Saying Good-bye......?

After pouring your heart and soul into a made up world filled with colourful characters and mysterious places and wondrous and magical (stupidly unrealistic) situations, how could you possible decided to not write any more about it? How could you decide to move on? I've only written the first book (and have started the second) but I know how it's going to end...and that's hard to swallow. "What is, Gemma?" Well, the fact that there is going to be an end.

We go through life, and face so many choices along the way: Yes or no? In or out? Love or hate? Good or bad? Stay or go? But that isn't always up to us. And it is NEVER up to the characters. I mean, think about it. Here I am, the creator of their world, of there lives, and I can make them do whatever I want. (Of course, they aren't real, but this is all metaphorically speaking. Don't worry, I haven't completely gone bonkers :P) If I want someone to die-They die. If I want a boy with blue hair and green eyes-POOF!-There he is!

But, now I have the biggest choice. Happy ending....or tragic? Truth be told: The tragic ending would be best. It just seems like that is the way things are meant to be, but I like to think that there is some good in the world. I like happy endings. Heck, I can't read books that DON'T have happy endings.....but can I write one?

I know that you bloggers haven't read the book (working on thinking up a few posts to introduce it!) but what would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you write three books just to end it in tragedy, though it seems right....or would you end it with a less cheesy version (though equally predictable-with a few twists) of "happily-ever-after"? Can I actually say good-bye at all?

HELP! :S

"Come Into My Parlor," Said The Spider To The Fly....

Have you ever seen a spider make dinner? Sure, there's the odd TV special on the Discovery channel, but I'm talking about live. You see, I am not such a big fan of spiders (though ironically my mom loves them) and so, we (which means my mom and a very very small and fearless part of me) take great pleasure in having this HUGE spider, living outside our window. Now, this thing is MASSIVE!!! Like the size of a quarter! And today, while eating my own dinner, I got a little free show.

Here comes a beautiful moth, with sparkling effervescent wings, dusted with a light powder. Gently it glides towards the light, it's fuzzy feelers looking so soft and cuddly--WHAM! It smacks right into the web! One minute it's Barbie Fairy Topia, the next it's Return of the King "Frodo's For Dinner That's What". So this huge spider then starts wrapping up the moth-who is desperately trying to get away-with this shiny silk, sucking the blood out of it like something from Twilight! :0 It was horrible. :( So, this post is in memory of the brave moth, who just couldn't stay away from the light........DON'T YOU KNOW THAT PEOPLE SAY THAT FOR A REASON??????

But, in retrospect, it was actually kind of fascinating. I mean, isn't there ever a grizzly part in a novel that makes your skin crawl, but somehow the gore cheers you on to keep reading? Or why people watch horror movies and go to Halloween Haunt (which I so want to go to ;P)? It's simply strange that we would want to be scared for fun, or watch a moth massacre for fascination and curiosity. But, we do. Is this not human?

Still, with all these movies and tales that we have been exposed to, it makes me wonder: What are we afraid of? For example: I'm not afraid of zombies or ghosts or the boogie-man, but I'm afraid of Open Heights. (I will not stand on a desk for my life!!!! Rollercoasters and planes are alright, I'm secured :P) And we read all about these brave and fearless heroes all the time, yet surely they must be afraid of something OTHER than losing their "one true love", right?

So my question for you is: What do you think heroes are afraid of? And more importantly, what scares you?

What Makes You Smile?

You wouldn't believe the things that make me laugh :) Check out this clip and tell me what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI

"Death Warmed in the Microwave of....." I'm Sick. :(

Yes, so as the school days fly past, more and more people have become the host of the common cold. "HELP! HELP! OH, HOW WE HAVE BEEN FEASTED UPON BY LIVING THINGS, INSIDE OUR FRAGILE BODIES!!!!!!!!!" That is basically what runs through my mind, before I compose myself. (Sigh). So, here I am, four tissue boxes at hand, and Cold-FX standing by. Still, I am trying to stay on track......now which way was it.....??

Well, good news! I may have found a potential editor for my manuscript, which means I'm only that much closer to being published!!!! YAY! :D But, that is still only a maybe, we will have to wait and see. For the meantime, I am trying to cheer myself up, and not be too much of a little black raincloud (hovering over the honey tree. Sorry, remnants of childhood memories :P) So, back to the point of all this: Writing.

Now, to those of you who have read my previous postings, I had my first "Writing War,"consisting of riddles. Well, here is the second!!! (Note: as more and more people comment, I will post more and more in-depth things about my writing.) Alright, I am going to ask your opinion on something, and you are going to comment and tell me what you think about it, or what you would do. It's a kind of vote, I suppose you could say. So, are you ready? Here it is:

A character has just had an epic battle somewhere in a maze-like building. He has momentarily rendered his opponent unconscious, and must move quickly in order to escape. However, he has a few problems: 1 = He is badly injured. 2 = He doesn't know which way is which, and he is beginning to become delirious, visions of strange colours confusing him even further. 3 = His best friend (who has stuck with him through the toughest of times) is locked on the other side of building. (Keep in mind that it's a fair sized building). 

