"You Need to Come Back Right Now! NaNoWriMo Has Started Again!"

 OK, so I've been gone for a while, but it's time to get back to this blog. (I admit that I've almost forgotten about it until now, but it's good to be back.)

Of course I'll tell you about my other stories while I'm at it. Just be patient, OK?

Anyway, the blog feels a bit dated and (save for a few posts here and there) I'm going to have to start all over again! But not to worry, as I can backdate a ton of the blog entries to fit what I've written so far so you won't get lost in this inane rambling. 

Plus, this blog should only be used during the month of November, so I have a ton of editing to do. 

Sorry!

Anyway, I'm going to talk about my latest writing project within a few hours, so watch for it!

Hey, where's the story?

I know you're asking if I'm ever going to finish the story "And You Thought Your Family was Weird", but remember that these things take a lot of time to happen, and I simply don't have all the time in the world to devote to one story. There are many other things I have to do, and I can't sit in front of a computer all day long.

I hope you understand.

Anyway, I know that you're wanting an update on the story, and I will say that Kristin is starting to get on my nerves. She refuses to play her role, and she's ruining the story with her awful behavior. But fear not, dear readers, as she will be humbled, one way or another. You can trust me on that.

Well, that's all for now and I hope that you all know that I will have the story completed sometime in October.

Backup Novels

In being a terrible person that I am, I have come up with a list of ideas which I will use in case I am unable to complete the story "The Imaginary Magical Worlds of Jacquel Chrissy May". These ideas are as follows:

1. February 30, 2012: in which February 2012 regains not only February 29, but February 30.
2. The House of Pain & Pride: in which a girl is forced to leave her family and move to a boarding house for disabled people.
3. Redeeming Devon Kirby: in which a longtime fan of "The Spirit Keeper" converts to Christianity and attempts to rewrite the book to reform the hated gay character Devon Kirby.
4. Hobbit Town: after watching The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies, an elderly man decides to rebuild his town into a hobbit village.
5. The Aspergerian Club: in which a girl joins a secret club at her new school.

I understand that this is just a list of ideas and if I manage to complete the story beforehand date ideas will be written for NaNoWriMo in the future.

The Reboot and Cosplay Sequels?

OK, so now that we're at the end of the Cosplay segment of the blog, I have two things I need to discuss: the reboot and any possible sequels Cosplay could have.

First, the reboot.

It’s no secret I was disappointed in the way the original story had gone, which was why I had to reboot it. Plus, there were too many subplots that weren't working and characters that showed up and took over the story. Nobody wants those. I mean, NOBODY wants a character who isn't the main protagonist to take over the story.

That’s why I had to pull the plug on the story.

Second, I had to restructure the story in a way that it makes sense. (At this point, I’m still trying to rebuild the story.) That way, no unwanted surprises can come unexpectedly, as it did with the first story.

However, I will do my best to make sure that the story will be ready for publication next year.

As for any possible sequels, I know I've said that there won't be any possible sequels to Cosplay, but then I wondered about Nicholas's family legacy and how it was affecting him. I’m sure that maybe he would try to do something about his family and redeem the family name, but it won't be in a sequel.

Maybe I might be able to pick it up in a side story, as opposed to a full-blown sequel. (I don't want to ruin anything by turning Cosplay into a series or literary franchise; it wouldn't work, nor would it be good for the story. besides, not all stories need sequels.) But who knows.

I'll start with the story "Notorious: The Ballad of Candy Cane Brenner" on October 17, 2016.

What is Cosplay?

According to dictionary.com, cosplay is the art or practice of wearing costumes to portray characters from fiction, especially from manga, animation, and science fiction.

When Nicholas becomes a member of the Anime/Cosplay Club at his high school, he learns that people have been cosplaying for years, even if he hasn't heard of it. When he starts performing in skits based on various cartoons, he learns that not only must the skit be accurate, but the costumes are accurate as well.

Also, Nicholas learns that many of the cartoons he watches on TV contain missing parents, as most Japanese children lost their parents during world war II. he also discovers that not everyone in the school is into anime, so he takes great pains in hiding his interests from the other students.

The story is mostly about him learning about the different subcultures of Japan, which include cosplay. He also learns to love anime and mangas, both of which seem off limits to non-Japanese people. As he describes his fascination with cosplaying, he learns about himself in the process.

Yet here's another part of the story:

When Nicholas was younger, a few people tried (and failed) to get him interested in Pokemon. (He also refuses to watch the TV show and movies based on the game.) when he voices his objections to his classmates, they scolded him for not being interested in Pokemon and claimed that his parents are beating him because he didn't like Pokemon. (The same thing happened when he expressed his disgust for Harry Potter, but that's another story.)

