Monday Minute Challenge

Here's my entry for the Monday Minute Challenge. I'm doing the sentence prompt, I know if I look back it would only make it worse, but I couldn’t help myself. I look back. 295 words

I creep inside the cave. Dim torches lighten it. Instead of looking at the path, my eyes dart to and fro, trying to find Josiah. He has to be here. I open my mouth to call his name, but stop myself. It was too dangerous.

A little stone bounces off my bare feet. I lose my balance and fall forward. Before I hit the ground, my hands grasp on a rock. I pull myself back up. When I stand, something causes me to slip. It’s the heartbreaking sound. His scream.

“I know you’re here!” he yells. His shadow looms over the wall. “Stay away from me!”

I stagger forward. “Josiah.” Now that I say his name, dread fills me.

“No, Breeze!” he screams, voice echoing off the rocks. “I can’t control it anymore. I’ll hurt you.” His voice cracks. I imagine his hazel tear filled eyes and trudge on, despite his warning.

He comes into the light. I feel his fire from here. In minutes, I know I’ll have no choice but to leave. I look into his eyes. “Josiah, I can’t leave you.”

“You must,” he says, backing away from me. “Hurry. I can’t hold him off much longer.”

My eyes widen. His skin begins to glow. “What’s going on?” I whisper. Fear causes me to tremble.          

“Go!” he screams, falling to his knees.

A hot force knocks me over. I gasp for air. The truth comes upon me. I have to leave him. I struggle to my feet, but can’t find the will to run. I know if I look back it would only make it worse, but I couldn’t help myself. I looked back…

…Just in time to see flames—Josiah’s fire— shooting from a distance.  I dash towards the way out.

What I Learned While Editing my Novel

So I have began to seriously edit my novel, The Becoming. Since I knew a lot less about writing than I did when I wrote the story, the work is tedious. But I truly believe that if any novels of mine have a chance of getting published, The Becoming is the one. I'm not giving up.

I'm reading the book over and taking notes. Already, I have covered pages with things I need to fix and I'm not even halfway through it, but I have learned a few things that I'd thought I would share.

There's no doubt that you have heard to show and not to tell. When I wrote the novel, I didn't know the right way to do that. By the grace of God, I figured out a simple way to fix that. Take a sentence like, "He looked mad." This sentence is telling. To change it to showing, ask a simple question. How did he look mad? Was his face red? Did he slam his hand on the chair? "He kicked the chair in front of him." Okay, this sentence isn't perfect, but it's a more creative than what it was before. How can make the sentence more effective.

As it turns out, I reread a few argument scenes with my protagonist tand her best friend. My protagonist character was doing some things he didn't agree with. As a result,  he was confronting her about it. Now that I looked over it, I realized how preachy her best friend sounded. My writing friend denied it, but I couldn't change my mind. I loved this character so much so I had to do something about it.

I stepped out of my comfort zone. I rewrote the scene. Since part of me liked this scene, I was afraid to at first. It had to be done. The new scene flowed much more than the old one. Plus, it gave the best friend a more convincing argument. If you find a problem with a scene that you love, don't be afraid to rewrite it. However, save the old scene.

Finally, I warn you about generic action tags. What are those? There are normal actions.. As in: She laughed. He sighed. It wasn't until I read a Go Teen Writers blog post did I see the problem with them. Not only are they unoriginal, they're boring. Instead, think of creative action tags.

How do you do that? Look at the things around you. I cross my fingers tightly when I get nervous. Someone might bite his finger when he gets mad. Things like that sound much better than the generic action tags.

Before I go, I want to encourage all writers who are editing their novels. I know it takes forever. It's not exactly fun, but it's worth it. Even if you hate the story, think about the original idea. If you still love it, don't give up. Edit your novel. Who knows? You might just get it published someday.

