; the sun shines brightly, causing the water to sparkle merrily, unlike me. Nothing answered back, the trees, the water, the animals, everything around me continued to ignore me. I shake my head, not believing that it has actually happened. That he actually did it. The tears stream down faster as I remember holding his breathless body on my lap. I remember the blood dripping from his sandy haired head. The weapon that had tempted him to take his life away was just gone.

“Mia?” asks a familiar voice behind me. I don’t reply back, I wasn’t ready to turn around yet. Brackon sighs, and comes to sit down on the rock next to me. He gingerly wraps his arm around my shoulders, and says nothing.

“Why, Brackon, why did, Will, do it?” I whisper loudly. His shoulder was getting wet, but he didn’t care, and his grip tightens around my shoulders.

“Life has an uncanny way of telling you when it’s time to end, and start anew. It doesn’t care about the consequences, but it will always give us hope,” he says quietly. Hope, it’s such a pretty little word, and yet so powerful.

“Hope,” I whisper feeling it wrap around us, for a new beginning.

(300 words)

(Going into 9th grade [High School])

  

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Writing Prompts # 2

Seven more posts from the big 100. And I need you guys to send/ comment your questions and/ or music suggestions here. It ends on August fifth the same time the contest ends. Okay as the title says, I'm here to give you guys some writing prompts. If you want to send them in, then I'll gladly put it on the blog. And here they are.

1. Describe your street, using a couple of nouns, and a lot of adjectives. 
2. Write from a famous person's POV
3. Imagine that you are surrounded by fish. Describe your surroundings with your five senses. 
4. Write about something that you wished happened to you. 
5. Write from any kind of animal's (excluding humans) POV. 

And that is all that I can think of for the moment, hope these help. 

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IMPORTANT!

Eight more posts till the big 100 post. Yay, I'm so excited  and I'm going to need your help. I need you viewers, followers, readers etc to comment, or e-mail me at staceriffic@gmail.com, your questions, and music suggestions. And the questions can be about everything, from what is my favorite item to how I feel about the U.S debt system (though I have no clue who will actually send/ comment me that question). Also if you're going to comment/send in music suggestions, please make sure the music is appropriate.
AND IT HAS TO BE DUE BY AUGUST 5TH.
And remember if you hadn't joined my contest, join now all entries will no later be due by August 5th. For more info please go here.

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A tag

Shelby tagged me to participate in the Traveling Smoothie. And the rules are simple. I just gotta color a plain smoothie, share it, and then tag somebody else. Well here it is.

The before photo ^^^ and the after photo <

And this is practically much a berry smoothie, with a bunch of berries floating around. There's a green striped straw (lightish green like that, is my favorite color), and there's a sun behind it warming it all up.

 As you can see, I have used paint in the last few months, for something that I can't really remember. And I tag Photo, and Costello from Art4You, as well as Anna Swanson from Fiction Write Located Here. So tag you three are it. 

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Kokoro no Tamago The Heart's Egg ~ Song Lyrics

Here are the opening lyrics for the anime Shugo Chara. As you can see, today I'm not really in the mood to write anything, but I thought you might enjoy this, and at the end, I'll post the video that has the full version, though it is in Japanese. If you want to see the original lyrics please go here.

Hop Step Jump Drew Draw Drawn Chip Syrup Whip There are a lot of

Hop Step Jump Drew Draw Drawn Chip Syrup Whip The me I wanna be.

Even if people say that I'm cool, strong, stylish, and hot Truth is, I'm none of those things, because I'm just a normal girl. I just want to brush aside the pressure and be honest, but Even if they say it's not my character, My Heart Unlock!

You can be who you want to be. The Shugo Chara are with you. You can do it how you want to do it. It's totally OK. You can be who you want to be. Just being one thing is boring. You can do it how you want to do it. You can do anything.

Everyone everywhere is wishing to be someone else. That's why they go beyond their limits and give in. Because everyone should have an egg inside their heart, I won't just put a "good" or a "bad" on it. Negative Heart Lock On!