Now, here is the question:

If it were you, would you face your fears and save your friend, or would you face the fact that you have limited time before your opponent wakes up, and flee? 

While I go blow my nose, with "Puff's-Plus Magic Kleenex", think about all the options (pros and cons) and comment back to me. (Only if you want to know what happens!) The characters' fate rests in your hands! ;)
Have a good one, enjoy the rain!!! :D

The Answers

Wow!!!! So many fabulous answers! Thank you to all of you who gave it a try, and don't feel bad if you didn't get the answers right to the riddles, I must admit, when I first guessed, I was WAY off :D I just wanted to give out a big virtual piece of cake to everyone who took the time to read them over, get really frustrated, and comment anyway! Lot's of you got some of the answers right, and some of you didn't.

But, as I said before, this was a test to see how smart you really are. And you want to know a secret??? THAT WAS THE FIRST RIDDLE!!! Your intelligence isn't based on how many answers you get right, it's how much effort you put into doing your best. And I suppose this is why I love riddles so much, and why it helps me to stay on track with my writing. :D So, without further delay, here are the answers:

Level: Easy

1. Answer: The Third Door: Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead!

2. Answer: A "murder" is a flock of crows.

3. Answer: Noon and Bob (basically any "sandwich" word.)

Level: Medium

1. Answer: A bolt of lightning

2. Answer: A lie

3. Answer: An egg

Level: Hard

1. Answer: The army is a rainstorm

2. Answer: The gems are: Amethyst, Emerald ( Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz ), Ruby, Pearl, Diamond, Tiger's eye, Cubic Zirconium (Fake diamond), and Black Opal. Taking the first letter of Amethyst, second of Emerald, etc... spells out "Ambrosia"- The food of the gods.

3. Answer: The question is: "If I ask the other person which road is safest, which will he tell me to take?" It doesn't matter which one you go up to, because then you simply do the opposite. Example: If you go up to the knight (who always tells the truth), and ask him this, he will tell you what the knave (who always lies) will say, and vice versa. If the knight says "the ___ road" then he will have told you what the knave will say, which is a lie (and vice versa). By doing the opposite, you will avoid danger :D (I save the best for last)

Bonus: Your name

That's my post for today, but it's FRIDAY!!!! So, I'll have lots of time to write, read, and blog over the next few days. Thanks again, and check in soon!!!! TGIF, and have a good weekend everybody! :D *Smile*

Writing War: Are you game? (Riddle me this...)

All right, it's been longer than I intended. "What has been longer, Gemma?" Everything! I didn't mean it to take this long to post another blog, and I didn't mean for it to take this long to finish my homework, to feed the cats, to finish my book, to turn on the computer... There simply aren't enough hours in the day! :(

But, to the point, my subject today is: Riddles! :D (Yay for cryptic rhyming!) And you may ask, "Well, what in heaven's name made you so suddenly decide that?" Answer: Everything has been so stressful lately, that I haven't had any time for writing :'( BAD GEMMA!!!!!! SHAME ON YOU!!!!!! And I know. But, these riddles I find keep my brain functioning, keep my mind working. So, I decided, alright, why not have a competition? :D

So, congratulations to all of you who are reading this because YOU ARE THE FIRST PARTICIPANTS IN "GEMMA'S FIRST WRITING WAR!" So, here is how this is going to work: I am going to post various different riddles (that I have merely heard of and take no credit for) and you are going to answer them....IF YOU CAN >:) "Alright, well what's in it for me????" You may ask. Answer: The fact that you are so smart, you can figure out the riddle without any help. The prize is "satisfaction".

Note: 1. The Answers Will Be Presented in the Next Post
           2. This is a kind of preview to other things I will be doing on my blog. Once it's been up and running for a bit longer, I will start getting all of you readers involved in my writing. (Aka, I will post options for various aspects of my writing and you will get to choose through a vote :D)

So are you game? Lets get started!!!

Level: Easy

1. Riddle me this: A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven’t eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him? (Hint: Read over at least twice and think about it in pieces.)

2. Riddle me this: There was a murder in the park, in broad daylight, with people passing by, and yet no dead body was found and no one called the police. How can this be? (Hint: This is not a normal kind of "murder".)

3. Riddle me this: What word can be written forward, backward, and upside down, and can still be read from left to right? (Hint: There are a few different answers.)

Level: Medium

1. Riddle me this: I am, in truth, a yellow fork, from tables in the sky, by inadvertent fingers dropped the awful cutlery. Of mansions never quite disclosed, and never quite concealed, the apparatus of the dark, to ignorance revealed.