As I end this blog post, I know that Nicholas will be able to survive in his new school, even if it is resorting to joining a Japanese group.

Cosplay, the Novel

Oddly enough, I'm going for a double hitter this month, which means TWO stories will be featured on this blog. The first story is called "Cosplay! The Novel", where a boy ignores his own heritage and embraces Japanese subculture.

This story might also be interpreted as a warning against cultural appropriation.

To start, Nicholas Blue Prater (yes, his middle name is Blue; don't ask!) moves with his family from Owasso, Oklahoma to Pacific Grove, California in 2003. As he battles the worst of all evils (often called high school), he discovers anime and cosplay via a sympathetic classmate.

That's when most of the trouble begins.

As Nicholas and his new friends explore Japan's many subcultures and attend many anime conventions and festivals, Nicholas unknowingly turns his back on his own heritage (much to his family's chagrin). As well, Nicholas also embraces his inner nerd and discovers role-playing, which makes him a target for the student council (which frowns upon role-playing and anything not having to do with being part of high school).

As he goes about his year in high school, Nicholas discovers the dark side of anime and wonders what his friends are watching on TV. He also discovers that one of his ancestors committed a grievous crime, one that history ignored and tried to bury. He must face his worst fears when his family confronts him about his many interests.

OK, so I haven't finished writing the story, but that's why I have this blog; to help me finish the story. Unfortunately, I don't see this story having a sequel in the near future, but that's for a later post.

Let's get this month started!

The Characters and Places Featured in this Story

Well, we come to my favorite part of the story, the part where we feature some of the characters that you'll meet in this story. And they are as follows:

1. Noelle Forbes: Noelle is the main character in the story. She is notorious for being a Dylan Drake fan, yet she doesn't have much of a social life. Her dealing with an addiction to fanfiction is the main story.
2. Aaron and Valerie Forbes: Noelle's parents. They are usually tolerant of her online activities, yet when she gets an "F" in English, they are forced to intervene.
3. London, Paris, Boston, and Juneau Williams: Noelle's cousins. They were raised by Carolyn Williams, an anti-social Christian woman, and had never set foot outside their house, not even to attend school. Yet when their mother dies, they are sent to stay with Noelle's family. They discourage Noelle from taking part in a Christian play, as how Christianity was presented in the play is extremely offensive to them.
4. Sarah Wibley: Noelle's best friend. She is the most hated student at Wellstone High School, as she is bullied by many students. She and Noelle try to maintain their friendship, yet that fails. She is later sent to Iowa after a tragic nervous breakdown.
5. Marina Gibney: A classmate at Noelle's school who is a bigger fan of the "The Silver Stones" than Noelle. She and Noelle challenge each other to write the most fanfiction stories before the school year is over. She lives with a foster family.
6. Simon Webster: Another classmate of Noelle's; he wrote the play called "The Third Noel", which stirs up controversy, for not just its subject matter, but for the overall story.
7. Mr. Elliot Dodderidge: Noelle's English teacher, who sees fanfiction as the end of decent writing and tries to ban fanfiction from the school.
8. Angelina Greer, Autumn Elliott, Julianne Nichols, Walter Brooks, and Benedict Dodson: Noelle's new friends; they are more content to be in the background rather than participate in the school's activities.

And now for the places that were mentioned in "Confessions of a Fanfiction Addict":

1. Wellstone, Arizona - The city of Wellstone is a moderately-sized town located in the mountains and has a futuristic look. It is best-known for its fine dining, a tumultuous history, and for being the home of a famous scientist. Also, there is an old ceremonial site nearby.
2. Wellstone High School - Wellstone High looks a bit old-fashioned as it was built over the remains of a school that was destroyed in a fire in 1987. Overall, the school has a horrible reputation, which is starting to change, thanks to the school's drama club. Also, it was one of the filming locations for a well-known drama movie. Recently, the school's culture club organized a charity event and a member of the cheerleading squad was given an award for community service.
3. White River Presbyterian Church - The church that sponsored Simon's play "The Third Noel"

What does Noelle have to confess?

Noelle claims to be a fanfiction addict, but that's not all she is. She is also friends with an unpopular girl that the bullies and other students beat up on a daily basis. Noelle also challenges a disabled girl to a fan fiction writing contest; both girls are fans of "The Silver Stones" series while their classmates have moved on to other "pointless" young-adult books.

