allisonreader

[allisonreader]

Drat... I forgot my scrap of paper at work where I was describing the scene where Gwen and Samuel get separated in The Shipwreck Story.

I had started with Gwen's POV because that's the POV that I've mostly been focused on currently. Anyways I have written a version of this scene before and the very basics of it is the following.

Gwen is very clingy to Samuel with them being off their rescue ship and back into civilization after only being around each other for 5 years. They wander looking for the place that they need/want. A jewelry store so that they can get a pair of rings and start paperwork for their official wedding license/marriage certificate. Once they find the place they need, they go inside and Samuel takes care of most of what needs to be done while Gwen wanders around the shop a bit. Until the smell/heat starts to get to her and she tells Samuel she's going to wait outside. He nods and says that he won't be far behind, he's almost done. Gwen is just outside the shop window when someone catches her attention in the distance. It's her brother and with him her mother, who are in that part of town only because they had heard about the ship with the survivors on it.

Once they spot her, she's quickly move away from where she was, to be taken home as she protests. She needs to wait for Samuel, and her mother doesn't take it well. So she really picks up the pace to get Gwen away from the penniless Sailor who isn't good enough for her baby. Gwen bringing up that she considers herself married to him already and they were just getting the official paperwork now, and that she's pregnant. Which really shuts things down. Getting her mom to bluntly tell Gwen that her dad is dead, forcing her into the carriage and away without Samuel, though falsely promising that Samuel will be sent for.

...

...

...

Samuel's POV of this wouldn't start off too different from Gwen's, but would focus more on making sure that she is doing okay, knowing that as much as the island toughened Gwen up over the years in some ways, she's still really delicate and sensitive to other things. The crowds overwhelm her, he teases her over their baby, while checking that she's not becoming strained by everything. When they enter the shop, he takes over because he knows that Gwen had lived a pretty sheltered and privileged life before the island. He constantly is looking over his shoulder to her, making sure that she's still okay.

He's a little worried about her when she says she's not feeling the best. Knowing that while she was on ship, she had been sick the whole time and hoping that she's not going to lose the last meal that they had. He finishes up quickly and expects to see her just out the door, but she's not. She's no where in sight, which freaks him out and starts him panicking and calling out for her, asking people if they've seen her. Leaving him running around until night falls.

Camp Tolkien: Day 11

Welcome to another day at Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you’re in–brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising–Camp Tolkien’s activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

Today’s four activities are listed below. Choose whichever one you wish–choose more than one if you want to.

Talent Show: Show us at least three characters from your project, and tell what their most impressive talent or trait is.

Field Trip: Work on your project in a location outside your place of residence--cafe, library, park, etc.

Marching Band: Listen to a favorite song. Start writing when the song starts and see how many words you can write before the song ends.

Tug-of-War: Write or summarize an important scene of your project from one character's point-of-view, then write or summarize the same scene from a different character's point-of-view.

When you’re finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

So glad to have you all at camp! Have fun, go forth, and create!

[allisonreader]

7, 14, 21, and 29 for the ask game!

7. hair-ties or scrunchies?

Scrunchies by far. They work the best with my hair. Because my hair is so fine, but I have so much of it, it's really hard to put my hair up, as it all wants to just come out of the bands. So usually I'm using a couple of hair ties with a scrunchie to finish it off, and that's what seems to work best.

(I wear hairbands 99.9% of the time. My scalp is too sensitive for anything else, but I need something to help keep my hair off my face.)

14. do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

Absolutely I do. There's nothing better than that fresh smell.

21. something you’ve kept since childhood?

I have kept many things since childhood. My childhood dresser, which had been white but is now painted red with different knobs (though the original knobs are still in the dresser.), my three main stuffies which are a crocheted bunny with a blue dress, Flower a brown and white cat stuffie, and a black dog stuffie with a pink tongue that sticks out. Also my childhood Precious Moments Bible which is pink and I have loved dearly over the years. Sometimes sleeping with it under my pillow when I was scared.

