Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 37

March 2018 Dares

Well … that month flew by! And I say that practically every month, but this time it was true because there are only twenty-eight days in February (takes me by surprise every time) so the month did fly by.

Literally. It was flying past my window the other night, and I was like, “Feb … where ya goin’, man?” And Feb said, “I’m leaving this place! I’m sick of the in-between-ish weather and the corny Valentine’s lines.” #TrueStory

February was actually a fairly productive month for me … but you might not know it by looking at my dares since there’s a lot of red. (But hey, Valentine’s = red so I had to stick with the theme.) Hopefully March will be just as productive – and a bit more organized.

Some Random Reveries: February 2018

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I’ve decided that every month I need to set aside some time on this blog to just talk. Talk about my life. Talk about thoughts I’ve had. Just let myself ramble. (It’s gonna be super boring.) (There are some GIFs, though, so you might want to hang around.)

This blog is, after all, my ‘reveries.’ But how few reveries do I truly post on it? After all, ‘reveries’ are far from professional, and I try to be as professional as I can be. However, I’m not really the ‘professional’ type.

I mean, I’m very professional when it comes to certain things (blame my parents*), but … blogging doesn’t have to be one of those things? And I don’t know why I’ve been taking it so seriously because it is supposed to be fun!

*it actually has nothing to do with my parents, but they are convenient scapegoats for basically anything. Including the lack of icecream in this house. Though that is kinda their fault …

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Speaking of blogging, I’ve actually figured out a system that will help me keep up the posts fairly regular as well as help me be more original, know what I want to post about, etc.

I’ve made time for blogging by saying that’s the #1 thing I do on Sundays.

I also take care of extra blogging at work.
(It’s front desk job, so I work when it’s quiet – e.g. no one coming in the office – and I don’t have a project).



I have a list of potential post ideas put together in one file.

Before, I’ve always had ideas scattered all over the place, so that’s nice.
I have yet to start using them, though. *has so many systems I set up and never use*



I have a kinda-sorta schedule that gives me an idea of what I want to post when.

I figure this I have monthly spotlights, monthly dares, now this monthly rambling post …
And there are other things I’d like to do at least semi-monthly, too.

Hmm … that doesn’t looked very unorganized. Having reveries is harder than I thought. Especially when you have to put them into words. Especially when those words can’t be organized.

Now I’m having an existential crisis because it would appear that non-organizing is hard for me which would make me less like to be ISTP, since people with dominant Perceiving are not too organized.

Of course, my organizes is kinda random. Maybe I’m a random organizer. (You should be my bookshelves.) (They’re organized, but you wouldn’t know it.) (Part of the organization has to do with the size of the books, though; I’m not picky.)

Eh, I’m probably ISTP.

Speaking of being an ISTP … I love driving! (cars, to be more specific)

That doesn’t make sense, I know, until you realize that the stereotype for ISTPs is that they looooovvvveeee machines And while I do like picking things apart (including machines) and getting my hands dirty (I would stick my hands in a puddle of mud just to see how it feels), I’m not necessarily a great mechanic?

But driving cars is just amazing. I love having control over a machine that big. I feel like a boss, y’know?

*me getting out of the driver’s seat*

It’s just epic. And I have this little green Pontiac Grand Am that handles like a dream. I unfortunately can’t take a picture of it, but here’s a picture of a similar make in a similar color.

The sun roof doesn’t work anymore, though, ’cause my little brother broke it.

AAWC: Challenge #6 (Finale!)

Today it’s time for the sixth and final in a series of writing challenges in the Ardent Author’s Writing Challenge, hosted by Zielle at My Homeschool Notebook.

As I’ve said before, this is the final challenge … and though it’s nice to see a conclusion to something like this (as well as my story for this particular challenge, The Marvelous Machine), I will miss it! (This entry is gonna be a wacky one, by the way.)

Team Forest is in second place, and this round offers some major point boosters, so we can definitely fix this! Write, write, write!

Note: there are some important announcements at the end of this post! Be sure to check them out.

Are Novels Important?

I’ve heard people say that reading fictional stories is a waste of time, and I wanted to point out why this is not true.

However, it was simply too big a subject for me! Books have taught me certain lessons … but they’ve taught other people completely different things. And I hate to narrow this broad subject down to just my opinions and experiences!

So, through Google Forms, I asked a variety of readers from social media the following questions: What does reading mean to you? How have novels helped you in your life? Why are they worth something to you?

Here are their responses.