While Noelle deals with the contest and classmates that want her to stop being friends with the bullied girl, she is cast in Christian play with a subject matter that angers many people. Also, the English teacher is an application as a bad thing and has all fanfiction sites banned from the school. Noelle ends up getting an "F" on an essay for using fanfiction characters and is forced to attend a support group for fanfiction addicts. That event forces her to deal with why she is addicted to fanfiction.

So with the play in limbo, a friendship that is all but torn apart, a writing contest that saps all creativity, and even an unexpected movie, Noelle learns that it's better to balance your life instead of just being stuck in the world of fanfiction.

So, what on earth is "The Silver Stones" series?

I'm going to leave it to Fantopedia.com to have this explained.

The Silver Stones Fantopedia page

From Fantopedia, the Ultimate Fantasy Encyclopedia

This article deals with “The Silver Stones” fantasy series. For other uses, please see The Silver Stones (disambiguation).

“The Silver Stones” is a young adult fantasy series written by Theresa Beckett. The books describe the adventures of Cyrus Nicholson and his friends Jesse Barham, David Harrison, and April Weinstein, who are all students at Atarerra Institute of Magics. Atarerra is a magical school that is located outside of Yarlford, Erthana, and is home to Funior the Vigilant, the most powerful mage in the world.

Cyrus also befriends Dylan Drake, who is the orphaned son of Harold and Susan Drake; his parents were killed by the wicked sorcerer Estazius Bloodworth when Dylan was just 2 years old.

Since the publication of “The Bloodline Key” in 2001, the book series has enjoyed some mediocre success (due to it being all but drowned out by the more popular Harry Potter series). Despite that, “The Silver Stones” series was translated into 12 languages and sold over 11 million copies.

Theresa (sister of famous author Julianne Perkins/Jodi Beckett) was criticized for putting some scenes of violence, sex, and bad language in her series as well as creating characters that were selfish, bad-tempered, and cruel towards other people. One of the books, “The Quantum Mystery”, infamously called for the death of “God-Worshippers”, which led to Christians around the world to boycott the book. Plus, a gay character named Shane Dinanham (which was featured in “The Cracked Roses”) drew some considerable ire and controversy for his unfavorable views about women and people of color (of which Theresa was accused of refusing to add some diversity to her novels).

Despite that, “The Silver Stones” continues to score a hit with high school and college students who are looking for something to read after Harry Potter. In fact, The Science Fiction & Fantasy Weekly calls “The Silver Stones” "one of the better-written fantasy series of the last decade".

A movie combining "The Bloodstone Key", “The Quantum Mystery”, and “The Hunter of the Night” is currently in negotiation with Moviemagic Films, which was responsible for the award-winning movies The "Frostfall" Trilogy, "Return to Her", "Atlantis 2020", and "A Tale of Magic".

*****

Publishing history:

Book 1: “The Bloodstone Key” (June 9, 2001)

Book 2: “The Quantum Mystery” (October 8, 2003)

Book 3: “The Hunter of the Night” (December 12, 2004)

Book 4: “The Edge of Night” (April 26, 2005)

Book 5: “The Cracked Roses” (July 2, 2006)

Book 6: “The Force of Magic” (November 7, 2006)

Book 7: “The Seventh Moon” (July 7, 2007)

Book 8: “The Cold Shadow” (June 21, 2009)

Book 9: “The Frozen Legacy” (September 5, 2009)

Now you know.

What is Fanfiction?

According to dictionary.com, fanfiction is "a fictional account written by a fan of a show, movie, book, or video game to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored via the originating medium".

As you can see from dictionary.com's definition of fanfiction, fan fiction is just a simple homage to a movie, TV show, book, or video game. Yet. many of us forget that it's just fanfiction, and as such, we center most of our lives around fanfiction.

The story starts out with Noelle telling us how she became obsessed with a fantasy series called "The Silver Stones". "The Silver Stones" is a young adult fantasy series written by Teresa Beckett and it describes the adventures of a group of young students who attend a magical school. The series, although very popular with high school and college students, is unable to topple the much-maligned Harry Potter books.

But we'll talk about that later

According to the story, Noelle said she became obsessed with "The Silver Stones" when she was 11 years old, after picking up a copy of "The Bloodstone Key" (the first book in the series) which was meant for her cousins. After that, her interest and toys and watching television inevitably takes a backseat to "The Silver Stones"

And that's how this problem happens. (I'll get back to you later on how Noelle reacts to the Harry Potter books.)

Here We Go, Folks, It's the End of the Month!

We have now reached this thing called the end of the month, which means I have to put the project "And You Thought Your Family Was Weird" on hold.

