Little Word Weaver

Hello! I'm Morgan and this is my new blog for my life in the "real world" (aka no longer a student!). I'm a writer, vlogger, and complete nerd with an addition to tea and good stories. Feel free to explore all the crazy nerdy adventures and writing...

[little-word-weaver]

Taking Requests

I’m trying to get back in the habit of writing and I’m currently obsessed with Harry Potter, so if you’d like to request a short fic or imagine, let me know and I’ll see what I can do ^_^

Feel free to also send me “what if questions” or prompts - anything goes, really!

[little-word-weaver]

Hello (PSA)

It’s been a long time since I posted on this blog. You might have forgotten who I am. That’s ok, I forgot who I was too. Or maybe I never really knew.

But isn’t that what life is about? Figuring out who we are? What we want to do? Who we want to be? You know, besides Harry Potter. :P

I’m going to try to make more of an effort to record my life on this blog. I like blogging. I’ve never been great about keeping a blog. I love writing, but writing about myself is difficult. It never seems interesting enough. It never seems real enough. Maybe that’s because I’m usually avoiding myself.

Now I sound like I hate myself. I really don’t. If I met someone like me, I’d want to be friends! But sometimes I avoid talking about myself because that means I have to face the person I am now compared to the person I used to be and all my expectations of who I was up until this point.

I’m not Harry Potter - Or Frodo Baggins, or Charles Xavier, or any selfless altruistic hero. I’m not the writer or film maker or or social worker I thought I’d be after college. I’ve written so little in the past year, it’s difficult to even consider myself a writer anymore. I’ve always had doubts about who I was and who I wanted to be, but the one thing I never questioned was that I was a good friend.

Then my best friend committed suicide.

And I questioned everything.

I’m still questioning, but I think I’ve figured out a few things:

Life is full of surprises - but you can laugh at most of them. 

The only thing you can count on is change - embrace it. 

I love stories. I love writing them and I love listening to them. 

I want my life to mean something. I want the world to be a little brighter because of me. Even if it’s just causing one person to smile or laugh for a fraction of a second - that’s a success.

Sorry for the long post. It’s more for my benefit than anyone else’s. But I’m going to try to be more active on here. And yes, there might be some sad posts, but for the most part I hope to write inspiring + amusing things :) 

[little-word-weaver]

{I decided to turn my most popular poem into an image. Please share if you like it ^_^ Thanks!}

[little-word-weaver]

So, lately I’ve been spending a lot of time on tumblr (maybe not posting, but scrolling through things, revisiting old blogs, messaging, etc) and I’ve come to the conclusion that I have mixed feelings towards tumblr (and social media) in general. On the one hand, I LOVE it. On the other hand, I love it so much I start to feel addicted and I HATE that feeling... so.... what better way to express my tumblr-related thoughts than with a graphic? 

[little-word-weaver]

Reminder that tomorrow, Sara Ella, Sara Crawford and I will be hosting a live show to discuss Once Upon A Time! Join us as we talk about our favorite things so far, share our predictions, and try our hand (or yours!) at some trivia! If there's anything you'd like to see us talk about, please let us know! We will be taking questions during the show and tracking #LetsTalkOUAT  on twitter. 

Hope to see you there :)

[little-word-weaver]

Kicking off the fiction content with the first of the three Shire stories that are in the 25th Anniversary issue..

I will never stop being excited that I have a story (two stories, actually!) in the Oxford University Tolkien Society Magazine! I encourage all Tolkien fans to check out the issue--there are some really impressive works of all types--fiction, non-fiction & poetry. And for anyone who likes hobbits, my short story is a good place to start ;)

[little-word-weaver]

Summer is here! Almost. With all the gorgeous weather, I have a difficult time finding the time and motivation to write. So I made this list of ten things that help keep me inspired and motivated during the sunny months and thought I would share them with you :) What are some things you do to stay inspired? 

[little-word-weaver]

5 Things You Need to be a Writer

An imagination. If you want to write, you need to have something to say. A story to tell. So find it and make it yours. Ask yourself why you are the right person to tell this story.

