NaNoWriMo

the convincing idea took place yesterday. 

the fears and wondering if i'm insane began today.

the writing craziness starts tomorrow.

     Well, I'm scared to death and all signed up to be a participant in this years craziness NaNoWriMo. I've always had a few novel ideas brewing in my mind, but something usually keeps me from catapulting myself from the writer's safe secure and jumping head long into novel writing abandon. 

     Ultimately that's what I hope NaNoWriMo will have me accomplish, a month of writer's abandon. I long to be the wordsmith and dreamer who dared to be bold enough to learn discipline and challenged herself along the way. And even though I'm really scared and doubting that I'll reach the 50,000 word mark (what with all I have going on this month) I am going to try to be more disciplined nevertheless. 

     I am going to write long and hard and abandoned. This is the start...

     Did I mention that I chose to write something that I will be completely pantsing? Yes, I am. While I have my character's in my head somewhat already and also a mind that is currently equipped with a few unique ideas I have NO plot outline whatsoever. Crazy. I know. 

     Honestly, I just wanna see what I can do with the story glimpses in my mind and the time that has been given to me.

     I have a few questions for you. 1) Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? 2) If this is your first year are you as nervous and scared as me about this monumental task that lies before us? 3) What happens if I don't finish my 50K word in-the-works-novel? Will they set the NaNoWriMo Police on me? (I surely hope not!)

     Oh, there's one last thing before I let the self inflicted chaos consume me....

Would you like to be writing buddies? If you are a fellow NaNoWriMo writer this year look me up, okay? 

My username on nanowrimo.org is NeoVictorian

     Happy Writing and May the Craziness Commence!

Leibster Blog Award

 Liebster is a German word.

"What's the meaning of this German word exactly?" you may ask.

Well, it's...

dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome

Ciara of Fishhooks and Textbooks was kind enough to award me with the Liebster. Thank you, Ciara!

I know plenty of up and coming sweet and kindly pleasant blogger lovelies out there! ;)

Here Are The Award Rules:

It's given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks and 

let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love too!

Here Are My 5 Blog Picks:

1) Annie from Annie's Musings 
-is a lovely writer helping others find their love for writing. and her posts on college are NEVER boring.

2) Rachelle from Inspiring Daring 
 -is a dear writer friend and fellow She's Speaks gal. she writes and reads and breathes in fairytale's.

3) Sierra from Sierra's Booklist 
-is a young lady who reads voraciously and has such a kind heart.

4) Kristin from Image of the Invisible 
-is a woman who is honest and open about her trials through answering the Lord's call to be a missionary alongside her husband. i love seeing the other side of the world, and THE CALL, through her eyes

5) Meredith from Moments with Mere 

- is a totally candid and random young college lady. her posts always keep me guessing as to what i might read next.

So ladies, what are your blog picks?

I will live a story not my own

Source: weheartit.com via Sarah on Pinterest

                                                                 

    i've been quite silent.

     i've thought much and wondered long and cried hard. i've felt alone and beaten down by hurtful words. i've been trying to process my pain and stretch my wings out once more. to continue onward for the flight of my life.

     i've been restless and confused and trying to regain trust in the ones whom i so desperately love.

     i've been thinking about what a comfortable asphyxiation my life has become. i breathe comfortably, but never press myself onward enough. sigh. i am comfortable with the comfortable secure. i am asphyxiated by the commonplace nature of things.

     i don't persevere. i don't press myself because i am afraid that i will never possess what my heart truly longs for. what i daringly dream about day after day. i hold back because i strip myself down with ugly negativity talk. i don't let my heart breathe and become as deep as it could be.

then there is progress and light and hope. 

and love and joy and strength to be claimed.

       there's a reckless abandon coming about the restless bird.                              

                                            

the i want's start to emerge from my brain.

and dreams begin to live again in my puzzled heart.