(audience groans)

But not to worry, because I plan to pick the story back up in the near future and finish it, no matter how long it takes. And you can certainly bet on that.

Next month, I plan to talk about my next story which is called "Confessions of a Fan Fiction Writer". Plus, I will post lyrics to the songs I'm writing for February Album Writing Month, which takes place in February. So watch for that to happen in the coming hours.

With that, I bid you all adieu and I will see you in February.

Places Featured in This Story

And now for the places that were mentioned in "And You Thought Your Family Was Weird": 

1. Shawneetown, Florida - Shawneetown is a small town located near the Atlantic coast (and 7 hours away from Miami). It is best-known for its beautiful parks and its diverse population. Also, there are some unusual ruins near the city, possibly the remains of an old settlement from the 1500's. Kristin and her parents lived in the city until recently.
2. Northview High School - The school looks a bit old-fashioned. It was built during the 1980s. Overall, the school has a bad reputation, which may not entirely be deserved. Recently, the school's football team lost a championship and a faculty member was arrested for child abuse. Kristin was once a student at the school until she and Nora exposed a student teacher who abused special ed students. Both girls ended up being expelled from the school.
3. McDermitt, Arizona - McDermott is a moderate-sized town with a population of 45,612 people. It is 5 hours from Phoenix, Arizona. It is located in the desert and has a rustic atmosphere. It is best-known for the nearby military base, which was used during World War II. (The base is still in use, by the way.) Many artifacts from that era are still lying around the base. The MacPherson family lives in the neighborhood of Copperhill Haven, which is near downtown McDermitt.
4. Cimarron High School - The school has a space-age look to it. (Yet the use of social media and some technology is explicitly forbidden by the student council.) Overall, the school has an average reputation. Also, a local writer once donated to it. Recently, the school's knitting and crocheting club organized a charity event, the school's journalism club won a prestigious award, and the school's cheerleading squad won a championship. Kristin is sent to this school instead of attending McDermitt High School with her cousins Velvet and Nader.

The "Family" in "And You Thought Your Family Was Weird"

You seriously thought this month (and story) was all about social media?

Think again!

In the story, Kristin tells the reader (which is you) that she's being forced to move to Arizona to stay with relatives while her parents undergo a nasty divorce. According to Kristin, the MacPherson family was once the stereotypical American family until they moved to Arizona and became the long-lost cousins of Ozzy Osborne. yet, Kristin's cousins Velvet and Nader refuse to welcome her, with Nader claiming that Kristin was one of those spoiled rich princesses from Malibu. (Malibu is in California, in case you forgot!)

Well, Kristin appears to be the stereotypical American teenager (albeit one with too many social accounts) and yet has to put up with a family that's determined to be anything but the average American family. Kristin also longs for normality, which was almost impossible for her to obtain, as her parents' divorce gets nasty and former friends and classmates blame her for it. They seek to make her new life a living nightmare.

But the title of the story is called "And You Thought Your Family Was Weird", which means that even if you think your family is messed up, Kristin's family is ten times worse. But most of Kristin's blog posts in he story seem to center on her family, which is why I titled the story that way.

Go figure.

Kik and Wattpad

It was already established that Kristin's mother, Tilly Sawyer Fernando, writes YA fiction, which she publishes using the name Ariel Cross. Kristin follows in her mother's footsteps by getting a Wattpad account and publishing stories there using the name FernFayeCross.

Wattpad ( launched in 2006) is an online writing community where users can publish essays, articles, original stories, fanfiction, and poetry. (I have an account on Wattpad.) Once she starts using the site, Kristin learns to separate the person she created in her blogs from her real self.

The texting app Kik is also featured in this story, as a number of the kids in Cimarron High School use the app to text each other. Kristin becomes a reluctant user of the app (her username was Fernanger55), but her new friends use the app. But when a student was caught texting a mentally disabled student using Kik, the student president ordered the school to delete the app from their phones.

As for Wattpad, several people use the app on their phones, so Kristin is mainly all by herself when it comes to the site. But when she gains a following based on her fictitious character, she learns that while making up things about yourself is harmful, yet making up things about a fictitious character can be rewarding. (Plus, Kristin unknowingly becomes the subject of her mother's latest YA novel, which is ironically called "Disconnected", but that will be saved for later.)

Well, by the time the story ends, Kristin goes from social media addict to a well-balanced person who learns to use the Internet in moderation. She also learns to appreciate her family instead of always shutting them out. Plus, she learns that it's OK to have offline friends, even if they're fewer in number.

Now you know.