Welcome to the Creative Corner!

Hi! Welcome to the Creative Corner! This is going to be a site devoted to book-lovers like me who are always looking for a good read. I am going to do book reviews, recommendations, list off short stories and post some of my own. If you are looking for a good, reliable source for all things book, you've found it. So, again, welcome! Hope you visit my site again soon!

Monday, February 29, 2016

Starting a Novel: Chapter 2

This is a short chapter from my story. Feel free to comment, like, etc.

TOC:
Prologue
Chapter 1

Chapter 2
Lisa lived far up north in the mountains of Aurelia. I say ‘lived’ because she doesn’t anymore. However, even up in the snowiest and most treacherous region in the entire land, the whispers of a girl who could bend the elements to her will reached Lisa.
She didn’t believe in that sort of thing yet, but she would.
Lisa, unlike Alice, lived alone. She was a lot more independent, since her father died while she was young and her mother died in childbirth. Lisa had only one friend, and her name was Ann. It wasn’t uncommon for the girls to visit eachother. That’s why the way Lisa died was so tragic.
Lisa and her friend were at Lisa’s mountain cottage. It was lower on the peaks than some of the other houses around the area, but it was very secure. No matter what was thrown at the old home, it stayed put. In the house, Lisa felt invincible and powerful, protected against whatever the storms of life threw at her. As she soon came to learn later on that day, she wasn’t.
Ann had stayed at Lisa’s house the whole day, and she needed to go home. Lisa peered outside saw the snowstorm starting to pick up from her window.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait it out? It’s pretty bad out there,” Lisa told her friend with worry.
Ann simply laughed. “It storms every day. So what? I’ll be fine.” And with that, Ann tugged on her heavy boots and thick coat. She then marched out the door, waving goodbye.
Ann had not crossed more than 10 feet of ground when the winds picked up and the storm knocked down a big pile of rocks and snow. Lisa saw that Ann would be crushed and she sprinted to the rescue. Lisa shoved Ann away from the falling rocks and got nailed by the debris herself. Lisa died. She was gone, dead, already a ghost. But, much like Alice, she came back to life.
That night, Lisa woke up amidst the rubble wearing a thick purple winter coat with brass buttons. The material was strange, and she had no idea where it came from, but Lisa knew that she getting out had to be her top priority. Unlike Alice, Lisa noticed her gifts automatically. A giant brass shovel appeared in her hands, which was hard to miss. Lisa blinked. She had just been thinking about how she needed a shovel.
She kicked against the rocks to create an opening for her new tool, and then began shoving them out of her way with the shovel. She was out of the pile within an hour.
As you might have guessed, Lisa had become a queen. But not just any queen. Lisa had become the Iris Queen, since the iris flowers grew around her home, almost like a border, during spring. She, however, had no wish to conceal her power. It was a blessing to Lisa; the power she held inside had saved her life! Why hide it?
Months went by, and others on the mountainside began to see Lisa as a freak of nature rather than their old neighbor. Lisa ignored them, still convinced that others would accept her. It was only when Ann’s family forbid the two girls to see eachother that Lisa finally realized her mistake in publicizing her magic.
Queen Lisa fled the mountain in the summer, when the snow wasn’t as deep anymore. She looked back at her old house only once, and then her eyes shifted to Ann’s home. Lisa saw Ann’s tear-stained face in the window. Her old and faithful friend was waving goodbye.
A single, stray tear slipped down Lisa’s face. But she then she tore her gaze away from the two cottages, composed herself quickly, and kept walking.
She would never come back.

Unjournal 21

Prompt: Write the first sentence of a REALLY good story.  Then, write the last sentence of a REALLY good story.  When we share out, we will try to guess what happened in between.

Response: 
First sentence: The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car.
Last sentence: For once, I didn’t look back.
(This was from ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 5: The Last Olympian’, because nobody said that the sentences couldn’t be from an existing book. Also, that series is absolutely awesome and I have an obsession with it.)

Unjournal 20

Prompt: Imagine that you had the power to make the perfect candy.  Describe this perfect candy and give it a name.

Response: Introducing the Five-Chocolate Shot Bar! It has five different delectable layers; the bottom is a crispy chocolate-covered wafer. The next is a mint chocolate patty. After that is the peanut-butter brittle coated in rich milk chocolate. Then there is a delectable white chocolate with peppermint chunks and dark chocolate swirls. On top, there is a dark and milk chocolate mix with caramel and cinnamon swirls inside. You can pull the layers apart for separate candy bars, mix and match, or eat them all together. This is a savory treat that you need to have!

