90 Days to Your Novel: Week 4

The updates are coming in slower than I'm actually writing them. This is a good thing. I'm flying on this novel, whereas on my first one, it took me months to get my thoughts in order. So thank you, Sarah Domet!

So here I am talking about the 4th week. This is a brainstorming week. The assignment was to come up with my favorite moments as a child, my biggest fears, biggest upsets, and most embarrassing times. I also added the most annoying things. I thought those tidbits might come in handy later on in this novel.

Below are my lists: 

Favorite:

·      Petting Jingles in the enclosed porch in the west Mayfield House

·      Eating watermelon with Ginger on her porch

·      Swinging

·      Riding bikes to the playground alone for the first time

·      Playing release with neighbor kids

·      Hanging out in the woods / eating wild blueberries and strawberries

·      Swinging on the rope swing

·      Finding a bunny at the end of a rope for Easter

·      Swimming in Nan’s pool

·      Riding horses with friends

·      Riding my bike to friend's houses

·      Sitting under the bridge over the train tracks

·      Singing with Julie and playing in the covered bridge

·      Dancing with John

·      Dancing at the college hill dances

·      Singing in the rain with Julie / splashing in puddles

·      Spending the night at a friend's house

·      Staying up late

·      Playing Santa for Lawny

·      Hiding Easter eggs / coloring them

·      Pushing Pap-pap in his wheelchair/getting rides

·      Shopping with mom, nan, & lawny

· 8th-grade graduation in that favorite black & white dress

·      Holding baby brothers

·      Trying out for cheerleading / making the team

·      Becoming head cheerleader

·      Joining the fire department as a junior volunteer

·      Kissing / flirting with older boys

·      Art class with Mr. Gayle

·      Swimming in gym class

·      Lunch with friends

·      Football games/basketball & games/cheering for the team

·      Field trips / Niagara Falls

·      Road trip and staying up late with dad

·      Playing with cousins / falling asleep wherever

·      Lifeguarding at the lake

·      Kissing Jason in my white bathing suit

·      Long talks at night on the phone/dreaming

·      Going to parties/sneaking around with beer

·      Reading Melanie Rawn/learning more about sex

·      Hanging out with the twins

·      Going to the Zoo

·      Playing ouija board at sleepovers

·      Hanging out at Eat-n-park / playing with a ketchup bottle

·      Hanging out at Jim’s barn/playing card games and drinking

·      Training horses with one of the trainers for barrel racing

Biggest Fears

·Tornadoes/wind/blowing stuff around

·      Dad losing his temper

·      Grandparents dying

·      Sharks

·      Moving away from friends

·      Losing my friends

·      Not getting to go to college

·      Boyfriend cheating

·      Pet dying

·      Getting caught drinking

·      Friends finding out we were on government cheese

·      Shopping at Walmart

·      Never having enough money

·      Dad finding out I dated someone of color

·      Dad finding out I had sex

·      Getting pregnant

Biggest Upsets

·      Losing the game when I was pitching

·      Not making the varsity cheerleading team

·      Getting a bad grade

·      Backstabbed by best friend

·      Moving away from best friend

·      Team losing in Hershey

·      Dumped and changed all my friends

·      Registering for college then being told I couldn’t go

·      Finding out a rich uncle wanted to pay for me to go to art school, and parents turned it down

·      Not finishing my easter egg for the contest in time

·      Not getting to graduate 4^th grade due to chicken pox

·      Best friendship ends with dating Bryan

·      Finding a teddy bear and note in boyfriend’s room from another girl

Most Embarrassing Moments

·      Pants pulled down my uncle at thanksgiving with all the family there

·      Putting clothes on layaway at Kmart

·      Watching Chucky dance naked, and his mom caught us

·      Farting in front of a boy I liked

·      Crashing my 10 speed with a boy I liked

·      Saying “your fat friend’s here” when the car was going back out the driveway, and she was already in the house

·      Having to deliver papers to the senior classrooms/tripping and getting whistled at and clapped for

·      Getting pushed to the ground by someone I thought was my friend / other kids seeing it

·      Being dumped in the recycle bin by Eddie

·      John kissing me at college hill in front of everyone

·      Getting caught smoking by mom

·      Dad told me every bad word he could think of when I was going into 5^th grade, so I wouldn’t say them

·      The sex talk with both parents

·      Talking to my parents about birth control

·      Boys taking pictures in the girl's bathroom when we were changing

·      Boob falling out of bathing suit when diving

·      Falling all the way down at the gas station

·      Falling off a horse

·      Being seen naked by a parent

·      Jack walking in on me and Clara stuffing our bras

·      Jack walking in on me changing – top naked

·      Mom freaking out on me in front of a friend

Annoying Things

·      People who whistle

·      Food stuck in teeth

·      Coffee breath

·      Loud nose blowing

·      Burping

·      Hangnails

·      Paint chips off nails

·      Someone who can’t allow silence

·      Kicking the back of the chair in a movie theatre/airplane

·      Muscle spasms

·      Hiccups

·      Allergy eyes

·      Gunk in the corners of eyes

·      Pee on toilet seats

·      Cracked dry feet in yoga class

·      People who pay money to have great hair cuts and color but never actually do their hair

·      People who push alcohol / let me drink my water without the peer pressure

·      Men with long fingernails / especially sharp thumbnails

·      Fingernails with tons of designs and bling

·      Moms dressing like their tween daughters

· oily-smelling hair

·      people that complain but never do anything different

·      the smell of dog food

·      someone who cleans up as soon as they are done with the last bite / can’t even take a second to breathe / overly organized

·      squeaky doors

·      locks on cars that don’t open

·      super muggy days

·      mosquitoes / itchy bites

·      biting flies

·      dropping red wine on white pants

·      bangs too short that fall into my eyes

·      band aides floating in a pool

·      hairballs

·      smokers who flick their butts like it’s not garbage

·      old men who blow their nose in restaurants

·      when fingers swell so rings can’t come off

·      wind blowing balloons

·      high-pitched cackling

·      someone who sings the wrong words to a song

·      underwear that rides up

·      having to shave

·      bubble gum snapping

·      people who chew with their mouths open

·      people who don’t take pride in what they have

·      teachers giving too much homework

   

   

What I learned:

  This assignment brought me back to those feelings as a child and teen that you are different, that people are always judging you, and that things are impossible. 

  I closed my eyes and put myself back in time. I could see my school. I could hear my friends. I could feel my embarrassment or sadness. To write from true feelings is to allow others a glimpse of your true self. It will resonate with people.

  Now I chose to write from the child I was, and not the adult I am because I write for children. I need to be in touch with the feelings from that time period in my life. 

  I suggest if you write for adults, you come up with lists that capture the age of your main character, or narrator. 

  I enjoyed this assignment so much. And I know that I will use these lists for future stories I will tell. 

  Good luck! 

  Write~on

 Angie