The Struggle of Beginnings and Ends.

I love the idea of writing a story. Sometimes I have so many ideas running through my mind at once and I just hope I can write them all on paper and have a story magically appear. But when the time comes and I'm sitting down either at a laptop or pen in hand ready to write, I am hit with this wall. The wall just stares me down and says, "How are you going to start? Where do you even begin?", and all of a sudden everything disappears. The first few lines of anything will make or break the text. The words introduce you into this new world full of people and places and things that I just want to explore and dive deep into.

But then another problem occurs. I get too deep into the world that I can't get out and finish. I'm caught in the web I created. It just makes me appreciate the end of a story more knowing that someone was able to do it. I also feel jealous that they can do it.

Speaking of beginnings and ends - I will be beginning my adventure at the Bendigo Writer's Festival this weekend and I am excited. The next few days I will be filling your eyes with Festival goodness and enthusiasm.

If you're interested in any information about the weekend full of writing and reading and fun (oh my) check out their website and have a look around:

http://www.bendigowritersfestival.com.au/

What Makes A Good Character?

Characters play a vital role in a book. The story practically revolves around one or more of them. But there are many types of characters out there, all with their own story to tell. Different types of characters appeal to  people for multiple reasons. Some like a character that they can relate to, whereas others prefer a character they wish they could be. There are characters who are out of this world perfect and others who appear more plain and ordinary.

But it's not just the personality and appearance of a character we learn to love but also their development over the time in the book. There's the classic story of a villain turning good or a hero descending into madness, or the tales of a character exploring deep thoughts on their ideas of the world.

Thinking about the different kinds of characters made me start thinking - what do I like in a character?

I live for development and watching the growth over the period of time. I love a character that after time I am able to picture how they would act in different scenarios because I feel like I know them inside and out. One story in particular where I like seeing how a character copes is through a time of grief. Seeing how they process their thoughts and feelings will always bring a tear to my eye.
I'm looking at you John Green.

I believe the characters that appeal to us also reflect on who we are as people. I love seeing characters grow and learn and cope because it feels real to me. I love all things real and I think that is reflected in the characters that I enjoy most. 

The only problem with the characters I like is that I end up sobbing like a mad woman 80% of the time.

Validation Sensation and Deleting Contemplations.

Lately I have been contemplating whether or not to delete my Facebook profile. However for some reason it feels like such an outrageous act to do. I mean, it is only a website. The problem is, there are some people that I can only contact through this website. Plus there are now groups to join that keep me informed on my classes.
So it's really the latest debate in the 21st Century: Is social media ruining the way we communicate?
Like everything in this complicated universe, there is never a black and white perspective to this question. There are positives and negatives to social media and depending on different people you'll have different quantities of good and bad. Personally, I do see positives with my experience but it's really the questioning of what's the point.

I like Facebook for the simplicity of being able to network with so many people. Like I previously stated about groups it has made it a lot easier to communicate a message to a larger audience than individually calling people or sending a large SMS to a number of contacts. I also love seeing the adventures other people get up to. I have some friends who post their artwork or videos of them singing and it makes me feel connected to their journey in that way.

On the flip side, it makes me feel like it's a numb connection. I witness their journey and feel happy for them, but it's not a real sense of happiness, it's more just observing and "liking". It's amazing how we feel good just because someone "likes" an image we posted or a status about our adventure on the bus. Family and holiday photos can't just be enjoyed by the person but some people feel that their holiday wasn't that great unless they put a photo up to show people how great it was. But then it can't be that great if only one person likes it right?

Another point that gets to me personally that I really feel weird about are birthday wishes. The first time I had a birthday and I was on Facebook I thought "I wonder how many people will wish me a happy birthday". These days I just avoid Facebook altogether. The strangest thing is, I feel as if receiving a text message is more personal than someone just typing it to me over Facebook. I mean it's practically the same message, but because it's sent to my phone privately as opposed to a wall I feel like that person cared more than all those who sent it on a website.

I'm not writing this to sound like I'm some social media elitist who is better than that. I'm writing it because this is how it can feel to me. I have an Instagram account which is practically me putting photos up of my average existence just so people can like it. I am from what people call the "me" generation and I don't blame them for using that term. We've grown up with these websites feeling that our lives aren't seen as anything exciting unless everyone knows about it and "likes" it.

Social media hasn't necessarily "ruined" the way we communicate with one another, but it certainly has altered it. I'm probably not going to delete my Facebook because it's not that I want it. I need it. That's the scariest part.