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Her hands trembled around the bouquet; it was a hasty one, gathered from the wild fields of Aulis, picked by one of her father’s men. Iphigenia knew none of the flower’s names, but their stems were firm, and their colors lush. They were blessed omens; her marriage would be no less.

Thetis watched his fingers tremble around the wood; fingers predisposed for the flight of war. How many years, then, until he knew the lowest bowels of the world? The darkest? The gates of Elysium watched for his soul, but the sunlight inside was not Apollo’s.

“November came in raw shades of smoke and ash, sucking amber and gold from what still lived. In the craters came a bed for the frost. A great depression and silence for the branches to protest in. In marched summer’s captive; the fine teeth and knives of howling, of snow, of wild and displaced stars.”

Aleena Rose

“Autumn is cruel to nature. And with her beauty, she tries to woo us away from her destruction. I try not to be like her.”

- Their Broken Knees, Aleena Rose

If you’re a writer of any sort, I would highly recommend these books! Many have shaped/inspired me as an author, and have changed the way I look at certain aspects of the craft. Even if you’re not, I still recommend them.

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE

My favorite book of all time. The love of my life. My comfort. This book follows the life of a girl who makes a deal with a god for immortality, but in exchange, everybody she meets will forget her. The book felt timeless to me, and it made me really think about how people can be “selfish” in their desires and can go to such far extremes to follow their heart. I could make a whole post arguing against the critiques I’ve seen for this book, but I’ll save that for some other time.

CIRCE

Madeline Miller took a retelling and made it beautifully classy. Circe follows the life of the goddess, and it is written with such a lyrical and poetic writing style that it feels like pure folklore. Miller’s writing style is a large inspiration to me, and I admire how well she tells a story through her word choice.

BABEL, OR THE NECESSITY OF VIOLENCE

This book. THIS BOOK. Babel follows four scholars as they navigate Oxford’s translation tower, all while struggling to decide whether they should keep their dedication to its colonization purposes or use the magic in the tower to help those who don’t have access to it. RF Kuang’s writing style is another one I admire, but I especially admire her characters. They’re wonderfully complex, and I found myself rooting for all of them in some way.

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

I never thought I would get into a WW2 book, but this book did it for me. It follows the lives of two people as they grow into adulthood during World War 2, and eventually, their lives intersect. I admire how the book evoked emotion and sympathy in a way I didn’t even realize until I finished. When I did realize, I noticed that it made me mourn.

THE SECRET HISTORY

“Beauty is terror.” This book is my morally gray grail. The book follows a group of students in a Vermont college as they search for the sublime, only to face the consequences of such beauty. This book gave me a new respect for how society influences our minds, and how people follow their desires so deeply.

A LITTLE LIFE

Some people may know this book as a heartbreaker, and it’s true. This book follows the lives of four friends, but eventually centers on one particular man and his tragic upbringing. The book made me look at what a “tragic backstory” means in a new light, and how it can follow a character for the rest of their life.

HONORABLE MENTION: Dead Poets Society

This is my favorite movie, and the book was just as beautiful. It follows a similar theme as in the secret history (trying to find greatness, only to feel the consequences), but the characters were what stood out to me. They were real, and you could FEEL their hope.

NaNoWriMo is a challenge hosted every November. Every year, countless writers participate in the hopes of reaching the 50,000 word count goal. It’s hosted by the nonprofit organization National Novel Writing Month. So, how can you participate?

It’s simple!

1. Visit nanowrimo.org to create your free account, which will be used to track your word count throughout the month. There are many tutorial videos online to help you navigate the website.

2. Write! Continue using whatever writing platform you currently use, and simply add your word count for that day into the nanowrimo tracker once you’re done for the day.

“50k in a MONTH? That’s a lot! How can I accomplish that?” I’ll tell you ->

1. 50k in a month breaks down to 1,667 words a day. So, if you want to reach this goal, aim for a steady word count of around 2 thousand per day. That being said, don’t be afraid to put more value on other days! (For example: write 1k on Monday but then write 3k on Tuesday to make up for it)

2. Have your story outlined or planned before you start. It’ll help your writing process move along much faster if you already have a good understanding what’s going to happen in your story. If chapter-by-chapter outlines aren’t your thing, that’s cool too! But many people have said that having that general understanding of your story’s path helps a lot.

3. Take care of yourself! Drink water, eat some good food, and get enough sleep. No word count is worth sacrificing your self care for.

