BrainBook 2: Kiwis and Things

After a really hectic week, it was nice to go through my second BrainBook again in order to pick out some things for you guys to see. If I'm being honest, this was probably my favorite one to write because it was the thing that gave me hope after the whole Stage Crew ordeal. It forced me to focus on my dreams and on my stories, and honestly? If it weren't for BrainBook 2, a lot of interesting ideas I had would have been lost. This BrainBook is filled with optimism and it was here that I started analyzing writing as a craft that produced a book as its art. The summer before my senior year, I needed something to keep me hopeful, to keep me going. And between God, my little sister, searching within myself, and writing, I was able to make it through okay. Instead of talking again, I'm just going to post a BUNCH of pictures. Feel free to ask me questions about anything you see and be sure to look for the Commenting on Comments section if you left a response on the last post.
EDITED TO ADD: I've also been adding the Table of Contents so you can see what other pages I haven't included. If you want to see those, just ask! And if they're not too private, personal, or AWESOME BLOSSOM as my sister would say, I'll gladly snap a pic and show it. :)

Lots of love,
Deserae

Commenting on Comments

Sonal- Thank you, my dear, for thinking my taste in music is lovely! I like songs that have something to say. Usually, positive things, so I hope you love the groups as much as I do--- most of their music is equally amazing. :) Love ya much, and I ADORED your latest post. How inspiring, Love; thank you so much for sharing.

Music To My Ears

It's one of those days. One of those, "I have so much to do, but I'm not doing ANYTHING" kind of days. You know what helps me through those? Music. Oh sweet, sweet music--- how I love you so.

I've been up to things. SECRET things. SECRETY SECRET things that I want to (and have already) blab(bed) about because that's just the way I am. But music? It keeps me sane. It keeps me cool calm and collected. So here is some of the stuff I've been listening to, and as always, it'd be awesome if you checked out the artist and supported them if you like them!

1. All things "The Lighthouse and the Whaler"
You guys, I'm obsessed. I absolutely LOVE this group. My favorite songs of theirs are "White Days," "Windows," "The Stars and the Trees," "Under Mountain Under Ground," and "Always for You," but AGH! I love ALL OF THE THINGS! Here's one of their songs. Since I've already shared, "White Days," I'll pick a different one. If you like them, you can buy their album here. :)

2. "Bloom" by The Paper Kites
Keeping true to my love of folksy music, I find The Paper Kites truly magical, ESPECIALLY with this song. It's beautiful, whimsical, and they're an awesome group. You can tell they have fun making music together and seriously, their love for it shows when you listen to their stuff. If you like it, you can buy it here!

3. "Better Life" by Paper Route
Haha! I adore this song. It's different than the stuff they put out for their Absence album, but in a good way. It's... It's so optimistic and bouncy I honestly believe everything they say. I'm like, "YEAH! That's right!" Haha! Seriously, I jam to this song. :) If you like it, you can buy it here.

So hopefully those songs make your day progressively better. If not, I blame my love for folk music. If so, yay! I blame my love for folk music! Haha! Have a wonderful day you guys!

Love,
Deserae

Commenting on Comments

Rose- You're welcome, and I'm glad you're going to start a BrainBook of your own! You're right. A BrainBook isn't a boring journal. It's a chance to get down all of your ideas and a CHALLENGE to write more, to push yourself daily, weekly, or whenever the urge strikes you, to write SOMETHING. Hurray for the BrainBook! And good luck on your journey to becoming a better writer! It'll happen. Practice, though, makes (nearly) perfect. :) 

Snapshot Saturday #5: Come in, Inspiration

It's been one of those days.
Okay weeks.
Okay... months.
It's been hard, to say the least.

There are days when I am all hyped up on happy juice and I want to save the world. And then there are days that I've been quiet about... The ones where I don't get out of bed until twelve because I had to do homework until four in the morning... The ones where I'm so upset, frustrated, defeated to the point where I'm literally shaking. Yeah. It's been hard. And I wasn't just "not talking about it" because I'm trying to keep some image up. I didn't talk about it because I didn't want it to be real. I don't know if you know what that feels like--- to have so much faith in the power of words that saying your down means you're nearly out.

I'm one of those people. The hopeless optimist. And even though some people wouldn't agree with that (yeah... I felt that sarcastic grimmace) I learned from the best how to have faith in tomorrow. I'm crazy in that way. There's always a chance for better, in my opinion. We just have to want it badly enough, and not be afraid to get it for ourselves.

So I've been trying. I've been doing different things to get my happy back. Because I'm not unhappy. I'm just in this state of stress that's overwhelming my spirit. And the way I've always climbed out of the holes I dig is to build myself a ladder. And I know what you're thinking: how do you build a ladder when you're in a hole? And the answer is simple: with imagination and creativity.

