So....

Hello peoples! I just wanted to quickly and post to say I'm going to be out of town this weekend for thanksgiving. Once I get back though, I plan to write my "Top 10 Favorite Male Characters". So stay tune for that. Yesterday, I found out that I (yes, me) finalized in the Go Teen Writers Lots of Luck Contest.

I'm especially excited about that because my past entries for their contest have not been very good at all. I doubt I'll win. My entry wasn't too creative, but I am happy to know that I finalized. Yay! Yay is one of my favorite words, by the way.

 I was planning to post a more hopeful poem, but I can't find that one. As a substitute, I decided to write a little poem that has been stuck in my head for days.

They, they went away.
They, they should have stayed.
But it's too late,
To take back the things they've done.

They, they cry their tears.
They, they can't forget their fears.
All alone now,
And the battle can't be won.

Everything they had has turned to dust.
They cry in their bedrooms saying, "Oh, what happened to us?"

Depressing, isn't it? Well, below, I posted this beautiful Ed Sheeran song. Do yourself a favor and listen to it. It's perfect for a wedding:)

And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70
And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Well, me—I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am


 'Cause honey your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen
And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan
Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? What are you most thankful for? Has anyone seen MockingJay Part 1 yet? Comment and tell me about it!

 

Top 10 Favorite Fictional Heroines

"Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!"

AH, Mockingjay came out today, guys! Though I cannot see it yet, I am excited about it. I know I will appreciate it much more when I actually see it than if I see it tonight. The preview made me jump around. I literally got Goosebumps all over skin.

In honor of  Mockingjay premiere , I'm going to write a special post. These are my 10 Favorite Fictional Heroines. It's a hard choice, since they are so many to choose from. But I have my list.

10. Ella of Frell (Ella Enchanted) Ella was my first heroine I knew from growing up. Her book got me into reading. Now, Cinderella might have been my least favorite princesses at the time, but they didn't stop me from adoring Ella. She was persistent and loyal. She tried so many things to break her curse, but in the end, what broke was something simple. Ella will always be someone I will remember.

9. Ellie Sweet (The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet)
Out of all these, two are most like me. Ellie is one of the two. She is a writer. She is an introvert. She is shy. Those three words described me. But she took a chance and revealed her work in a contest. That is inspiriting to me because I'm always looking over my shoulder, wondering if anyone's reading my story, terrified if they do. Putting out your work, getting constructive criticism  is definitely not something you should be afraid of. And Ellie proved that.

8.  Bella Kirkwood (The Charmed Life Series)
The Charmed Life Series might be one of my favorite Christian series. Though she is not like me, she shines.  She's a little bit of a  modern Nancy Drew with a twist. After all the time's she's been let down, you'd expect her to be sheltered. But she is willing to do anything in order to solve a mystery and help someone. She starts snobby, but relatable. By the third book, she knows that vintage dresses doesn't make you a better person. Oh, and the whole thing's hilarious. Don't even get me started on Luke Sullivan.

7. Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series and The Heroes Of Olympus)
Okay, some people argue as to whether Annabeth should be put in the seven. Compared to the others, she doesn't have any special powers. But she shows me that wisdom is valuable when strength is not. "Wisdom has to bow to strength sometime," she said in The Lightning Thief. That proves to be true. Despite all the times she'd been let down, she forgave. She forgives Luke and stays with him until the end, even though he hurt her time and time again. (I don't know about you, but I like Luke) Percy just makes her shine. They're one of my favorite couples.

6.  America (The Selection) When all the other girls complied to the rules, America stood up for what was right in a speculator way, at the expense of her reputation and her well-being. She didn't roll over and adore Maxon. He had to earn her love. Even though she was not perfect and some of her plans went wrong, she stood out. I loved her for that, especially in The One.