4. Find support groups! If anybody would like to put a support group chat together, feel free to utilize the comments of this post :)

See you all on November 1st. Good luck!

full credit to writtenwordmedia.com for some of the “plot” prompts!!

PLOT

a horror story where the main character is unbothered by literally everything

a character is pronounced dead after an incident, but they aren't actually gone. they decide to go along with it.

an author's characters come to life. furious with how they were treated in their stories, the author must outrun their own characters

start a story off with a sentence that is happy, and end the story with the same sentence but in a dark upsetting meaning.

write a storv where every chapter starts with the same sentence, but with a different meaning each time.

a hero descends into villainy for the villain thev love

A stranger sits down next to you on a train and gets up, leaving a package behind. Do you investigate the package?

You hear news of your next-door neighbor vanishing without a trace.

One day the national news channel shuts off. And the next day after that, too.

An avalanche strands two mortal enemies together… and they start to fall in love.

One day at work, you look across the street to see a hooded figure in a black coat pointing directly at you. What do they want?

After people die, their spirits can be brought back from death but at the cost of one random human life. Is it worth it?

You stumble upon a strange house you’ve never seen before on your morning run.

You get a text message from an unknown number saying, “Meet me outside. Now.”

Your parents tell you that they actually don’t know whose child you are.

A Republican presidential candidate and Democratic presidential candidate fall in love.

You fall in love with every person you make eye contact with.

A man and his wife own the largest potion store in town. Little do the townspeople know, but they’re all being slowly poisoned by the potions.

Death has been flirting with you for a long time, but they’ve become a bit annoying. After another attempting to hang out with you again, you jokingly tell them, “If I was the last person on Earth, I’d maybe give you a chance.” Death believes you and will double their efforts.

You’re selected to take part in a secretive, underground magic university… but you have to kill someone at the start of each year in order to keep your enrollment.

A lord takes a fancy to a peasant girl and kidnaps her for his own. Little does he know that she’s a trained assassin who has been preparing to take his life for years.

By way of a lottery system, the king chooses you to be his queen.

For the last few days, you’ve been getting ominous messages written in blood on your bathroom mirror. Turns out, they’re from an awkward ghost with a serious crush on you.

A character suffers from sleep paralysis at the worst possible time.

A teenager’s best friend goes missing—and is widely believed to be the murderer of a family member.

Two teens begin to write a fantasy novel together and then cross over into the world they’ve created

A girl always hangs out at a particular little nook at the library. Then the same boy starts taking the space every day

A character commits horrible crimes while sleepwalking, but during the day, tries to help others solve the crimes, not realizing that they’re the one responsible

Several weeks after buying your dream house, you start getting strange letters delivered in the mail warning you to move out

A serial killer starts an escape room business, but the people playing need to actually escape.

DIALOGUE

credit to authority.pub for some of the dialogue prompts!

“Put the gun down, dearest. I have news!”

“I’m surprised you haven’t been arrested yet. Wait, no, I’m not.”

“So, you broke my favorite mug… and you’re breaking up with me?”

“I’m afraid the king is indisposed. And the castle is out of sorts right now, what with the chef being executed last minute.”

"You are losing my interest, and that is very dangerous."

"Family isn't who you're born with, it's who you'd die for.'

"They're like a hurricane in human form."

"Money is a terrifying thing!"

"I didn't leave because of them, but they're the reason I never went back

'I watched as blood reddened the water."

"You look good together. Odd, but good."

"I'm personally offended that you didn't get me to be your fake date.

"He is just a man. He will fall. You will make sure of that."

“Trust me, you want to be in the friend zone.”

"You ruined me. I plan on returning the favor."

“I wish you’d come to the funeral. I needed you there.”

“At first, we all thought it was part of the act.”

“You’re the worst. And you’re all I’ve got.”

“Where did you get that book? Who gave it to you?”

“I don’t need to be a gentleman right now.”