Inspiration. What keeps the ideas flowing? What makes you passionate and rushing for your keyboard or notebook? Staying inspired is crucial for any long-term writing. 

Books. Books are seriously your greatest teacher! Study your favorite books. What do you like about the stories, the characters, the language, the structure, and how can you incorporate these techniques into your own work? 

An open mind. Go new places. Explore new ideas. Meet new people. Learn new things. You never know when or where you will find your next story idea but that doesn’t mean you can’t start looking!

A positive attitude. Let's face it, Writing is a tedious time-consuming process with no guarantee of fame or fortune. So find the inspiration to keep motivated, find the strength to keep going, and find the confidence in yourself that you WILL succeed and no one can stop you!

[little-word-weaver]

Salt Child

Is it better to drown in an ocean of bliss

or watch from a solemn shore?

Bleak and barren.

Feet caked in dirt.

No ripples to wash the hurt

from dry blistering skin.

Dare I risk stepping in?

One misstep, one slip, one fall,

and I’m no longer one, but all.

[little-word-weaver]

What are your novels about

Hey, thanks for asking! I’ll tell you about the two I’ve most recently finished (and the only ones I plan on ever getting published).

One is a whimsical contemporary young adult novel about two middle-school girls who runaway from summer camp and walk across North Carolina. I like to call it a modern day Huck Finn for girls.

The other is a high fantasy young adult novel, which is the first in a trilogy, about a seventeen year old girl who embarks on a quest to rescue her sister from sorcerers. Along the way, she earns the help of the fay (this ancient magical race) and accidentally unleashes their evilest prisoners. It’s very much an epic quest. Kind of like the Lord of the Rings with some Native American twists and a lot more women.

If you want to know more, feel free to ask :)

[uncwphotography]

[little-word-weaver]

Writing Dialogue: My example

My response for the excercise 'Writing Dialogue.' Sorry this one's short, I was in a hurry this morning and didn't spend much time on it but hopefully it's enough for you to get the idea.

“Hey, hon, what can I get for ya?”

“I dunno. Just water.”

“You waitin’ on someone?”

“My Momma.”

“She gonna eat or just pick you up?”

“I dunno. Maybe just coffee.”

“Right. Well, I’m gonna need this table in fifteen minutes. If your momma ain’t here by then, you'll have to wait out front. Sit tight and I'll have that water out for ya in a jiffy."

[little-word-weaver]

Exercise #2: Writing Dialogue

The trick with writing good dialogue, is to make it seem realistic. You could go out in the street with a tape recorder and transcribe a conversation word for word and chances are, if you wrote it up and showed it to people, they would say it wasn't good dialogue. Why? Because in real life we pause. We say "um" and "like" and "er" and, if you've watched my videos, "you know?" way too often. We also interrupt ourselves. We get distracted and reply in ways that don't directly correlate to the questions asked. In other words, we screw up.

It's ok to have characters do these things, have these ticks, but they stand out on the page way more than they do in real life.

On the flip side, people don't speak like 1920's film scripts. Everything is not sharp and precise, and if your dialogue reads like a cheesy film script, it will end up sounding... well, like a cheesy film script. If that's what you're going for, keep on at it, but for more well-rounded dialogue, remember:

People do not always use proper grammar.

People often imply things rather than saying them outright.

People speak differently. Their speech reflects their education, upbringing, environment, role (for example, the same character might speak completely differently when they are giving a speech at a formal banquet then when they are relaxing with their friends).

For this exercise, write a brief conversation (at least 8 lines long) between two characters purely in dialogue. No description, no tags. The goal we're aiming for is to have the setting, position, and difference in speakers conveyed purely through dialogue. Pretty tough, but I think we can do it! 

[little-word-weaver]

Snow Leopard

Sure and stealthy,

Searching with skill,

She slinks into frosted caverns,

Glides over frozen lakes.

