I love my friends. There is no denying that my friends are some of the best people in the world. They may not have changed the name of music, or science, or politics, or whatever, but they have definitely changed me. And I love every single one of them to death.
Today I feel the need to shout out to one friend in particular, who has been with me through my entire life. We grew up together as best friends, as cousins, as little girls in primary. Believe it or not I used to be taller than her at one point in my life. So much for that... But there is something about this girl that I just cannot describe. There's a spirit in her that will never die. She is amazing, and I don't know how she does it, but she makes me love her more and more the older we get.
Kendall Earl, I love you. I will always love you. And I want you to know that you are wonderful and entertaining and just down right gorgeous. Am I wrong, people? How can anybody meet her and not love her? It's not possible.
Seriously.
So pretty much Kendall is awesome, and rocked it out this weekend at Distinguished Young Women Nationals in Alabama. I wish I could have seen it. I really do. I wish I could have watched the live streaming online, and been there to cheer out loud in my room for nobody to hear except myself. I wish I could have used my magical powers to transport myself into the audience.
This is one of those extremely disappointing times when you remember that Harry Potter isn't real.
...
I never would have had the courage to do what Kendall did, and I commend her (and definitely her mom) for all the hard work that has gone into these pageants. Way to be. Now I just need you to come to Provo, Kendall, so I can give you a giant hug.
So congratulations, Kendall! Once again, you are awesome. One day the entire world will know your name.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
One Week Later
I never realized how tough college would be on me. Not physically, and not mentally, but emotionally.
Here's a song that exactly matches how I'm feeling right now.
Yep. New soundtrack of my life.
Here's a song that exactly matches how I'm feeling right now.
Yep. New soundtrack of my life.
Monday, June 18, 2012
I Survived...Barely
Well, guys, I made it. I have survived the first day of college. Towards the end I thought I might die, but I pulled through and I have 8 more weeks to look forward to. Yay....
My Book of Mormon class was good. We didn't really do anything today, but I think it will be a good class. There are only like fifteen people in my class though, which is totally not what I expected from my first college class. Surprisingly, I loved Geology. Yes, I know. How interesting can rocks and dirt be? But my teacher was fantastic, and we have a mandatory joke break during every class. And also a mandatory field trip once during the semester.
I'll tell you one thing. I thought I liked English. I thought it was the way to go for me. But I sat through my first two hour english class and I struggled so hard not to fall asleep. I had to discipline myself not to check the clock every 30 seconds, so I settled for counting down by five minutes at a time. I've never been happier to leave a classroom in my life. I may have to rethink this english major thing.
One day down. Four years to go.
Is it bad that I'm already looking forward to August?
My Book of Mormon class was good. We didn't really do anything today, but I think it will be a good class. There are only like fifteen people in my class though, which is totally not what I expected from my first college class. Surprisingly, I loved Geology. Yes, I know. How interesting can rocks and dirt be? But my teacher was fantastic, and we have a mandatory joke break during every class. And also a mandatory field trip once during the semester.
I'll tell you one thing. I thought I liked English. I thought it was the way to go for me. But I sat through my first two hour english class and I struggled so hard not to fall asleep. I had to discipline myself not to check the clock every 30 seconds, so I settled for counting down by five minutes at a time. I've never been happier to leave a classroom in my life. I may have to rethink this english major thing.
One day down. Four years to go.
Is it bad that I'm already looking forward to August?
Monday, June 11, 2012
Advice for Future Writers
Ok, so the title sounds a little presumptuous. But I know there are always people wondering what it takes to actually sit down and finish a book. I don't pretend to speak for everybody, and I don't pretend to have all of the answers, but I wanted to share what worked for me. I thought I'd share some advice from my own experiences with writing, and what to do when you write those final words and hold a finished novel in your hands.
1) Create an Outline (Or something to help keep the story together).
-I know that every writer has a different method, but writing an outline helped immensely as I put the book together. It definitely helped keep things in order and kept me more organized. One thing to remember, however, is that your outline is not the final say. If the book starts to lean in a different direction, let it lean. You can always rearrange things if you can't find a good place to fit one character or paragraph.
2) Write even when you don't feel like writing.
-If I had only written during the times where I was motivated, my novel would never have been completed. Some of my best work was written grudgingly, when I felt like doing something else but knew where my priorities should lie. If you take long breaks from your book you forget the characters and where they stand within the story. I took an eight month break from my novel and when I came back to it I had to spend so much more time reconnecting and reminding myself what was happening. Write often. Don't give up. Don't tell yourself you can't do it, because if you do then you'll end up being right.
3) Edit, edit, edit!
-You cannot write a book once and expect it to be a bestseller right away. You're expecting people to read your work, so why would you hand them anything less than your best? I cannot tell you exactly how much I edited, but I do know that I spent hundreds of hours checking for mistakes, fixing weak sentences, changing entire sections to make them work. The third version of the novel was significantly better than the first, and the fourth was a step above the third. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You have to be dedicated. You have to be willing to put in the work.You have to spend time editing, or else you're just setting yourself up for failure.