Note: I took the liberty of cutting a few of the longer submissions that simply wouldn’t fit into this post down. Thanks!

|What the Readers Are Saying|
*

Sunny:

Books have shown me that there are second chances, hope, love, kindness, and friendship. Without books, I would be honestly lost. They mean everything to me.

Reading can affect people in powerful ways. They teach us invaluable spiritual lessons, sometimes without us even knowing it!

Libby May:

Reading is a release, an opportunity to live hundreds of lives. It gives you an outlook on life that you might not have otherwise. It helps your creativity and it’s worth the time because when you come back to reality, you see things in a different light.

Reading helps us think beyond the scope of our own lives … sometimes even beyond the scope of our own imagination!

Liv K. Fisher:

Reading gives me hope. Whenever I’m sad, or lonely, or just in need of a companion, books lace me into a world so real yet so enchanting. The protagonist faces the same dilemma as I, or the villain the bitterness I once encountered, or the side character the marriage I hope to someday model. When the world feels a little dark, books are a candle newly lit.

Novels are definitely a light in this world. Some books are honestly just God-inspired, y’know? And they don’t have to be Christian fiction to be full of the Holy Spirit, either.

Hanna Kraft:

Reading is a way to learn facts and enjoy history. Reading has helped me, and still helps me, to broaden my vocabulary.

Not only does reading fictional stories teach us lots of great lessons about the world, morals, etc., it also adds to our school-knowledge. Historical fiction can be a fun, exciting way to learn history outside of the boring dates and events of a classroom.

Jessica Prescott:

It’s hard to put it into words. But many novels I’ve read have ended up meaning SO much to me. They have taught me how to be confident (I’m not naturally!), how to be wise(hopefully), and how to forgive (which I’m not great at, but I’m learning). My fictional friends are a part of my life. I couldn’t live without them.

Novels inspire us to be better people. (Hey, if some fictional character can be nice, so can I, am I right?)

Tawny:

Reading novels gives insight into the human condition. They assure the reader that they are not alone in their thoughts, feelings, and perspective. A good novel inspires the reader to honor, compassion, and understanding. It takes you out of your world and transports you into someone else’s. Novels have become a common point of reference between myself and others, so they have enriched conversation and relationship.

Novels broaden our perspective. They bring people together.

Chloe:

Reading means something to me. It’s a way to get out of reality and visit a new world. It’s as if I experience what happens the characters in books. Novels help me look for the good in this world, if that makes sense, and to keep my hope in the Lord while staying sane. I know I won’t ever stop reading books, and I’ll always be adding more books to my bookshelf.

Novels take us on wild and sometimes wacky adventures. They stretch our inner eyes and emotions. The good ones help us look for the Light!

Karis:

I’ve always been a huge bookworm over the years, and I know they are countless ways that books have shaped me and made me into the person that I am. . . .

Besides what the books themselves taught me, I’ve also had the joy and delight to be able to bond with friends and family over discussion of our favorite books. I know many, many, many of my friendships, both with online and in person friends, that have been strengthen or sparked by a common love of a certain author, book, or series. . . .

Books are so precious to me for innumerable reasons—the lessons and themes they teach, the epic adventures they take me on, the tears they bring to my eyes, the stories behind their writing, the characters, the beautiful writing styles, the settings, the challenges they present to me, the figures of history they bring to life for me, and the conversations and friends that they begin.

Books are a bridge between family members, friends, random people on the internet, and you!

Anonymous Submission:

Novels have helped me because they’re always there for me. When I’m mad, when I’m sad, when I’m lonely, they’re always there to cheer me up. So long as I can loose myself in a good book, there will always be happiness in my life.

I’ve also learned a lot of the most important things I know from novels. . . . Thanks to books, I understand better how people’s minds work. . . . Maybe I don’t learn that many facts from fiction, but I think that what I do learn is far more important, and more likely to help me in life.

Although I disagree that you don’t learn many facts from fiction (I certainly do!), it’s definitely true that what fiction teaches you is far more important than any ‘facts’ ever could “learn” ya!

If you can learn to better understand and serve others (and God) through fiction, then you have benefited more from novels than you ever will from a thousand textbooks.

You’ll notice that all of these submissions were very different.Every individual person gains something different from books. But there is a common thread.

Fiction helps us.

It teaches us. Inspires us. Stretches us.

Gives us hope.

Makes us happy when we are sad.

Helps us think outside the box.

Expands our minds.

Fictional stories are important. And, though making books an idol is just as bad as falling on our knees before a statue … and though not all books are going to be beneficial …

… that doesn’t mean they don’t help us just as much as many nonfiction books. In some cases, more!

