Sunday, October 30, 2016

Trust Falls: The Importance Of Chance

Hi!
This is a quick post, but if you fellow writers don't mind, could you tell me what you think of this essay I wrote for English? Thanks! Keep in mind I'm in 7th grade, so it's likely not as well-written as some of your highschool teachers expect. However, any advice regardless of level is very appreciated! Thanks!

Trust Falls: The Importance of Chance


 Your mind may attempt to discourage you, saying, “This is too risky.” Your confidence may waver, insisting that you cannot succeed. However, if you listen closely, you will find your heart encouraging you to leap ahead, for if you don’t take a chance, you will leave a dream to wither and die, and you will never know what grand possibility you left behind.
Never miss out on an opportunity just because it may not triumph; You can’t live your life in a bubble. Although you need to choose wisely when it comes to which risks prove worth taking, sometimes you must take a chance, and, as Nike preaches, “Just Do It.”.
   Maybe you can make a difference in the world, if only you possess the courage to try. A chance, even a dangerous one, may reveal a path to something wonderful. One of my favorite quotes states, “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”
J.K Rowling wrote Harry Potter and stands as the wealthiest writer in the world, yet she once battled serious problems. She stumbled along a difficult road, but her destination indeed proved beautiful. She fought her way out of poverty and published her first novel, which posed a huge risk. Yes, the cherished tale of Harry Potter formerly insinuated financial suicide. As a single mother supported only by welfare, no one would blame Rowling if she decided against using her hard-earned money to put out a novel that seemed more-than-likely to fall short.
However, Miss Joanne took the uncertainty head-on, and we now know that her risk became the best decision of her life. If J.K Rowling never took the humongous chance, she may still be on the verge of becoming homeless, and we would never receive the privilege of enjoying the epic stories of Harry Potter. How pitiful!
When you consider trying something, don’t dwell on what could happen if you fail, instead contemplate the consequences you will face if you don’t aim for success. Testing ourselves involves a lot of chance, too. Abraham Lincoln is known today as the incredible president who abolished slavery. However, once it was not so. Lincoln ran for president eight times before he ever became elected. Each time, he risked being ridiculed, for the people rejected him a multitude of times. He attempted again and again to become a leader, always holding the chance of being turned down. Of course, he didn’t let that stop him, and the ninth time he ran for president, Abraham Lincoln won the election and became one of our most memorable leaders ever.
In some instances, fighting for a change also requires risk. If you never attempt to make a difference, you won’t make one. Martin Luther King Junior risked his life to change the way African Americans were treated. He knew that going against the law’s ways may cause anger and violence towards him, but Dr. King did it anyway. He stood up for what he firmly believed in, and in reward he gained the ability to change the world for the better. In risking his own life, he moved us forward and away from segregation. While the exceptional man was sorrowfully assassinated, he made his mark on the world, and his risk proved well-worth it.  
In a world with no risks, I suppose we’d all remain in whatever situation we began in, for there would exist no chances of change for the better. How miserable our lives would feel if no change was made possible by chance. What if we were all too skittish to act; too cowardly to adventure? I pray our world will never be like that.

Reject your fear of diving ahead, and become the first to venture outside of your comfort zone. Boycott hesitation to test yourself, even if you will likely blunder. Do not show reluctance to make a change. You’ll never live bravely if you don’t get hurt. You’ll never learn if you don’t make mistakes, and you will never be successful if you don’t encounter failure. Thus, let this be a lesson to you. Exhibit courage, and take risks. I cannot wait to see where your rolls of the die will take you.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Currently Writing...

'Ello!
I've been writing a whole lot lately. Seriously, my family is starting to think I'm a hermit. And that's pretty accurate.  I figured I might as well share a little proof that I've been writing my butt off, so here's a quick snippet of my current WIP, which has yet to be titled.