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Unjournal 19

Prompt: Invent a snack that no one would like. Then write an advertisement that would make people want to eat that snack.

Response: Now introducing the new snack by Wormwood. Meet the new Stewed-Worm Supreme! It’s a bunch of worms, fried in pickle juice and chicken spit, and drenched in hot sauce and chocolate. It’s an explosion of flavors and a good source of protein! Get your new pack of them today at your local Wormwood store!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

WIERDMAGEDDON!!!

Last night I watched 'Wierdmageddon Part 3: Take Back the Falls', which is the last episode of Gravity Falls to be aired ever. And I have to say, IT WAS AMAZING! I know that this is kinda random, but I just had to share my excitement. In other words, WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT! If you are still here and reading up at this point, then you have been sitting here far too long. GO WATCH WIERDMAGEDDON RIGHT NOW!!!

Unjournal 18

Prompt: You're a spy. You're in danger. You have to get off an island, fast. You have arranged a signal with the owner of a boat. If he receives a note inviting him to a party, but without using the letter a, he know to come for you, fast. To avoid suspicion if the note is intercepted, you want to be sure and include all the details about the party, including the reason for it. Write your note. Be careful though. One accidental a means you won't be rescued!

Response: 
Ernie Invites You!
You’re invited to Ernie’s house! Come before 3 o’clock to 5897 Wilmore Drive. Our get together in honor of Ernie’s house-welcoming will be on Wed., November 3rd. It’s going to be epic! Be sure to be there!

Monday, February 15, 2016

Unjournal 17

Prompt: Create a sentence with at least 5 words in which each word starts with the last letter of the previous word. For example, you might say, ‘stupid dog’’ or ‘racing guys’.

Response: 

  • Sara Abbotts shunned Douglass Sears subtly.
  • Faria and Dallas shared dollars.
  • Harold doesn’t trust Trudy Yelming.
  • The elephants started dodging gorging, giant tigers.

(In case you didn't know from the last unjournal, this prompt was made up by me and was the first one picked by our instructor. I was really excited about this one!)

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! To celebrate, I am posting this video and sharing this Jim Gaffigan (my favorite comedian) short-skit about Valentine's Day. I am also posting the links to some reviews that I have already done on romance novels. Have a great holiday and enjoy the rest of the day!

Jim Gaffigan's Opinion on Valentine's Day


Books:
Flipped
Matched
The Selection
Tandem
Ruby Red

Friday, February 12, 2016

Unjournal 16

Prompt: Write your own unjournal prompt! Look back at the type of prompts we have had so far and try to write THREE of your own.  Let's see how good you are! We will write about the best ones throughout the rest of the course!

Response: 

  1. Create a sentence with 5+ words in which each word starts with the last letter of the previous word. For example, you might say, ‘stupid dog’ or ‘racing guys’.
  2. Think about your favorite books or movies. Combine two movies, TV shows, poems, stories, etc into one short paragraph. For example, you might write a paragraph about ‘Dora the Exploder’, a crossover paragraph about ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Dora the Explorer’ in which Dora is playing as President Snow. Try to fit the two into a consecutive, clever story.
  3. If you could have anything in the world, what would it be? Write about what you would want, what you would do with that object, and why you would want it. The object can be a super power, intelligence, money, a unicorn, etc. (Note: this object doesn’t have to exist in our world.)

Starting a Novel: Chapter 1

Hey, everyone! You know how I said that I might try to start a novel, and that if I get one like, comment, or recommendation on google, etc. that I would continue posting my story? Well, I did! This is Chapter 1, where I begin to elaborate more. As this goes along, I will begin to post some-what of a table of contents on my new chapters, so that you won't have to go searching for it in the different month categories.