                                   
     family bonds start to reconnect like cranial synapses that know their mind and their place, but they're unsure too. all the while they are in want. wanting desperately to know if they truly belong. they tread on choppy waters and pray they won't sink further in. they long to rebuild bridges broken and burned and seek to reclaim the white flag of peace once more.

     i find the courage to start penning my story that's been breathed alive. it's no longer dormant, but awake within. the words pile together clumsily as black font chaos becomes splattered over electric ivory paper. those little letters speak her voice aloud. finally words flow out of me. words breathed alive from a young woman i've never been. her story is not mine, but it hers to tell nonetheless, through my heart if she should but wish. i'm open. i'm listening. i'm hearing you, anna.

she will blossom with patient time.

words. writing. perseverance. throwing my fears out with the wind in the door. striving to brighten the gift of words that's been given to me to illuminate a story not my own. i will try. i will write. i will dream more. i will dedicate myself to this cause not all my own. God will write this story too. i give it over to Him. there it goes...sweet release.

           there are things that i find i am sure of, in these times of everything unsure.

i want to hear Him speak... so i must listen.

i want to write to tell the story not my own... and so i will wreathe thoughtss together and patiently wait for words to come about...not my own.
                                 
i want love to remain true and family bonds to strengthen rather than fade away ...and so i will keep holding on.

i want him to fight, to stand courageous, to better himself and to fall deeper in love with Christ... and so i hold Jared tighter in my heart than ever before by letting go and releasing my hold on him to HIM.

                           i want to find it within me, the place that holds the prose my life is meant to tell.

so i will 

                                        pray

so i will 

                                fight

so i will 

                                                let him go

so i will 

                                                          pen words not my own

so i will 

                                     persevere

so i will 

                                                            continue to live lively on

so i will                                 

                         open my hands and live abandoned

so i will...

ask the Great Author to pen my story day by day.
 and i will live a story not all my own.

{i'm joining in with emily wierenga's imperfect prose today for the first time}

living beyond compare

It's Five Minute Friday! 1) Write for 5 minutes. 2) Link up at The Gypsy Mama. 3) Leave a lovely encouraging comment for the person who linked up before yourself. Simple enough, right?  So here goes nothing!
.........................the writing prompt is......................................                                                          "Beyond"
GO!
I can live beyond myself. Sounds a little crazy, but I know that I can do it. I can't do it alone however. 
I need the One who is beyond all comprehension. I need the One who is more than enough. I need the One's loud whispered roars to weave within my life. It has to be all about the One to live beyond.
Lately I've had the idea planted in me that I can be a more-than type of woman. I can now see and understand why I am a more-than sister and am beyond compare. (Check out my more "more than" post on Faith In Between HERE)
When it seems like I'm stuck behind fences and like I'm not enough on my own...that I cannot possibly pass into the GREAT BEYOND...I find comfort in knowing that I am beyond normal. I am more than my quirks. I am more than my fears. I am more than my past. I am more than just a woman. I am more than me because of HIM. 
I am living presently and seeking to live beyond myself. The future lies in HIS hands and beyond myself. 
STOP!

Guest Post at Faith In Between

(image via pinterest)

Hello there blogger lovelies!

 I just wanted to let ya'll know that I had the wonderful opportunity to write a guest post for Faith In Between for their Wise Women Wednesday featured post this week. I'd love for you to go check out my post, and while you're at it make sure that you bookmark FIB because you're gonna want to read these wonderful ladies' blog especially if you are a twenty-something! 

Here's the link to the post:

We Are More

Happy Wednesday To You! 

Quotes for Writer's

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live." 

Joan Didion 

"Words are things. And the smallest drops of ink, falling like dew, upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions of people think." 

Lord George Gordon Byron

"Don't ask me about being a writer. If when you wake up in the morning, you can think of nothing but writing, then you're a writer." 

Rainer Maria Rilke

"The worst part is, writing is like Dementors. You can't give it the old one-two. Take a minute to step out of the ring, accept some chocolate from Lupin, and clear your head. Seriously, eat the chocolate. It isn't poisoned." 

My Writer Friend: Annie of annie's musings

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." 

E.L. Doctorow

"Becoming the reader is the essence of becoming a writer."

John O'Hara

"Read a lot, finding out what kind of writing turns you on, in order to develop a criterion for your own writing. And then trust it--and yourself."

Rosemary Daniell

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."

