Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine

Hey, everyone!

Sometime last year I started reading a book called Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. by Jennifer Li Shotz.

Summary of the book:

"The New York Times bestselling movie novelization—a powerful story about a special dog and what it means to be a hero that more and more readers have discovered.

When Justin's older brother, Kyle, is killed in Afghanistan, Justin can't believe that his brother is really gone. Except there's one thing that Kyle left behind….
Max is a highly trained military canine who has always protected his fellow soldiers. But when he loses his handler and best friend, Kyle, Max is traumatized and unable to remain in the service.

He is sent home to America, where the only human he connects with is Justin, and he is soon adopted by Kyle's family, essentially saving his life. At first, Justin has no interest in taking care of his late brother's troubled dog. However, the two learn to trust each other, which helps the four-legged veteran become his heroic self once more.

As the pair start to unravel the mystery of what really happened to Kyle, they find more excitement—and danger—than they bargained for. But they might also find an unlikely new best friend in each other."

I watched the movie and found the book at a garage sale and bought it. I started it in August but put it down for almost a year. I picked it up again and finished it one day.
The book and movie are very close but there are also some changes. There were all the same characters but there will some minor details.

I love so many things about this book. I love Max and Justin's relationship. I like how they have too got to know each other and create a relationship. My favorite part of this book was the scenes where Justin and Max would do regular human-dog activities. Justin would be riding his bike and Max would be right there with him. Someone is attacking Justin, I bet you, Max is right there protecting him.

Another thing I liked was the mystery that was going on. This book has some military background and I'm no expert about what goes on in the field but I could tell Shotz did her research. The book felt natural like it was something that could happen. Realism is key. There was a bit of a mystery going on with Tyler and I liked how into everything was given away with it.

One more thing I liked was how Shotz wrote Max having PTSD. Some authors can't write this in people and she did a great job writing it in a dog. The whole book was great in dealing with death. I have lost people very close to me, I can feel for the characters and it feels like something that could happen.

The realism of this book is amazing. I read mostly fantasy, so reading this realistic fiction book was amazing and felt great.

The relationships in the book were genuine. I liked the sparks of romance between Justin and Carmen. The friendship between Justin and Chuy was great. The tension between father and son was there. These are all things I felt before and they work for the story.
The writing is amazing, it's simple and clear. This book is middle school novel and it worked out well.

I recommend this book to any middle schooler who is looking for a quick, fun read. This book does have a movie, so once you finish the book you can watch the movie.

I hope you enjoy.

School vs Writing

Hello everyone.

I go to school full time, I'm in high school, but I also want to become a writer one day. Going to high school is like having a full time job, I have to dedicate time to school and I have activities outside of school, such as band. I was taking advanced classes All of these take time.

You know what else takes time? Writing. Writing takes up so much time.

So what do you do when you have school (or work) and want to write a novel? You make time.

I'm not sure what you wanted to hear. You have to make time to write. Have you ever took a look a look at your day and plan out what you have to do? You might realize that you have more time than you thought.

Do you ever just sit in bed and play on your phone for three hours a day? Maybe, you could be on your phone for two hours and write for an hour? It's your choice, but if you want to write a book, then you have to make time to write.

Trust me, this will give some realization about what you do with your day. You don't have to plan out ten hours to write but if you want, you could plan out an hour or two to write. You don't have to do this all at once, either. You could do some writing in the morning while you're on the bus or at lunch. You could do this during your breaks during the day. I like to have a timer for 25 minutes and write as much as I can. This lets me get my writing in and pushed me to write more than I would without the clock.

You don't have to take any of this advice. It is your choice. Right now, it's summer for me, so I have time to get myself into a pattern before school starts. You can plan out your day before school starts as well. Trust me, it's helpful to plan out your day. You feel like you have achieved more.

That's what I got. Take it or leave it. I wish you luck in life and you in writing your novel.

Wrap Up July Camp NaNoWriMo and Start of August

Hey everyone!

Yesterday was the last day of July and I completed NaNoWriMo. I have been a month.