THE MOST DANGEROUS WRITING APP

this website is both my savior and my nightmare. the idea of it is that you set a timer for a certain time period, but if you stop typing for more than 5 seconds, all of your writing you’ve done during the timer is deleted. while it’s anxiety-inducing, it’s helped me write 700 words in only 15 minutes!

am i a creative writing page? yes. but this is also for the poor souls working on college applications

NOTE: not every word might be a direct synonym! please remember that it depends on the context you use the word in :)

extremely: awfully, exceedingly, exceptionally, extraordinarily, highly, hugely, immensely, totally, severely , intensely

said: ventured, agreed, yelled, shouted, groaned, repeated, muttered, murmured, hissed, replied, argued, protested, snapped, countered, snarled, cried, explained

happy: cheerful, content, elated, glad, joyful, joyous, thrilled, merry, jubilant

imagine: conceptualize, create, devise, envision, fabricate, form, plan, invent, perceive

want: need, wish, crave, demand, fancy, yearn

proud: honored, noble, great, satisfied

big: colossal, considerable, enormous, gigantic, immense, massive, sizable, substantial, tremendous, vast

little: tiny, limited, meager, slight, sparse, mini, minute, short

need: demand, obligation, wish, must, require, essential, urgent

cry: howl, sob, bawl, blubber, mourn, snivel, wail, weep, yowl

become: develop, grow, covert, shift, alter, reform, remodel, change, turn out

Ivy

Aurora

Atlas

Henry

Tobias

Alexandria

Vihaan

Agnes

Claire

Circe

Coralline

Dorian

Zhu

Diya

Rowan

Dahlia

Victoria

Francis

Inaya

Clarence

Winter

Richard

Adhira

Daiyu

Robin

Celeste

here’s the thing; there’s really nothing wrong with the word “very!” however, it can be a good thing to substitute it with stronger vocabulary (for example, very big could become ginormous.) so, i recently discovered a website that allows you to find an alternative for using the word “very!”

losethevery.com

here’s how it works ->->

1. Go to losethevery.com

2. type a word into the space, and it’ll give you an alternative!

example:

while they don’t have every word added to the database yet, you can actually help! at the bottom, there’s a button called “update database” where you can input alternatives for “very.”

DO:

• look at them as a person. don’t just think of them as a character—imagine them as somebody you know in real life. it’ll help you see them more deeply, not just as words on a page. in fact, an exercise i like to do is have an “interview” with a character and type it out for future reference. consider their small, everyday mannerisms, not just the big picture!

• make them more than a stereotype. if you want, go far and twist it. for example, if you’re writing the “small town girl” trope who loves everybody and is used because of her kindness by the local quarterback, have her murder him. flip the stereotype on its head! not only will it be more entertaining, but it’ll make your reader question everything. (that being said, stereotypes are cool if you want to follow them! just feel free to twist it however you want)

• use dialogue and action to showcase their personalities. show, don’t tell!

• introduce them in a meaningful or memorable way (if they’re a significant character)! Not everybody has to have this dramatic, grand entrance, but it’s a boost to your more important characters. Even better if you do it in a way that showcases the kind of person they are (ex: a kind character saves a cat)

• give them their 5 senses. This is a crucial mistake that often makes a reader feel disconnected from the characters! Tell us what they smell, what they hear-all that jazz. It helps ground the reader farther into the world and the character's perspective. Without this tool, it's hard to feel a connection!

DON’T

• include every single detail, especially if most of them are irrelevant. while you can include details about a character to show their personality, don’t bombard the reader with so many that they’re confused/overwhelmed. keep it to a minimum!

• spend an eternity focusing on their looks. Focus on their personality, their backstory, and their motivations. All too often, I've seen authors spend pages and pages crafting a character's appearance, but then forget to actually put a personality behind their appearance! also, don’t be afraid to discuss important physical features like scars

• forget their flaws. Nothing is ever perfect, and no matter how dearly you may love them, that includes your characters! Let them mess up. Let them be messy, and confusing, and struggle. Let them make mistakes in their relationships. A perfect character is a bad character, because there’s no such thing as a perfect person!

Based on the last digit of time, you would be the:

O- love interest

1- villain

2- main character

3- side character

4- comedic relief

5- traitor

6 through 9- side character

Based on the last digit of your phone percentage, this is what genre you'd be in:

O- horror

1- mystery/thriller

2- dystopian

3- sci-fi

4- comedy

5- young adult contemporary

6- fantasy

7- historical

8-9- romance

Based on your favorite subject, this is how your story ends:

math- you die lol

science- bittersweet ending

history- a happy ending with the love of your life

english- you don't get everything you wanted, but you're safe and you have your found family there with you

foreign language- huge cliffhanger

Based on the color of your shirt, this is what trope you live in:

blue- enemies to lovers

black- rivals to lovers

white- found family

red- chosen one

yellow- forbidden love

orange- sunny x grumpy

pink/purple- secret identity

green- hero to villain arc

other- villain to hero arc

Comment your results!