I've been up to things, and these things make me happy. I've been rewriting (yes... rewriting) that WIP that has nothing to do with Anna. I've been eating lots of mint chocolate chip ice-cream with Nutella and whipped cream (don't try this at home--- I'm a professional). And I've been honing my creativity by reminding myself of good things through my new blogs, My Ticket Home, and her sister, My Ticket Elsewhere.

If you need a break from your hectic life, or if you need some encouragement, or if you need some inspiration, or if you just want to look at and click on pretty pictures, please join me there. Both blogs are interactive in the sense that they will only run with your contributions. So tell your friends. Tweet about your favorite pages. Comment on the posts. And take advantage of the love the I and other people are putting into it so that you can find (and keep!) your happy, too.

Ciao, Bellas.

~Deserae <3
P.S. Oh, Gowe... How I love you. You'll love him, too. Check him out if you're not sure about rap. He. will. change. you.

Saturday Snapshot #4: For Talia

I write songs for my books, as you guys know, and there's one in particular that I started but never finished--- liked, but never quite got  there with. Well, I thought I'd post the half-bitten lyrics for a girl named Talia who's got heart, spunk, and wisdom for days, but might need a little something every once and again to make her smile. Hope this does the job, Love.

"Trust Me" -KISSE
I know you look at me and all you see's
A broken-hearted lovesick personality,
But all you've done is glimpsed at the surface
Trust me I'm working on
Becoming me and loving you
You seem to be alright now, Love, and I'll be too,
But all I know's that hearts are imperfect---
Trust me, I'm learning,
That when things start to fall apart, we've still gotta hold together.
I'll recollect all my broken parts and save them for later.

We stare out onto the lake, throw a pebble in and watch it sink
And I know what you're thinking: Just keep on breathing
'Cause, Love, we're not through yet;
Our world is dark, now, but there's light up ahead and
Trust me we'll make it, buh-lieve me, we'll make it through.

---- This is where I've always stopped, but here's the second verse even though I need to change it---

I know that soon there's gonna be a day
When cynical delusions keep flooding my brain,
Just hold my hand and say that you'll lead me,
I don't mind being
The one who keeps asking for help
This is the only way I know to save myself,
So promise me you'll be right beside me,
Trust me I'm trying...
And when things start to fall apart,
You know I'll get it together,
Brush it off, stand up, and restart
Because I know things get better

We stare out onto the lake, throw a pebble in and watch it sink
And I know what you're thinking: Just keep on breathing.
'Cause, Love, we're not through yet,
Our world is dark, now, but there's light up ahead and
Trust me we'll make it, buh-lieve me, we'll make it through.

Love,
Deserae
P.S. The song above is a favorite of Ms. T's. Definitely give it a listen and her blog a look-see.

New Features On the Blog

I'm trying to make a conscious effort to keep my fingers on the keys. Therefore, I give you the following blog features I intend to do every Xday from here until the end of September:

Monday Mayhem
Probably sounds more exciting than it is, but I'm going to make it my intent to blog every Monday about something that's been on my mind for the week. For example, this week if I were doing a Monday Mayhem blog (which, I'm not because *whew!* I'm doing THIS blog. Hehe!), I might talk about the fact that headaches have been on my mind since I've had a different one for the past three days or so. Luckily, starting next week these things are going to be of a more philisophical nature, and if you want to participate, just let me know in the comments and I will link to your blog somewhere in my post. Who knows? Maybe your mayhem will inspire something from me!

Quick-Write Wednesdays
Originally called One-Liner Wednesdays. But I thought it over and I figured, any prompt is a good prompt. A few girls from Lisi's blah-g and I are starting this meme where we provide a prompt for each other on Wednesday and have to complete a short piece from it by the end of the day. We can write whatever we want: poetry, a short script, a short story, the first chapter of something we hope will be longer--- WHATEVER. But if it's kind of long, we post the complete piece to Figment and put an excerpt plus a link to the complete project up on our blogs, PLUS linkage to the other participants' blogs so you can check out all the goodies that our Wednesdays have produced.

You can't suggest a prompt this Wednesday, but check out our Wednesday Writes this week so you can make a suggestion for next weeks' prompt. And, again, if you'd like to participate, please let me know in the comments, so I can add you to the ever-growing list of our meme supporters. :]

Screenshot Saturdays
Which is a lot like Teaser Tuesdays. Snap a quick photo of your current WIP and then find a photo (or snap another) of something that's inspiring you to write, something that reminds you of the scene you're working with, or of something that's keeping you sane while you're busting out your projects! This post requires no words--- a HUGE reason why I'm going for it--- but feel free to let us know how awesome (or not so awesome) you're feeling at the moment you snap the photo. I am a fan of commentary. :] As I've stated before, I will link to anyone else participating so let me know in the comments...

And that's it! Three days of blogging. People, we can do this. :)

With all my love,
Deserae