5. Cassia Reyes (Matched)
Other than all of those girls, Cassia had no rebellious streak in her at first. She went by the rules, followed the crowd, and let people make decisions for her. But when she fell in love for real, she began to see the faults in her "perfect" Society. She saw the beauty of making up your mind for yourself and writing  your own words. Unlike America, she was not indecisive. I knew who she was going to be with the whole time. She was beautiful and unique in your own way.

4. Tris (Divergent)
Tris' character development compared to that of Four's. I can't decide whose is better. She was amazing and inspiring. Every time I do something brave, I think of Tris being the first jumper. She took such a risk, leaving everything she ever knew, but she proved everyone wrong. At first, I figured Divergent would turn out to be just a "good girl gone bad" story that would make her look awesome and her parents look stupid. But it was much more than that. She rose above Abnegation (her old life) and even Dauntless (her new life), showing that every person is much more than a label.

3. Elsa (Frozen)
I'm sorry, but I had to do this. Elsa might be one of the most loved female heroines of all time. Can you believe in the original draft, they made her a villain? It wasn't until they wrote  "Let it Go" did they see that Elsa had more potential than they ever could have imagined. Even when she took control of her powers, she still krpt the walls up, ready to hide herself in order to protect people. But it wasn't until she realized that she couldn't live by herself, she began more than the Queen of Arendelle and even  the girl who made belted out "Let It Go" the ice palace.

2. Anna (Frozen)
It's a hard choice to make between Anna and Elsa, but Anna wins. Sure, she doesn't have some cool power. She doesn't go through this epic character change. But through it all, one thing stays the same---her love for her sister. She is willing to go to the ends of the earth to find her, even when she rejects her time and time again. Even though she'd been hurt, she still believed in true love, just not in the way she believed in her before. Of course, Anna could be me. We're both clumsy, awkward, and insanely optimistic.

1. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)
Yes, you probably saw this coming. You might be wondering why. I'll tell you. Out of all these girls, I think Katniss is the more broken of them all. That's what makes her beautiful. She went through so much, had many rough spots, but she survived. At the same time, she wasn't independent. Without Peeta, she would've given up. But she still sang. She went on. Her whole world had been taken away from her, but she was willing to give life one last chance. She had battle scars, but what she had in the end was worth all the pain. Sometimes, that's what life comes down to. Hope. Hope that things will be alright again, even if they will never be okay in the same way.

Who is your favorite heroine? What makes her likable to you? Comment!  

Four: A Divergent Collection Review

Hello, friends! Sorry about the short hiatus. I have been busy with NaNoWriMo and everything else. Once November is over, I should be able to post more often:)

Okay, so yesterday, I finished a book. Originally, I wasn't planning on writing a review, but it was so awesome I couldn't resist. This book is the called Four: A Divergent Collection.

Back Cover: Two years before Beatrice Prior makes her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation's faction leader does the same. Tobias's transfer to Dauntless is his chance to begin again. Newly renamed 'Four' he discovers that initiation is only the beginning...

Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. And his decisions will affect the future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future - and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to act but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her it might become possible to be Tobias again.

What I loved: Oh, wow. Four. He is amazing. Though I wasn't too crazy about Divergent, I still loved Tobias. If possible, this book made him even more great. This book is a collection of four stories and three exclusive scenes, including when Four met Tris.

Fear is a big topic in these stories. Though Tobias has few fears compared to some, the fears he does have controls his life at first. Even in the end, he doesn't completely get over the fear, but he does overcome it. "But becoming fearless isn't the point," he tells Tris. "It's learning to control your fear and how to be free from it, that's the point." Wow.

Tobias started out as this hurting kid who was invisible. When he joined Dauntless, he became who he was. Many of the Dauntless turned out to be stupid and mean. But as he learned to fight, he didn't forget that fighting is used mainly to protect people. He stood up for what was right, even confronted a person he hated just to keep people safe.

