Loretta Marchize's Blog, page 17

Clothing

So today I’m going to talk about clothes. I happen to really like clothes. I have posted about this before but it was a little different. View it here

We will start from the bottom with something really boring but sort of not. Socks. I like wearing socks, but the funny thing is that a few years ago (4) I ALWAYS wore flip-flops and never wore socks. I started running cross-country and now I wear socks all day. I usually wear ankle-length athletic socks, because of running, but I love occasionally wearing knee-length socks with fun patterns.

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Onto pants! As you can see in the picture, I wear jeans. I LOVE jeans. Not skinny jeans, but boot cut jeans. Skirts are okay if they are long, and I wear them to church. I wear exercise leggings for running and that’s about it.

Tops: I don’t really wear tank-tops (I think I own 2.) For running, I wear just a tee or exercise shirt, not too picky. I hate really low necklines, I’m always pulling them up, and most shirts are not tight on me. (I’m pretty skinny, it’s just my build. I eat a lot, but don’t get any bigger)

For those of you wondering, I’m about 5’4ish (it keeps changing)

You can usually find me in a sweatshirt because I’m always cold and my hair is always up in a ponytail (or a messy bun/ponytail because I was too lazy to do anything else)

I also always wear a watch, ring (the ring I currently have is an infinity symbol and it was only 8$- so cool!), a yellow/white/pink/orange friendship bracelet, a paper bead bracelet from Honduras, three or so boings (otherwise known as ponytail holders), and a friendship bracelet that is purple and blue. I don’t have that one on in the picture because it fell off and I need mom to tie it back on.

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The pic is sorta blurry because it’s from my phone which has an awful camera, plus my brother took it.

Please comment/like/share, whatever floats your boat, and I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me through my contact page.

Building a blog

If you want to start a blog, there are a TON of places filled with information. And, sure, it all helps. But if you want a simple something that helps you understand the basics, well, that’s hard to find. So, I’ll put it out there in ENGLISH with no complicated words.

if you want to do this for free and maybe spend money later: I would recommend WordPress.COM (wordpress.org is more complicated) (duh, that’s what I use) WordPress is free and easy to use, plus you can pay money later to upgrade your account- or you can always have it for free
Blogspot: I’ve never actually used this and I hear it isn’t for hardcore bloggers, but it can be a good option if you want to do some low-key blogging
Weebly: again, hardcore bloggers: DO NOT USE, but low-key blogging it can be great for
Wix: while researching for this post, I found Wix. I’m not sure how it works, and I will be talking about WordPress, but from what I found Wix can be good (it uses HTML5)
Yola: with a free plan you can only have 2 sites and 3 web pages, but it has no adds and is relatively easy to use

SO once you have researched what program to use and decided whether or not to be a hard-core or low-key blogger, then you can start working!

(Note: these are generic tips for any blogging platform.)

First things first: A site title and domain. Try something catchy, not too long, and easy to say. If it’s your blog you can use your name. (my domain is lorettamz.com my title is Just Writing)

The second thing you have to do is think about design. Find good pictures that illustrate the colors and items that your blog is all about. Pick a good color scheme. (for those of you who aren’t so hot in the design or photography quarters: Click Here for a great color scheme generator- you can even change the shades or lock down colors and get some new ones. So easy to use. Click Here to find a great COMPLETELY free picture jackpot. No watermarks, or little dollar signs.)

The third thing is content. Content is important. Decide on a broad topic, grow a fan base, and then you can hone in on what you love. (for example, do photography first and then show off all of your specialty bird photos)

This is VERY important and ties into content. Tags. I can not repeat this enough: tags, tags, tags, tags. Use tags. Take a look at my post: writing, writing resources, color scheme, blog, making a free blog, free blogging 6-8 tags are a good idea, don’t go overboard as that overwhelms people, but as a beginner tagger if you can’t think of more than 2-4 at first, don’t worry, you’ll improve. At first, my general tag amount was 2. No higher than 2.