On Instagram, I have been posting every day the number of words I wrote that day. I have kept me accountable. I was also doing two photo challenges. I posted a picture and answered the prompt of the day. This was one of my goals and I completed it.

You can find all that on my Instagram.

For Camp NaNo, I had two goals, to write 35,000 words and 50,000 words. I wanted to see if I could do it for November. It was the greatest surprise when I wrote over 50,000 words in 31 days. I believe my end number was about 51,000 words! That is the most I have ever written in one story.

My first novel wasn't even 50,000 words long and it took me a year and a half! This is crazy for me.

Now that Camp is over, I don't want to stop what I have been doing. My goal is to have my first draft finished by the end of this month. I'm hoping I can achieve this. Before this month started, I was writing another book but I'm keeping that book on pause to finish this book. I'm very happy with my progress so far.  I'm hoping to get at least 30,000 words written this month. I have more going on this month but I believe I can hit this.

Another thing I'm doing is three Instagram photo challenges. One is a writing related to one and the other two are book related. I'm to sure how that is going to go but I'll try. I'm going with writing but books can be a different thing altogether.

I'm going to include a life goal as well. I do not remember who started with, I believe it was @authircharityryan on Instagram. My life goal is to my very best at Band Camp that starts this following Monday and to work on my music along with writing. I need to find a balance before school starts up on the 28.

I'm hoping this month isn't too much and I don't run out of fuel. What are your plans and goals for the month?

Camp NaNoWriMo

Hey, everyone!

So in a few days, Camp NaNoWriMo starts. If you don't know what that is, it is a place where authors can get together and write 50,000 words in a month. It is to help writers to write their books and give them a set deadline to do it in. There are tons of fun things to do during the month, so if you want to join at all, you should give it a try.

National Novel Writing Month is in November but they do have these camps, which are a bit like practices for the month. They have them in April and July. So the next one is July, 3 days away. There are some things to do before July starts.

Plan, plan, plan.

Some go in thinking that they can wing the whole month and finish all 50,000 words. Not many can do this. Planning is important.

I don't like to plan much. I do have some idea of where my story is going.

If you don't have a finished outline, I don't think you should rush through it so you can start when the month starts. Tak your time and plan well. This allows you to make fewer mistakes

Listen, I want you to know that word count isn't everything. If every word you write in the next month is useless and you have to delete it all, was it worth it? You want to make the month count, then you have to make sure you know what your writing is going to use in the end.

Something else to take away is, you can join at any time. You read this after July starts but you want to join, then do. There is no reason not to join if you want.

NaNo is about writing and making connections. Come and join. You can make some friends. I have made few so far and the month hasn't even started. Trust me, it worth it to make connections.

Now some authors will tell that NaNo is now useful because every month should be NaNo and that is true. If you want to publish a book, you should work towards that goal each month, not just during NaNo. Take what you learn for NaNo and use it every month.

I hope you all join in and write in July. I hope you also you finish your novel. Good luck to all.

Song of Achilles

Hello everyone.

This book was simply amazing. I loved this book. I love most books I finish
(why would I finish it if it sucked?) but this one was different.

Song of Achilles is a retelling of the events of The Illiad from Patroclus' point of view. The books start just before Patroclus gets exiled from his home. From there he meets Achilles and things just go on from there.

Before I even started, I knew I would cry before this book was over, and I did. This school year, in my honor English class we had to read parts of the Illiad. I really loved it. She said if we liked the book, we should watch Troy. I didn't right away, a few months later, I finally did.

The movie was okay. I think there were some problems if it is to be a true retelling of the play but what can we do? It's Hollywood. Sorry, I know this isn't a movie review. (But between you and me, the worst part was when the writers decided that Achilles and Patroclus were cousins).

Before I read the book, I went on Pinterest and looked it up. I did not expect what showed up. Some of the quotes made sense because I read the Illiad but other parts I had no clue.

But none of this mattered when I read the book.

It was a great, quick read. I think it only took me about two weeks to read it. The story felt very real in the relationship. I loved that it wasn't an instant love story. They started off as strangers then became friends. Over time, they fell for each other.