"You're the one that has to live with your choices," a character said at the beginning of the book. "Everyone else will get over it, move on, no matter what you decide. But you never will." That quote made for a strong beginning. I really liked it. I've never thought of it that way before. Of course, it doesn't apply to everything. Some choices you make will hurt and scar other people for life. But with things like college degrees, you're really the only one who has to deal with it forever.

Most of these stories take place before Divergent even began. But the scenes that are from Divergent in Tobias' perspective are genius. My favorite is where Tris and Tobias go inside his fear landscape together. His perspective is exciting and relatable. I even think it might be better than Tris's perspective. He also tells Tris something about selfless and bravery being the same thing. No, it isn't always the same thing, but when it is, it's more effective.

What I didn't care for: Four does kiss Tris once, but it doesn't get half as sexual as Divergent. One of the exclusive scenes is when Tobias is a little drunk. I didn't see the point in that. However, nothing bad happens. (expect for the fact that he's drunk) Since the scene is in the back, separate from the actual stories, it's not something you have to read. He does suggest that alcohol is not satisfying..  Characters do drink and are said to be drunk. Other than that scene though, Four doesn't drink much alcohol.

While planning a game of "Dare", Toabias mentions that some unnamed person didn't have any clothes on.

I loved the Four Collection. I'd been waiting forever to read it and it definitely did not disappoint. While I am not a huge Divergent fan, I enjoyed seeing the world of Divergent in his eyes. This story highlights the important message---you are much more than a label. It does spoil a lot of things from the original Divergent story. Unfortunately, Tris and Tobias do get much more sexual in Divergent does, the reason I didn't like it. (A link to my review above) But if you love Four, this book is a must-read.

Changing the World

People talk a lot about changing the world.

I was reminded of this when I just happened to catch Donald Sutherman's interview (the guy who plays President Snow in Mocking Jay) Something he said caught my attention. "Young people have to get out. You have to get out and change things. You really do. And it's up to you. We've wrecked this world and if you're going to fix it, you have to do it now."

From Disney songs to sci-fi YA fiction, changing the world is a popular subject. At this time in age, I think we all can agree that this world needs a change now more than ever. With layers of lies plastered all over entertainment, schools, and signs, it seems a little impossible, doesn't it?

I'm not here to be cliché. I'm not going to say things like, "Nothing is impossible" or "A million starts with one." I want to remind people about something we tend to forget through all the trouble the world posses.

Jesus has already changed the world.

Through all the sin that has almost consumed this earth, Jesus still lives on. What's amazing about Jesus dying on the cross is that His action cannot be undone, no matter how much sin has been committed since then. He still loves us and we can still tell the whole world about Him. His forgiveness is open to anyone, anyone. That's just amazing.

I'm not discouraging from trying to change the world. If you want to raise money for charity, do that. But just remember why you do that. Because if Jesus didn't change the world already, our efforts to do anything good in this world would be basically pointless. We couldn't tell the hopeless person that there is hope. We wouldn't have a reason to love and to run after people with His message. Without Jesus, we would fail miserably. Oh yes, we still do, but He helps us through that.

"I got to get back to writing my novel so this isn't as long as I would have liked. But I just want to remind you what Jesus has already done--given us a reason to carry on his message of hope and love." John 16:33

 

Tags and An Announcment

Hey guys! I've gotten tagged for a few awards and FINALLY gotten around to it. Sorry, for the wait. Thank you to the two lovely girls who tagged me!

The first tag is One Lovely Blog Award. I was tagged for this by Sammie from Stargirl. Thank you, Sammie. Be sure to check out her blog!

Rules of the Award:

1.- Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.

2.- List the rules and display the award.

3.- Add 7 facts about yourself.

4.- Nominate 15 other bloggers. 

5.- Follow on blogger the person who nominated you. 

 

1. I am one the last book of the Matched series, Reached. Just got it, actually. I love this series so much! It's so poetic and beautiful. Can't wait to read it.

 

2. Also, I am almost finished with By Darkness Won, the final book of the series by Jill Williamson. It's pretty good, probably my favorite book in the series.

