A Name Worth Carrying

"Operation Novel", take 2.

"Novel" seems like such an odd word. To me, anyhow. Like a word you should only use to describe a book that says "Butterfly Kisses - a novel" on the cover, or Jane Austen books. I don't write "novels"! Not like that, anyway. I write stories. Adventures. Books. Tales.

However, "novel" is, by definition,

–noun

1.

a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes.

Length and complexity, characters, action, scenes...hm, I do like that. Maybe I can live with the word.


ANYway.


So, novels. Books, stories, whatever. And, I have a new one I'd like to talk about for a while. If you like reading things like that, please continue.

A Name Worth Carrying

This story is about Abigail Nicole Garrett, a fifteen year old sophomore. She's motherless and her estranged father is trying to locate her in order to make sure she doesn’t tell his secret to the police. The problem? She doesn’t know what that secret is.

When she's thrust into the foster system Abigail realizes that there are a lot of things she doesn’t know. What really happened the night of the car wreck? And why does she have a terrible suspicion that her dad had something to do with it? Has she ever known what a true family is? And why, of all things, did her parents name her Abigail?

At least one of these things she can change. Her name is Nicole, now. Not Abigail. And it doesn’t really matter...does it? Is there really all that much in a name?

~(@)~

From this synopsis alone, would you be interested enough to read any of the story? Does is pique your interest? Would you pick it up from the bookstore or library shelf long enough to at least read the first pages?

Soon (maybe) I will be posting excerpts from this book. It's almost 20,000 words, and five chapters in. It's a lot more character driven than Escape into Darkness, and could probably be better classified as a "man who learned better" story type (according to OYAN). So I'm having to think a lot more about compelling conflict. Who wants to read 200+ pages of a mopey teenage girl sorting through her emotional baggage? Bleh.

But it's really not that bad. At least, it's coming.

It's a work-in-progress.

(as a side note, the Escape into Darkness page has been updated...)

Starting Over

I've come to realize that when I started this blog over a year ago, I didn't have much of a plan for it, or much motivation. But I think I now have a plan as well as a little more motivation. So to get this off the ground, I suppose I'll start by telling any unfortunate passerby a little about myself. :-P

My name is MacKenzie, and I am a home-educated, Christian young lady. I have a wonderful family, great friends, and a Mighty Savior, all of whom I love dearly.

I still like to run around outside, dressed like a character from whatever book I happen to be reading (or writing) at the time, and fending off the “bad guys” with a trusty wooden sword. I’ve tried many times to make my brother, “fight” with me, but for some reason, he just isn’t interested. So, alas, I am often forced to complete my quests alone, or with a few even younger siblings taking his place ... and that may be the reason that few of them ever get accomplished. :-)

I also really enjoy “living” these adventures out on paper. Reading and writing stories are two ways I can do this. I’m trying to start making myself read a larger variety of things; I've been leaning more towards the "fantasy" genre lately, and I want to "expand my horizons". Does anyone have any suggestions?

As for writing, that is an interest which has just recently begun to take off. I've written short stories in the past, and even started a few novels, but have never really known what to do "next". So, this year, as part of my English curriculum, I am taking a creative writing course, "One Year Adventure Novel" as it is called. The author of this course, Daniel Schwabauer, teaches story. Not grammer or anythinhg like that, but what it is that makes a story a story. According to him, the five elements of any good story are: Someone to Care About (Main character/Hero), Something to Want (the Story Goal), Something to Dread, Something to Suffer, and Something to Learn. By the time I have completed the course, I (and anyone else who is taking it) will have written a complete, 12-chapter adventure novel! I'm pretty excited about that.

As for this blog, I will probably be posting quite a few short scenes and stories aside from "other things", (Not positive what those "things" will be just yet.) I'd really appreciate any comments, feedback, or critiques that anyone has to offer. Sometimes, you just have to be contradicted in order to learn!

Anyhow, the above is just a brief sampling of some of my interests. For a far more "extensive" list, check out my profile. ;-)