A Different Point of View

To us our world seems normal. But if someone else was to become you or see into your life for a day, what would they think? I was challenged to see my world through a different point of view. So I took a camera and went to it.


<- These are a few of my friends and this is a typical day for us.  Normal? Maybe not. Fun? Obviously!

 

<- How can you look at this and not love it?  I'm the kind of person who sees something like this and just has to take a picture...obviously :)


<- This is defiantly the best part of my room. My picture of Paris overlooking my crazy stacks of books.
 <- Homework.....


<- This is the last four years of my life in fictional form. I have a drawer in my desk where all my work goes. This is stuff that I wrote down quickly in class or things I want to save for future stories when it will work better.


One of the great things about writing is that we get to expand and explore our views on life and the world. So my world involves books, writing books, homework, my crazy friends and randomly fun stuff that makes my day. What's your world like?

 



The Editing Process

  I think editing is probably one of the best/worst parts of writing anything. The best because I can go through and add new ideas that come later or delete old ideas taht weren't as good as I first thought they were. The worst because it takes forever and some of your changes can be really mnor. Here's the process I went through to write a short story about having John Green (author of The Fault in Our Stars) inside my head.

Final Draft:

The headache pounds throughout my head. He pushes against my brain, weaving his way into the front of my thoughts. John Green, yes the John Green, the tear jerker, heart-breaker John Green, is inside my head. And the first thing I hear from him is “NERDFIGHTERS!”

“What?” I question him. Every time he comes into my thoughts, I feel his energy seeping into me.

I can hear the smirk in his voice as he speaks, “What’s the great plan for today?”

I roll my eyes, “There isn’t one John. I’ve got homework and I don’t really consider that to be great. And unless you know how to do trig functions, I’d really appreciate it if you went away.”

He is silent for a moment, “Pull out the assignment and I’ll help.” Now one thing you’ve got to understand about John Green, he is a genius. Yes, Yes I am. Stay out of this John, I’m telling the story. Okay, sorry.  Like I was saying, John Green is a genius; you’d know this if you’ve read any of his books. AWW, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. John…. Right, sorry.  But he gets distracted, like VERY distracted. I can feel him looking around the room, taking in the pictures of Paris and New York, taking in the books scattered randomly across the floor.

“Why do you stay here?” he asks.

I shrug, “What’s wrong with here?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. But don’t you want to see the world?”  

“There are just bigger things on my mind right now then seeing the world.”

“That’s not true. The world is literally bigger than your problems. Your problems have no physical mass so there for the world weighs like ten billion times more than your problems.”

“Okay smarty pants; don’t go using science on me. I’m trying to work on pre-calc.”

But with John Green inside your head it’s hard to focus on anything. He’s got scenes and scenes from different books, published and unpublished, that scroll through his head like a movie. The car scene from The Fault in Our Stars, the crash from Looking for Alaska, and so many other scenes that I couldn’t identify but deeply wanted to know what story went with them. John’s mind was like a constant motion picture from at least eight different books. The cutting was rough, the picture not crystal clear, but John knew these scenes and knew how to tell them.

Sometimes it still caught me off guard; John Green was inside my head. His brilliant mind, filled with quotes that could change the world, was inside of my completely average teenage mind. I think some people would kill to have John Green inside their heads. He was a brilliant writer and a pure genius. But sometimes his excitement and energy overwhelmes me. I don’t want to run off and explore the dark side of me or anything like that. But ever since I met John, I crave adventure and inspiration and something bigger than just the small life I’ve been living.  

John Green gave me this desire I didn’t know I had, to want to see something other than the snowcapped mountains of Bountiful, Utah. He made me want to see the volcanoes of El Salvador, the Eiffel Tower of Paris and the skyline of New York. He made me want to explore the world, the places of the world that buzzed with excitement and screamed about adventure. There was something so great about the “Great Unknown” and I didn’t want to have to wait till I was dead to find it.

There is so much more to see than just my little bubble. When the time comes and I pop my bubble, it would be a chance to learn so much and see so much and some of it I wouldn’t be able to unsee. The world was filled with many beautiful and wonderful things, but for every beautiful thing there was one thing that was the opposite. It was dark and dreary and could shatter me into a thousand tiny pieces. 

                “The World is a big place,” John says, “and you’ll see things that you wish you’d never seen before, but there will be things that make you breathless.  Those beautiful things are what make this all worth it. You won’t, and shouldn’t, be able to push the horrible things from your mind because those are what make the wonderful things so wonderful.”

                “Great John,” I mumbled, “now I lost track of where I was in the trig problem.”