By the way, here's some great posts about editing that you should read. You might not be at the editing stage yet, but tips are always helpful. There are written by one of my favorite authors, Stephanie Morrill

How to Edit Your Novel in Layers
Editing in Layers: The Big Parts of Your Scene
Editing in Layers: Drawing out Emotion and Tension
Editing in Layers: Seven Things to Search For In Your Manuscript
How do I know when I'm done editing?


Reading: By Darkness Fled, The Serpent's Shadow
Just Finished Reading: The Throne of Fire
Want to Read: The Prime Way Program by Caroline George
Listening to: "Play It Again"- Luke Bryan, Taylor Swift

Very Inspiring Blog Award

I keep forgetting to do this, but Tara, from Tara Therese, graciously award me with the Very Inspiring Blogging Award. Thank you so much, TarA!

Here are the rules:
List the rules and display the award
Share 7 facts about yourself
Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know you have nominated them
Proudly display the badge.

7 facts about me:

1. I just reached 25,000 words on my novel last night.

2. I am currently reading By Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson and The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riodarian.

3. I am currently in love with "I Want Crazy" by Hunter Hays.

4.  I'm going to be freshman this year in school.

5. One of my many dreams is to see Taylor Swift in concert.

6. I'm writing a fantasy novel with my friend amazingly talented writing friend, Mila, or "Ducky" as I like to call her.

7. I am learning how to play "Speak Now" by Taylor Swift on the piano!

Now for the nominations. Seriously, I know so many great bloggers who inspire me. You guys keep me constantly reading and waiting for posts.

Isabelle at She's Not Afraid
Noelle at Live Love Move
Danielle at The Diary of Danielle
Jessica at (Almost) Perfectly Pink
Tessa at Christ is Write
Michelle at A Songwriter's Journey
Rebecca at Rebecca's Random Ramblings
His Princess at Growin' Up Country
Rose at Truly. Madly. Deeply.
Bernie at Uniquely You
TW Wright at Indonesia Around Me
Julia at Running through the Stars
Maddie Jay at The Wonderful World of My Life
Celia at Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.
Rachel at You and I

Thanks to my slow computer, that took forever. But I just want to thank these bloggers and many more who have given me great posts to reader. It's probably my favorite part of blogging, other than the writing part---reading stuff by other writers like me.

Thanks again, Tara! Be sure to check out her blog and all these other blogs.
In Christ,
Sarah

MATCHED (Book Review)

 

This morning, I finished Matched by Ally Condie. I thought I would post a review of it.

Title: Matched, the first book in the Matched trilogy.
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: YA Fiction, Dystopia, Romance

Back Cover: In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices, but she begins to question just how perfect her world really is when she notices things are not what they seem. As Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility, she is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

What I liked: Unlike other popular Dystopia novels, Matched wasn't action and adventure. It was mostly quiet, but interesting. I loved Cassia's character change. At first, she was a pushover, never questioning anything. But then she changed. I loved the idea of the forbidden poems and cursive writing. It made Cassia and Ky's love story even more intriguing.

Cassia's parents love each other unconditionally, promoting and showing the beauty of traditional marriage. For a romance novel, it was clean. Cassia had a great relationship with her parents and younger brother. I loved the connection between Cassia and Ky. Ky was very thoughtful and sensitive. Even though they didn't know each other well at first, their love was believable.

What I didn't like: Cassia claimed she loved Xander, but I didn't see it. She was falling so hard for Ky. To make it worse, she hardly thought of Xander when she was loving Ky. Technically, Cassia was "cheating" on Xander with Ky. (though was never really chose him) She mentions that her and her friends played love games, despite the fact that they knew they were just games since they didn't have a choice on marriage. She said it involved kissing.

The dialogue was extremely telling, instead of showing. Some of the things were hard to understand. Cassia kept things from her parents.

Content: Cassia kissed Xander a couple of times... and Ky once or twice. In a video they watch, a man gets shoot. Blood is mentioned.