~Kellyn Roth~

Goodreads · Facebook · Twitter

p.s.

Do you agree with this post? Are novels important? How have fictional works made a difference in your life?

Sweet Book Sale – Free and Discounted Books!

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That’s right! For Valentine’s Day, we (meaning me and several other Indie authors) are offering several free and discounted ebooks (February 14th-15th). Special thanks for Amanda Tero for putting this all together!

Among these books are The Dressmaker’s Secret and The Lady of the Vineyard (both free today and tomorrow). Hopefully you all will be able to snag a copy! (If you do, tell me what you think! Authors are always wondering if their books are any good.)

But … my books aren’t the only one sale/discounted! Be sure to check out these books from some of my favorite authors as well as several I myself have never read – but am looking forward to!

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Free eBooks

Poison Kiss by Kendra E. Arnek

This looks like a neat novella! I have yet to read it, but it’s tucked away on my Kindle. Can’t wait until I have a moment to read it!

Forget Not by Rebekah A. Morris

I haven’t read this one yet, but it looks like a sweet short story!

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The Dressmaker’s Secret by Kellyn Roth (you should definitely grab this one …)

You know this one.

Alice Unanswered? What’s that all about?

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What? I have a sudden and inexplicable desire to tell you about this book! I mean, people have been asking (oh, shush, they have *pretends I have fans* *doesn’t have fans*) about Alice Unanswered, and so here goes!

I actually do have a reason for posting this right now. I hit 25K with Alice Unanswered! Now, granted, I haven’t typed it all up yet … but knowing that I have 25K is very comforting. Even if I’m not sure of the exact number.

And so … yes, I am completing turning over my plans for this year in which I wasn’t going to start writing AlUn until April. Right now, this book is begging to be written … and who am I to refuse?

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The (terribly terrible) Blurb

[image error]Alice [Last Name] struggles with her new life in [place where she lives once she’s married]. Though she loves her husband – and, as she gets to know them, his family – she still has many worries as to her new lifestyle as a married woman in a new [place].

Even as the excitement eases and Alice finds it easier to imagine her days continuing this way for the rest of her life, she still has one last prayer. But it seems God is just ignoring her.

To Alice, contentment lies within boundaries she has already set in her life. How can she be happy if God doesn’t give her what she wants?

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Why am I being so mysterious?

Well, because this book takes place during Alice’s married life, I have to be very careful not to reveal who her husband is! (I know some of you have a pretty good guesses, but it would still be a major spoiler.)

And … until y’all read At Her Fingertips (in which Alice becomes engaged to said husband), I don’t want to risk y’all finding out!

Hence, the mystery.

Here’s what I can tell you:

Alice always gives in to the men in her life.

Her father, various men during At Her Fingertips, and now her husband.
I just now had this revelation, so I’m super excited!


At the same time, Alice has issues with needing to be in control.

She needs her plans to work or she can’t function.
Her past is so messed-up, poor baby.


I’m getting to write about various things I’ve researched and thought about in the past!

But I can’t say what, ’cause spoilers!

AAWC: Challenge #5

Today it’s time for the fifth in a series of writing challenges in the Ardent Author’s Writing Challenge, hosted by the impossible* Zielle at My Homeschool Notebook. (And yes, I will continue to use the same introduction ever time. DON’T JUDGE ME.)

Like other writing challenges which I have participated in, I will be posting my entries on this blog, and … I may not always stick to the schedule. Unlike today. #GoodOldSaturday

Team Forest is behind, but we can fix this! Write, write, write! *glares at all the other teams* *and at my teammates* If we were all to post, we could do this!

*ran out of descriptive words starting with “i” that apply in this case.

|Getting Extra Points|

You can take photos or draw pictures to illustrate your story. You will get 2 points per photo and illustration.
Creativity. This is how creatively you use the prompts. At the end of each round I’ll select my favorite story and that person will earn more points for their team.
If you use the name of you team in your story, you can earn a point for your team.
You’ll get a point for each prompt you use, and a point for submitting your story/poem.

| Challenge 5 Prompts |

“Did you just shoot down, and possibly kill, Santa?”

“Have you seen the headline of today’s newspaper? Christmas is back!”

For Zielle: I used two of the prompts as well as my team name as well as illustrations. And I submitted in time, haha. So 2 + 1 + 1 + 16 = 20.

The Marvelous Machine, Part 5

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Christmas 1874

(a year after the first and second prompts)

“Anyway,” said Dahlia, brow furrowed. “I’m not too sure there is a Santa Claus.”