If you have any questions or need help you can just comment or contact me. (I love helping people.)

My Wattpad, Goodreads, and The Fairy Tale Chronicles website, my book series.

The Soldier

“You must remember, Abe, that you always should be good to soldiers,” Nancy said. She was kneading bread at the counter.

“But why?” Able asked.

“Because they have worked very hard to keep America free. They worked and worked and worked. They work so that we can live in America, and so America can stay America.” Nancy smiled.

“So we can live in America?” Abe frowned.

“Yes. You see, America is different than most other countries. We are very lucky to live in America. If the soldiers didn’t fight for us, then we would be ruled by a king.” Nancy shaped the bread into a round and popped it into the oven.

“Is being ruled by a king bad?” Abe asked, leaning over to watch the bread.

“Not necessarily, but we have a much better system in America. You’ll learn all about it when you are older.” She brushed the flour off her hands and began to clean up her mess. “The only thing you have to remember now is to be good to soldiers.”

“Yes, I know,” Abe said. He picked up the flour bucket and dragged it back into the corner. “Are the soldiers fighting right now?”

“Not right now, but I’m afraid they are talking about fighting.” She sighed. “Let’s pray that they don’t have to fight.”

“I will, Mother, I will,” Abe said. He nodded solemnly, and Nancy laughed.

“You don’t have to worry about it, leave the worrying to grown-ups. Now, why don’t you go get your Father off the field? It’s almost time for supper.”

“Yes Mother,” Abe jumped up and ran outside into the warm summer air.

Nancy watched him go, marveling at how her little boy was growing. She pulled out the dishes and began to set the table.

A few years later…

Abe sat on the porch step. He had just finished his chores and was getting ready to go fishing.

“Don’t forget, come back before supper,” Nancy said. She gave him a sandwich to eat on the way.

“I won’t forget,” Abe said. He picked up his rod and pail. “See you then.” He jogged down the dirt road, headed towards his favorite fishing spot.

Abe cast his line out and propped it between two logs. He sat down on a rock and took his sandwich out of the pail.

Nearly an hour later all Abe had caught was a small fish, which he placed in the pail with some water. He threw the crumbs from his sandwich into the water and picked up his fishing rod.

“And I’m off!” He said to himself and looked down at the little fish. “He’ll fall out if I run,” Abe said out loud. He began to walk and was halfway home when he saw a man in a sort of olive green uniform. A soldier! Abe thought.

“Good day,” The soldier said. He was thin and his uniform was a bit baggy.

Abe thought he looked hungry. “Good day,” Abe said. I wish I hadn’t eaten my sandwich. He thought. I could have given it to this man and eaten my fish instead. “Oh!” He said out loud.

The soldier stopped and turned back to Abe. “What?” He asked.

“Would you like my fish?” Abe asked, holding up the pail.

“Your fish?”

Abe nodded. “Yes. You look hungry, I thought-”

The soldier smiled. “Thank you,” He said, and Abe handed him the fish. “What’s your name, boy?”

“Abe. I mean- Abraham Lincoln sir.”

“No need to call me sir. Thank you for the fish, I’m sure it will be tasty.”

“You’re welcome!” Abe said. “I have to go home now,” He said and took off running. He arrived at his house not long after, just in time for supper.

Nancy met him at the door. “You didn’t catch anything?” She asked.

Abe shook his head. “I caught one little fish, but I met a soldier on the road and gave it to him.”

“Well, come in and eat dinner. That was very nice of you.” Nancy said. She smiled at Abe, and let him into the house.

About the only thing school is good for: blog posts. I wrote this one as a History/English assignment and two birds with one story! School and blogging!

Don’t believe everything you see

This is what I want to say today: Don’t believe everything that is on the internet.

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Okay, see the photo? So cool looking, right? (I did that by the way) Now, scroll down.