TOC:
Prologue

Chapter 1
The queen did keep her word. Just not in a way that most expected. But, there will be more on that in a moment. Or, rather, a couple of decades.
Nearly 100 years later, the legend of the new queens, as it was later named, was still talked about. However, most people thought it was a myth. A folktale. A way to explain to curious children that their old queen still had a plan for them. It wasn’t. Her words were to be taken very literally, as is going to be discovered.
Alice, a normal girl, had a little brother. It was summer, and it was one day before the anniversary of the queen’s death. Most families looked down on this day as one of greatness. A queen that had denied them finery and trade with Doon should have been slaughtered. But not Alice’s family. Alice thought that it should be a day to commemorate a wonderful leader’s heroic death for her people. This wasn’t a popular opinion.
Anyways, Alice and her little brother, Ramon, were playing in the shallow end of a lake that was near their house. The lake had just been thawed through, and the water was just right for swimming. Ramon, who didn’t have a particularly keen sense of what decisions were good and which were downright stupid at his ripe age of 5, saw a rose petal on the surface of the water near the middle of the lake. He said to his sister, “I bet I can swim there before you! First one to get there wins!”
Before his sister could point out that Ramon wasn’t a very good swimmer yet and that the water was entirely too deep for him to swim in, it was too late. He was already halfway there.
When Ramon got to the middle and grabbed the petal victoriously, he stopped kicking. He began sinking down. Suddenly, unable to see clearly in the water, he couldn’t tell which way was up and which was down. He couldn’t get up to the surface. And then he began to drown.
Alice, without thinking twice about it, quickly swam over to save him. She tried pulling him up, but he was too heavy and too far down. Finally, she swam up underneath Ramon and shoved him up to the surface. Alice, however, didn’t get up to the surface in time. She drowned. She had been under the water for 8 full minutes when her lungs finally gave way. She died. She was gone. Her heart stopped beating and her feet stopped trying to kick her to the surface. In other words, there was no way that she should have been able to come back.
And yet she did.
Alice, a completely normal girl with no special powers, opened her eyes. She swam to the surface of the water and kicked her way to the shore. But there was something different about her. Something magical.
“I was so worried!” Roman yelled as her tackled her. Then he paused and took a step back. “You look different. Where did you get those clothes?”
“What clothes?” she snorted, until she looked down. She was wearing a long, soft, ruby-red dress. Metal boots - ‘Are they bronze?’ she thought - adorned her feet. In her hair was a beautiful rose. She touched it gingerly. Needless to say, this was a strange day for her.
Although she didn’t know it, she was now a queen. The Rose Queen. By performing an act of selflessness and humility so great that it ultimately resulted in her own death, much like that of the first queen, Alice had inherited a portion of Flora’s powers and been reborn as a queen. Flora had made sure that only a descendant of herself with such bravery and goodness could wield her magic.
Alice, over the next few days, quickly noticed that something wasn’t quite normal anymore. It could have been the new change of clothes that appeared around her body each morning that alerted her. It could have been the way that roses appeared on the ground wherever she walked. It even could have been the way she clearly felt herself DIE and come back. No, it was none of these things, though. It was in the way that Alice carried herself and realized things when walking through the forest surrounding her house. She was suddenly aware of the fact that animals began to stare at her back as she passed through the clearing that lead to the lake. She also had a strange sense of where roses were. When she was coming back from town, she knew exactly where the gardener kept his secret flower store, all of the sudden. It was even stronger in the woods. She could just run down any path and find roses blooming at the end of it. Her heightened senses were unnatural, and she knew it.
Alice tried to hide her powers at first. It was easy. Finding roses everywhere wasn’t exactly suspicious. Just extremely coincidental. And seeing squirrels looking at you wasn’t strange. Anyone seeing them staring at Alice would just assume that she might have had food. However, once her other new talents began to surface, it wasn’t so simple.
Alice first discovered her power when she had found herself wishing for a sketchbook with which to paint pictures of the sunset with. She had just gotten a new set of paints from her father and wanted to use them, but she had nothing to use them on. She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining what it would look like. Then, when she sighed and opened her eyes, she saw something begin to form on the ground. Alice jumped back on instinct. A rose bud the size of her head began to open. Inside it was a sketchbook. But not a regular one. The sheets were giant pale rose petals that had been neatly formed into squares and bound together with a beautiful piece of spiraling bronze. It was exactly how she had imagined it.
Alice automatically got excited. She had just discovered that anything she wanted and imagined would appear in front of her; wouldn’t you be excited, too? She thought about having a new coat. A beautiful red coat woven from giant rose petals and perfectly tailored to her size was created.
Although this was an amazing discovery, it made life for Alice undoubtedly hard. Everywhere she went, she had to keep her imagination under control. She tried not to let anyone see her for what she was, but that was near impossible. When she needed more money to buy a pastry from the marketplace, she willed bronze coins to appear in her pocket. Alice’s excuse to the woman was that she ‘had very deep pockets’ and had ‘forgotten that she still had some coins left over’. The woman eyed Alice suspiciously, but still handed her the pastry. When the friendly florist ran out of flowers and had to go out back and get more, Alice filled all of the empty planters with roses. The florist came back 10 minutes later with two small bundles of flowers under his arm. Alice explained that she found more roses out back and had quickly filled all of the vases. The florist frowned, certain that he had been out of extra flowers. When someone made fun of her, she made a giant bronze staff appear and she hit him on the head. It was rather hard to explain that. This time, there was no excuse, and Alice had to answer to her higher calling.
She ran away right at the start of winter, when a snowstorm prevented anyone from being able to follow her. Nobody except for her tiny brother, Roman, tried to. He didn’t succeed. The snowstorm had won out. Coincidentally, we meet our next queen in a snowstorm as well.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Unjournal 15

Prompt: What advice would a dog give about life, if it could talk?  Write down that advice.