 She dances on delicate slippers

Lined with hidden blades

A figure-skater

A curious explorer

 She prowls the wilderness

Seeking hidden doors and passages

In nature’s neglected lands.

 She slips past pastel puddles,

dripping dens and beds

A quiet lullaby,

In twilight.

[little-word-weaver]

The weight of change

You might have noticed I talk a lot about England. How wonderful it was. How happy I was. How much my writing improved. How I made the best friends ever. How I fell in love.

Well, all of that is true. It was a wonderful, amazing, life-changing experience. But that doesn't mean it didn't come without the down times.

I found this old Diary Entry from January 24th 2014 (in which I just returned to England from visiting home over Christmas break) reminding me it wasn't all fun and games:

Right, so I’m back in my apt. In England. And it’s startingto feel like I’ve never left. Memories of home are starting to fade while memories from here before are returning. Like I knew would happen. But I fought it. It’s a loosing battle: fighting against memories. Our mind protects us: it erases that which gives us pain, even if it was most pleasurable once.

I had a hard time on the flight over. I cried. I could hardly breath. I kept turning towards the wall and balling my eyes out. My throat hurt. My eyes burned. Everything seemed distant and hazy, as if I weren’t really there. I couldn’t eat. I had no appetite. Everything tasted greasy and felt heavy on my tongue. I could eat the fruit in the morning, just the fruit. And my head ached so much. It hurt all day. Somehow I stumbled off the plane and through customs. It felt like it was 3 am, though it was 7 here and 1 back home. I was miserable.

From the moment I said goodbye to my mom I was miserable. Even before.

Before I left, I started crying. Every time I thought of Midnight, I started crying. Mommy hugged me. Or I hugged her. Then April flopped up on my back. I’m getting teary-eyed thinking about it. Teary-eyed I can handle.

But what was on the plane was pure torture. I thought I’d never get over it. I was supposed to call Grandpa, but my voice was too shaky to talk. When I finally managed it, every word seemed ominous. I was worried it was the last conversation I would ever have with him.

I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t understand why I was going back. It seemed like nothing I did would ever make life any better than it had already been. Nothing is worth it. Every step I take takes me farther and farther from the family I love. And by the time I retire, reach success, have a name and a fortune, there will be no one to share it with. That is what I fear most of all. Gaining success, but sacrificing everything for it.

Is that what happened to Frodo? Yes. But he saved the world along the way. What am I saving?

Why can’t I move back home, fall in love, get married and start a simple normal life? Because that’s not me. I'm not normal. I'm not sure who I am or what I want. All I know is that I'm a writer, nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes I want to be more. Sometimes I feel I am less.

But life only makes sense when I am writing, or occasionally when I am reading. Does it make sense to you, whoever you are?

I hope so.

And 13 months later, I'm home having the same feelings about England. Except, now I know what I want. I know who I am as much as anyone can know themselves. I've come to accept the fact that no matter where I am, I won't be with everyone I care about most. I'm never going to have all my friends and family together in a small town. And that's fine. I'll appreciate the moments we do have together, and all the great sights and travels in between. But I will always have myself. And if I can't make me happy, no one else can.

[little-word-weaver]

Memory Massacre

Memories materialize,sprouting from the dead.

Like Soldiers, they stomp,splattering mud

And blood, as they kick up the roots

of the shriveled forest floor.

 Who let these soldiers in?

These ghostless, faceless dancers

who step from step to step,

Joints stiff with years of dust

Hearts pined outside their chest to hide the ashes within

that spark, flicker, and die

every time someone calls there name

 Tucked deep away in the dark

depths of lands untouched by skin,

hearts pined outside to hide

the ash that sparks, flickers, and dies

in streams of sunlight

They dance their massacre

mascaraing as love.

[little-word-weaver]

Glass Girl

Your eyes are cracked,

your vision blurred

your shattered lips

utter no word.

 Fractured and scattered

Frosted and torn

Fingerprints linger

Foggy and worn

 Touch me, you whisper;

Kiss me, you cry.

Hold me. Love me. Fix me.

 No one touches broken glass.