My world...#Littlelove

 Hey lovely readers,

It has been awhile since I posted a #littleloves post. I feel I need some lightheartedness in my life right now. Hope you enjoy...

Reading

At the end of June my friends had a Yankee Swap style book exchange. What that means is we wrapped up a copy of one of our favorite books and write the genre on the front. Without knowing really anything about the book we picked which book we wanted with Yankee Swap rules of being able to steal. Previously, my friend recommended this book as a part of my 26 Book Challenge.

It is about an author Carrie McClelland, who is an author as she is writing her next novel. Her novel is set in 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeed in landing the exile James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. But when Carrie discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth (for more).

James II of England{pic}

I don't know much about this era in history so it has been fun to read and I will admit that I have looked into more on Wikipedia. Besides the history I have enjoyed about Carrie, and as she is an author it has been great to hear how she goes through the writing process.

Working on

This blog as been really good for me. For most of my writing life I have been very secret about my writing life. I have always seen my writing as very personal because it was my truest way I could escape from whatever I was going through and live a completely different life and I didn't want people to know about me. Then one day someone joked and said "if you don't let someone read your writing how you ever going to be published." I guess they had a point but it took me a few years more till I got this blog. I think this blog and other forces have inspired to share more about my writing. I do share parts of my story here but I am also trying to mention it in my daily conversation. This has been a big struggle because I how personal I view my writing. And yeah it has been easier to share my writing here on this blog...where I am not sure who is reading it then to actually talk about in real life (that might sound backwards).

Exploring

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As I have written about I am not much of a photographer, but I would like to be better at capturing moments so I have set up an Instagram account. Right now I am just trying to understand it. And yes I have already posted a pic of my cat...

Watching

Thanks to Netflix I have been going back and re-watching The Office when it was first on, I was kind of a fair weathered fan, meaning I didn't watch it that much after Jim and Pam got married. I tried watching most of the last season but I don't think I was even successful at that. So I am enjoining re-watching all the cute Jim and Pam moments.

Link 

Listening

In working on my story I have been trying to get in the mindset of my characters, which is sometimes hard for me to do as my story is set during WWI and I live in a world of computers, the internet, Pinterest, YouTube and all other matters of distraction. So one thing I have done is track down albums (thanks to Spotify) to listen to music from WWI. The song "If you were the Only Girl in the World" is probably the most popular now thanks to Downton Abbey but it is amazing what other songs I have found. I have also tried to find movie sound tracks that are set in that era and sometimes I hear a song and I feel it speaks about my characters I have added those songs to my writing playlist. It has made an interesting and fun playlist. 

Here is one of my current favorites: "Distance" by Christina Perri featuring Mary and Matthew

Link

Frivolous Friday... Webseries Shout Out

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Hello lovely readers,

I have mentioned the web series, Classic Alice,  in my "Webseries love Wednesday" post but it is back for a second season. It is great because it focus on array of books (books out of copy right). Alice, the main character reads the book and attempts to live it out in front of a camera as a documentary with her friends. It is cool in the way they bring classic stories up to date. I also think it is cool because it is not just a YouTube series they have multiple social media outlets such as Twitter and Tumblr to keep the story moving forward, but if you just watch the YouTube videos you get the main plot. I think these web series of picking up classics and revamping them for the 21st century is awesome(like the Lizzie Bennet Diaries of Emma Aprroved)... it proves classics are not old stories but tales that are still relate-able. Here is the trailer for books 1-7.

 

Link

While it looks like a simple camera sitting on a desk and she is just talking with her friends you can tell they have put a lot of work into it. I think these web series are awesome because the people involved (actors, writers, camera man, and producers) work not only to shoot these films but they do it on a very low budget, which they have to raise themselves through things like kick star and other sources. They aren't high production companies they are people interested in bringing these narratives to life...if I had any video skills I would love to do something like this.

Episode 1:

Link

I hope you enjoy. Here is the link to Classic Alice's YouTube Channel.

Also Happy early 4th of July to you all...

One of my favorite 4th of July... my parents coming to visit me in the city I love.

Yours Faithfully... Letter #9

Letter #8

* Dearest Aunt Hen,

I am so sorry to be away from you especially now as father has told me you have relapsed again. I wish I could be beside you and be of some use. I hope one of your dear sons will read this letter to you faithfully and will provide you some comfort as I am gone from your side. My only comfort here is my newest sister Cassandra, she allows me to call her Cassie, which feels like a mark of true friendship. My new mama cringes though every time I say it as she thinks it is rather childish. Is it so very wicked that I feel a little bit of joy when I see her cringe? I believe Hugh would say it was, as he has encouraged me to look for the best in my mama. 