29. how do you like your shower water?

Hot. I usually start off a little cooler but then keep increasing the temperature the longer I'm in the shower.

(I much prefer baths.)

[allisonreader]

Charades! Each story gets one set

1. 📖📚🚢❄️❄️❄️🚣

2. 👸🤴🏰🗡️🔒🗝️

3. 🚢🏝️⏳⏳⏳⏳⌛🚢🏠

4. 🚢👔🚫👞❓❓❓

1. Tales Of A Frozen Sailor

2. The Hidden Royals

3. The Shipwreck Story

4. The Amnesia story

I know there wasn't supposed to be black or blue pen, but I was at work when I noted this down and only had black, blue, light blue, pink and red available. It kept the ideas separate. It's getting too late to do more now. Though when Saturday/Sunday comes, that might be a different story.

Dodgeball- terrible ideas (kind of got turned into the worse case scenarios in most of these, not all though. Basically this is leading to AU thoughts about these stories.)

The Shipwreck Story

(I actually have thoughts about most of these, so I'm going to do more than one and put it directly under each thought.)

1. Samuel dies before he gets his son.

- So this actually changes a lot for what I have planned out in my head. If he were to die before he got his son given to him, there's two potential options that I see happening. Either his son gets given to a family member or the son gets given to an orphanage. Each way makes it less likely for the twins to ever find each other again. At least with staying with family there'd still be a chance.

3. Gwen's not pregnant when she leaves the island.

2. Gwen dies and Samuel doesn't learn this until Martie shows up on his doorstep.

- Again this could change things majorly, especially depending on WHEN Gwen died. If she died giving birth to the twins, and for some reason Vera did decide to keep Martie, she would know very little of her father or that she even has a twin. It would probably only be once Martie is a teen or a young lady leaving home that she might have stumbled upon Gwen's saved letters to Samuel. Ones that had been hidden from Vera. Leading Martie to search out her father.

4. Gwen and Samuel don't end up on the same island.

5. Samuel is too injured to help on the island at first.

The Hidden Royals

6. Samuel gets arrested/sent to jail.

-This happening because he goes to Gwen's childhood house and tries to see her, but Vera getting him arrested after having threatened him with it. Might actually make sense, as if he happened to be held until after the twins were born, it could be really easy to give Samuel his son and send him on his way.

2. Wilson isn't sick when the take over happens.

1. Daniel is killed.

3. Theo is killed during his and Beth's escape.

4. James is killed after being brought to Windsmere.

5. Lilliana is kept alive.

The Amnesia Story

-Lilliana is the youngest sibling of Theo, only about 8 of 9 when the family is killed. If she was kept alive, it would potentially be for Roland to marry her to his eldest (legitimate) son. Using her as a political tool to try and help strengthen Roland's claim to the throne. Making it even more dangerous for Theo and his family.

1. The main character is not seen by the two people who will help him and is left wandering.

2. The main character can't travel with the one who helped him.

3. The main character doesn't loose his memory, but instead ends up with some other sort of debilitating injury beyond a concussion.

5. Someone who knows him comes across him, but he doesn't trust it

4. The main character is robbed of all his clothes, leaving him either with just his under things or nearly completely nude.

-This could land him in jail, possibly leaving him with less help.

Camp Tolkien: Day 10

Welcome to another day at Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you’re in–brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising–Camp Tolkien’s activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

Today’s four activities are listed below. Choose whichever one you wish–choose more than one if you want to.

Dodgeball: Write down five terrible ideas of things that you would never want to happen in your story. Then take one of those terrible ideas and figure out how the story could change to make that terrible idea make sense.

Charades: Describe your project via emojis or memes.

Water Balloon Toss: Write for ten minutes. Write for eight minutes and try to reach as close to the same word count as possible. Repeat this exercise three more times, decreasing the time by two minutes each time.