Response: A dog would give the advice ‘enjoy the little things in life’; at least, I know that my dog would say that. He seems to take comfort in things that seem rather insignificant to us, like the look of the yard (he sometimes just sits on the porch and lords over it) and the way sunshine through the front windows feel. I believe that dogs appreciate things like that more, since they don’t have to worry about the constant pressure of jobs, relationships, and bills that humans do. They take the time to do things that make them happy, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant they are. I think that humans could learn a lot from that statement, instead of always rushing around.

(PS, the moral of this unjournal is to get a dog. They are awesome!)

Unjournal 14

Prompt: In one sentence describe something (not someone) that is very ugly.  Create a vividly ugly image, with words.

Response: The item was absolutely terrible. It made her want to run back upstairs and hide. But it was a Christmas gift from her grandmother, so Alli had to act grateful. She shuddered at the thought, however. It would be very hard to fake her appreciation. It was truly hideous.
The tweed, old, moth-bitten Christmas sweater still had that sour, flowery smell that all clothing given from elders contained. It was splotched with specs of who knew what, and ugly knitted reindeer and a grimacing Santa were displayed on the front. Then again, if I had to decorate this sweater for eternity, I would be grimacing, too, Alli thought to herself. There was an overabundance of old faded neon strips on the back, which made her eyes water and sting. Looking at them made her head hurt. To top it all off, the tweed fabric was incredibly scratchy, and it made her itchy just staring at it.
Sighing, Alli pulled on the terrible shirt that doubled as a torture device and slowly turned to face her family. Weakly, she smiled and said, “I . . . love it, so . . . very much, I guess?” Her grandmother beamed, satisfied that she had given her granddaughter a present that she enjoyed. If only she knew.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Half-Upon A Time

* * * * */ Five Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, Humor, Fantasy, Mystery, Danger, (and some slight) Romance

Jack, a regular boy from the village of Giant's Hand, is about to be immersed in a world of adventure that he didn't think would ever be possible for him. It started when he was talking with his grandfather and a girl fell out of the sky. Her name was May, and she was incredibly strange.  She had a weird thing called a 'phone', blue streaks in her hair, and a shirt that said 'Punk Princess', although she claimed that she wasn't one. Soon they are forced to embark on a perilous journey to get May back to her grandmother, who may just be the long missing Snow White. They must face witches, dragons, evil fairy queens, genies, and much more to save May's seemingly innocent relative and to get her back home. But not everything - or everyone - in this fantasy land is what they seem. With the help of a prince and a little magic, can the two fix everything, or will they make it even worse?
I personally loved this book by James Riley. It was a perfectly balanced blend of adventure, whimsy, and shrouded mystery, all rolled into one. It was a mix of the fantastical elements found in 'Of Giants and Ice' by Shelby Bach combined with the ideology and outsider spirit of 'Sky Raiders' by Brandon Mull. Filled with twists, turns, and excitement, 'Half Upon a Time' is definitely a tale you won't want to miss.

Starting a Novel

I have been contemplating the prospect of starting my own book for a while now, and I've decided to try writing some of it. This is the first bit. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me what you guys think. If anyone likes this, recommends it on google, comments, etc. I will post the first chapter. Here goes nothing . . . 