Peter smiled wryly. Dahlia had hung onto the idea of the jolly red elf longer than any of the other Strauss children – due to her being the youngest, of course. He had to admit he was sad to see her grow up, but he supposed it was bound to happen.

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“Allow me to disagree!” Riley exclaimed. He rumpled Dahlia’s hair and grinned. “Dally, I can prove to you that there’s a Santa Claus. Without a doubt.”

Dahlia arched her eyebrows. “How?” Despite her obvious skepticism, there was hope in her eyes, and she leaned forward on the sofa in the Farjon’s parlor where they were once again spending Christmas.

“Why, I can introduce you – wait, no.” Riley’s brow wrinkled. “Can’t do that! Santa can’t come unless you’re tucked away in bed. Well – suppose you can hear him.”

“Hear him?” Dahlia asked incredulously.

“Yes, indeed.” Riley grinned broadly. “His sleigh landing on the roof, those jingle bells … lots to hear if you can stay away long enough.”

Dahlia nodded eagerly. “I can stay awake! Can’t I, Peter? I could stay awake all night if I could get a chance to hear Santa Claus!”

Peter laughed and shook his head. “Don’t be too sure, Dally. I think Riley might be teasing you a little.”

Dahlia turned her face up to Peter’s with such tender hope that his heart almost break. “Then … there isn’t a Santa Claus?” Her bottom lip trembled.

Peter sighed. “Oh, well. Of course there’s a Santa Claus! It’s just … he’s so quiet … and, um … you can’t really … stay up that late. Or he’ll know.”

“Oh,” Dahlia said, brow furrowed.

“Nonsense!” Riley exclaimed. “You can hear Santa Claus if you really want to, Dally. You just have to believe.”

Peter shot Riley a glance over Dahlia head. “Don’t break her heart,” he murmured. “She believes you.”

“I won’t!” Riley said in a regular talking voice. “Come on, Peter. We’ve got to get ready for Santa Claus.” He stood and nodded towards the front door.

“Can I come? Can I help?” Dahlia asked eagerly.

“Sorry, Dally. Not this time. Why don’t you run to the kitchen and help Maddie out? I think she’s making cookies!”

Dahlia squealed and dashed off.

“Well, what crazy scheme do you have this time?” Peter asked, resigned.

Riley grinned. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

***

They hiked through the forest to the shed they’d visited last Christmas. When they entered, the room was even more cramped than Peter remembered. Besides the heavily-tarped object – Riley’s crazy machine, Peter knew – there was also several smaller objects under similar tarps and loose mechanical pieces scattered everywhere.

Riley set the lamp on an old table in the corner where a mess of papers were scattered. Then he removed the tarp.

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“I changed most of the metal fixings for wood and canvas,” Riley explained. “It’s more of a glider now … but with a boiler like a train.”

Peter’s eyes widened. It looked a lot more like something that could actually take off the ground now. Which made it all the more dangerous. He gulped. He didn’t want to lose Riley like this.

“You haven’t tried it yet, have you?” Peter asked.

Riley shook his head. “No, I haven’t. I mean, I’ve sailed a scale-model like a kite, so it should be able to maintain itself, given the right wind conditions, for a time without the motor. But … no, I haven’t tested the full-size one.”

Peter nodded. He knew much of Riley’s work was backed by science – but another big part of it was backed by Riley’s crazy imagination. It just wouldn’t do. Please … keep Riley safe, he prayed in his heart.

“But what does this contraption have to do with Dally’s Santa Claus?” Peter asked.

Riley’s face became radiant with excitement. “I’m going to fly this machine onto the roof of Fantasies. You can convince Dally that it’s Santa Claus. Won’t that please her?”

Peter gasped. “Riley! You’ll break your neck!” he exclaimed.

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“Oh, come now, Peter, don’t be such a bore! I’ll be perfectly all right. I’m sure nothing bad will happen.”

Peter shook his head emphatically. “No, Riley. Something bad is almost sure to happen. You know how easy it would be to break your neck? You could kill yourself. You. Would. Be. Dead. There is no turning back from death, Riley. For me … I don’t worry about myself. There’s always Heaven, and though I would risk my life, I wouldn’t fear it, either. For you … I worry. I really do.”

Riley rolled his eyes. “You worry too much, Peter. Everything will be just fine.”

***

Peter admitted to himself that he was too weak as he helped Riley haul the glider to the hill above the mansion. Swallowing hard, he looked down to the rooftop below as Riley tied jingle bells to his ‘sleigh’.