4) Be willing to sacrifice.
-This is a huge one. This was also the hardest thing for me. Once you've typed the last words of your novel and have started the editing process, there's something you have to tell yourself. You have to be willing to sacrifice. If a character's not fitting quite right, or a sentence doesn't flow like you'd want it to, then cut it out. Change whole paragraphs. Delete entire sections. Change things around. Just make it work. I wrote the beginning of my novel probably close to seven times, simply because I could never get it to sound quite how it should. There were sentences and paragraphs that I had loved and slaved over, but they didn't fit so they had to go. I went through and deleted several pages at one time on numerous occasions, and rewrote entire sections. I had to make it the best I could, and I could only do that if I was willing to let it go. But if you simply cannot force yourself to hit that delete key, you can also save the sentences or sections for later, during a part of the novel where they might fit better.
5) Let people read your work.
-It helped me a lot to have several people read my work and tell me what they thought needed to be changed. Other people don't think the same as you do, so if you have your book looked at from a different perspective, things that weren't apparent before suddenly become blatantly obvious. My mom wasn't the first person to read my novel, but when she did she helped a ton by going through and marking mistakes that she'd found and writing notes on things she liked or disliked. When she was finished I went through and fixed all of the mistakes and then made decisions on what to do with the rest of it that she had issues with. I had four others read my work before I dared sumbit it for publishing, and each time I came out with a new and improved version of the book. My novel would not have been even close to the point it is now if I hadn't let people read my work. Thank you to my guineau pigs (If I'm allowed to call you that): Betsy Cornell, my mother, Grandma Tucker and Grandma Roylance, and Jane Payne. I love you all.
1) Create an Outline (Or something to help keep the story together).
-I know that every writer has a different method, but writing an outline helped immensely as I put the book together. It definitely helped keep things in order and kept me more organized. One thing to remember, however, is that your outline is not the final say. If the book starts to lean in a different direction, let it lean. You can always rearrange things if you can't find a good place to fit one character or paragraph.
2) Write even when you don't feel like writing.
-If I had only written during the times where I was motivated, my novel would never have been completed. Some of my best work was written grudgingly, when I felt like doing something else but knew where my priorities should lie. If you take long breaks from your book you forget the characters and where they stand within the story. I took an eight month break from my novel and when I came back to it I had to spend so much more time reconnecting and reminding myself what was happening. Write often. Don't give up. Don't tell yourself you can't do it, because if you do then you'll end up being right.
3) Edit, edit, edit!
-You cannot write a book once and expect it to be a bestseller right away. You're expecting people to read your work, so why would you hand them anything less than your best? I cannot tell you exactly how much I edited, but I do know that I spent hundreds of hours checking for mistakes, fixing weak sentences, changing entire sections to make them work. The third version of the novel was significantly better than the first, and the fourth was a step above the third. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You have to be dedicated. You have to be willing to put in the work.You have to spend time editing, or else you're just setting yourself up for failure.
4) Be willing to sacrifice.
-This is a huge one. This was also the hardest thing for me. Once you've typed the last words of your novel and have started the editing process, there's something you have to tell yourself. You have to be willing to sacrifice. If a character's not fitting quite right, or a sentence doesn't flow like you'd want it to, then cut it out. Change whole paragraphs. Delete entire sections. Change things around. Just make it work. I wrote the beginning of my novel probably close to seven times, simply because I could never get it to sound quite how it should. There were sentences and paragraphs that I had loved and slaved over, but they didn't fit so they had to go. I went through and deleted several pages at one time on numerous occasions, and rewrote entire sections. I had to make it the best I could, and I could only do that if I was willing to let it go. But if you simply cannot force yourself to hit that delete key, you can also save the sentences or sections for later, during a part of the novel where they might fit better.
5) Let people read your work.
-It helped me a lot to have several people read my work and tell me what they thought needed to be changed. Other people don't think the same as you do, so if you have your book looked at from a different perspective, things that weren't apparent before suddenly become blatantly obvious. My mom wasn't the first person to read my novel, but when she did she helped a ton by going through and marking mistakes that she'd found and writing notes on things she liked or disliked. When she was finished I went through and fixed all of the mistakes and then made decisions on what to do with the rest of it that she had issues with. I had four others read my work before I dared sumbit it for publishing, and each time I came out with a new and improved version of the book. My novel would not have been even close to the point it is now if I hadn't let people read my work. Thank you to my guineau pigs (If I'm allowed to call you that): Betsy Cornell, my mother, Grandma Tucker and Grandma Roylance, and Jane Payne. I love you all.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Advertising
Now that the work of actually writing the book is over, it's become my job to let people know about this book. If you haven't heard about Goodreads, it's a fantastic site that allows you to keep track of all the books you have read and plan on reading in the future. You can write reviews on the books you read and suggest books to read to other people. My book is now in the Goodreads database, so if you want an easy way to let people know about it, all you have to do is look it up on Goodreads and put it on one of your shelves. Also, if you haven't heard of Pinterest...you've been living under a rock. But I put my book as a pin, so if you click the side link on my blog that says "Pinterest" it should take you to it. That's another easy way to get people interested. Also, you can tell your friends, and your neighbors, and your neighbor's friends, and your neighbor's friend's mom, and all those distant relatives that you never speak to. Just spread the word and I will love you forever.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The Finale
Well, guys, the day has come. Over five years ago I sat with a pencil in my hand and thought, "Think how cool that would be if you could publish a book one day." And yet, somewhere in the back of my mind I never thought it would actually happen.