{Cassandra}

If Hugh reads this please know that I am trying... but it is so very hard when I feel she cuts me down at every turn. She considers me childish and she says I speak to much. I feel I hardly say a word at all in front of her however when she scorns me Cassandra always defends me. She has been so quick to be my defender. She is so beautiful with red golden hair that is always in its proper place and she has perfectly shaped olive green eye with very fine skin. I feel so plane when I stand next to her however she compliments me quite profusely on my intellect and tells me kindhearted I am and she will not let me return the compliment in any manner. She must be so truly humble. Please tell Hugh that I have let her borrow some of the books he lent me, and she finds them of quite sturdy material. I have found her company quite pleasant and the only thing that could truly relieve my mind is knowing you are well. 

In other news, Mrs. Chemsworth and Miss Helene came to call on us the day after Cassandra's return. Mama was surprised that they return the neighborhood so early when they usually don't come till summer and she was flattered by the idea that they would come and call on her directly. However, she later commented I took to many liberties with Miss Helene, but I felt I was just doing my duty by answering all her questions. She did ask after you, she is so good to remember you and our closeness. If you remember from my previous mention of her that after the wedding Miss Helene and I became fast friends, so I felt fine in discussing my worries for your health (I hope that is all right). I feel if Miss Helene spent more time in the neighborhood she and Cassandra could become my truest friends, though nothing will replace you and your son's friendship. 

I cannot what else to write. As once said "life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings." My mind and heart are with you always. 

Your faithful niece,
Molly.

P.S.- Mama is sick of hearing about you and not knowing you personally so when you are well she extends an invitation for dinner. Though she fears our house will not compare to your grand estate. I hope you will recover quickly and come to us soon. All my love. 

Previous post about Miss Helene

*Forgive me readers, I am sorry if I didn't make it clear this letter writing activity is mostly free writing. I have been trying to re-tell the story of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, it is one of my favorites, but I have been intrigued by the epistle style of writing for some time so I am mostly trying to see if I can tell a whole story through letters. I am taking the premise of Wives and Daughters and bringing it to America at the turn of the twentieth century (read more here).

I do hope you enjoy.

Can't Just Sit By

Hello lovely readers,

I have had a few thoughts on my mind about this weeks "My World Monday" and I want to let you know what's going on in my life but before I start I want to say "thank you" to you guys my readers. I know I have gone back and forth on this blog from posting a lot to not posting at all. I know I have changed my mind on the focus of this blog a few times and I have probably left you wondering "what is going on in her head" so thank you for staying with me through all my transitions.

Second I want to say that as much as I love this blog... it is going through more transitions. I want this blog to feel comfortable and personal. For people who know me in real life I want this blog to sound genuine and true (I don't want this blog to be a false persona). For the people who don't know me in real life I want you to feel connected. I am trying to blog about the truths in my life from the highs to the lows and all the in between. One transition you might notice is that I am trying to set up a blogging schedule (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). I am not a professional blogger so I am sure I will miss some days but I hope you guys will stick with me. Another transition I am trying to make is getting my blog more professional (at least in looks). There a few blogs I follow closely and I would love to have more their style, but I still want this blog to be comfortable.

I don't know why but for some reason I picture a big comfy reading chair when I think about how I want this blog to feel. So I will still be posting about my faith, my obsession with period dramas, my writing, the books I am reading and other various things I enjoy. But I have added advertisement to this blog in hopes of getting a little bit of money while doing something I enjoy. There might be some other changes a long the way but as I am not a professional blogger it might come in bits and pieces.

Third, I want to say "I am sorry". I feel sometimes I hide behind my books, my stories that I am writing and even this blog to hide what is really going on in my life and in my heart.

I think I hide because it is easier to share only part of the truth, the truth I like, than to share some things that hurt me to write out. But a blog seems safe, minus a few people I know who read my blog for the most part my readers are anonymous. So in that way I feel I can express myself better with you my readers than sometimes my own friends. But in other ways I can't... I know many readers are anonymous and we will most likely never meet but I still hold myself back because I fear judgement. I fear that if I say to much you may not like what I say and stop reading. I fear that if I speak out for things I believe in I will be called a hypocrite.

I have made mistakes, I have held grudges and I admit I let those grudge fester inside me that they have turned to hate. And I feel like a hypocrite in that way because I claim to love God and Jesus and the Bible talks endlessly about loving people. Yet somehow dislike and bitterness are easier for me than love. I love my family and my friends but the Bible says "love your neighbor as yourself" and I fail miserably at this. So I am sorry.

My church has been doing a series called "Forward" about the story we are moving forward with our money, in our families and in our community. As much as I pretend on the outside to be fine, I know with my thoughts and actions I am not moving the Good News forward.

One thing I have noticed in both my prayer time and in this blog is I talk a lot about changing and doing things but I don't really move towards change. So I can't just sit back, I can't just hide behind my books, or my stories anymore. If I want to change things I am going to have to get going. So this will probably be the biggest transition this blog and my life will be going through. For example: I can't just say I want to be a writer I have to actually get writing. And I can't just say I want to make an impact on this world and do nothing. So the first thing I am going to do is make to get invested in my community around me (not sure exactly what that means but I am keeping my eyes open). 

So I can't just sit by anymore... I hope you will stay with me as I go through this journey.