“Now,” Riley came around to stand beside Peter, “That’s all we need to do for now. We’ll give Dally a Christmas she’ll never forget – that’s for sure!”

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That was true. If Riley died tonight, Dahlia would never forget it.

***

Peter sat down on the edge of Dahlia’s bed. “Snuggle in now. Can’t have Santa – or Mother – know that you’re awake.”

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Dahlia dived under the covers. By now, Peter knew, Riley had climbed back up the hill and was preparing for his first flight. Oh, Lord, don’t let him hurt himself … he prayed.

They waited … and at last there came a loud thudding noise on the roof followed by – yes, jingle bells. Peter’s eyes widened. Had Riley truly made a safe landing? Why, it couldn’t be!

Dahlia giggled and squealed. “He really does exist, Peter!”

Peter smiled. “Yes. Now, I have to attend to some things. You get to bed.”

Dahlia nodded and ducked under the covers. Peter smiled and left the room. He jogged out of the house at the back and peered up to the roof.

Riley stood there, his machine beside him. It looked like a couple parts had fallen off, and it wouldn’t be doing anything anytime soon, but Riley was in one piece. Peter breathed a sigh of relief.

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Just then, Andrew, Essie, Maddie, and Carole rushed out of the house. Peter blinked, realizing there were others in their wing of the house who much have heard the racket. Carole and Maddie were blinking and winking, looking confused and frightened, Andrew looked defensive, and Essie was wielding a revolver, which, in the rush that followed, promptly went off.

Riley dived behind the chimney to avoid being shot.

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Peter made an exaggerated gasp. “Did you just shoot down, and possibly kill, Santa?”

Essie glared at him and tucked her revolver back into her dressing gown. “It’s touchy.”

Riley leaned out from around the chimney. “All clear?” he asked.

“All clear,” Peter called. “Did you actually land it, Riley?”

“That I did! Told you I’m a genius.”

Peter smiled. “I never doubted it. Just your sanity.”

“Thanks,” Riley said. “Now, how do I get down?”

Peter shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Beats you?” Riley repeated.

“Yes. I suppose you’re stuck up there all night.” Peter turned and walked back into the house to the sound of Riley’s protests.

***

The next morning, Dahlia almost hyperventilated from joy. Riley turned laughing eyes to Peter. “Have you seen the headline of today’s newspaper? Christmas is back!”

Peter chuckled. “It was never gone, was it?”

“Well, it’s back for Dahlia, anyway,” Riley said, winking.

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Until Wednesday,

~Kellyn Roth~

Social Media | Website | Book Blog

February 2018 Dares

Guess what? It’s already the last day of January! Isn’t that beyond unbelievable? Why, I remember December 31st like it was yesterday. *ripple dissolve*

Seriously, though, folks. I’m excited for February!* I don’t have a lot of great plans for the month, but I’m glad to be starting anew. A lot of things about January didn’t turn out the way I’d planned, so … yep. New beginnings are good!

But … don’t get me wrong! There were good – great – things about January. Let’s review them now!

*as excited for the rain-and-clouds month as one can possibly be …

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January 2018 Dares

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Reading
Goals:

Read a classic. Failed.

IT WAS A BUSY MONTH, ARIGHT, MATE?
I am in the middle of The Jungle , but I argue that it sucks too much to be a classic.

AAWC: Challenge #4

​Today it’s time for the fourth in a series of writing challenges in the Ardent Author’s Writing Challenge, hosted by the incomparable Zielle at My Homeschool Notebook.

Like other writing challenges which I have participated in, I will be posting my entries on this blog, and … I may not always stick to the schedule. Like today. Which is Sunday.

Team Forest is behind, but we can fix this! Write, write, write! *glares at all the other teams*

You can take photos or draw pictures to illustrate your story. You will get 2 points per photo and illustration.
Creativity. This is how creatively you use the prompts. At the end of each round I’ll select my favorite story and that person will earn more points for their team.
If you use the name of you team in your story, you can earn a point for your team.
You’ll get a point for each prompt you use, and a point for submitting your story/poem.

| Challenge 4 Prompts |

“And they rode away in the sunset.”

“What’s a sunset?”

“I don’t know. But my Grandad saw one once.”

“Sorry. You’re the first person I’ve spoken to in ten years.”

For Zielle: I used two of the prompts as well as my team name as well as illustrations. And I submitted in time, haha. So 2 + 1 + 1 + 18 = 22!