Tie-dying: Work on your project using at least three different font or pen colors. (Black and blue are not allowed).

When you’re finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

So glad to have you all at camp! Have fun, go forth, and create!

[allisonreader]

We had quite a little storm go through town today. This is what I came across on my way home from work. Just a little bit of flooding on the streets.

[allisonreader]

Spin this wheel first and then this wheel second to generate the title of a YA fantasy novel!

(If the second wheel lands on an option ending with a plus sign, spin it again)

Share what you got!

[allisonreader]

here’s weirder asks

who is/are your comfort character(s)?

lighter or matches?

do you leave the window open at night?

which cryptyd being do you believe in?

what color are your eyes?

why did you do that?

hair-ties or scrunchies?

how many water bottles are in your room right now?

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee?

would you slaughter the rich?

favorite extracurricular activity?

what kind of day is it?

when was the last time you ate?

do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

are you a parent? (all answers qualify)

can you drive?

are you farsighted or nearsighted?

what hair products do you use?

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails?

do you say soda or pop?

something you’ve kept since childhood?

what type of person are you?

how do you feel about chilly weather?

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

perfume/body spray or lotion?

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

about how many hours of sleep did you get?

do you wear a mask?

how do you like your shower water?

is there dishes in your room?

what type of music keeps you grounded?

do you have a favorite towel?

the last adventure you’ve been on?

is there a song you know every word to by heart?

what’s your timezone?

how many times have you changed your url?

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years?

a soap bar that smells good?

do you use lip balm?

did you have any snacks today?

how do you take your coffee?

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

what’s your take on spicy foods?

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

can you remember what happened yesterday?

favorite holiday film?

what was the last message you sent?

when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

can you skip rocks?

can i tag you in random stuff?

[allisonreader]

so I have a really unusual first name /last name combo and I don't think anyone else has it, so I'm curious what it's like for other people

Please reblog to reach more people!

PSA: do NOT share your full legal name on this post, please stay safe

[allisonreader]

Truth or Dare; The Hidden Royals

Several characters have big secrets within this story. Most of them would be known to the readers but not the other characters. Roland has several big secrets. The biggest one is definitely known to the readers but very few would know outside of a particular circle of his. That he didn't manage to kill all of Edgar's family (Theo's dad). That Theodore and Elizabeth did actually manage to escape. Roland wouldn't even let his wife or children know about that. It would only be his spies who would know that the crown prince and his wife live. Roland makes a very big show of covering that up.

One of his other secrets is that he probably does have at least a couple of children from before his marriage.

One of Daniel's big secrets is just that he vaguely knows where Theo went and exactly how much he did to cause chaos in Roland's initial take over.

Later in the story Theodore and Elizabeth's secret is that they kept it from their kids that they are royal, in an effort to try and keep them all safe.

Camp Tolkien: Day 9

Welcome to another day at Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you’re in–brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising–Camp Tolkien’s activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

Today’s four activities are listed below. Choose whichever one you wish–choose more than one if you want to.

Truth or Dare: Talk about a secret from a character's past OR tell us about something they're terrified to do.

Knot-tying: Write down two things that happen in your story, then make a list of at least five intermediate steps that happen between those scenes.

Tree Climbing: Complete three ten-minute writing sprints, aiming for a higher wordcount each time.

Stargazing: Work on your project in the dark, using only candlelight or flashlight (or screen light) for illumination.

When you’re finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

So glad to have you all at camp! Have fun, go forth, and create!

[allisonreader]

Shadow Puppets

The Shipwreck Story

Uncle Marcus was much like she pictured that her grandfather would have looked like. Tall, blond with blue eyes that she imagined were that much warmer in a grandfatherly face

Her mother's withering frame worried her. All colour had washed out of her, leaving her a sickly yellow.

To her shock, the taller than her boy looked like her. From the particular red colour of his hair, to their seemingly shared eye colour.