You can go how you want to go. You don't have to worry. You can slack off a bit every once in a while. Don't try too hard. You can go how you want to go. The adults will not understand. You can go the path you want to go. It's OK to be wrong.

You can be who you want to be. The Shugo Chara are with you. You can do it how you want to do it. It's totally OK. You can be who you want to be. Just being one thing is boring. You can do it how you want to do it. You can do anything.

I'm sure Hop Step Jump Drew Draw Drawn Chip Syrup Whip There are a lot of them

Hop Step Jump Drew Draw Drawn Chip Syrup Whip The me I want to be.

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Name change

So fellow viewers as you may or may have not noticed by now. I shall not be sweets1018 anymore, but 1018mockingjay. Maybe just plain mockingjay in the future. Why I changed my name was that some people from the nano sites, kind of wondered who is this sweets1018 person. So I changed it, so they won't be confused anymore. And plus I like the name 1018mockingjay better anyways. It stuck with me, since last year, when I was "patiently" waiting for my pre-order of Mockingjay to come in the mail.
And I also changed my picture to one of the anime characters that I used to watch. (Episode 20, and 290ish more to go). It's from the anime Shugo Chara if you're wondering. One day I shall do a book review on it, so you shall understand what I'm talking about, if you haven't seen or read the books already.

Hop Step Jump

Drew Draw Drawn

Chip Syrup Whip

That was some lyrics from the opening song, if you were wondering. Well tip, tip tally ho, if that's spelled right. Well what I meant to say was see ya.

(Weird something strange has happened to the text above. It won't turn normal, as I asked it too).

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Quote #11

    “Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” John Jakes

“Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow...” Lawrence Clark Powell

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The Mortal Instruments: A book (series) review

1. City of Bones

2.City of Ashes

3. City of Glass

4. City of Fallen Angels

5. City of Lost Souls

6. City of Heavenly Fire

The Mortal Instruments a trilogy, now a six book series. The next two books is coming out, as soon as the other two books in the Infernal Device series comes out. If you're a bit confused, it will go like this (which book comes out next):

Infernal Devices 

Mortal Instruments 

Infernal Device

Mortal Instruments.

The author just wanted the Infernal Devices somehow effecting - or was it affecting - the future, in the series, which results in the unexpected three extra books in the Mortal Instruments. 

Well enough of that, here's the review. Well I can't really explain what they are about, but here's a summary that I found on the site on the first book - the other summaries kind of contain spoilers, and you'll already know what will eventually happens if you read the other summaries. (The summary posted here is from http://www.mortalinstruments.com/books.php. Please don't think that I wrote them.)

City of Bones: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

All I can say is that it has excitement, adventure, mystery, and others that I can't think of right now, as well as a little bit of romance. I would recommend that you pick up this book right now. But, it is a bit YA, so I would suggest you to be in a 6th grade level or older. And you can see why I love the series, and I think that a movie is also coming out for it, not sure of the date most likely in 2012, or 2013. 

P.S. Sorry if that wasn't much of a book review, my brain is kind of half dead? Well let's just say it's in a lazy mood today. Oh and if you hadn't checked out my new contest, I would recommend you do so right now, for more info please go here.

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Rain

It is raining right now where I live. Just a moment ago, it was pounding, not relenting it's tantrum till it gets what it wants. Then suddenly it just stopped its pounding- but it is still crying. Apparently it must have gotten what it wanted. There was thunder, and tiny bits of lightning, it was amazing.
My cat who was out in the backyard during the time, got wet. And it tried to climb into my bedroom window, since it was the only one open. (What, it's summer and I actually like the fresh air coming in). And I feel like going outside for some weird reason.

Rain
Wet
Cold
Nice
Fresh
Hard
Soft
Mean
Pounding
Relating
 Refreshing.

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Tired ~ A poem by moi

Tired
Sleep
Dreamland
Nightmares
Screaming
Horror
Back to sleep
Nothing.