Conclusion: I've wanted this book for awhile now and didn't get around to until now. It showed me how you could write a romance without getting too sexual. Besides that, it was very clean. More than that, it showed how two people don't have to be like each other to have a successful marriage. I read that the second book is a little more on the sexual side. I'll have to think about reading that one, but I recommend this book!

The Real Boss

I have to admit, I've never been one to take selfies. Sure, I will take photos with my sister, but I've never actually taken a picture with just me. That's just how I am.

Have you ever noticed how that one little word, selfie, sums up our culture? All you have to do is turn on the radio to see it. The hit song of the summer, "Fancy" couldn't be more self-absorbed. The song is rebellious, crude, and inappropriate, with lyrics like, "It feels so good getting what I want."

That's how we are now. We are prideful, too confidence. Our sociality encourages it. Demi Lovato, a singer that many teen girls consider as a role model, once said this: "I have come to realize making yourself happy is most important. Never be ashamed of how you feel. You have the right feel any emotion you want, and do what makes you happy. That's my life motto."

That defines who we are now. Look around you. Turn on the radio. We have made us our number one priority. We are convinced that we are the boss of our lives. We are a self absorbed culture.

What are the consequences of that? To start off, we might be the boss, but we are inexperienced. If we refuse to listen to anyone we will harm ourselves in more ways than one. Many teens, instead of waiting, decide to lose their purity for the sake of pressure and fleeting happiness. As we have seen, the consequences of rebellion can affect us forever. Just that one night, that one mistake...  can bring so much misery.

More than that, we will find that we can try everything to give us lasting satisfaction. We can live in the moment, do what we want to do. But nothing will ever satisfy us. We will always want more. It will bring us harm. We might even know that, but sooner or later, we will be trapped, enslaved in our own desires.

What is the way out?

We must realize that we are not the boss our lives. Jesus is. He died for our sins, created us, and wants the best for us. He says that we are helpless sinners. He says that we have been rescued by Him. He has called us.

He wants us to live for Him.

Here's another song I've always loved. It defines who we are, truly.

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow.
A wave tossed in the ocean.
A vapor in the wind.
Still You hear me when I'm calling.
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling.
And You've told me who I am.
I am Yours, I am Yours.



(Casting Crowns- Who Am I)

The Thing about Plot Twists

Ah. Plot twists. Evil authors. When everything is turning out to be okay. You can finally breathe again because it looks like they all made it out alive. But then...

The most innocent character gets stabbed out of nowhere. (Yes, I read a book like this once. So heartbreaking.)

Plot twists are hard to write. You can't just say, "I'll do the most unexpected thing!" Uh, no. You have to have a plan. No one can expect it. At the same time, it must be believable. I'm going to try to keep it as vague as I can, but this post will contain some mild spoilers from books I've read.

I was reminded of the brilliancy of plot twists when I finished By Darkness Hid, which I highly recommend. Oh wow. Let's just say... I did not see that coming. A book can have more than one plot twists, but there's always a big one that leaves the reader screaming, "WHAT?"

The big plot twists usually are two kind of happenings:

1. The truth turns out to be a lie. (Legend)
2. The truth changes. (Mocking Jay)

 The plot twist in Legend is that the government actually killed the important people in the main character's life. What was believed is a lie. However, in Mocking Jay, it's different. Brainwashed by the Capital, Peeta hates Katniss now and wants to kill her. Before this, it was well-known that Peeta loved Katniss. The truth changes.

Do you see the difference? As I said before, it must be believable. Peeta being brainwashed by the Capital and wanting to murder Katniss is believable. No one saw it coming in a million years. But the Capital is cruel and deadly, plus they hate Katniss. It makes sense that they would do something so unbelievably horrible.

To make sure the reader doesn't see the plot twist coming, constantly remind them of the lie or the changeable truth. That's one of the reasons I would have never seen the plot twist in By Darkness Hid coming. Up until the truth was revealed, the lie was in my face. I didn't see an alternative.

