So Close to the Shelves, You Can't See the Books.

     A couple days ago, my family took a weekend vacation to go to a wedding. We went to a movie, went to a mall, walked various places, and ate at various places, and just generally enjoyed not doing anything. On our drive home, we stopped at a massive Half-Price Books. (I thought I heard it was the largest in the world, but that seems pretty ridiculous so I might be wrong.) Anyway, it was really big. No five stories or anything, just one story but it went out for a long time.
     I loved going there. I walked in, and there were hundreds of books. Everywhere. New friends waiting to be met over on this side. New worlds waiting to be explored on this side. I know, I know. I sound like one of those book nuts, right? Well, that's what I am, aren't I? :D I practically went bounding through the shelves looking for anything that peeked my interest.
     One section caught my eye: Christian Fiction. 'Hmm, cool! I think I'll go look at that.' So, I went over. As I do in any section, I start at one end and start scanning titles. If I title catches my interest, I pull the book out. If the cover picture and synopsis catch my interest, I write the name and author on the little notepad in my purse that I always have with me. This is to look them up on Amazon or the library when I get home, or to add to my ever growing list of 'books to read.'
     Anyway, so I'm scanning through titles, and I very soon discover something. Literally fifty percent of the books in the section are Amish romances. I was immediately disappointed. I kept skimming through the section for a little while but just kept stumbling over more of the same thing, and I got discouraged and gave up. Yep, I went to the secular section with far more interesting novels.
     Honestly, it disappointed me that so much of Christian fiction is Amish romances. Hey, you want to write a book about the Amish? That's cool! I'm all good with that. You want to make it a romance? Go for it! I might read it one day; who knows? But does the majority of Christian fiction have to be romance? Does it have to be Amish? Is the only way we can convey Christian theology (and I'm not saying whether the Amish have it right or not) is through showing a culture that is completely isolated from the world? Jesus calls us to go out into the world, to minister and evangelize, to try and touch every life we can for God. Can we do that if we're sitting in our special counties, trying to remain separate?
     Another point, do so many of these books need to be romances? Now guys, I am as big a fan of romance novels as anybody. Not icky romance novels, no Fifty Shades of Grey or anything like it. But a good novel with a heavy enough dose to be considered in the romance genre? Let me at it. And, I'm all for Christian romances because we need some healthy romance novels on the market. Still, why do so many Christian books have to be "romances." Is that the only way we can appeal to the market?
     I read a book a year or two ago called Yearbook by Allyson Braithwraite Condie. It was definitely religious fiction, but it was Mormon. I didn't chuck the book; actually, it's still on my shelf upstairs. The plot covered many different high-schoolers; all in the 15/16/17 age range, and all interconnected with the other characters. Some of the kids were dealing with moving, some with family issues, some with image problems, some with break ups, and all with religious struggles. And you know how they fixed their problems? Not by finding their inner strength or getting a gf/bf. They turned to their religion.
     Granted, the intricacies of what they believe are wrong. They would quote the Bible and the Book of Mormon in the same sentence. Still, you have no idea how refreshing it was to read a book about modern kids with real problems who solve or sometimes only begin to solve (which is sometimes more realistic) all of their issues through faith! Yes, there were a few couples in the novel, but it wasn't a romance book. These kids were not closeting themselves but were trying to evangelize their friends as well as prepare for missionary-like trips. It was an excellent book, in my opinion, not from Shakespeare-like vocabulary or underlying symbolism, but because it was real. This is how religion functions in our everyday lives. Let's write a book about it.
     Why can't Christian fiction writers be brave and really get books out that aren't romances? Why can't we really pack them with our beliefs and show how Christians of today interact with the Lord on an everyday and personal level? How we depend on him for our livelihood, for our joy, for our salvation? Wouldn't you want to read a book like that? I would! If I enjoyed it in a Mormon setting, I know I'd love it from an angle that I can relate to.
     Being a writer, I've begun to think about how my opinions relate to myself. As a Christian, I've pondered over the question of "Should Christian writers only write Christian books?" My opinion is a no. I feel that nowhere am I required to write purely Christian fiction. I think that I am called to reach people, and if my talent is writing, than I need to reach people through writing. A lot of people can be turned off when they see a book is talking about God. So, maybe you never specify the religious relationship. Maybe the main character isn't a believer but a friend is. I mean, you can do all kinds of things.
     To me, we need healthy, good, enjoyable literature out in the world for people to read. There are more people than me who want to pick up a book without worrying how much language or "smut" is contained inside. So, if I write a novel that has no mention of God, but has a strong family unit, high morals, and stuff like that...Someone could say, "Hey, that was a good book. I wonder what else she's written." And then they might find the book I've written that does go in the Christina Fiction section. And through really both books, I have reached them. (Of course, this all depends on me writing a lot of books. haha!) But still, I think you get my meaning.       
     Anyway, I thought about posting a facebook status about this...but as you can see it would be an eensy-weensy bit too long. So, I decided it should go up here. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts about anything in this post.