 This scene was great. It was simple but had so much meaning. Madeline Miller has a simple writing style that it makes the story even better. The writing felt like it real for the time.

I loved this book, as you can tell, but there was one thing I didn't like and it has to do with when Achilles killed Hector.

Yes, my favorite line in the whole play was in it but it didn't go into it very much. I want to see how Patroclus would feel about the whole thing or I didn't read it very well and there wasn't much of a fight.

One more thing I found great about this book. How much research that the author must have done. It was very apparent that she knew what she was talking about. My favorite was when they were at war. The Greeks had a thing about their war prises and she showed that well. She also knew about the influences that Achilles and Patroclus would have had, heroes like Jason and Heracles.

I just loved this book so much. I don't know what else to say. If you were looking for something deeper sorry.

There is a list of things that I agree with.

And here's something else I found.

This was a great book and if you like Greek heroes or want a great book to read. I suggest this one. It's a great retelling and even though I don't have a degree in Ancient Greek, I can tell it is very close to the source material. Enjoy.

Fighter's Block

Hello everyone.

I would like to show you a website I use when I write. It's called Fighter's Block.

When you open the link, the page should look like this.

I like to use this website because it makes me want to write more. I want to kill this monster before it kills me. The monster to me represents writer's block and the avatar is you trying to overcome this feeling that you shouldn't write.

Once you get here, you type a word count goal in and then click fight.

Once you get this page all you have to do is start typing your story. It's not that hard to figure out and is very helpful when you don't want to write.

You can also pause the game if you click the two arrows. This way you can go get something or just need to take a break.

You can change the settings if you click on the gear in the top right of the page but you don't have to do this.

One more thing, this website will most likely save your work but don't trust that.

Anyway, this is a very easy website to use. I personally use it and love it. Comment any questions you have and I'll get back to you.

Characters

Hello everyone.


I've been writing for a long while but in the last few months, I have been planning out my stories. I looked online for an outline of how I should do this. I found a character outline, everything you should know about your characters.


People say that you should know your characters better than you know yourself. I agree with this but I didn't know what I should know about them. When I found this outline, it became very clear what I needed and I now fill this out when I create a new character.


One more thing, you should know all this about your characters but that doesn't mean you should have it all in your book. This just helps you understand your characters and helps with writing you outline for your story.


*Note: This isn't mine. I found it online. I did make some changes but other than that it's not mine.*



General Information



Full name:

Age:

Date of birth:

Race:

Gender:

Sexuality:

Current residence:

Relationship status:

Social status:

Traits of Voice:

Accent (if any):

Language spoken:

Other languages known:

Physical Appearance

Height:

Weight:

Eye color:

Skin color:

Shape of face:

Distinguishing features:

Build of body:

Hair color:

Hairstyle:

Tattoos:

Piercings:

Typical clothing:

Is seen by others as:

Personality:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Education:

Fears:

Personal goals:

General attitude:

Values:

General sociability:

Health:

Illnesses (if any):

Allergies (if any):

Sleeping habits:

Energy level:

Eating habits:

Memory:

History:

Birth country:

Hometown:

Childhood:

Teen years:

History of family:

Briefly explain life story:

Relationships:

Parents:

Siblings:

Any enemies (and why):

Children:

Friends:

Best friend(s):

Important friends/relatives (explain):

Love interest (if there is one):

Combat:

Peaceful or violent:

Weapon (if applicable):

Others:

Current home:

Favorite types of food:

Favorite types of drink:

Hobbies/pastimes:

Talents:

Favorite colors:

Favorite type of music:


I also you Pinterest to get to know my characters.


I make a board for them and pin anything that sounds like them.


For example, I made a board for The Key to Hell. (Click this to visit the board)


I found pins that seemed to fit his personality or anything that would make me understand him better.


You can do this with all or some of your characters but you should know something about them.


Anyway, thank you for reading. Comment if something didn't make sense or you have any questions.

Eve: The Awakening

Hello everyone.


I finished a book.

Yes, that may seem a bit overdone but I haven't finished a book in a long time.