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Quotes to help you overcome writer's block

So I found this on another site, but I forgot the name! So if you were the person that originally wrote this, I am sorry, at least I am admitting that I didn't write this. Well here it goes.

1. Get Started

·         "The easiest thing to do on earth is not write."
(William Goldman)

• "Writing is 90 percent procrastination: reading magazines, eating cereal out of the box, watching infomercials. It's a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning and you reach the point where you have to write

(Paul Rudnick)

• "The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair."

(Mary Heaton Vorse)

•  "One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. I have spent many months on a first paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily."

(Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

•   "The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."

(Mark Twain)

2. Capture Ideas

·         "I carry a notebook with me everywhere. But that's only the first step. Ideas are easy. It's the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats."
(Sue Grafton)

•  "In writing, there is first a creating stage--a time you look for ideas, you explore, you cast around for what you want to say. Like the first phase of building, this creating stage is full of possibilities."

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

•    "Actually ideas are everywhere. It's the paperwork, that is, sitting down and thinking them into a coherent story, trying to find just the right words, that can and usually does get to be labor."

(Fred Saberhagen)

•   "Never stop writing because you have run out of ideas. Fill the lacunae of inspiration by tidily copying out what is already written."

(Walter Benjamin)

•  "I've often said that there's no such thing as writer's block; the problem is idea block. When I find myself frozen--whether I'm working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book--it's usually because I'm trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place."

(Jeffery Deaver)

3. Cope with the Badness

·         "We can't be as good as we'd want to, so the question then becomes, how do we cope with our own badness?"
(Nick Hornby)

•  "You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence."

(Octavia Butler)

• "People have writer's block not because they can't write, but because they despair of writing eloquently."

(Anna Quindlen)

•    "If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word."

(Margaret Atwood)

•   "Don't get it right, just get it written."

(James Thurber)

•  "What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, 'Okay. Okay. I’ll come.'"

(Maya Angelou)

•  "I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if you sit down at the keys long enough, sooner or later something will come out."

(Roy Blount, Jr.)

•  "Lower your standards and keep writing."

(William Stafford)

4. Establish a Routine

·         "I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o'clock every morning."
(William Faulkner)

•   "And I'm a slow writer: five, six hundred words is a good day. That's the reason it took me 20 years to write those million and a half words of the Civil War."

(Shelby Foote)

•    "I set myself 600 words a day as a minimum output, regardless of the weather, my state of mind or if I'm sick or well."

(Arthur Hailey)

•   "All through my career I've written 1,000 words a day--even if I've got a hangover. You've got to discipline yourself if you're professional. There's no other way."

(J.G. Ballard)

• "I write 2,000 words a day when I write. It sometimes takes three hours, it sometimes takes five."

(Nicholas Sparks)

•    "I have to get into a sort of zone. It has something to do with an inability to concentrate, which is the absolute bottom line of writing."

(Stephen Fry)

•   "Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."

(Barbara Kingsolver)

5. Write!

·         "If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule."
(Robert Parker)

•   "My block was due to two overlapping factors: laziness and lack of discipline."

(Mary Garden)

• "Planning to write is not writing. Outlining--researching--talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing."

(E. L. Doctorow)

• "If you are a genius, you'll make your own rules, but if not--and the odds are against it--go to your desk, no matter what your mood, face the icy challenge of the paper--write."

(J. B. Priestly)

• "To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write."

(Gertrude Stein)

• "The writer's duty is to keep on writing."

(William Styron)

• "Read a lot. Write a lot. Have fun."

(Daniel Pinkwater)

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Dear family, A CONTEST

THEME: Write a letter home, telling your adventures of the country that you're visiting. Can include a stamp from the country. It cannot be the country that you lived in all your life.

DEADLINE: August 5, 2011 (Three weeks from now)

SEND IT TOO: staceriffic@gmail.com  or to stacynguyen12@gmail.com. Please make sure the subject, is Dear family, or just contest.

PRIZES: Guest blogging on my blog, me guest blogging on your blog (if you have one), me making you a book cover, or a signature, or even just personalizing a picture.