 

3. My favorite song right now is "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran and "Style" by Taylor Swift.

 

4. I am over 15,000 words in my NaNoWriMo novel.

 

5. My least favorite classic is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I actually threw the book across my bed when I finished it.

 

6. Hey, hey, hey. Just think, when you've been getting down and out to all the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world, you're could have been getting down to. THIS. SICK. BEAT.

 

7. Wonder where that came from^

 

I know that isn't fifteen bloggers, but it's the only people I can think of right. Feel free to do it even if your name isn't on the list.

 

The next award is Blogger Recognition Award! I got tagged for this by Guniea Pig Lover from Lord's Girl. Her blog is great. Please check it out!

 

The Rules:
*Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and link to their blog. List who you've nominated in the post.
*Make sure to also attach the award itself! (You can do this by right clicking, saving, and uploading the image.)

*Comment on each blog and let them know you've nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created. 

*Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and post if needed, and we can keep it from mutating and becoming confusing! (It happens LOL.)  

*For this award, you must nominate 15 peeps. You can't just go "I nominate this blog whoever wants it comment below" like that. You can decline the award also if you do not want to do the above rules.  

How Forever Changed came to be:
A few of my friends had gotten a blog recently. My dad had suggested getting a blog. But it ended up being a random thing. I was looking at my friend's blog and said, "Hmm, this is cool. I could actually do this. And above the blog was a "Create Blog" thing. I clicked on it and here I am today!

Advice for new bloggers:
Don't give up. If you have a need to write and if you love it, keep writing. You will get feedback. Months ago, I rarely got a comment and didn't have many followers. I'm still not very well known, but I've made some great friends through blogging. I have people I have never met who have encouraged me in my writing. I owe it to them.

Second is, if you want to post something out of your comfort zone, go for it. For awhile, I just posted music reviews and writing prompts. But, a few ideas for writing advice posts came to my mind. For awhile, I held back, thinking no one would like it. In the end, I did post it and people did like it. So don't hold back just because it's something you don't normally do.

Last but definitely not least, The Ultimate Book Tag. I was tagged this by Bernie. If you haven't visited her blog by now, please do. But then again, I don't really know anything about this mysterious girl named Bernie... lol.

Here are the questions:

Q1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?
Rarely. If I read for too long or the same book, I will... sometimes. I hate it. Car rides are the best time to catch up on reading!

Q2. Books with or without illustrations?
The last book I read with illustrations is Percy Jackson's Greek Gods and that was first time in forever. Most of the books I read don't have illustrations, but  I think it's cool to look to see what the character looks like. It's not cool when the character ends up being different from what you imagined him!

Q3. Bookmark or a random piece of paper?
I'm going to sound weird here. I don't use bookmarks. I remember where I am. Reasons are, is because I always lose it. Even when I do have it, I always forget to put it in the right place. I always remember where I am, unless it's a classic that's hard to follow. Even then, I don't use it. But I do own a few good ones.

Q4.What is the thinnest book on your shelf?
One of the thinnest, as I just checked, is Meet Kit, an American Girl book. I got it when I received Kit for my birthday a few years ago. I haven't read it in a long time though.

Q5. What is the thickest book on your shelf?
The Lord of the Rings series. I have it all in one HUGE volume. Believe it or not, I have read it, but I do plan to reread it in the future, now that I understand the setting and plot more.

Q6.When did you start getting into reading?
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and the Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Lewis. Before those wonderful books, I disliked to read. Hard to believe now, huh?

Q7.What is your favorite classic book?
Oh, there's so many good ones to choose from! Probably Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Q9. What is your favorite word?
I can't pick just one word, but I can pick two: Beautifully flawed. Because God knows we're flawed and He took the time to put His beauty in us anyway.

Q10.One book at a time or several?
I usually don't read just one book at a time. Three or four, maybe?