How I’ve written (almost) 4 books at 17

A long time ago, I made a post on my writing journey, but I feel like it’s time for an updated version. My career as a writer is constantly moving and changing, and it’s something I want to share.

I’ve been writing stories since I really knew what they were, but I’m happy to say that I’ve written almost 4 novels! Three are complete, one took a chance in the traditional publishing trenches, and one is still being drafted. So, I’m going to explain how I’ve written so much at a younger age. Before we start, remember that everybody’s writing journey is different, and it isn’t a race :)

1. I stayed consistent. I know it can be difficult to avoid hopping between novels, but if you truly want to get one done, the best way to do it is to STICK TO ONE! Writing takes discipline, and this is one example of that. Yes, there have been plenty of times where I was tempted to try writing something else, but I didn’t let myself wander until my current project was done. However, I will always sit there creating new projects for the future when I want to turn my mind somewhere else, or I’ll work on short stories if I truly need a break from my novel. (That being said, if your current project just isn’t working and you aren’t enjoying it, then switch! Writing is meant to be enjoyable!)

2. I found stories that I enjoyed telling. If you aren’t having fun with your project, you won’t want to spend the time it takes to write it. Like most writers, I’ve had projects I’ve started and stopped in favor of others, but only a few times! Once I found the projects I enjoyed, I was consistent to those.

3. I set a schedule using the NaNoWriMo website. It allows you to set a word count and completion date goal, and it serves as a tracker throughout the writing process! This held me accountable, rather than letting me rely solely on motivation to get me to write. While I’d advise against relying solely on motivation if you’re more serious about writing, please don’t push yourself to write an unhealthy amount. Encourage/nudge yourself, don’t shove yourself so hard that you fall.

4. I used almost every spare moment I could, whether it was writing down dialogue on the bus to school or writing a page before sports practice on my school laptop. I prioritized writing, and that makes having a story you enjoy so much more important. Don’t center your life around a craft if it’s something that you dread or don’t enjoy!

5. I didn’t put too much pressure on myself. I just had fun and let myself get lost in the craft. Nowadays, I feel like peer pressure is higher than ever in the writing community to say, “I wrote a book!” You don’t have to rush to get there. Writing is a different journey for everybody, and this is just how mine went. Some want to publish, and some write just for fun. Some write faster, and some are slower. Regardless, remember why you chose to start writing in the first place! Have fun with it.

Autumn

• Rory

• Amber

• Sienna

• Sarad

• Archer

• Asher

• Sharadini

• Arya

• Rowan

Winter

• Wren

• Eun

• Scarlett

• Rin

• Lucius

• Lucia

• Natalia

• Eirlys

• Nicholas

• Bianca

• Boreas

• Eira

• Oakley

• Zhaleh

Spring

• Juniper

• Raine

• Agnes

• Chunhua

• Rose

• Kairavi

• Florence

• Phoenix

• Ishya

• Iris

• Willow

• Olive

Summer

• Skye

• Darya

• Sahil

• August

• Coral

• Zoya

• Surya

• Lijuan

• Ruolan

• Kai

• Cyrus

Dialogue:

“Shh, it was only a nightmare.”

“I love you, it hurts to see you like this.”

“I’ll keep you safe”

“I made you some soup”

“They’re gone now. It’s okay.”

“Let me take care of you.”

“I’m happy when you’re around”

“You have a good heart”

“I never want you to stop looking at me the way you are right now”

“Sit with me as long as you’d like”

“You are my future and the hope from my past”

beautiful words to add to your vocabulary

note: i don’t own the creation of any of these words or definitions! i found them on DE MONTFORT LITERATURE’s Pinterest :)

hiraeth: a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past

fernweh: an ache for distant places; the craving for travel

wanderlust: the irresistible, uncurable desire to travel or wander

ludic: full of fun & high spirits

elysian: beautiful or creative; divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect

meraki: to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to put something of yourself into your work

virago: a strong, brave, or warlike woman; a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities

psithurism: the sound of the wind through trees

nyctophillia: love of darkness or night; finding comfort in the darkness

serein: the fine, light rain that falls from a clear sky at sunset or in the early hours of night; evening serenity

eunoia: beautiful thinking; a well mind

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