Robert Frost

"An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself." 
Charles Dickens

"We do not need more Christian writers. We need more good writers who are Christian."
C.S. Lewis

...on writing...

"You are unsure, as any good writer should be on the verge of stepping into storyland. When a writer is sure, spontaneity is squelched, dreaming abandoned, the life of the story exchanged for a shadow."
My Writer Friend: Rachelle of Inspiring Daring

The Phenomenal Phantom

It was in a word: Phenomenal

Jared and I arrived super early at the movie theatre this past Sunday after we went to Church (we got to hear Alex McFarland speak that morning.) So we just looked around for a bit before heading into the theatre, which was the nicest one I'd ever been into. I mean they served popcorn alongside wine for goodness sake!

After checking out all of the interesting movie posters for movie Classics like 'The Thing' plastering the concrete walls within the theatre we decided that even though we were still really early for the show that we'd go ahead and stake out our claim on some seats. Oh, and those were some awesome plushy seats I must say! They reclined back and had excellent lumbar support. ;) 

There were only a handful of people there surprisingly. I think Jared and I were like 2 out of 10 people that were there. The ones who weren't there obviously didn't know what they were missing out on because the 25th anniversary production of The Phantom of the Opera was THE BEST thing I've ever seen! Hands down.

Sierra and Karimloo

Ramin (The Phantom) and Sierra (Christine) were both just so wonderful and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the DVD version of the 25th anniversary production sometime next year. I cannot wait to watch the passion unfold once more. The Phantom of the Opera is the most beautiful high romance story/musical ever! Honestly, the word EPIC doesn't even cover it!

Everything about the production was phantastic! The actors. The voices. The orchestra. The makeup and wardrobe. The story. The staged scenery. The lighting. Albert Hall. The wonderfully haunting music. They showed a short documentary on the history of The Phantom of The Opera and the making of the musical  before the live performance even started. While I knew most everything about the history and all of the little factoids that they were telling us about The Phantom (since I am a total Phantard and all) I still loved every minute of it! Jared was literally entranced during the documentary which totally made my heart melt. (Don't tell him I said that, okay!?) The after show was super amazing too.

I could just go on and on about this all day long! Sigh.

L-R: Sarah Brightman (the original Christine), Michael Crawford (the original Phantom), Sierra Boggess (Christine Daae) and Ramin Karimloo (the current Phantom)

I don't want to spoil the after show for you if you are going to watch this production when it comes out on DVD, but if you really wanna know what happened Google it or send me an e-mail, okay? I nearly cried.

So let me show you what some of the actors from the performance looked like, okay?

Here's The Love Triangle Below:


THE PHANTOM 

'The Phantom (Erik)' played by Ramin Karimloo

I must admit something. I kind of have a mini crush on Ramin Karimloo now. 

Yes, I sure do. Just look at him! ^^

L-R: Marius (Nick Jonas) and Enjolras (Ramin Karimloo)

He has also played the role of 'The Phantom (Erik)' in Love Never Dies as well as the role of 'Enjolras' in the 25th anniversary production of Les Miserables.

Christine Daae

'Christine' played by Sierra Boggess

The Phantom (Ramin Karimloo) and Christine (Sierra Boggess)

Sierra as 'Ariel'

This girl has some seriously finely tuned Soprano pipes and she is just b e a u t i f u l!
She has played the roles of Christine Daae/Christine De Changy in POTO and Love Never Dies as well as the role of 'Ariel' in the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid.

Raoul De Changy

'Raoul' played by Hadley Fraser

Christine (Sierra Boggess) and Raoul (Hadley Fraser)

'Grantaire' played by Hadley Fraser


He has also played the roles of Grantaire and Javert in Les Miserables.

Speaking of Les Miz. Jared and I went to Barnes & Noble after we saw The Phantom live and I ended up buying the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Live Concert DVD. Yes, we watched two great musicals in one day! It was Phabulous! Jared actually loved both of the musicals, surprisingly. I am so thankful for my guy! He took me on the best date ever! He was even so sweet as to let me nerdily ramble on about all of the musicals I love so dearly for the whole day! =)

Now, how about you. Did you go see musical history in the making as well?