Anyway, when I read this book I have high hopes. I've been watching Jenna's youtube channel for about 6ish months and I finally got my hands on this book. I love her videos and she gives pretty awesome advice.

So I read it, Eve: The Awakening

And when I finished the book, I was like:


Wow.


I didn't know what else to say. It was a great book. It had an amazing plot line. The storytelling was good. I liked most of the characters. Sometimes things seemed too easy like it was sitting there waiting for Eve to find out. And maybe I had to reread some parts, but that could just be me and how I get sidetracked easy.


The best part if the book was the plot twist at the end. I didn't see it coming and it was awesome. It was the best part of the book, hands down.


That was all my first reaction to the book. And then I made a big mistake.


I looked at reviews. (After this point there might be some spoilers).


So like I said, I love this book. It is really good. But once I saw what others were saying, I realized I felt like that too. It was simple things like how three of the females did seem like they belonged in Mean Girls or how things did seem too easy.


Honesty,  I really didn't like anyone other than Percy and his mom. He seemed the most realistic, even with all the money he had and all that. He did just happen to be a huge collector of guns, which was very useful to the plot. I think the best part was either his drinking habit or him being gay. (There's this one awesome scene with him that is the best because he's gay, read and find out). And his mom was just awesome. She was one of those cool moms who really was cool. She liked Eve, which seemed like the biggest problem in the book, and treated her like her own daughter. But other than that, the characters seem too simple.


Jason, the main love interest, was overprotective and gets angry sometimes. I didn't mind him being overprotective at times but overall, it was a bit much and I don't care if someone gets angry but it has to have a use or a reaction.


JJ was pretty cool in the beginning but she did turn on Eve when she learned that she was from the rich apartments (I think they were apartments, I don't fully remember) and told her to get lost. But she comes back in the end because she's useful. (There's another guy in the team but he's not that interesting to me).


And then there's Eve herself. I don't really like females, even more, when it seems like everything is just handed to her. Sometimes, things were just too easy for her, there was a useful conversation that did she needed to know for the plot that was held out in the open. Mind you, this conversation what about secret information and they were just having it out in a hospital lobby. Eve did seem to be the victim because of the fact she was a chimera. Everyone hates chimera and Eve hates everyone else. I do understand that she was raised to think that everyone hated her because she was a chimera and she had to fight to stay alive, but don't you think that she would have some type of relationship with someone, anyone?

I don't know a lot about self-insertion author but I read about this on tons in the reviews. I do see where they're coming from, Eve does look a lot like Jenna but I don't know. I think I may do this as well when I write but I think all writers have done this to some degree.

But other than that I did like the book. There were parts that weren't the best and maybe didn't need to be in the book or could have been written differently. But other all it was a good book. Most likely the best book I have read up to this point and I can't wait to read Jenna's new book comes out in a few months.

The Savior's Champion

Hello Everyone.

So today, Jenna Moreci, an amazing writer I follow on youtube, posted a video about her new book the is coming out in April.

The cover looks amazing! I can't wait to read this book.

Here's a video from Jenna about her book:

This is Jenna's second book, her first being Eve: The Awaking. I love her videos, they help me with my writing. So maybe you should check her out.

From what I knew about the book, I thought the cover would look like the Game of Thrones title card, the swords, lights and all. But the way it turned out was so much cooler. 

Anyway, Jenna is really cool, so check her out. 

Other than that, hope you all have a great day and see you next time.

Welcome To My Blog

Hello everyone.

My name is Kimberly and I'm a writer. I loved to write ever since I was young and one day I'm hoping to publish a great book.

So, you clicked on my blog. Good for you.

But seriously, thank you.

Right now, I'm writing two books and editing another so I will blog about them. To this point, I'm not going to publish my books for money, you can read them on Wattpad. I have 2 completed published books on my two accounts.

If you would like to read any of my books, read Inner Thoughts or Sixto's Story. All my other books are in the making.

I will also post reviews on books I read or just random updates.

Thank you again for reading this. See you next time.

~Kimberly