EXTRAS: It can be as long as you want.

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The runner ups.

Here are the runner ups of the summer contest. I'll post the second contest up soon, I promise. The first one is by Shelby, her blogs can be found at http://comeallcomewrite.blogspot.com/, http://writinginsidejokes.blogspot.com/, and http://www.thefashionistagirls.blogspot.com/

Summer

by Shelby

The bell rings.

Only smiles,

as children

are freed.

The boys run home

already making plans

for a baseball game.

Splash! as the girls

jump into the pool.

That's when summer starts.

When happiness starts.

This one was written by a viewer named Nikita

Through the Open Plains
By:Nikita Johnson
   In the hot Californian sun,did he sun set,and the girl's parents were talking.Sarah listened in and told Bianca what about.They were talking about the girls and their brother going to Texas!They were using the laptop to find chauffeurs and travel deals.Finally after 10 minutes the girls went to their comfy beds.
    The next morning their parents "surprised" them with the news.They were going in 2 days.They talked and went up to pack for the flight.The days passed as quickly as the desert sun.Soon,it was time.They told the parents bye,and got on he plane.They played games that 9 year old Sarah knew,but Bianca who was 13 didn't remember.
    It seemed like days had passed before landing.Jeremiah was waiting.Then,they picked up their baggage and took 3 hours to drive back to the ranch.On the way back the wind picked up speed and didn't slow down.It only went faster.
    They were in a monsoon with 2 tornadoes touching down.The wind reached 20 mph,and the car toppled over,them inside.They all were injured and finally got out.The parents eyes were glued to the weather channel and then they saw the tornado.
     They tried to come,but all flights were closed.A hurricane was on its way....

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Contest Winner

Okay, I'm here today to announce the summer contest. I have received three entries, and they were all very good. But the one I chose was.... totallystargirl. Congratulations to those who entered. I'll post the runner ups tomorrow, and here's her entry. 

Swim (I changed everybody's names. I'm Storm, btw) 347 Words.

While everyone waded in carefully to get used to the temperature, I immediately dived in. Cold water raised goose bumps on my skin, but only for a moment. I smiled under the surface. I wished we had a pool at home, other than the wimpy blow up pool that was six inches deep. I would swim in it every day.

 I broke the surface, gulped in air and flipped back under.  I easily touched the bottom with my fingertips. The deepest part of the pool was about five feet or so, so when I stood on my toes, I could almost reach the surface.  Pushing up from the bottom, I launched myself onto the side of the pool and pulled myself up. Now I know what it means to be ‘dripping wet’.  I dived into the water and swam to the other side of the pool without taking a breath. Wow. I thought, blinking as I sucked in air. I didn’t know I could do that.  

  Someone grabs my leg and I swing around. It’s one of my best friends, Lauren, who’s younger than me, but taller and stronger.  I wait a while until she’s talking to her mom and standing on a step. Like an alligator-or a dragon, as I prefer- I stealthily sneak up and grab her ankles. She shrieks and falls back into the water, both of us laughing.

After a wonderful couple hours of swimming we laid out our towels and talked about random stuff. Books we liked, animals, random things like that. Lauren ran to her car and came back with a piece of cardboard. I turned it over and smiled, hoping I wouldn’t cry. Lauren had taken a bunch of random pictures and glued them on, and then added a small piece of paper, and on it she wrote:  “Three girls from different families met one day and now (intentionally) stay intertwined with each other’s lives. Lauren, Storm and Lily. Summer 2009-2011.” Smiling, me and my sister Lily hugged Lauren and started home. What a wonderful beginning to a wonderful day.

Congrats again, and here's your prize choices

1. Guest blogging on my blog
2. Me guest blogging on your blog (if you have one)
3. Me making you a book cover, or a signature (I'm not really good at making book covers but I'll try)
4. Me personalizing a picture for you (I don't have much experience in this, but I'll try)

Please comment on what you want, and if you want to some examples please go to this link. http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z479/1018mockingjay/signatures/

Other examples are...

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