In a way, plot twists symbolize what life is. We might think we got it all figured out, but then something comes out of nowhere, throwing us off our game. They also remind us that God is in control and He has a reason for everything.

Francesca Battistelli's album, My Paper Heart, actually was one of the first things that got me into music. This is one of my favorite songs from the album.

Liebster Award

Once again, I was tagged by Jessica for the Liebster Award. Thanks, Jessica! Check out her blog, (Almost) Perfectly Pink, which is an awesome and original blog!

Okay, you guys know the rules by now. So here's 11 MORE facts about myself.

1. I am now reading three books---By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson, Matched by Ally Conide, and The Throne of Fire, by Rick Riodarin
2. My favorite song at the moment is "Keep Us Safe" by Carrie Underwood, which is beyond beautiful.
3. I have a slight obsession with The Hunger Games and other fandom edits.
4. I think Minecraft is boring.
5. I watched The Lego movie last week and surprisingly, loved it.
6. On Monday, I got an Olaf shirt.
7. I own a Frozen poster.
8. I absolutely adore the amazing voices of Idina Menzel, Lea Michele, and of course, Demi Lovato.
9. Someday I plan to move to Nashvile so I can go see all my favorite artists in concet AND meet Taylor Swift
10. Currently, I am writing two books and editing one.
11. My favorite hymn is "It is Well" and I was annoyed when I looked it up on Spotify and found a rock version of the song. Still, I can't find a version I actually love.

Here are Jessica's questions:
1.) What is Your Favorite Genre of Music?
Country. Because I am a storyteller and nothing brings me happiness like a story in a song.

  

2.) If You Could Have One Of The Following Talents, Which Would You Pick?  Do You Have Any Of These Already?

     A. Singing

     B. Being Athletic

     C. Good Public Speaker

Well, I pretty much stink at all of these! Since I'm a music freak, I'd probably say singing, (though I'm not terrible at that), but I wouldn't mind any one of them.

 

   3.) If You Could Live The Life of One Person, Either Dead or Alive, For A Week, Who Would You Be?

Probably Taylor Swift. I'd to have an amazing talent for songwriting and perform in front of thousands of people so naturally.

 

   4.) Do You Ever Wear Makeup or Nail Polish?

I watch nail polish, only it takes me forever to get it in the way I want. I don't wear makeup very often, but sometimes I wear blush and eyeliner.

 

 5.) Do You Like Bagels?

No, but my whole family does. Once again, I am the odd one out.

 

6.) Do You Like Hot Tea?

Yes, I do.

  

7.) What Is Your Least Favorite Chore?

Hmm.... shucking corn. Though I don't do very often, it takes a long time.

  

8.) Do You Ever Wear High Heels?

No. Dad told me something bad about their history so I doubt I ever will.

 

   9.) If You Could Have Any Super Power, what would you have?

FLYING! Sometimes I stretch my arms out at random times and pretend to fly. (Yes, I am strange. Why do you ask?)

 

10.) Would You Rather Visit Britian, France, or Japan?

Hmm... England! A place where everyone has a cool accent.

 

11.) Do you prefer old or new houses?

A new house.

 

I nominate:

Julia

TW Wright

Natasha

Maddie

Rachel

Bernie

Joy

 

Questions:

1. What is your favorite animated movie?

2. If you could be any mystical creature, who would you be?

3. If you could have any kind of accent, which would you have?

4. Have you been out of the country?

5. What is your favorite sport?

6. As if now, what is your favorite song?

7. Describe the place where you write.

8. What fantasy world would you like to live in? (Middle Earth, etc.)

9. Do you prefer modern day stories or science fiction/fantasy?

10. Do you write stories? If so, what song describes your favorite original story?

11. What is your favorite classic book?

 

Thanks again, Jessica! Hope you guys like the tag!

In Christ,

Sarah

I apologize for the lack of posting. I've been hit by a inspiration drought recently in blogging. I hope to have a book review up later today. So.... stay tune!