Today I have accomplished what my twelve-year old mind didn't think I could. I am officially a published author, and my first book was released to the public on this day, June 5th, 2012. I am an author. I have been published.
Unfortunately the work does not end there. There is so much still to be done, and I know that I cannot do it on my own. I need you and everybody you know to start telling people about my book. We need to build awareness. We need to build interest. I will do as much as I can, but I will need your help. All you have to do is let people know. Thank you so much for everything. Really, all of you out there that have supported me have been such motivators in getting me where I am today. The book was written by me, but it belongs to you now, and I trust you to help it grow.
So...if you want to buy a copy, just follow the link below. And remember that in a few weeks the book should also be available on amazon. Let me know if you do buy a copy, and I'll make sure I find a time to sign it for you. Thanks again.
http://www.publishamerica.net/sc/productsearch.cgi?search_field=touching+horizons&storeid=*20ec014e4d12154c23f3186b771687b0ac53
Today I have accomplished what my twelve-year old mind didn't think I could. I am officially a published author, and my first book was released to the public on this day, June 5th, 2012. I am an author. I have been published.
Unfortunately the work does not end there. There is so much still to be done, and I know that I cannot do it on my own. I need you and everybody you know to start telling people about my book. We need to build awareness. We need to build interest. I will do as much as I can, but I will need your help. All you have to do is let people know. Thank you so much for everything. Really, all of you out there that have supported me have been such motivators in getting me where I am today. The book was written by me, but it belongs to you now, and I trust you to help it grow.
So...if you want to buy a copy, just follow the link below. And remember that in a few weeks the book should also be available on amazon. Let me know if you do buy a copy, and I'll make sure I find a time to sign it for you. Thanks again.
http://www.publishamerica.net/sc/productsearch.cgi?search_field=touching+horizons&storeid=*20ec014e4d12154c23f3186b771687b0ac53
Monday, June 4, 2012
Through A Graduate's Eyes
What the heck? I'm not five anymore? Not even 12? I'm an adult????
When did this happen????????
It's been eighteen years in the making, and now here I am, presented before you as a high school graduate. Totally insane. But fantastic. Because I never have to set foot in the high school again. And I don't have to get emails and calls reminding me to turn in stuff for Chief Time. And because I can look back now and say that I successfully made it through four years of craziness that flew by faster than I ever thought they would or could.
My life starts now. The real world is waiting to take me by the hand...and then swing me over a cliff. Oh. Right. I forget that I sometimes hate reality. But hey, it happens to everyone, right? Even Justin Bieber will lose his boyish charm one day. Yes, 12 year old girls, it's true. Your idol is going to grow up and get gray hair and wrinkles. But he'll have to grow some facial hair first. Eh...he definitely should never grow a mustache. Or stop wearing purple. Or stop serenading random girls at his concerts and leaving others broken hearted.
Seriously. Is that not like the cutest thing ever? I'm not a huge Bieber fan, but watching that made me want to be one of those girls that cries when he breathes within a 5 mile radius of them. Except not really. Because girls like that will get slapped the hardest by reality, and I'll be the one laughing on the sidelines.
Well, if that didn't get you excited, nothing else I say will. So just remember that people all over the world are entering the real world every day, and in 12 days I will officially join them. Because I graduated. And I'm going to college. And it's going to rock.
The end?
When did this happen????????
It's been eighteen years in the making, and now here I am, presented before you as a high school graduate. Totally insane. But fantastic. Because I never have to set foot in the high school again. And I don't have to get emails and calls reminding me to turn in stuff for Chief Time. And because I can look back now and say that I successfully made it through four years of craziness that flew by faster than I ever thought they would or could.
My life starts now. The real world is waiting to take me by the hand...and then swing me over a cliff. Oh. Right. I forget that I sometimes hate reality. But hey, it happens to everyone, right? Even Justin Bieber will lose his boyish charm one day. Yes, 12 year old girls, it's true. Your idol is going to grow up and get gray hair and wrinkles. But he'll have to grow some facial hair first. Eh...he definitely should never grow a mustache. Or stop wearing purple. Or stop serenading random girls at his concerts and leaving others broken hearted.
Seriously. Is that not like the cutest thing ever? I'm not a huge Bieber fan, but watching that made me want to be one of those girls that cries when he breathes within a 5 mile radius of them. Except not really. Because girls like that will get slapped the hardest by reality, and I'll be the one laughing on the sidelines.
Well, if that didn't get you excited, nothing else I say will. So just remember that people all over the world are entering the real world every day, and in 12 days I will officially join them. Because I graduated. And I'm going to college. And it's going to rock.
The end?
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