The Marvelous Machine, Part 4

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March 1874,  Cambridge, MA

Peter hitched his satchel higher on his shoulder and lengthened his strides to keep up with Riley, who always managed to effortlessly outpace him. He always had.

They walked over the green, slightly forested grounds of Harvard College and straight to the lecture halls. Peter was just making sure Riley got there, however – his business wasn’t there, but in the office of the Harvard Magenta.

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It was only a biweekly newspaper at the time – and it was semi-discouraged by college faculty as well. But Peter loved working there. He had been around newspaper offices all his life – and he felt that the Magenta had a chance of sending him somewhere.

Even if he was only at Harvard due to his aunt, he would not squander this opportunity.

After seeing that Riley had safely made it to his class, he jogged back across the grounds to the Magenta office. When he entered the room, he was immediately approached by a co-founder of the Magenta, Charles Austin Mackintosh.

[image error]This was probably ten or more years afterwards. And I’m only 80% convinced this is actually him …

“Strauss, we need to look over that article about the rowing team. I have a few suggestions.” Charlie smiled and turned towards his desk, waving to another chair. “Sit down, please.”

Peter took the seat quickly. Charlie frightened him a little. He was generally very approachable – much more so than most upperclassmen – but he was still quite popular and well-thought-of, and Peter wanted his good opinion.

“Strauss?” Charlie said. “Are you all right? You look a little … frightened.”

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“Sorry,” said Peter. “You’re the first person I’ve spoken to in ten years.” This was a private joke amongst the Magenta editors. When Peter had first shown up at the office, he hadn’t said more than a few words, and they had all surmised him to be ‘half-mute.’

“I thought so,” Charlie said with dead seriousness. He smiled, bright and brief, then returned his attention to Peter’s article. In minutes, they’d gone through the critique of it. Though none of Peter’s work had been actually run in the paper, it was still good practice, and he definitely needed all the advice he could get.

“How’s the poetry coming?” Charlie asked as he straightened his desk and tucked a few papers into a briefcase.

“I haven’t had much time lately,” Peter admitted.

Charlie looked at the window for a moment. “You should always make time for beauty.” He turned to Peter with a half-smile. “I see you going places, honestly. I just think you need to make a path instead of letting the river carry you. Can’t just do one or the other.”

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“Hum,” was all Peter replied.

He cocked his head to the side, glanced at Peter up and down, and leaned back against his desk. “Now you’re thinking, ‘And what’s wrong with the river? I like the scenery!’ I know it. I like it, too; perhaps more than I like the rush.”

Peter raised his eyebrows. “You?” he exclaimed before he thought.

Charlie nodded. “Naturally. You wouldn’t know it, now, would you? All my life, I’ve been that bright, handsome boy who was going places. And all my life, I’ve thought I’d rather just enjoy God’s creation. But … there is something worth what a man fights for more than what he is given – or what he earns easily, at any rate. So – I’ve determined to work half my life and worship the other.”

Peter took a deep breath. This was new. Could one do both? Could one be a poet and still live in the real world? “I see what you mean.”

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Charlie smiled. “I’ll be going now. I don’t know if I’ll see you again, Strauss. But I wish you the best of luck.”

After he’d sat down and rewritten his article, Peter left the building behind.

Outside, it had began to drizzle. As Peter walked back to the dormitory he shared with Riley, the rain began pelting down like a waterfall pouring from the sky. Thankfully, he was prepared with his umbrella – though the water splashing all around made it basically useless. He rushed into the building and hurried up the stairs to change out of his wet clothes.

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Riley arrived back some time later, not drenched at all as the cloudburst had diminished almost as soon as it had begun. “A little mussed, aren’t we?”

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Peter glanced in a small mirror hanging from the wall to find his hair sticking up in ten places. He smoothed it down. “Thank you. How did the lecture go?”

“Dull as dishwater. Want to find a bar tonight? Have some fun?”

Peter rolled his eyes. Riley asked him every night without fail, and every night Peter gave him the same answer. “When Heaven burns to a crisp.”

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Riley chuckled. “Well, I’ll stay home then, too.”

Peter glanced up, surprised. “Oh?”

“Yep! Gotta go over the plans for my machine again. Really a pity I couldn’t take it with me, eh?”

Peter coughed and picked up the book he was reading.

Riley glared at him. “Say, I don’t think you really believe I can do it.”

Peter smiled weakly. “Well, Riley, it’s … it’s definitely a different idea. But I think the most important thing is for you to study up and learn all you can … and then you’ll make the bar exam in a couple years.”

“And that will please my father.” Riley sighed. “Honestly, Peter, sometimes I just wish I could … do what I want to do.”

