A penny for your thoughts?

We've turned ourselves into machines.
Race and religion and creative thought are detected as viruses we shut down without a second thought.
We fear the things that make us unique. We are so utterly desperate to fit into the mold of what society deems acceptable that we neglect the idea of being our own person. We would rather conform than strive. Surviving has become a priority over living.
What do we have to look forward to if we're all the same?
Media and public figures preach that we find love for ourselves and be the person we want to be, but if we don't fit into the idea of what it means to have self love and the "perfect body" we're shamed. We're put down and picked apart and dissected until the very idea of trying to break the social norm makes us sick to our stomach.
Who wants to live in a world where they can't where they want or listen to a certain type of music or think a certain way without being profiled and stereotyped?
When did we become so fixated on labels and categories that we forgot what it meant to have freedom of expression?
Sure, we can scream and yell and claim that we support the idea of self image and body positive thinking, but is it the truth? Or are we covering for the deep seeded  reality that we can't stand the fact that people just may be different?
Differences are what make us beautiful.
Conformity never will be.

Green

“What’s your favorite color?” He whispered behind me, his fingers gently combing through my hair.

“Green.”

“What’s green like?”

My heart tightened in my chest. He would never truly know what green is. It would always only be a figment of his imagination, put together by what others said. He would never know what the waves looked like as they crashed against the shore. Or be able to see the beauty of a setting sun.

“Green is…green is nature. Green is jealousy and greed. Green is money and trees and fresh cut grass. Green is….home.”

I looked into his eyes, his emerald irises staring off, seeing nothing.

“To me, green is love.”

Writing Quotes

All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.

J. K. Rowling

The most difficult and complicated part of the writing process is the beginning.

A. B. Yehoshua

More Prompts And Ideas

Still struggling with starting off or simply COMING UP with a new story? I have some more prompts here to help give you the swift kick you need.

1."Drugs may kill you," I said, looking deep into her eyes. "But they never break your heart."

2. "You're stepping over the line." He said.

    "Then don't draw one." I replied. 

3. "I took 20 shots of vodka because I wanted to forget your name, but the only name I forgot was mine. And it turns out, either when I am drunk or sober, you're the only thing that's on my mind."

4."A tiger can't change its stripes." He whispered in my ear. 

5."For every sin, there's a price."

6. "Why do you wear polka dots on Tuesdays?"

    "Why do you wear white on Sundays?" I shot back.

7. "The war is in my mind." I didn't dare look up to meet his gaze. "And the battle scars line my skin."

8. "I'd rather walk through hell than be held up on a pedestal, sitting on a throne of lies." Her eyes blazed with an intensity I have never seen before. "I'd rather be alone than spend my days pretending something's real when it is nothing more than playing make believe."

I hope this prompts have helped guide you along the writing path you were looking for! Soon I will be posting a writing contest. Get your pens ready and a competitive spirit! The race will be on, and on,y one can win!

Look Around You

If you are having trouble writing the start of your next story -or maybe you don't know where to go with your current one- look around you. Life is full of inspiration. Did you recently go through a bad break up? Use that. Did something great happen at school? There you go!
The point is, if you really pay attention to what is around you there is inspiration. They key is to search it out.
For example, when I grew up in Arkansas, my grandparents live in this tiny little blue house on the corner of the street. To this day, I pretty much always find a way to use that very house in my stories.
Your life can be the most inspirational thing if you look close enough.

10 Novel-Writing Tips

Found this gem on pinterest this morning and couldn't NOT share it with you all. Hope you find it useful.

Write Like You

As a teen writer, a lot of the time I feel like the works I write are a reflection of the talents of others. After reading The Mortal Instruments, I was determined to figure a way for me to write comfortably. After the Hunger Games and Divergent, I was dead set on writing a thrilling, action packed romance. After Fangirl and The Fault In Our Stars, I was more than ready to write a love story that had the ability to bring you to tears and break your heart. Eventually I had to settle into what I want to write and what I am GOOD at writing. I want to write from my heart, not that of the authors who inspire me and so many others. Don't get me wrong - I would take a bullet for a few mad geniuses who have brought us some of the most amazing literary masterpieces - but I want people to read my things and connect them to me as a person and as an author, not someone else. I want to being people to tears and crack them up by MY WORDS. That's what I have always wanted. If you want to write, let it come from your heart. Show everyone just who you are by the words you share. Let them see who you are, what you represent,

Books,and Writing, and Blogs,Oh my!

E.L. Doctorow once said, "Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." With writing, you can do anything. Be anything. You can go as far as your mind allows you to. Nothing is off limits. Want to be a wizard who turns into a mermaid when they touch water? Go for it! Want to live in a castle in the middle of a volcano? Why not! Want to talk to animals and curse the jerks at school? I believe in you!
The point is, writing has no limitations. YOU have the power to create anything. You could go from fighting demons in a cave somewhere in the middle of Europe to drinking tea with the Queen in Buckingham Palace in a matter of pages. It's your world. All of the choices are in your hands. You are both the source of creation and destruction.
There is no good or bad time to write. Just sit down and let your words bleed onto the paper until you have what you're looking for. You may not always get it right on the first try, but the more you write, the better you will be.