Uplifting dust from the old dirt road, Oscar shuffled along, eyes wide open for bits and pieces of- well, anything. Oscar’s father was a merchant, or… something like that. In the beat-up village of Dizvizh, he sold whatever he could create, purchase himself for cheaper, or Oscar could stumble upon. It wasn’t a great job, and he didn’t make much, but it put food on the table, so it was good enough.
Oscar was 14. An… interesting age. He wasn’t old enough to start working, but he wasn’t quite a child, so he had to help his father. A horse and buggy clattered along the road, so Oscar stepped out of the way. Unfortunately, he didn’t step as far as he should have. The cart’s big rickety wheels dropped into a puddle of muck, conveniently splashing all over Oscar.
“Ack!” He shouted in his thick Eastern accent. His trousers were now splattered with foul-odor-emitting mud, amongst other old stains. Grumbling, he continued along the road, his shoes squishing as he stepped.
Something silver caught his eye. It was glinting medal. Thinking his crummy day might be about to be made better with a superb find, he rushed to the left and bent to salvage the shiny object from the soil. As Oscar swept the dust off the round thing with his palm, the item was revealed. Clumps of rock and caked mud dropped off of it, uncovering a purple egg that seemed to glow.
“What in King Sambit…” The boy murmured. Before he could examine it fully, he noticed that a wealthy-looking man dressed in suit and top hat was glaring at him suspiciously from a shop window. Oscar casually stashed the egg away in his pocket and continued walking at a much less sedate pace than previously.
Oscar cringed as he heard the bells of the shop’s door swinging open. “Stop right there, young man!” A deep voice bellowed. Oscar pivoted to face a grey-bearded man with a stern frown. “What’ve you got in your pocket?” He nodded to Oscar’s bulging coat compartment. Thinking quickly, Oscar pulled not the egg, but instead a silver pen he had collected earlier that morning. Slowly, mimicked reluctance.
The man raised an eyebrow, as if that’s not what he expected. He accepted it anyway. “Give that to me!” He exclaimed, thrusting out his open palm. Oscar resisted a smirk, and confessed the unwanted pen. The storekeeper snapped his hand shut, and buried it into his own pocket. “That was not yours.” He spat before turning to stride into his shop. Oscar rolled his cocoa eyes. “Wasn’t his either.” He grumbled, brushing his curly brown hair out from his eyes.
The storekeeper swung violently around. “I heard that!” He roared. “Thief!” He hollered. Within a split second, an officer in uniform appeared from across the street. “You again? Street rat!” He whooped. Oscar winced, Not again.
He ran. Sprinting away as fast as his slippery, wet, sludge-covered feet could carry him. Down the road, turning with a dangerous stumble. Arms pumping the air. He could hear the officer shouting behind him, but didn’t pause to ponder what he was saying. It was a race on a track he was quite familiar with.

It's not much yet, but hopefully I can make it better. What do you think of it? If this was a book, would you read it?



P.S: The indenting got messed up when I copied it from Google Docs, so please ignore that.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Dragon Haiku

Here's my 2nd Fantasy Literature Camp assignment! I didn't do the 2nd one, so this is really the 3rd. I just wasn't all that interested in yesterday's prompt! Today's challenge is to write a haiku about a dragon. I haven't written a haiku since the 3rd grade... So, here we go!

Fangs sharpened by pain,
Scales riddled with smoke and age,
The dragon awaits.

Wellllllll.... That was interesting! It's hard to write something so short!
~Tenley

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The Forest Guardian ~ Fantasy Literature Camp 2016

I'm so excited to partake in the challenges and activities of Kathryn's Fantasy Literature Camp. Today's was to design a fantasy creature, here's mine. Instead of a boring description, I thought I'd just write a short piece about my creature to answer the questions.

     The heroes strided along the overgrown pathway, until it ended and they were forced to trudge through brush and sticks. After a long while, they came to a dense forest. It had a clear beginning; yet no apparent end. Grudgingly, they continued on, but as soon as they set foot on the forest floor, they heard an unmistakable sound. "SC-REEEEEEEEE!" A Guardian's call rang across the land. Within a single second, a massive shadow swooped above them, swirled to the ground, turned to face them, and revealed a creature with both terrifying and beautiful features.
     She, or it, (a mixture of the two would be most accurate.) glared sharply at them with her seemingly human eyes. Her warm mocha skin was riddled with green designs, like the surface of a leaf. She had fangs sharp as needles, and a flickering snake tongue in the center of her snarl. She had long, dark brown hair that spiraled in curls down to her ankles. She was sparingly clothed in ragged cloths, but she stood her ground so confidently, that she could have been wearing the finest of gowns. Majestic eagle-like wings spread out behind her, feathers as long as your forearm. Her feet were replaced by sharp, pointed talons.
     She was a Guardian. A fearsome... thing... that protects nature. This particular creature was a Forest Guardian, created to defend the lush forests that are home to many other animals. They are fierce creatures, for most humans who attempt to enter their natural kingdoms don't make it out alive.
    You may be wondering, did our heroes make it? Hmm... I wonder too.