I tag:

M

Jessica

Bethan

Mikayla
Bernie
Julia
Sophia Marie
Maddie Jay
Lauren
Emily
Riarna Toa
Sarah

Thank you so much for all these tags. If all these things overwhelm you, you can definitely pick and choose which tags you want to do! You don't have to do all of them. And if you're too busy, don't feel pressured.

Also... I've been thinking about it a lot and I've decided to host a critique giveaway once I reach 40 followers! I'll talk more about that in the next post:)
 

 Thanks for reading!
Happy writing!

This is a bonus track from Red that's always been a wonderful song in my opinion. Hope you like it!

      
 

 

 

My NaNoWri Playlist:)

When I think of an idea for a book, one of the first thing I do, once I plan a bit, is create playlist. I thought of my NaNoWriMo idea at the end of the summer. At the time, NaNoWriMo wasn't on my mind. I planned it out in my head and started it originally as my 100 for 100 Challenge story.

But I immediately hit a road block. I couldn't write the right character voice. I didn't feel like I was presenting her in the right way. And so I wrote my favorite scenes of the 100 for 100 challenge, but didn't feel right as I wrote the actual novel.

For a month, the story wouldn't leave. It came back. The plot advanced. I plotted certain scenes in my heard dozens of my time. Finally, I decided I had to get this on my paper. I started the story again. So far, it's going well. I'll definitely have to edit the beginning though. But I've only kept a few scenes from the original draft.

I thought I would share a few songs that inspired me to write this story, Sworn to Hate. If you're stuck, I encourage to make a playlist. It's really fun.

 

 

I'm not a fan of Lea Michele's acting, but I love her music. Every one of her songs means a lot and this one of my favorites. Her voice is amazing. This song is so heartfelt and emotional. It reminds me a lot of the relationship in this song.

 The city was on fire for us
We would've died for us
Up in flames
Cue the rain

It's been a long time since I've listened to this song, I'll admit, but I think it reminds me of my story the most. It's so sweet and nice. Of course, I'm not a fan of Maroon 5, but I like some of their songs, this included. Mostly because it reminds me of my story.

 

It was always you
Can't believe I could not see it all this time, all this time
It was always you
Now I know why my heart wasn't satisfied, satisfied
It was always you, you
No more guessing who
Looking back now I know it was always you, always you

 

 

I think this is one of my favorite love songs of all time. Ulimtaely, it's simple. Love really is simple. This song reprensts this beautifully. Ed Sheeran contributes a few vocals to this, which makes it even better.

You're my bright blue sky
You're the sun in my eyes
Oh baby, you're my life
You're the reason why

 

 

This song is so funny. It reminds of not only this story, but more that I've worked on. It's basically an apology from a stubborn person who doesn't want to admit she needs someone. Every time I listen to this song, I picture characters in my story. I don't add a song to a story playlist unless I can picture it. This is no exception.

I forgot to say out loud
How beautiful you really are to me.
I can't be without.
You're my perfect little punching bag,
And I need you.
I'm sorry.

 

Just one more...

, I don't wanna' spend my life jaded
Waiting to wake up one day and find
That I've let all these years go by
Wasted

There's actually a lot more songs, but these are the most important. I hope you like it. If you are doing NaNoWriMo and are lacking inspiration, make a playlist. Finally, here's the introduction of the story, which I wrote a few months before NaNoWriMo.

 

A hit back in old days was calling, “Addicted to Love” with the main line being, “Might as well face it. You’re addicted to love.” John Green once said that some people fall in love “slowly, then all at once.” Taylor Swift said that the right love is like a fairytale.

I’ll just break it to you now—this isn’t one of these stories.

I’m not going to tell you who I am because I think, by the end at least, you would have figured it out. Until then, you’ll have to wait in suspense. But don’t expect anything. I don’t come in till later.

Okay, so I’ve made it obvious, this story is about love. But it’s not about typical love. But at the same time, it’s not the kind of love that happens overnight either. (I mean, seriously, who does that) The truth is, that love is made out to be this complicated, difficult thing that can tie someone’s heart in knots. And yeah, I guess it can be like that. But the truth is, it doesn’t have to be.