 

 

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See? Look at that! The tops of the pencils aren’t in line, you can see my history binder, English book, my pants, headphones, a stuffed bunny, the other colored pencils…

This is a minor example. Photographs are often more perfect looking than the real world, but that’s not all I’m trying to say. Think about the words too. Would you believe me if I told you I had an Aunt Amy who loved horseback riding and owned a farm? Probably, unless you know me or are part of my family. (I don’t have an Aunt Amy, by the way)

Don’t believe everything. Inspect, question, observe, and take caution. Not everything people say is true.

On a happier note: I am so excited about how my book is coming along and please sign up to be an alpha reader!! Link: Alpha readers

Also: I have absolutely NO idea where this post came from… (:

Alpha readers

Hey, so I need some readers for The Lost Princess to tell me what they think! I’m done writing and rewriting it. Now I just need some readers to pre-read!

Sign up here!

Note: In order to pre-read the book will be shared with you via google documents. If you do not have google documents it won’t work.

Please sign up and tell me what you think. I’m open to all critiques, feel free to be harsh. (just not overly harsh. I am human, I do make some mistakes) When you finish reading it I would LOVE it if you left an honest review on Goodreads.

Also, it is a lot different from the one I posted on Wattpad. The first chapters are mostly the same, but after that, I changed some MAJOR things and fixed the dreaded PLOT HOLES. (if you spot any more plot holes, tell me)

 

Updates

Hi everyone! So I have been busy. That means… little to none posting. Oops. I have been doing Christmas celebrations with my extended family. I have also been writing. I finished rewriting The Lost Princess.  I still have to print and edit it. I am also working on prewriting Ambassador and Princess, I have 2 chapters the start of chapter 3 + some scenes from other chapters.

I’ve been on Wattpad a bunch, so if you want to stay updated follow me on there. I also have been on Goodreads a little, so again, follow me on there. (It’s all Loretta Marchize)

I don’t have much to say, other than that I’m in WI (in case I didn’t tell you? did I?) Plus we got a house. Well, it isn’t ours until January 31st, but still.

So good-bye for now. Back to writing!

PS: kingdompen.org check this out it’s a great young Christian writer resource (: My friend Grace Matlyn told me about it.

A Little Note

Followers,

Yes, I have not been posting. BUT I have been writing! And school. School takes up my mornings, writing my afternoons. Well, by writing I mean editing. I have been editing & re-writing The Lost Princess plus I’m planning Ambassador and Princess. There were a couple plot holes/inconsistencies in The Lost Princess plus things like unrealistic dialogue. BUT I’m fixing all that and getting ready for the release date! (May 10th 2018)

I also have been improving my graphic designs. Click Here (link leads to Wattpad) to find some examples. (note: If you want me to make you a cover I will! Just keep in mind that if I’m too busy with school I may have to refuse. But I’ll try!)

Also, I got Goodreads as an author now so Click Here to check out my profile or follow me!

See you around!

-Loretta

Writing a Wedding

For all those writers who have a wedding in their story and need help: I have researched it all and can help you!

Being a teenager, I’ve never attended a wedding as someone getting married, but I attended my cousins wedding a few years back. (plus a wedding where I was the flower girl, but I don’t remember much of that)

It is important to have a reason for your characters to get married. You can’t just marry two characters that just met without explaining WHY they are getting married. Is it normal in their world? Is it an arranged marriage?

Note: technically you CAN just marry two characters, but it comes off as more believable if you have a reason (:

Wedding Ceremony Script

Priest:

We gather here to unite these two people in marriage. Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other. The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as lover, companion, and friend. A good and balanced relationship is one in which neither person is overpowered nor absorbed by the other, one in which neither person is possessive of the other, one in which both give their love freely and without jealousy. Marriage, ideally, is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes, and dreams. It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times, and be loving and unselfish.

Priest:

Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives?

Chelsea and Ravie:

We do.