Camp Tolkien: Day 8

Welcome to another day at Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you’re in–brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising–Camp Tolkien’s activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

Today’s four activities are listed below. Choose whichever one you wish–choose more than one if you want to.

Shadow Puppets: Describe at least three characters in your project, using only 1-2 sentences for each.

Foraging: Find a piece of paper that is not writing paper--it could be a napkin, an envelope, a piece of newsprint, etc.--and use it to hand-write something related to your project.

Cookout: Write a short scene and make sure to describe it using all five senses.

Canoeing: Write for five minutes. Open a new document and try to write the same scene from memory. Compare the two versions and keep your favorite.

When you’re finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

So glad to have you all at camp! Have fun, go forth, and create!

[allisonreader]

Today I had to skim through my Shipwreck Story to find the names of the baby twins and had to skim through some of the different parts I had previously written, and kept finding myself thinking that "oh yeah, I really liked that bit..."

[allisonreader]

I did letter writing for The Shipwreck Story. I actually have considered writing this story as a collection of letters, but I have never been happy with the letters that I have experimented with. I wish this letter was longer, but it works for now.

My Dearest Samuel,

Our babies have been born. We have twins…. Our daughter is Martha Samantha and our son— our son is Harold Richard… our son didn’t survive.

Mama didn’t even let me hold him or see him. I had thought that I had heard him cry though. Mama said that I must have been hearing Martha's cries, not his. That he had been born stillborn, but I’m confident that I heard cries of both babies.

I wish you were here, that you could see our daughter. She’s beautiful. I have her right beside me as I’m writing this. I keep stopping to stare at her and to cry.

I miss you so much and both I and Martha are hurting from the loss of her brother. She seems to search for him.

She looks so much like you. I think that she’s going to have your hair colour and possibly your eye colour.

Mama has; at least at the moment, has stopped trying to force suitors on me currently. I suspect that reprise will end after I heal and Martha is a wee bit older. As Mama certainly only stopped once I could no longer hide my belly.

I don’t want to be married to anyone but you. I fear that one day Mama will find a way to force the issue. I want to be with you again, but I’m not sure how I can get to you. I think that I will have to wait until Martha is no longer a newborn.

One day I will find a way back to you.

Forever Yours,

Gwen

Camp Tolkien: Day 7

Welcome to another day at Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you’re in–brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising–Camp Tolkien’s activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

Today’s four activities are listed below. Choose whichever one you wish–choose more than one if you want to.

Letter Writing: Share a letter written by a character from your project. If you want to make it a postcard, include a picture that relates to some element of your story.

Singalong: Listen to some music and use a lyric to inspire some element of your project.

Swimming: Set a timer for ten minutes and write. Come up for air and write another ten minutes.

Sandcastles: Describe a building in the setting of your project.

When you’re finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

So glad to have you all at camp! Have fun, go forth, and create!

[allisonreader]

I wanted to do more, but I just haven’t had the energy this past week. Hence why I’m posting on Sunday for this and only one thing.

I’ve gathered all my photos/pictures I have for Tales Of A Frozen Sailor into one place.

And just to end it all, a portrait of the frozen sailor herself as she was found by @scarvenartist

Camp Tolkien: Free Day

Welcome back to Camp Tolkien!

Our two-week summer camp is a chance for you to work on the project of your choice in the company of other writers. No matter which stage of the process you’re in–brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising–Camp Tolkien’s activities are here to help you make progress. Bring along your projects, and have fun!

At Camp Tolkien, Saturday is Free Day! Today, we bring back all the activities from the past week, and you can join in whichever one you wish. This is your opportunity to try an activity that you didn't have a chance to try earlier in the week, try an activity from a day you missed, or to repeat a favorite activity. Try one or try them all--it's your free day, so do what you like.

The activities will be listed under the cut. They will be listed in the same order they were provided during the week.