Have a great day! :)

Libraries

I think Libraries are underrated places. Books are underrated themselves, but people keep pushing them, which is good. However, we're getting more digital books, and Libraries are starting to sink into "the corrupt sands of commerce"--You've Got Mail.
I know a ton of kids don't use libraries. Even in my homeschooling circle I find so many kids who've only ever used a library for required school research. *gasp* HOW? I want to beg of them. I love libraries. They're this big cove filled with shelves and shelves of mysteries. Upon opening some of the boxes, you're met with boredom, junk, or interesting things at another time, but every once and awhile you find a treasure. I know; right now I'm being all cliché and tacky...but I do love libraries.
It's no different than bookstores in my opinion. I walk into Barnes and Noble, and aside from the coffee smell which makes me happy, I get kind of giddy thinking of how many unknown books I'm going to discover in the next hour. Seriously, when you take me into Barnes and Noble, I just walk through shelves, pulling out random books and reading the backs. Usually, I come home with about 4 new books I want to put on my "to-read" list.
Currently, I am still hacking my way through the Amazon jungle known as the novel Les Miserables, and I'm getting rather sick of it. I'm actually getting rather sick of just forcing myself to read it. It never ENDS!!!!! However, one of my friends just recently finished it, giving me hope that I can indeed accomplish the task I started about two years ago.
No matter, that's the book I'm in the middle of, but I've been waiting for Nicholas Sparks' book Safe Haven  to come in at the library. It was taking forever, and I was getting really tired of waiting because I kind of boycotted Les Mis till I got it. So, I didn't read a thing yesterday. So sad. But, today I went to the library, and they had my book and the CDs I requested; and I was super happy. Yay for libraries! I hope they never go out of style.

"Heaven help us, if the library caught on fire, and the volunteer hose brigades-man, had to whisper the news to Maaaaaaaaarian." -- The Music Man

Everyone is an Artist

What is an artist, exactly? The first thought might lead you to paint, thick strokes of green on a bumpy sheet of canvas. Or perhaps your mind took you to the concert stage, the sound booth, or the stacks of CDs on your bookshelves.

But then you're reminded to think in more general terms. Well then...I suppose people in the arts: the painters, the musicians, the dancers, the photographers, the writers, the actors.  But is that all? Is that where the term 'artist' stops? Only someone being involved in the arts? I say, no.

Everyone is an artist, in my opinion. I don't mean that in the way that everyone has the potential to write a poem or sing a song or dance to Tchaikovsky. No, everyone is an artist now! The term applies to everyone, currently, in exactly what they're doing. 

The chef who places the spring of mint on the left of the pastry instead of the right. The architect that slants the roof to this degree versus that degree. The room designer that wants a country feel. The weaver that has a whole box of red yarn beside her. They are all artists. 

To me, artistry is creation. If you can make something, then you're an artist. The home cook who pours the soup into one big serving dish. The engineer organizing steel beams to fit together. The teenager rearranging her room for the fifth time. And Grandma, as she knits that sweater for her ugly dog. All of these are artists. They have the drive, the ability, and the creativity to make something. 

I've been thinking about this subject a little lately. As a writer, I consider myself an artist. I might not consciously state it to myself, but if I were to think about it, I would say I was an artist. I write stories; I create. I am an artist. And you know what, so are you. You don't have to be holding a camera or a baton or a brush...you can be sitting at home making an EXCEL spread sheet. Because think about it, didn't you have to figure out which colors were going to be allotted to which categories, and what columns things were directed into? 

Enjoy the rest of your day! :)

With Speech Note Cards In Front of Me...

As I sit here with Disney music playing off of youtube and my speech note card in front of me (that I'm supposed to be working on), I think about how today is April 30th! The last day of April means that finals are just around the corner. This week is actually my last week of classes, and finals will hit the week after that. Spanish on Mon, Brit Lit on Tues, Biology on Wed, and Speech on Thurs. Yup, and then I'm done! Done with freshman year! Done with lonestar (except for a possible summer class, if it makes). Oh, I wore my HBU shirt today. :) It's all very exciting.