                There was silence. Sometimes I wonder if I actually have John Green inside my head. Or had I come to know him so well through his books that I just thought he was there? I think parts of writers stick with us, even after we’ve closed their books. That’s what makes a brilliant writer; parts of them will stay with us after we’ve read their books. They put a part of their soul into this book and now I’ve come to know them through this book. Maybe I had just read so much from John that I felt as if part of him was inside of me. When really, I had no more of him than anyone else who had read his works.

 

Third Draft:

 

The headache pounds throughout my head. He pushes against my brain, weaving his way into the front of my thoughts. John Green, yes the John Green, the tear jerker, heart-breaker John Green, is inside my head. And the first thing I hear from him is “NERDFIGHTERS!”

“What?” I question him. Every time he comes into my thoughts, I feel his energy seeping into me.

I can hear the smirk in his voice as he speaks, “What’s the great plan for today?”

I roll my eyes, “There isn’t one John. I’ve got homework and I don’t really consider that to be great. And unless you know how to do trig functions, I’d really appreciate it if you went away.”

He is silent for a moment, “Pull out the assignment and I’ll help.” Now one thing you’ve got to understand about John Green, he is a genius. Yes, Yes I am. Stay out of this John, I’m telling the story. Okay, sorry.  Like I was saying, John Green is a genius; you’d know this if you’ve read any of his books. AWW, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. John…. Right, sorry.  But he gets distracted, like VERY distracted. I can feel him looking around the room, taking in the pictures of Paris and New York, taking in the books scattered randomly across the floor.

“Why do you stay here?” he asks.

I shrug, “What’s wrong with here?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. But don’t you want to see the world?”  

“There are just bigger things on my mind right now then seeing the world.”

“That’s not true. The world is literally bigger than your problems. Your problems have no physical mass so there for the world weighs like ten billion times more than your problems.”

“Okay smarty pants; don’t go using science on me. I’m trying to work on pre-calc.”

But with John Green inside your head it’s hard to focus on anything. He’s got scenes and scenes from different books, published and unpublished, that scroll through his head like a movie. John’s mind was like a constant motion picture from at least eight different books. The cutting was rough, the picture not crystal clear, but John knew these scenes and knew how to tell them.

I don’t want to run off and explore the dark side of me or anything like that. But ever since I met John, I crave adventure and inspiration and something bigger than just the small life I’ve been living.  

                “The World is a big place,” John says, “and you’ll see things that you wish you’d never seen before, but there will be things that make you breathless.  Those beautiful things are what make this all worth it. You won’t, and shouldn’t, be able to push the horrible things from your mind because those are what make the wonderful things so wonderful.”

                “Great John,” I mumbled, “now I lost track of where I was in the trig problem.”

                There was silence. Sometimes I wonder if I actually have John Green inside my head. Or had I come to know him so well through his books that I just thought he was there? I think parts of writers stick with us, even after we’ve closed their books. That’s what makes a brilliant writer; parts of them will stay with us after we’ve read their books. They put a part of their soul into this book and now I’ve come to know them through this book. Maybe I had just read so much from John that I felt as if part of him was inside of me. When really, I had no more of him than anyone else who had read his works.

Second Draft:

The headache pounds throughout my head. He pushes against my brain, weaving his way into the front of my thoughts. John Green, yes the John Green, the tear jerker, heart-breaker John Green, is inside my head. And the first thing I hear from him is “NERDFIGHTERS!”

“What?” I question him. Every time he comes into my thoughts, I feel his energy seeping into me.

I can hear the smirk on his lips as he speaks, “What’s the great plan for today?”

I roll my eyes, “There isn’t one John. I’ve got homework and I don’t really consider that to be great. And unless you know how to do trig functions, I’d really appreciate it if you went away.”

He is silent for a moment, “Pull out the assignment and I’ll help.” Now one thing you’ve got to understand about John Green, he is a genius. But he gets distracted, like VERY distracted. I can feel him looking around the room, taking in the pictures of Paris and New York, taking in the books scattered randomly across the floor.

“Why do you stay here?” he asks.

I shrug, “What’s wrong with here?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. But don’t you want to see the world?”  

“There are just bigger things on my mind right now then seeing the world.”

“That’s not true. The world is literally bigger than your problems. Your problems have no physical mass so there for the world weighs like ten billion times more than your problems.”

“Okay smarty pants; don’t go using science on me. I’m trying to work on pre-calc.”

But with John Green inside your head it’s hard to focus on anything. He’s got scenes and scenes from different books, published and unpublished, that scroll through his head like a movie. The car scene from The Fault in Our Stars, the crash from Looking for Alaska, and so many other scenes that I couldn’t identify but deeply wanted to know what story went with them. John’s mind was like a constant motion picture from at least eight different books. The cutting was rough, the picture not crystal clear, but John knew these scenes and knew how to tell them.