Then something struck Peter. Was Riley … going with the flow, too? He’d never have thought about, but it was true. Though Riley was vastly independent, different, and individual in many ways … he was bending in to what his father wanted.

Perhaps Peter wasn’t such a bad person after all. But … buckling in when it came to an affair of the heart seemed worse than giving in to your father over a career choice. He glanced at the photograph of his family – including Maddie – resting on his bedside table and sighed.

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Faint heart never won a lady fair …

Some sayings were tirelessly true.

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SOME NOTES ON HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Some of you may be familiar with the ‘Harvard Crimson,’ which is now the Harvard collegiate paper. However, when it was founded in January 1873 by ten ’74 graduates, it was called the Harvard Magenta – which was the color of Harvard at that time!

I have yet to dig into the history too thoroughly, but I did choose to include a real-life person – Charles Austin Mackintosh, because I like his name.

Writing About Children

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Just the other day, I was scrolling through social media, and I saw a post mentioning that it’s very hard to write children. I skimmed past quickly. It’s not fun to be the only one not in pain.

Because … to me, writing children is not hard. In fact, it’s a lot easier than writing adults!* To me, children hold the true wisdom of the world. Love, faith, innocence, joy, simplicity … all the good things in life!

The world spoils them eventually (or rather sin nature? Honestly, I’m not sure, but it does happen), but until then …? Well, I say write about them as much as possible! How? Well, here are some Dos and Don’ts!

*this may be because I’m extremely immature I have a young heart.

Dos and Don’ts of Writing Children

(you might want to be less creepy than me, though …)

DO: Observe children playing, listen to them talking, and generally spend time with them.

If you have children in your household, this is easy. Just sit down and takes notes! If children aren’t regularly available, here are a couple ideas for finding some.

Siblings. Siblings sometimes have kids. They’ll pay you to take them. Trust me. They are desperate. #winwin
Neighbors. Either babysitting … or you could literally ask them if you can borrow them. (Though if they don’t agree and call the police on you, I was never here …)
Local parks. Go to a playground and sit down on a bench and watch them. (If their parents have a problem with this, come back next week wearing a dark hoody and holding a bloodied knife.)
Church! (Oh, shush, this is going somewhere.) Sign up to help with youth ministries at your church. Sunday school, AWANAs, VBS … most churches have something. And it’s fun, too!

On second thought … oh, never mind. I’m sure it will work for you.

DON’T: Be a creepy stalker.

This is always a bad idea. HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU ALL??? I feel like you’re not even listening …

WAIT. YOU’RE NOT LISTENING.

LIKE A CHILD.

OBSERVE. YOUR. SELF.

#problemsolved

Example & Application

When I’m at AWANAs, I obviously spend a lot of time with kids. And – besides being super fun and a blessing in my life – it gives me a valuable opportunity to kid-watch. (It’s like bird-watching only you get to actually talk to and play with the birds.) (And the birds are small humans.)

But I don’t take notes. That would be weird. (You should, though … it’d be hilarious if someone else was doing it … but don’t tell them I told you to do it …)

DO: Have them be adorable sometimes.

Because how can you resist?

If you’ve EVER been on the internet, you see millions of posts/tweets EVERY DAY where adoring parents share their exchanges with their smoll beans.

STALK. THESE. PARENTS.

And though you should never directly steal the child’s words (that’s plagiarism, child! GROW UP AND DON’T PLAGIARIZE), it will give you inspiration.

BUT AND THIS IS A HUGE BUT …

DON’T: Have them be there just to be adorable.

CHILDREN. ARE. NOT. ALWAYS. ADORABLE.

What those tweeting parents aren’t sharing is the fact that the adorable little mispronunciation or naïve observation their child made is something that happened in the 1% of the time the child wasn’t screaming, yelling, throwing, and otherwise being a perfect little brat.

They can’t be good all the time. They are monsters. (Unless you spank them. And then they’re lots better. But most people don’t do that anymore. So.)

Example & Application

I was just reading The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (again), and though little Millie is quite sweet, it’s Andrew who I love.

Why? He’s just so real. He’s an energetic little boy, breaking things and stealing his little sister’s toys and running all over the place like a little savage. It’s so adorably irritating!

DO: Give your children some cool observations to make once or twice.

There is a bit of a truth to “out of the mouths of babes.” Children DO say wise things … or at least honest things. #nofilter When they do, it’s usually because of their sweet innocence.

This can’t happen often, but it CAN happen. However, it needs to happen in a way that is still completely childlike and believable and not just out of the blue. They need to have a reason for saying this.