I think what people forget is: Love is simple. It’s just two people caring for each other to the point of needing each other. It’s two people doing whatever they will to be together, despite the sacrifice. It’s two people that are happy just being together.

Easy? Of course not. Simple? Yes.

 

This is a story of love. Not strange love, not typical love, not crazy love. Just love. Maybe a person like me should think that’s stupid. Trust me, I did. But after witnessing this, I don’t think so anymore.  I better shut up and let you read the story. But be warned, I’ll come back.

 Hope you like it! BTW, if you looked at my blog today and saw the 1989 review and thought, "Didn't she post that a week ago?", I have an explanation. I thought the idea of polaroid with lyrics was awesome. I wanted to include some of them in the post, but the picture files I copied weren't working. A few days ago, I realize they were working so I added them on the post. I didn't know, however, that they would put the post as the latest. So, sorry about that.

Happy Writing! And thank you for 38 followers!

 

1989 Album Review

Hey guys! How's school? Once the World Series ends, I think my school with go more smoothly. The last game is on today and I have no doubt that my family will be watching every second of it.

I know I've been posting about Taylor Swift way too much. So I promise that THIS is my last post... for awhile. But I've waiting for this album for more than a year and now it's here and I'm totally fangirling. But... it will wear off, in a second.

Today, I'm going to post a review of the album. Instead of putting each song into "good" or "bad" category, I'm doing a quick track-by-track review. I'll talk about why (or why not) I like this song and my favorite line.

What I like most about Taylor Swift is how meaningful she is. While other artists in the pop genre are singing about partying and feel-good romance, she's singing from the heart. Her music, while sad at times, is always pure poetry. There is no party song in this album. Of course, this album is pop. It's definitely different from her other albums. I still think it has a unique sound, not similar to any other pop album.

Welcome to New York: Well, one thing's for sure. This is a great album opener. Since Taylor moved to New York this year, she has fallen in love with the city. It's upbeat and exciting, even makes you want to visit the city for yourself. However, there is one line that made me raise an eyebrow. "And you can want who you want. Boys and boys and girls and girls." As far as I know, Taylor has never sided with the whole homosexuality, but this was very suggestive. Thankfully, it's the only line in the album that suggests towards this, but it stopped me from buying the song.
Favorite Line: Like any true love, it drives you crazy. But you know you wouldn't change anything.

Blank Space: At first, this song concerned me. Taylor descried a relationship in which didn't care how it ended up. There were lines like, "Be that girl for a month." But, at her live stream, Taylor explained that she wrote it as a joke. She wrote it based on the fictional her, the girl the news made her out to be. It's basically a girl who goes through guys and doesn't care. So, it isn't good by itself, she is mocking all the critic's rumors about her. But she does take God's name in vain twice, another point against it.
Favorite Line: I got a long list of ex-lovers. They'll tell you I'm insane. (It's a funny line)

Style: Definitely one of my favorites. It has an awesome sound. The verses are mysterious, while the chorus is light and full of life. Of course, most people assume this song is about the One Direction dude, Harry Styles. Whether that's true or not, this song is more of a love song than a breakup song. It has a catchy beat and passionate vocals. You can hear her pain when she sings, "Some other girl."
Favorite line: When we go crashing down, we come back every time. 'Cuz we never go out of style.

Out Of The Woods: Wow, this! It's great. Yes, the chorus repeats, but that's the only criticism I have to offer. The verses are meaningful and exciting. I think the lyrics, at least the bridge, is what catches your attention. Unlike some other songs, Taylor never says anything bad about her ex-lover.
Favorite Line: Remember when we couldn't take the heat? I walked out and said, "I'm setting you free. But the monsters turned out to be just trees."