Today's going to be a bit of a fun day. Mom and I are going out as soon as she comes home from getting Dad's truck detailed. We're going to the mall, the movies, and who knows where else. :) I'm looking forward to it. Not really any homework to do today...except those speech note cards still sitting in front of me. Haha!

Oh, I am revising one of my novels at the moment: Elsewhere. It's at 52,8...and something words. Once I push it up to 60,000 I'm making a trip to Office Depot. Print. Print. Print. Fold. Stuff. Lick. Seal. Stamp. Mail! Yes, I'm going to take the Writer's Plunge. I'm sending off my first book to a publishing company called Shadow Mtn. Publishing. I've read several books that they've printed, and I like all of them. The style of site seems friendly and for some reason, it's constantly in my mind when I think about submitting. So, I'm gonna do it, as soon as the ticker at the bottom of my screen reads 60,000.

Well, that's about it. Not much going on except the usual. School. Books. TV. Family. Friends. Life. Yeah, that's how it goes. Well, speech note cards are staring me in the face...and Mom just walked in. Haha! So long till next time.

LOTR is most definitely Terrifical!

I personally love Lord of the Rings and the memes people match up with them are hilarious. This picture is often used, but I found this one especially funny since it's exactly how I feel. :D 

Have a Terrifical Tuesday!

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Hola, everyone! I've been submersed in Spanish lately...actually, I'm usually submersed in Spanish so sometimes it just comes out. 

My world has been flipping itself around quite a bit, lately. Some changes are important, others are exciting, and one is just...well, sad. Very, very sad. Keep reading. :D

Change #1: My whole plan this semester has been to take the summer off from school, continue on at Lonestar in the fall, and transfer to HBU in the spring semester. About two weeks ago, the world flipped. ;) I had a meeting with a faculty member at HBU. It has now been so ordered by the Pope (a family nickname for Dad) that I have the ability to go to HBU in the fall semester. :D I am super excited and looking forward to a whole new experience of new teachers, new friends, and joining another Kelly kid tradition. 

Change #2: Tonight, I had an egg salad sandwich...and I liked it. What? You are not gasping in shock? Clearly you were not around for the 18 years of my life in which I heavily disliked egg salad. I think it all has to do with the amount of mayonnaise. I didn't put a lot in this time; I think it's kind of like milk in cereal. A little is actually good. Too much? Ick-wick!   

Change #3: A few days ago I was hit with a shocking reality that disturbed my mind almost as much as the time I found out Goofy is supposed to be a dog. Quite traumatic, I assure you. Well, this truth? Some of those call-in radio programs on the radio? Some of them are taped! Taped! They lied to me! Every night when Delilah says, "We're here with you tonight," it is a lie. She's not actually there. Another childhood fantasy dashed. 

Annnnyway, so that's what's been going on with me lately. Hope you all are doing stupendous! 

The Toast of Life

As I was making toast for myself this morning, I decided to write a blog post.

Today, Mom and I are driving down to HBU so I can speak with an adviser about my degree. You see, HBU is changing their degree plans over the summer and guess what they're introducing? A creative writing major! I couldn't be happier. It'll will be so nice to just be able to focus down into that specifically and also be able to tell people I'm a creative writing major instead of an English major. English majors are just asked. "Oh, so you want to teach?"

I'm going to repaint my room. I've selected green and found two really light, pretty greens that I like. I'm going to paint some drywall and put it in my room to see how the colors work with everything. Then I shall decide. Also trying to figure out what else I want to do in my room. I know a few things: where I want to put certain books, some things I want to put away, but the biggest problem is what I want most in my room. I want pictures, both prints as well as photographs. I want an area where I can just tack up photo upon photo of my friends and I. And, I'm at a loss how to do that. Maybe I should go search Pintrest for some ideas. ;)

Oh, and I wanted to share a verse with you that I read in my morning quiet-time; it really stuck out at me. Psalm 72: 18--"Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things." That's a pretty amazing verse when you consider it. Everything the Lord does is wondrous. The 75th person He healed was no more miraculous than the 1st. He is wondrous and everything He does is wondrous. :)

By the way, to explain the quote on the side, I had a quote from Kate and Leopold about toast that I wanted to post, but it's way too long and there's a word that I don't want to include on this blog. Haha! So, while scrolling through the quote section on IMDb for the movie, I found this one. It was just too funny not to share.