~Tenley
I hope this isn't too late, Kathryn! I was drawing the Guardian, but then I took too long, and it got late... But it's definitely still the 9th! It's just late. 9:30PM.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Maybe Someday - Page 6

     Peaceful and calm, I'm warm and curled in a tight ball. Then, suddenly, I'm jerked forward and crash down. I let out a pitiful noise. Lights flash and I hear a shriek. I breathe heavily and cry.
     My eyes snap open, and I realize I'm in my bed, my chest is heaving. I sigh, and turn over. Blue eyes are staring back at me. "Ah!" I squeak in alarm.
     "Sorry!" Madison says, flinching back. "You were crying in your sleep." I realize there's a wet spot on my pillow and my cheeks are sticky with tears. "Oh." I reply lamely. Everyone is awake now, even Vicky, the deepest sleeper ever. They peer at me in the dimly lit room, I can see them all. The sun is barely peaking up over the horizon out our window. I feel as though I woke it as well.
      "I'm sorry." I say. "It's ok." Madison replies, she quietly walks over to her own bed. Then everyone goes back to sleep, but I lay there, continuing to remember, or imagine, I'm not quite sure, the night that our car crashed, my parents died, and I, a 6 month old infant, disturbed from my nap, was changed forever.
       Later in the cafeteria, I silently pick at my bland oatmeal. Rain is noisily spattering on the tin roof. Scarlet of course, is sitting right by me, she doesn't say anything either. "Why are you so quiet?" I ask.
        "Hmm?" Scarlet says, perking up, "Oh, I was just thinking." "About..."I continue. "Nothing" Scarlet says. I don't pry.
        Outdoor hour is replaced by a movie. This was actually pretty cool as we rarely had access to television. We watched Monsters Inc. Kind of babyish, I know, but I still enjoyed it.
       The day dragged on, as boring and repetitive as the pounding rain. I spent quiet time reading Little House On The Prairie. I didn't get through much though, I couldn't concentrate with my roommates blabbering as much as they do. They're nice girls and all, but I really don't care about anything they talk about.
       By evening, the rain finally stops. I can see the muddy ground and battered trees through the clouded windows. I'm nibbling at my hotdog, wondering where Scarlet is, (I hadn't seen her at all since dinner started.) when suddenly, I'm yanked up from my table, and shuffled into the hallway. I try and get away, but the grip is too strong. I attempt to wiggle free, but then a familiar voice says, "It's me, Scarlet." Oh. I drop my arms and relax. "What are we doing here?" I ask. I'm very confused. This isn't even the main hallway, it's just a side corridor, dimly lit and smelling of dust.
       "Listen." Scarlet says. She flips her hair away from her eyes. They are bright and determined. "You want to get out of here, don't you Ginger?" I think I know what she has in mind. My lips tremble, "Well...Yeah, I guess so."
       "Well I'm getting out of here, today." I'm shocked. Scarlet continues, words solid, "Will you please come with me? I'd miss you so much. And you don't need to worry. I'll protect you." My eyes widen. I want to so very badly, but I can't... It's too risky. "Scarlet, I'm sorry, but... I can't" Her confidence deflates. "Alright, you've made your choice." She walks away, and turns down the hall. She'll probably sneak out a side door. I wonder, then, Will I ever see her again? 

Friday, February 26, 2016

Sup.

Hey.
I'm bored.
Very bored.
Yup.
So.... I feel like rambling. Wanna hear me ramble? K.
Let's see, what's the first thing that shall pop into my weird head?
I hate people. And school. And the way people work. WHY does everything have to be "awkward" and "weird". Multiple examples of this:
1. If I talk to a guy, suddenly people assume I have a crush on him. What the heck?! Why am I not allowed to have a normal conversation with the opposite gender?
2. Ok, this one is sorta weird, but if my bra strap is baaarrrrreeeelllly showing, people freaak out and are like "OMG TENLEY!!!" Calm down people. It's ok to calmly point it out to me, but you don't need to freak out. I am a female human being. Glad we've established that.
3. People are so dramatic!!! You got a B on a test? Time to weep in the middle of math class. Your friend decided to sit somewhere else at lunch today? Time to sink into a depression and cry because you're going to die alone. :[
Yes I'm ranting.
Let's move on to something more positive! Uh... I'm working on the next page of MS. I'm having trouble developing the story without moving too fast. Any tips?
Is there a difference between fairies and faeries? Is it just an alternate spelling? What's going on there?
I guess that's all for now. I just needed to get some thoughts down. Bye!


Saturday, February 6, 2016

Transformation Personal Blog

Hi!
So, I've been thinking, and I think it would be much more practical to turn this into a personal blog. That does not mean I won't be writing! I love writing, I just want to add things in here. Now this will be for everything besides my dolls. Even horses! I won't delete My Life In The Saddle though, not yet. Some things you may be seeing here now:

  • Writing (still.)
  • Currently reading...
  • Horse things
  • Fashion and OOTD
  • Photography
  • Stories
  • And more!
I'm very excited, and feel like this is a change for the better! Thanks guys! Bye!