(Honestly, the more of this post I write, the more I want to change my career to Professional Kidnapper. I LOVE THESE LITTLE FOLKS ARGGGGG!)

DON’T: Make your child wise beyond their years.

Um … they’re still kids??? And they’re not going to know everything. They’re going to need guidance. They’re going to need adults in their life to show them what’s right and what’s wrong, to care for them, etc.

(I want more books where kids adore and rely upon their parents …)

Example & Application

I’ve been told that Alice (from my novel The Dressmaker’s Secret) comes across as a little too old for her age. Well, I don’t know if that’s true or not. (Personally, I don’t feel that she is, haha.)

But … I suppose you could make a case for Alice being a little old for eight, especially for a modern-day eight-year-old (which she is not, but I digress). She does tend to be very observant – and of course she’s intelligent.

IN OTHER WORDS … you all are gonna be just like me and want your children to be perfectly intelligent and mature, but they can’t be. I like to think of Alice as the exception to the rule, but people won’t see it that way. They’ll see it as a little girl who’s too big for her britches, to coin a phrase.

DO: Remember that children are just small human beings.

It’s kind of like, “The problem with kittens is they grow up to be cats.” You gotta think about the adult that child is someday going to be.

They aren’t fairies or some different race – and they’re especially not an inferior race! There’s no need to treat them as such. (This applies to real life situations, too, stupid people who don’t have patience with kids.) (You’re the ones who are really immature.) (Grow up.) (#rantover)

DON’T: Write them as adults.

Children and adults aren’t the same, and it’s not fair to write kids as little mini adults. ‘Cause they’re not.

Children don’t really think the same way adults – or even teens – do. It’s not a matter of intelligence, though – children are almost always very intelligent.

They actually learn faster than adults and even teens. They just haven’t had time to pack all that learning in – and, of course, they don’t have the street smarts yet. (Or at least most of the time …)

Example & Application

Let’s take a moment to consider Judy Kee from my very own The Lady of the Vineyard. (I was gonna use Alice as an example, but I think she is wise beyond her years, sooo?)

When I was writing the climax of the novel, I started having Judy bring up all the things she had against her mother … but it just didn’t work out.

After thinking about children for a while, I remember that I’d read that small children tend to blame themselves for rejection from parents (or at least that they sometimes do; it’s not universal or anything). And they sometimes pick strange reasons for their parents’ supposed hatred of them.

Soooo … Judy’s fixation on the tea and toast was born!

DO: Give them personalities and goals and put the same amount of time developing them as you would an adult.

You can’t just slap a child or two into your book and let them float around. I know kids have lived a considerable amount less than adults … but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a backstory, even if the backstory is, “Last week the cat scratched me so now I won’t go near the cat.”*

It’s important to give them personalities. Interests. Goals. And yes, children are growing and developing and therefore certain things about their personality, interests, etc., are all very up in the air, but there are still lots of things about them that make them different from every other child in the world.

*not that this would ever happen to most kids … #fearless

DON’T: Let them be the same-old cutesy little creature you stole from every book or movie with a child in it that you’ve ever read or watched.

WE NEED MORE VARIETY IN THE FICTIONAL CHILDREN WORLD.

Did I not scream it loudly enough???

WE NEED MORE VARIETY IN THE FICTIONAL CHILDREN WORLD.

Especially in the young adult & adult fiction world. (Confused yet?) I think it’s important for young adults and adults to read about realistic, interesting children with lots of diversity in personality, tastes, etc.

Because, to be honest, not enough people care about children. (I honestly do think this is true.) (Oh, shush.) (It is.) (Adults are brats to kids.)

Example & Application

As I work on developing the character Patty Oglivy for Water on the Rocks, I realize more and more that I can’t just ignore her! Originally, I was truly going to just write her as I went … but more and more I realize that she deserves all the attention an adult deserves … maybe even more!

(Though I’m still struggling with her in a major way. Trying to let her personality develop while not making her cliché is harder than I thought it’d be!) (She’s just not coming out right yet ….)

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Well, those are my tips for writing children! I hope you enjoyed them. May your child-writing be fruitful!

love,

~Kellyn Roth~

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p.s.

How many children characters would you say you’ve included in your stories? Do you intend to include them in the future? Were any of these tips helpful to you (or are you already a child-writing ace)? How many do you already know/use? ARE YOU A KIDNAPPER/STALKER/CRAZY PERSON? WE CAN BE MENTALLY UNSTABLE TOGETHER.