2. Riddle me this: I'm sometimes white, and always wrong. I can break a heart and hurt the strong. I can build love and tear it down. I can make a smile, but more of a frown. What am I?

3. Riddle me this: In marble walls as white as milk, lined with skin as soft as silk, within a fountain crystal clear, a golden apple does appear. No doors are there to this stronghold-yet thieves break in and steal the gold. What is it?

Level: Hard (Note, these are very challenging, so hints are given to start you off!)

1. Riddle me this: I heard of an invading, vanquishing army sweeping across the land, liquid-quick; conquering everything, quelling resistance. With it came darkness, dimming the light. Humans hid in their houses, while outside spears pierced, shattering stone walls. Uncountable soldiers smashed into the ground, but each elicited life as he died; when the army had vanished, advancing northward, the land was green and growing, refreshed. (Hint: The army?)

2. Riddle me this: If you like pretty gems that sparkle and shine, I invite you to dig in my virtual mine. My first is purple, fit for a king. My second is green where Dorothy did her thing. My third is red, July's birthstone as well. My fourth is seen in strings and is found inside a shell. My fifth is hard, pure Carbon and expensive to buy. My sixth is Crocodolite, striped like the big cat's eye. Seventh is two words, a man-made fake of April's stone. Eighth is very dark and found at Lightning Ridge alone. Now take from each gem, one letter in its turn, And you will find the stuff for which even the god's yearn. (Hint: Brush up on your knowledge of gem-stones, and a dictionary could be helpful.)

3. Riddle me this: You come to a fork in the road where there stands a knight and a knave. Knights always tell the truth and Knaves always lie. These two are so alike you can not tell which one is knight and which one is knave. You need to choose a road at the fork but one of the roads leads to certain death. You are allowed to ask only one question to only one person standing at the fork. What question can you ask to find the right road, not mattering whether the person is a knight or a knave? (Hint: Remember, only ONE question to help you on your way.)

Bonus: What belongs to you, and yet others use it more than you do?

And so the competition begins! Leave your comments and check in soon to see the answers!

Good Luck! :D

Main Characters

Did you ever notice how all books have three main characters? Harry Potter: Harry, Hermione and Ron. Twilight: Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Mortal Instruments: Jace, Clary, and Simon. Infernal Devices: Will, Tessa, and Jem. Etc, etc, etc. Well, did you ever ask yourself, why? Why three?

True, it does give cause for love triangles and fights and rivalries. But, could there be another reason? I think it's strange how nearly all authors (NEARLY-not every single one) have three main characters. In my personal opinion, I think it is semi-consciously done. I mean, isn't that how warriors go out to battle? With their right and left hand man/woman? Could it be that maybe, symbolically, and without our own realization, our "heroes" are perfectly portrayed in even a deeper level?

Perhaps I just think about things too much. But, I find it very interesting. And that leads me to a second point. Is it possible that we are not as unique as we all thought we were? I mean, we do all share similar thoughts, don't we? "What's for dinner, hate homework, gosh that's pretty, will he/she ever ask me to the dance?" So, I question the ideas for books. How is it that authors' books can be so different, when they all have the same outline, the same basics?

More importantly (for me, anyway-seeing as this is my journey to getting published) what makes my book stand out?

Now, that's something to think about. =]

Too Many Books!

Well, in being a "Book-Worm", I am cursed with the incurable: "There's a book I want to read.....YOU HEAR ME? I HAVE TO READ IT NOW!!!!!" disease. There are so many books that I feel I just have to read, and only get around to actually reading them months later. So, I have just (when I say "I" I mean my mom) purchased: The White Cat (Holly Black), Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare), Finnikin of the Rock (Melina Marchetta), and I am in the middle of numerous others. So I then ask myself, "Gemma, what is the point of you going on Amazon and looking at books? You know that you'll find at least twenty, and then narrow it down to five. Seriously woman!!!!" And the me inside my head is right, so I listen carefully for about a minute and then devote all attention to the books on Amazon. (Sigh) What a life.

However! The books I do have, are very good (when I have time to read them). Of course normally I would finish some of them as quickly as I picked them up, but now I'm in high school. So, I have no time to write, read, or anything else except do homework and breathe (and yes, blog) so now all my fabulous books are gathering dust! I've left one character with a broken heart, another that's about to be eaten, a boy in a strange kingdom, and a girl all alone in an institute with her crazy brother. What kind of person am I???? :(

"But," says the inner me, "this is a lesson for you, Gemma. You need to learn to balance your life with what you want to get done and what needs to get done. Mantra: Balance." Alright, I suppose I am exaggerating a bit. I can make time to read and write and have fun. But, I still stand behind my words.....

There are too many books!!!!!

(Even if I am adding to the pile........)