I don’t want to run off and explore the dark side of me or anything like that. But ever since I met John, I crave adventure and inspiration and something bigger than just the small life I’ve been living.  

                “The World is a big place,” John says, “and you’ll see things that you wish you’d never seen before, but there will be things that make you breathless.  Those beautiful things are what make this all worth it. You won’t, and shouldn’t, be able to push the horrible things from your mind because those are what make the wonderful things so wonderful.”

                “Great John,” I mumbled, “now I lost track of where I was in the trig problem.”

                There was silence. Sometimes I wonder if I actually have John Green inside my head. Or had I come to know him so well through his books that I just thought he was there? I think parts of writers stick with us, even after we’ve closed their books. That’s what makes a brilliant writer; parts of them will stay with us after we’ve read their books. They put a part of their soul into this book and now I’ve come to know them through this book. Maybe I had just read so much from John that I felt as if part of him was inside of me. When really, I had no more of him than anyone else who had read his works.

First Draft:

The headache pounds throughout my head. He pushes against my brain, weaving his way into the front of my thoughts. John Green was inside my head.  Every time he comes into my thoughts, I feel his energy seeping into me.

I can hear the smirk on his lips as he speaks, “What’s the great plan for today?”

I roll my eyes, “There isn’t one John. I’ve got homework and I don’t really consider that to be great. And unless you know how to do trig functions, I’d really appreciate it if you went away.”

But with John Green inside your head it’s hard to focus on anything. He’s got scenes and scenes from different books, published and unpublished, that scroll through his head like a movie. The car scene from The Fault in Our Stars, the crash from Looking for Alaska, and so many other scenes that I couldn’t identify but deeply wanted to know what story went with them. John’s mind was like a constant motion picture from at least eight different books. The cutting was rough, the picture not crystal clear, but John knew these scenes and knew how to tell them.

I don’t want to run off and explore the dark side of me or anything like that. But ever since I met John, I crave adventure and inspiration and something bigger than just the small life I’ve been living.  

                “The World is a big place,” John says, “and you’ll see things that you wish you’d never seen before, but there will be things that make you breathless.  Those beautiful things are what make this all worth it. You won’t, and shouldn’t, be able to push the horrible things from your mind because those are what make the wonderful things so wonderful.”

                “Great John,” I mumbled, “now I lost track of where I was in the trig problem.”

                There was silence. Sometimes I wonder if I actually have John Green inside my head. Or had I come to know him so well through his books that I just thought he was there? I think parts of writers stick with us, even after we’ve closed their books. That’s what makes a brilliant writer; parts of them will stay with us after we’ve read their books. They put a part of their soul into this book and now I’ve come to know them through this book. Maybe I had just read so much from John that I felt as if part of him was inside of me. When really, I had no more of him than anyone else who had read his works.

Rought Draft:

“The World is a big place,” John says, “and you’ll see things that you wish you’d never seen before, but there will be things that make you breathless.  Those beautiful things are what make this all worth it. You won’t, and shouldn’t, be able to push the horrible things from your mind because those are what make the wonderful things so wonderful.”

                “Great John,” I mumbled, “now I lost track of where I was in the trig problem.”

                There was silence. Sometimes I wonder if I actually have John Green inside my head. Or had I come to know him so well through his books that I just thought he was there? I think parts of writers stick with us, even after we’ve closed their books. That’s what makes a brilliant writer; parts of them will stay with us after we’ve read their books. They put a part of their soul into this book and now I’ve come to know them through this book. Maybe I had just read so much from John that I felt as if part of him was inside of me. When really, I had no more of him than anyone else who had read his works.

Usually when I edit my wrok I condence the material but with this one I just kept adding more stuff to it.  Writing is weird like that. There aren't any rules to what you can and cannot do. If you haven't read any of John Green's books I would HIGHLY reccomend you do. What's editing like for you guys? Do you like it? Hate it? Love it? Really could care less about it? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

BOOK REVIEW: The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars- By: John Green
      Where to begin, where to begin? I guess with a spoiler-free review if you haven't read the book. And if you haven't read it, I don't know why you are reading this review and not the book. If you are waiting for an invite to read it, this is it. Now go get the book and read it!!!! 
       The Fault in Our Stars is the story of sixteen-year-old Hazel who has cancer. After a medical miracle, Hazel's life has been extended a couple of years. Her parents have her go to a cancer support group, where she meets  Augustus Waters, who is a cancer survivor.  You probably guessed it, they begin to fall in love. While this might sound cliché and just another teenage romance novel, it is so much more. John Green is an amazing author who captures his characters perfectly. The book is filled with amazing quotes and ideas about life.  Don't believe me? Here are a few of my favorite:
   "That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt."
    "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once."
    "My thoughts are like stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
      So over-all review?  This book has stuff that will make you laugh, leave you sobbing, and make you fall in love with everything about the book. It's the best book I've ever read. And I've read quite a few books. ;)
 That's the end of the spoiler-free review. Did ya get that? The next part has SPOILERS!! So if you haven't read the book yet, stop reading NOW! Don't ruin the book before you've read it.