And so... this is a really pretty song. I'm so excited for their new album!!:)

In Christ,
Sarah

Monday Minute Challenge

This is SUPER late, but here's my Monday Minute Challenge based on this picture. 299 words.

The second I look forward, my heart nearly stops. It had only been two, three… maybe five minutes at the most since I’d left. I couldn’t see the flames from this far away then. Now it burns above the trees, spreading uncontrollably It seems impossible for the fire to spread that fast.

But it had. And it was my fault.

“Diamond!” a voice broke through my thoughts. I want to look up at her, but I can’t take my eyes off what I’ve done, the mistake I made. “Diamond!”

I have to. In a moment, I turn to see Dephi, running towards me. Her torn dress flies in the wind. A spot of dry blood sticks to her pale cheek. Words come in my mouth, but they refuse to leave it. Something’s wrong. Worse than the fire.

She stops in front of me to catch her breath. Her chest moves up and down. “Adam… saw the fire,” she spits out, grasping her knees. “H-he thought you were in there so he ran to go get you.” Dread creeps up me, ready to pounce. No. “He hasn’t come back, Diamond.”

Before I can stop myself, I rip the crown of flowers out of my hair. I hear a faint scream and deicide that it must be my own. Not Adam. He went in there. For me. Why?

I want to collapse in grief. It would be in vain. He would die, suffocate, burn up. Adam. So strong and loving. He didn’t deserve such a horrible death.

I can’t leave him to die. Especially since I caused it. I am sure of one thing now. I don’t want to die knowing I hadn’t tried to save him.

Blocking out Dephi’s cries, I run towards the fire. Already, I feel the heat.

What We Don't Do

In this world, we receive things like honor or shame because of what we do. How we live. We are judged but what we do. What we do forms our reputation. Our reputation affects how people think of us.

It makes sense. However, sometimes it's different. At times, we are judged by what we don't do.

How many times have you had this kind of conversation with your friend? They bring up some form of entertainment that's popular on the media at the moment. A few minutes into the conversation you admit you're not allowed to see or read it. They immediately say things like, "What? Why not? It's awesome!"

If I got a dollar every time someone freaked out when I told them I wasn't allowed to watch The Hunger Games (though I'm allowed to read the books), I'd probably be rich. The truth is, we are judged by what we don't do. You don't watch so-and so? You don't date?

I'm sure you've been through something like that before. The sad truth is, people form their opinions of us when they see what we don't do. We are told to take risk and be daring. Everyone says to live in the moment, but really our biggest mistakes can be made when we do. If we don't know the latest trends, we are seen as weird.

 We should put what God wants us to do as the number one priority. He doesn't care about the trends we follow or the clique we're in. He'd rather us follow his commandments than win the approval of our friends.

But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 1st Peter 3:4

 

In truth, we have to realize the insignificance of our friends' approval before we can put God's will for our lives as our main concern. It brings us down. We all live to look good in front of people. If we focus on that more than we should, we will never be satisfied with ourselves.

 

Which is why God tells us that He is jealous. He wants us to live for Him, despite anything that might get in our way. Don't get me wrong. We can't do it. I fail miserably every day. But Jesus redeems me every day as well.

 

Do you struggle with trying to win other people's approval? What helps you when you find yourself caught up in it? Comment!

 

I just put a poll up on my blog. I need some advice on the posts I should write. Please vote on it! I would love to see your feedback!

The Book Thief (SO GOOD)

I just got back from my aunt's house. It was great to see most of my father's side of the family since I don't do that very often. There I watched The Lego Movie for the first time. As a result, I am suffering from a serious case of EIA. I have the theme song, "Everything is Awesome" in my head. This time it's worse because I only know the first two lines in the chorus. Ever since yesterday night, I've been singing,  "Everything is awesome. Everything is cool when you're part of a team..." BUT... I still found the strength to write this book review.