Prologue
Long ago, in the land of Aurelia, everyone lived under the queen. She was the supreme ruler of the entire kingdom, and she was known far and wide as ‘the Floral Empress’. She was called Flora, and she was much beloved by the people. The nation was in peace, until raiders from a tiny island named Doon came to the land. They brought furs to trade, flowers never seen before, and exquisite necklaces. The people allowed the strange newcomers to stay. However, they didn’t come for peaceful trade.
Soon their leader, a foreign, cruel king with a giant army, came into the kingdom. His name was Sath, and after witnessing the magic held deep within the forest and the sheer power controlled by the queen, he wanted it for himself. He promised the people of Aurelia power beyond imagination and wealth beyond belief if they made him the ruler of this land. When he stormed the castle, nobody tried to stop him from reaching their queen.
Flora knew, as soon as she saw that the people had abandoned her, that she couldn’t win. So, in an effort to prevent Sath from receiving her powers and taking over other kingdoms, Flora fled the castle and ran into the woods, entrusting her magic to a select group of creatures living there. When the army caught up to her, it was too late to gain her power. They took her back to their king, who had already taken the castle as his own. Sath, upon seeing the Floral Empress, trust his sword into her side.
“If you tell me where you have concealed your magic, I will heal you,” he said, although his tone made it clear that he had no intention of doing so. His eyes burned with an anger that can only be witnessed in that of an insane man. His hands still gripped his sword. He turned his fiery gaze on the queen again, expecting her to cower before him. Instead, she insulted him with her composure and certainty as the color began to leave her face. With her dying breath, she laughed. It was the last time she would ever do so.
“Never. My daughter, and her daughter, and her granddaughter will spread out and bring peace to this nation again. I will not survive the night, but they will help the nation survive indefinitely. My descendants will become new queens, and all will be as it was before, once all of Doon is gone from the land.”
And, with that, she smiled. It was a sad, remorseful smile. Then the light in her eyes faded, and the queen slumped over, dead.

So, again, what did you guys think of it? Good or no? Anyways, be sure to let me know! 

Unjournal 13

Prompt: Write 10 food and people similes. In other words, compare a person (real or imagined) to food.  For example, you might say,"Franco is as assertive as a wilted piece of lettuce," or "Marianna's hair is as red as tomato soup." Your comparisons should create a very clear image of the person. You can only use ONE color simile.

Response: 
  1. Rachel Dare is as rich as a triple layer black-forest cake.
  2. Percy Jackson’s hair is as dark as a black moonpie.
  3. Silena is as skinny as a string bean.
  4. Clarisse is as sour as a lemon.
  5. Kronos has as many brains as a boiled potato.
  6. Luke is as vicious and prickly as a pineapple.
  7. Mrs. O’Leary is as sweet as a strawberry.
  8. Octavian is as slick and slippery as soup.
  9. Frank is as big (not as round) as a watermelon.
  10. Hershey (my dog) is as sweet as chocolate.

(Sorry that half of these are so cheesy. I love the Percy Jackson series so much that I can't help but incorporate its characters into my school work. I know that the similes are terrible . . . )

Unjournal 12

Prompt: Pen a paragraph that is permeated with p's. In other words, write a paragraph that uses at least ten alliterative phrases that repeat the p sound. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds: Example: Bob boiled beans with a bunch of broccoli and bits of bacon.

Response: Pretty, popular Piper Pomps popped pickles, purple pepper poppers, slush puppies, and popcorn into her mouth.


Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Unjournal 11 Answer

In case you didn't get the answer to Unjournal 11, which was written in German, here it is! The question, after being translated, was: 'Can you find the population density of the largest city in Germany?' The answer is Berlin, with a population of about 3.5 million people. I hope everyone liked this unjournal - even if it wasn't a very traditional or hard one.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Unjournal 11

This unjournal is a little different than the ones that I usually post. For starters, it's a lot more like a question than a creative writing prompt. However, what is really unique about this one is that I will not be revealing my answer to the question. Instead, I am just posting it and leaving it for my readers to figure it out. Have fun! 

Prompt: Können Sie die Bevölkerungsdichte der größten Stadt in Deutschland finden?

Unjournal 10

Prompt: Allegorical names generally give a hint about who a character is.  Herman Pocketprotector might be a nerd, for example, or Hazel Scuttlebutt a busybody. Invent two characters with allegorical names.  Then write a conversation between them. What they say should reflect the personality suggested by their names.

Response: 
People:
Misty Gloomsome (who is always sad and upset)
Malic Nightshade (who is always angry and dark)
Conversation:
“How dare they not let me try out for the play!” Malic complained with furious undertones. “I wanted to be the vampire queen in the production, but Ally Summers got the part! She isn’t even good!”
“Well . . . I’m sorry for you . . .” Misty whispered, trying to hide behind her long hair.
“You should be!” Malic hissed back at her only friend.
“I’m sorry . . . I’ll do better . . .” Misty whimpered again. “Today someone stole my money again . . . I couldn’t do anything to stop them . . .” she said sadly.
“How dare they disrespect us! We are the most popular people in school!” shrieked Malic. “Who are they!? We are going to make them pay for this insult!” Before Misty could say who it was, Malic was already dragging her down the hall, shoving people out of the way in her unstoppable rage.