When you’re finished, reblog or reply to this post, telling us how it went, and/or sharing what you wrote for the day.

Have fun, go forth, and create!

Monday

Icebreakers: Tell the other campers about the project you’ve brought to camp by writing a one-paragraph summary.

Photography: Find or create at least five reference pictures that visualize settings and/or characters in your project.

Archery: Set a timer for two minutes. Write as many words as you can in that time. Repeat this four more times, for a total of five mini writing sessions. Keep track of your word count for each, and let us know your high score.

Nature Walk: Work on your project while you’re outdoors.

Tuesday

Orienteering: Draw a map of a location in your project–a building, a neighborhood, a town, a world, whatever you wish. Note that does not have to be an accurate map–it could be a certain character’s perception of their surroundings, it could be biased, it could be more about artistry than facts, it could just be a napkin scribble if you want.

Painting: Write a detailed description of at least one character in your project.

Scavenger hunt: Incorporate the following five words in whatever you write for your project: friend, tree, march, red, finish. Alternately, find as many of those words as you can in what you already have written for your project, and share each sentence.

Rock climbing: Set a timer for thirty minutes and try to finish as much of a draft of a scene as you can in that time.

Wednesday

Alphabet Game: Make a list of twenty-six things that could happen in your story–each one starting with a different letter of the alphabet.

Dioramas: Write a detailed description of one room in one setting in your project.

Hiking: Go on a walk outside and use something about the experience (a sensory detail, something you saw) as inspiration for your project.

Zipline: Write as fast as you can for ten minutes. You are not allowed to backspace, cross out, or delete anything during that time.

Thursday

Friendship Bracelets: Tell us about two characters who are currently friends, or talk about a childhood/former friend of one of your characters.

Skits: Write a short dialogue scene in script format.

Relay Race: Start a stopwatch. Write 100 words. See how long it took you. Set a timer for the same amount of time, then see how many words you can write in that time.

Tumbling: Switch up the format of how you work on your project. If you usually type, write by hand (or vice versa). If you must type, type in a different program, or use a different-colored font.

Friday

Woodcarving: Take a previously-written portion of your project and try to reduce its wordcount by 25%.

S'mores: Set a timer for five minutes and write as many words as you can. Then do a ten-minute writing session. Then a fifteen-minute one. Then treat yourself to a snack.

Storytelling: Tell us about a story from within the world of your project. It could be a folktale, a bit of history, family lore, something from a character's backstory, whatever you like.

Movie Night: Listen to a favorite movie soundtrack while you work on your project.

[allisonreader]

Do you know how your parents met?

[allisonreader]

I have this one little poem-y type of song that I wrote once. One that I thought could make like a kids song, maybe something along the lines of "Lucy Locket lost her pocket" or "A Ram Sam Sam" in my stories.

Only problem is that I don’t know where I have it written down and I only remember the vague idea of what I had for it. Other than it had at least two verses with different rhyming schemes.

The first verse went something along the lines of;

Leila, Leila standing there,

Leila, Leila brush your hair,

Leila, Leila in your chair,

Leila, Leila stand up there/ go at there

And that’s about all I have, and I know it wasn’t quite that, but that’s about the lines it was going. Though I’ll have to record singing it. Because the two Leila's are sung fairly highly with an alternating lower end, where after the first set of Leila's the line is finished on the same note, lower than the Leila’s. Then after the next set of Leila's, there are three cascading notes down. The Leila's are always sung the same way.

[allisonreader]

Whiskey, bourbon, rum, spiced rum and gin. A sip of each just to begin. Just a test to see, which is most pleasant to my taste. But nothing more than just a taste.

[allisonreader]

So, you might or might not have other people in the car but no taking turns and swapping drivers. Just you driving for the whole day

[allisonreader]

30-Song Guess Your Age Quiz

Fwiw, they thought I was MANY years younger than I am. Just made me feel good all over. 😊