Over the week of Super Summer, I finished an amazing book called The Book Thief. I had been wanting to read the book for some time, but I never got the chance. I ended up watching the movie, which was heartbreaking. The book turned out to be much more than I ever imagined it would be,

Plot: It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids - as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul. (Taken from Goodreads)

What I LOVED: There was so much to adore about this book. The characters. Every character was special in their own way. I can't even decide which was my favorite. They all spoke to me because they all had unique voices and different outlooks on life. It was so deep and amazing.

I saw the Germans, living while they were being practically controlled by their cruel leader. In the midst of all that killing and hatred, there were good people, people brave enough to do what was right. The book was narrated by Death. That might sound weird, but it was surprisingly interesting. I loved how Lisel's longing to read, to learn. Not only did I relate to her, but I saw how I take books and words for granted. I have tons of books, but in that time, books were hard to find.

It recognized the power of words. I didn't really understand why they were highlighting the whole stealing thing, but then I read this conversation between Rudy and Lisel about how Lisel steals books from the mayor. Both characters had many family members taken from them in some way by the government. "It feels good, doesn't it?" Rudy said. "To steal something back." Before that, I thought they were just stealing for the fun of it. It doesn't justify it, but it made me see it in a different light.

None of the book is light. Most of it is heavy, but it didn't beat around the bush. It showed the cruelty without blinking. It was to the point.

What I didn't like: Hmm... there wasn't really anything, expect for the profanity. There was a lot of cuss words. At first, it bugged me, but then my dad told me that it was a stressful time for them. So it made sense. Also, they take God's name in vain... in various ways.

Content: The book wasn't full of violence, but a significant amount. It describes fights and the Germans treated the Jews. (That was intense) Plus, one chapter talks about boys being naked and it's mentioned a few times. As I mentioned above, there were a lot of cuss words. Just about every one you think of, excluding the f word and the five letter b word. (C word too)

Conclusion: Okay, this book was amazing. The Book Thief ripped my heart out and stomped on it.. There were many heartbreaking scenes, but it made me think. If you read it, brace yourself. I highly encourage you to. Just keep in mind that it is very heavy.

Tips for Good/Bad Characters

When you think about it, who are the most beloved villains? Actually, it's not the one who's evilest. It's the one with a more divided personality. The ones who might seem good in the beginning, but turn out to be an enemy.

Loki. Luke Castellan. Anakin Skywalker. What do these bad guys have in common? They're good-gone-bad. You might think you know them, but then they backstab your favorite character out of nowhere. Sometimes when you're convinced they're bad, they surprise you. But the best bad guys are more than just good-gone-bad. The best villains make you torn. (This is supposed to be about good-gone-bad villains, but it could work with other villains too.)

It's not enough that you make them bad. You have to make your reader care. One of the many errors with the Percy Jackson movie was what they did with Luke. In the book, he was a nice guy and it hurt when he turned on Percy. However, in the movie, you can see it coming. He cusses. He's mean. Above all else, you don't care when he turns to the dark side.

How do you make the readers care? More importantly, how do you make them torn, especially when the villain seems to be nothing but a jerk?

I've noticed how effective revealing the past can be. Though I haven't seen Wicked, I read the plot and it was very interesting. It proved to me that a villain's past can make the reader look in a whole different perspective. Take The Last Olympian for instance.

By now, we should hate Luke. He's betrayed all the characters we love for no good reason other than he hates his father. But... we get a backstage pass on his childhood before the whole '"evil'"thing. Looking at things in his perspective, our hearts softens. His father left him with his insane mom and refuses to tell him about his future. We began to have a little grace for him. I know I was torn, reading the last two books.

Have the villain fight against his old best friend. This is especially cruel because, while it only makes the audience hate the villain more, it's painful to watch. During the fight, let the good guy remember a happy time with his friend-turned-enemy. Recalling how it used to be will make the scene more tedious and create tension. We expect people like Peter Pan and Captain Hook to fight. But brothers like Loki and Thor? It's not only unexpected; it's difficult.