All You Had To Stay: I expected this one to be the heartbreaking one. It was definitely sad, but Taylor had a "glass-is-half-fill" approach. She speaks of a guy who left and wanted her love back. Though she refuses, she reminds him that he would have had her if he hadn't left. Quite a simple concept. I actually bought this song.
Favorite Line: People like you always want back the love they pushed aside. But people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye.

Shake It Off: Do I need to say anything about this? No, I don't think I do. But this song contains the best message of the album. In the bridge, though, there is a h word. She also takes God's name in vain.  The reason I didn't buy the song:(
Favorite Line: It's like I got this music in my mind saying it's gonna be alright.

I Wish You Would:  Once again, Taylor produces a passionate song about regret. The iTunes preview immediately catches your attention, starting with the fast verse which fades into a slower chorus. In this piece, Taylor wishes she wouldn't have ended a relationship because now, she misses it. Unforunately, this song does contain a suggestive lyric. "2am/Here you are/See your face, hear your voice in the dark."
Favorite Line: I wish you would know that I would never forget you as long as I live.

Bad Blood: This might be the one that was most anticipated. Maybe it was because, instead of writing it for an ex, she confessed she wrote for a fellow singer that used to be her friend. I expected it to be a "in your face" song, but it was quieter. Mixed with anger and regret, Taylor doesn't speak of forgiveness, but it's not as bad as "Better the Revenge." She also says she hurt her, but doesn't say what she actually did.
Favorite Line: It's so sad to think about the good times, you and I. (Such a relatable line to any broken relationship)

Wildest Dream: I'm sorry to say that I was not impressed with this song at all. Being the most graphic, it runs along the lines of "Blank Space." Taylor sings about a relationship that she knows won't last, but all she wants is for the guy to remember her. And this couple doesn't just kiss. With a title like "Wildest Dreams", you'd expect it to be upbeat. But it was slow and haunting. My least favorite. (also includes two h words that don't make much sense. At all)

How You Get The Girl: Ah, I adore this song! Undeniably pop, it's one of the happiest songs on the album. It tells the story of a guy who left a girl and then comes back, telling her he lost his mind when he left. Innocent and joyful, this song is wonderful.
Favorite Line: I want you for worse or for better.... I want you for forever and ever.

This Love: This was the only song Taylor wrote by herself. Usually, she writes half the album by herself. But this song was classic Taylor. It was sad, but talked about something very true. Sometimes we don't what we love until we let it go. If any song sounded the most like her old country, it was this one.  It might be the slowest song on the album, haunting and beautiful. There was an allude to something very inappropriate. "Tossing, turning, struggling, through the night with someone new."
Favorite Line: When you're young, you just run. But you come back to what you need.

I Know Places: Hmmm... this song was interesting. She sang about being in a relationship when you're a celebrity, when everyone follows you around and spreads rumors.  Taylor even added some genius metaphors that got the feeling across. I wasn't too crazy about the chorus though. She hit too many high notes and dragged it down. Also, there are a few questionable lyrics, including a d word.  "And you're dead at night."
Favorite Line: They are the hunters. We are the foxes. And we run.

Clean: There were a lot of tunes with unique sounds, but this song might be the most unique, compared to the others. More than that, it had a good meaning, a great closer. The lyrics weren't specific about much so it could relate to anything. Taylor was getting over a broken relationship. The metaphors and similes made it sound poetic. Her vocals were passionate. Under it, it had an encouraging message about getting over anything broken in your life. I bought this one too:)
Favorite line: 10 months older, I won't give in. Now that I'm clean, I'm never gonna risk it.

Overall, I really liked this album. There were a few songs I would've prepared not to have been included. Most of the time when Taylor mentions something inappropriate, she sounds regretful. Not this time, though. That bothered me a lot.

But no matter what genre it is, Taylor always manages to put some great meaning in all her songs. To me, it doesn't matter who she wrote it about. What matters is the fact that you can tell she did write it about somebody. These songs are so personal, yet relatable. I could relate to a few feelings in this album. Sadness. Love, Uncertainty. Anger. I loved it.