Priest:

Do you pledge to share your love and the joys of your marriage with all those around you, so that they may learn from your love and be encouraged to grow in their own lives?

Chelsea and Ravie:

We do.

Priest:

May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you not only be reminded of this moment but also of the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other.

Ravie, please repeat after me …

I Ravie, promise to love and support you Chelsea and live each day with

kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring, I thee wed.

Ravie: [Takes Chelsea’s hand, repeats vow, gifts ring, places ring on Chelsea’s finger]

Priest:

Chelsea, please repeat after me …

I Chelsea, promise to love and support you Ravie and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring, I thee wed.

Chelsea: [Takes Ravies’s hand, repeats vow, gifts ring, places ring on Ravie’s finger]

Priest:

Go now in peace and live in love, sharing the most precious gifts you have-

the gifts of your lives united. And may your days be long on this earth.

I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.

[Chelsea and Ravie kiss]

http://ravieandchelseaswedding.blogspot.com/2010/06/wedding-ceremony-script.html
Go to the link to find the site where I found this script.

If you google ‘writing a wedding’ you may find good results. The link below leads to some wedding vows, inspiration if you are writing wedding vows for your wedding couple.
https://www.theknot.com/content/favorite-wedding-vows-from-real-weddings

Good luck!

Happy Thanksgiving

A little LATE, but I figured that not everyone would be online yesterday.

SO:

Happy Thanksgiving!

And how was your black Friday? At my house, we don’t do black Friday. (sometimes online) TODAY HOWEVER we actually went to Khols! Wow! First we went to Perkins (a restaurant that I’m sure I didn’t spell right) Mom, Grandma, Catherine (my sister) and I  took my great grandma to Perkins for lunch, and then we went to Khols with her and bought a few things. My grandma bought some Christmas presents (not saying what!), Mom bought a sweater, and a shirt. I got a navy sweater that I can wear with skinny jeans and I got a navy long sleeved shirt (colors not planned) the shirt has flowers on it.

My sister got new boots because she grew out of her old ones (and in Wisconsin you need boots!) My great grandma didn’t need anything and just enjoyed the trip.

Overall it wasn’t as busy as we thought it would be, and it was fun to go shopping with (hold on I’m counting: great grandma, grandma, mom, me + my sis, 4 generations?) four generations.

I hope your thanksgiving was just as FUN!

P.S. two things: 1 the boys and guys where all out hunting that’s why they were not with us. 2 I felt so bad for all the little kids who where shopping and looked so tired.

Said is NOT dead!

Said is NOT dead! This may come as a surprise to some of you. It certainly came as a surprise to me when I first started researching it.

I’m going to be using an example from my book The Lost Princess. (chapter 10)

“You should be fine now. Come into my office, wich is located on the first floor near the entry, and I will change your bandage twice a day.” The doctor said. He packed up his tools into his bag and turned to Jacob. “She can go to her coronation, but I expect you to watch her carefully. After all, you don’t want her to die before she’s married!” He nearly skipped out of the room, and they both followed him with their eyes.

“He’s a character.” Jacob finally said.

“For sure!” Ivory laughed. “Come on, help me out of bed.””

Now, you can see that I used the word ‘said.’ (how shocking) What would it be like if it looked like this?

“You should be fine now. Come into my office, wich is located on the first floor near the entry, and I will change your bandage twice a day.” The doctor explained. He packed up his tools into his bag and turned to Jacob. “She can go to her coronation, but I expect you to watch her carefully. After all, you don’t want her to die before she’s married!” He nearly skipped out of the room, and they both followed him with their eyes.

“He’s a character.” Jacob finally pronounced.

“For sure!” Ivory laughed. “Come on, help me out of bed.””

Which do you like better?

If you aren’t convinced, search ‘said is not dead’ in the google search bar. I recently discovered this, so I can’t tell you much, but my advice: USE A MIX OF BOTH SAID AND OTHER WORDS.