On that subject, bring back endearments. Things like nicknames, etc. In a series I was finishing, my favorite character, Newt, went crazy and attacked the protagonist, Thomas. Before he went crazy, Newt would call Thomas "Tommy" as a nickname, when they were friends.  During the fight, Newt was shouting horrible things about Thomas, making me very upset. To make it worse, the whole time, he was calling him, "Tommy." It reminded me of how things used to be and made me more depressed! (Took a few days to get over that book)

This probably is the most effective. Always make him do the unexpected. It's what made Loki such an awesome villain. Nobody knows who he really is, especially in Thor 2: The Dark World. When you're just beginning to like him, you hate him. When you're starting to hate him, you're forced to like him. You don't know who he is. He's a puzzle, You. Are. Torn. One character sends on an emotional roller coaster ride.

But, I will warn you, do not go as far as to make the evil he's doing look attractive. UNLESS you want him to be deceiving. Always tell your reader that eventually. Evil can seem to be okay, but that's as far as it can go. Seems is fine. A lot of bad things seem fine. Is goes to far. Evil might seem good, but it never is good.

Who is your villain? Are you trying to make him all bad or have a divided personality?

The Fault in "Killing Things"

One of the most popular books right now is none other than the heartbreaking story, The Fault in our Stars. Fangirls are everywhere, doing things like: crying. Gushing over Augustus Waters. And doing what fangirls do best.

Confession time: I didn't read The Fault in Our Stars. But I have read countless positive reviews on the book, as well as have friends who are obsessed over it. (Christian and non-Christian alike)  I want to read the book, but at the same time, I won't. The reason is they do inappropriate, as well as sinful,  things in it.

However, curiosity has gotten the best of me multiple times. I know what happens. I even read a preview of the book. To be honest, it concerned me. Though Hazel's voice was especially unique and drew me in, there were some things. It wasn't horrible or explicit, but there were just some things that made me raise an eyebrow. These were only the first pages.

I've read quotes from the book and they're heartbreaking. "All of the Stars" made me tear up the first time I heard it. Without the content, I'm sure it's a good book. At Super Summer this week, I heard a quote  that interested me.

“It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing.” (From the Fault in Our Stars, to those who haven't read the book)

I heard that this metaphor was supposed to represent sin. I'm not sure if that's true or not. My friend said something like, "It's like a cigarette and sin. Only you can light it."

When I first heard it, I thought it was good quote. After all, it's true. No one forces us to sin. It's our choice, no matter what the case. But then I began to think harder on the subject.

John Green calls it a "killing thing." Whether it's supposed to be sin or not, it kills. Think of it as a cigarette, like how the author meant it to be. You can light it and let it slowly kill you. Or... you can put it in between your teeth. Without the fuel, it can't kill you.

Do you know what's also a choice? Putting the "killing thing" in between your teeth.

Think about it. Whatever it is, it's suppose to kill. If you knew it kills, why would you want it even near your mouth? It's like reading or watching sinful entertainment. You might not be doing the sin, but you're letting your eyes see it.

Of course, we're all guilty of that. What I'm trying to say here is, this metaphor doesn't make sense. Because if you knew it was dangerous enough to be the cause of your death, you shouldn't mess around with it. It's like playing catch with a bomb.

Again, I haven't read the book. So it would be wrong for me to presume things. All I'm doing is looking at the evidence I have. I've put "killing things" in between my teeth too. Whether you're lighting it or not, you're asking for trouble.

Now I don't want to sound like a hater. Reading the book isn't a sin. But I want you to think about it. Teen author Krista McGee explains the fault in the book in her blog post. She's actually read the book too.

What is your opinion on The Fault in Our Stars? What do you think about the cigarette metaphor? Is there something I should know about the book so I may take it in a different light? Comment below! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade
(Casting Crowns- Slow Fade)