So while Taylor does produce a couple songs I won't listen to, her music still remains some of the most meaningful music in the industry and in any genre.

A Few Tips for Your Hero

Despite my lack of experience with boys, I've come to know that there are some really good guys in fiction. And good guys is a key thing to a popular book these days. I decided to write a post about a few tips for making a expectional hero in your book.

Tobias Eaton (Divergent)
Percy Jackson
Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)
Kristoff Whatever-His-Last-Name-Is

These guys are have different personalities, come from all kinds of universes, and have a unqiue voice. But they do have one thing in common though. Can you guess what that?

They all wanted one girl.

Sure, it might have took them a little while to realize that. But once they did, there was no turning back. They loved the girl no matter what. Katniss hated Peeta some of the time. Annabeth drove Percy crazy. Anna and Kristoff... well.. they speak for themselves. No matter what, though, they never ditched their girl to find another one. Even when the situation seemed pretty hopeless.

If you want to make your guy likable, I think that's the most important quality to have. A guy that is not only willing to commitment, but a guy who has his eyes out for one girl. I loved Maxon from the Selection, but he will never come close to Peeta. They're both great, nice, and mature guys, but Peeta loved Katniss, only Katniss. Even when she was a total jerk to him, there wasn't a doubt in his mind. That's something Maxon (or America for that matter)  didn't have.

Not all first impressions of the your male will be the reader's final opinion of him. In fact, usually not. However, it's more important for the first impression to get the reader's attention, to make them want to know more about him. I'll show you what I'm talking about.  Let's take a look at a few different impressions.

The first time we see Peeta up close is in a flashback in Katniss's perspective. He gives bread to her when she and her family are starving. Obviously, this is good evidence that Peeta is a nice guy. It goes deeper than that though. Because of the situation, we want to know more about the boy with the bread. If Katniss had mentioned that he was kind to hear whenever she went to the bakery, it wouldn't have had such a grip on us. But Collins went deep into Katniss's mind without warning. It showed us more about Katniss's character and what little we know about Peeta.

Now here's a interesting introduction with a less familiar male character. In The Charmed Life Series by Jenny B. Jones, Bella first meets Luke in the journalist class. For a good reason, Luke doesn't like Bella and is not very happy that the teacher puts her on his newspaper staff. Right off the bat, Luke makes Bella know that he does not like her and couldn't more angry about this arrangement. Basically, he acts like a jerk to her. Now, our opinion of him does change, eventually, as the book goes on. Despite his obvious anger issues, we find interest in this boy because he adds conflict and humor to the situation. Even though he is hated for a good reason, he does catch our attention first thing.

Do you see what I mean? I could mention more too. The knife throwing scene from Divergent. The "Reindeers Are Better Than People" song. Even though these scenes give us a totally different opinions about these men, we're still interested. These authors used different actions too. In the bread scene, Peeta doesn't say anything, but in A Charmed Life, Luke does most of the talking. Either way, these actions and words are what makes the reader want to know more.

When you introduce your key guy character, what do you think will interest the reader? What does he say? What does he do? Are his words the attention getter, like Luke, or is the reader captivated by his actions, like Peeta? Comment and tell me about it:)
Thanks for reading! Happy writing!

About the Buddy Thing

Hey guys! So  a lot of you expressed interest in being my buddy, which is awesome. But turns out, you guys couldn't find my account. That's okay because I looked up some usernames and continued find it either. I should've done this before now. Here's the link to my NaNoWriMo account. You can buddy me if you want or leave your username in the comments and I'll try to found you. Thanks everybody!
Happy writing!

Buddies, please?

Hey guys! I set up my NaNoWriMo account and have started writing. The only thing I need know is buddies. Some of you I know are doing it and I would LOVE to be your buddy so I can look at your amazing writing. My username is ForeverChanged13. Thank you!