Thanksgiving: It's the Little Things

It's Thanksgiving. It's the day where everyone posts pictures of family and food and says what they're thankful for. And today is a day that I'm struggling to be thankful. It's been a hard year. Should I really give thanks for all the pain that's come my way? Then I remember I'm a writer. And just like a book, life comes in chapters. True, this chapter isn't my favorite. BUT. I am breathing. I can see. I can hear. I can taste. I can touch. I can smell. I can use every limb of my body. I have two parents and they are still married. I have friends who care about me. I have a job. I have the ability to go to college. I have a Savior who died for me. It is in moments like this where God reminds me that it's the little things. I do have so much to be thankful for. I can be thankful for the amazing chapters, and the mediocre ones, and the painful ones because they're just chapters. They are not my whole story. I have a life that is being woven into a story more beautiful than I could ever imagine, and I am thankful.

Get To Know Me Tag

Thanks to one of my blogger friends to doing this tag so I could do it!

Here's an info dump about me.........never mind that info dumps are a big no in writing.

VITAL STATS


Full Name: Clarissa Joy Mosemann

Nickname: Clare

Birthday: June 13, 1999  (I was born in a different century!)

Place of Birth: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Star Sign: not into that stuff

Occupation: receptionist and college student


APPEARANCE

Hair color: Brown

Hair length: almost to my hips

Eye color: Brown

Best feature: my eyes (according to my own opinion)

Braces: thank heavens those days are over

Piercings: 1 in each ear

Tattoos: None

Righty or lefty: righthanded



FIRSTS

Best Friend: Abigail Hodges. 13 years later, she's still my best friend.

Award: I'm going to guess the little trophy I got for soccer when I was 7.

Sport: Soccer. That was very short lived

Real Holiday: Fourth of July? Thanksgiving if you're going for the first big holiday.

Concert: Steven Curtis Chapman in Orlando when I was like 8 or something.


FAVORITES

Film: The Chronicles of Narnia series

TV Show: ummmm......Star Trek Voyager

Color: Black

Song: don't ask me to do the impossible

Restaurant: hmm. Panera Bread

Shop: Ross?

Books: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover

Shoes: My black heeled boots


CURRENTLY

Feeling: A mixture of depressed and happy. Don't ask me how that's possible. It just is.

Single or Taken? Single

Eating: Nothing, but I just finished a mint

Thinking about: something too personal to share

Watching: um, nothing since I'm writing this blog post

Wearing: black jeans, ribbed maroon shirt, and my black jacket


FUTURE

Want kids? HECK YES. (please someone comment about this)

Want to be married? Absolutely

Career in mind: Author

Where you want to live: Fresno?


DO YOU BELIEVE IN

God: Absolutely. I still will never be able to fathom how people look at this world and don't think there is a God.

Miracles: Yes

Love at First Sight: No. I believe in attraction at first sight, but not love

Ghosts: No

Aliens: other than people who like math? No

Soul mates: Sort of

Heaven: Yes

Hell: Yes

Kissing on the First Date: HECK NO

Yourself: It's a journey. Some days yes, some days no



Comment below!
~Clarissa

How's the Writing Going?

This post was stolen off of my friend's blog, and I thank her (she knows who she is). This post is supposed to be for NaNoWriMo, but since I'm not doing NaNo, it'll just be about my current novels. Oh yeah, you read that right. You get to hear about both of them.


     Overall, how's your mental state and how is your novel going?

Shadows: I'm rather frustrated that I am not writing this one very much, and also frustrated because I just want to get to the climax and I want things to happen and my characters to get what they want but so much stuff has to happen before I can write those things. UGH. So the novel isn't going great, because it's not exactly going right now. #busy

The Blood Oath: Still as much in love with this book as the day my friend and I started writing it. I am so excited to finish it, but I know I'm also going to be sad because you can never get back the experience of writing your first draft. But it's going pretty good. My friend and I write about once a week, and we usually write around 1,500 to 2,000 words a session.


     What's your first sentence (or paragraph)? 

Shadows: "I scream, and keep screaming as they drag Jacob away."

The Blood Oath: "Esterlyn's breath came hard and fast as her feet flew over the sand."

     Who's your current favorite character in your novel?

Shadows: Ugh, so hard to choose! But I guess I'm going to have to go with Kent. He's so quiet, and mysterious, and handsome, and deep. I love him so much.

The Blood Oath: Esterlyn. Duh. I mean Hanilov is great too, but Esterlyn is my sweet, fierce, passionate, beautiful, strong, vulnerable and amazing heroine.


     What do you love about your novel so far?

Shadows: I love writing in first person as Lila and getting into her messy tangle of a head that is very much like mine. I love writing those moments between her and someone else #spoilers I love the web of secrets and the plot twists that I'm building up to. I can't wait!!

The Blood Oath: I love #spoilers. I love writing it with my friend. I love #spoilers. Haha sorry, but I can't ruin anything!


     Have you made any hilarious typos?

Shadows: No, but I have written something else entirely different than what I wanted to because i was either listening to or thinking about something else.

The Blood Oath: oh my word yes. I was writing about a character and I meant to say they shifted but instead I wrote shited and I cracked up so hard!!! (that's the s word in Scotland).


     What's your favorite to write: beginning, middle, or end? Why?

The beginning because it's the start of a grand adventure. But also the end because you're finishing it (!!!) and that last sentence is just so indescribably amazing to write.


     What are your writing habits? Do you have a specific snack? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best?

I don't usually eat while I'm writing, but if I am, it's always bite sized stuff like skittles, chocolate chips, chips because I like to keep something in my mouth. I don't usually listen to music, but a lot of times I do for a "big scene" or if I feel particularly writerish and cozy. Ironically, I'm listening to music right now. As for a time of day, I feel like afternoon or evening.


     How private are you about your novel when you're writing it?

Not private at all. I have an email list that is sent my work chapter by chapter. The exception has been The Blood Oath because all that's been released from that is a synopsis and a teaser scene.


      What keeps you writing when it's hard?

The knowledge that this is what I'm meant to do, and that it's the only thing that's going to make me happy all the time. It's how I deal with life and I need it. It's how I'm going to bring the light that is so desperately needed in this world.


     Top 3 pieces of writing advice?

#1. Write what you're afraid of. Write about those things that nobody wants to write about. Write about your fears. Write about your wounds and your scars.

#2. Write when you are not inspired to. I once saw a quote that said "inspiration is for amateurs." Sound harsh? It's true. You must write when you don't want to or don't feel like it. It will make you a better writer, and I promise that 99% of the time, amazing things come when you push yourself. That other 1% of the time, just take the break. You must need it.

#3. Don't compare yourself to other writers. Only you can write like you. Sure, read things and gain insight and lessons from that writing, but don't put yourself down in the process.

~Clarissa