   Let's just start with Hazel's character. John Green does such an amazing job at capturing the mind of a teenage girl. I didn't feel like it was John Green telling me Hazel's story, I felt as if Hazel was telling me the story. She isn't necessarily a like-able character. Now don't get me wrong, I actually really love Hazel. But she isn't a sugar-coated, "Life is great" kind of girl. She is real and she is angry about her cancer.
    Augustus Waters on the other hand is a very charming character. From the moment he was introduced, I fell in love with him. When he put that cigarette in his mouth for the first time, I was just as mad as Hazel. Like really? You've had cancer!! And you pay people to give you more cancer!!!! But as soon as he told her it was a metaphor, I was sold. Augustus and Hazel both embody this intelligence that John Green himself has.
   There were so many points of this book that I just melted at. I loved how Gus always referred to her as "Hazel Grace." It was such a simple thing that I just loved.  I loved Isaac's character and the way Green allowed us to observe him coping with losing his eyes. Between Isaac, Hazel and Gus we see almost every level of coping with problems. I loved the trophy smashing scene and the egg-throwing scene. With the trophies I thought it shows a lot of Gus's character. When he tells Isaac to use something that will break, it shows that Gus has gone through a lot in his life and knows that it takes a lot to help the emotions: and be real, a chair is just not going to cut it.
     Monica, she's an interesting character, even though we only see her once in the entire book. She leaves Isaac, and we are mad. We are hurt for him and we are just mad. But can any of us really blame her? Maybe you wouldn't leave your loved one, but you can understand why she did can't you? Like they said, "You have to deal with it. She doesn't." So I can understand where Monica is coming from, I don't agree with her choice, but I can see where she is coming from.
    Did anyone else think that the story was going to end mid-sentence like the book Hazel and Gus read? Or was that just me? When we realized that Gus was the sicker one, it was like a whole shift of what I was thinking would happen. I believe this is the point in the book that I started to cry. And I don't think I stopped until about two days after I finished the book. As Gus gets sicker and sicker, it's not pretty and Hazel doesn't try to make it seem that way. It was real and sad and awful. It seriously ripped my heart out! Thanks a lot John Green....thanks a lot.
    It was interesting how Hazel went from being the sickest out of the trio (her, Gus and Isaac) to being the "healthiest." Isaac is blind and needs help to go anywhere and Gus is dying of cancer, true Hazel is too, but Gus is dying faster.  The funeral that Gus holds for himself was such a heart-wrenching part that I just...ahhh I just can't handle it.
   Now for the real funeral...did anyone else just cry? Yes....okay good so it wasn't just me.  When Hazel takes her tubes off and walks to the casket, putting the cigarettes into his hand, oh gosh I just lost it there. This is the point in the book that we see how strong of a character Hazel is. Like Gus's parents said this wasn't just puppy love. I think I get emotional at this part because I can't imagine what it would be like to lose someone I loved so much. The whole scene really resonates with a wide range of people. It's something we can all sympathize with and cry for.
   One last thing that I just NEED to say! Gus's letter to Peter (the author of An Imperial Affliction) was just amazing. "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices."
  Okay I think that about covers everything I wanted to say..I hope so because I think I'm running out of space to write anymore. So have you read The Fault in Our Stars? What did you think? Did anyone else cry as hard as I did? What were your favorite parts? And if you didn't like it, that's okay too, what about it didn't you like? Have you seen the trailer for the movie? What do you think? Will you go see it (and bring a lot of tissues?) Let me know what you guys think down in the comments!
   

Hello Internet World

Welcome to my blog, I guess :). I've loved books and movies since I was a kid. Sometimes I would rather read a book than hang out with friends, because fictional characters tend to be less annoying than actual people. Not always, but sometimes. Besides reading, I also love to write. So this blog will probably consist of a lot of my original writing, quotes from authors you may or may not know and also some book and/or movie reviews. I'm always looking for new things to read or watch, so if you have any suggestions put them down in the comment box. So Internet World, welcome to my blog and I'm excited to get to know you through the computer screens. Don't you just feel connected already?!?