Growing Up - March Blog Chain

It is once again time for the monthly AW Blog Chain. I just joined these last month and I had a ton of fun so I figured I'd try it again.

This month's topic? Growing up. Had to jump on this subject as I have a whole lot to say. ;-)


Let me say right off the bat... .*sings* I don't wanna grow up cus I'm a Toys-R-Us kid

Seriously, I don't. But who does though right? Growing up and realizing you're an adult is no fun. BUT, being an adult doesn't necessarily mean no fun anymore. Yeah, there are more responsibilities when you become an adult, but there's also more fun in some cases.

Me though, I have the mind of a teenager and I could care less. I laugh at everything, I goof around a lot, I'm more than a little weird, and I get excited very easily. That's what I love about my life though. I am responsible but at the same time I still have fun. I can't imagine going through life without any of the above traits, that quite frankly annoy people I know to no end. *shrugs* The way I see it, you can't deal with my sometimes childish humor/behavior, you're not worth my time. I'm not going to walk around all serious all the time. You have to have some fun in life or you'll go nuts.

I have three nephews ranging from 3 to 11 and I run around the house with them like I'm just one of the kids. It's fun to play with them, and all my friend's kids too. I don't have kids of my own so I cherish the time I spend around other people's kids. Watching them grow up is one of my guilty pleasures. Even though they're not my children, I'm very proud of them when I see them.. how do I put this... just becoming the people they are. I hope that makes sense. I don't think I'm explaining myself very well on this matter. Put simply, I love watching even the smallest things, down to their different day to day activities.

Now, when I think about my childhood, I always smile. We may not have had the newest clothes, electronics, etc. like those around us, but we always made the best of what we did have. I grew up with three older brothers (two of them being step-brothers) so I was a bit of a tomboy. Still am actually. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Not only did it, quite frankly, keep me protected from people of the male persuasion (there are benefits to being the little sister and only girl), it toughened me up. I think I can handle a lot more because of their influence. Also they exposed me to things I doubt I otherwise would have gotten the chance to participate in. For instance, all three boys did Boy Scouts when they were younger. Being the (at times) spoiled child that I was, I was allowed to go on their outings with them. This also had to do with the fact that my mom was a Den Mother, and step-dad helped sometimes, for the local Boy Scouts and they found it pointless to get a babysitter for me when I was too young to stay at home alone. The point is that I have those experiences to take with me throughout life.

I had a ton of fun with my brothers when we were growing up. After my mom divorced and it was just me, her, and my older brother, I think it got even better. Then my brother and I started getting along better, we had more of the same friends, we fought a lot less. So, the remaining years where it was just the three of us left their mark on me as well.

Like I said before, I'm still childlike in many ways. I don't think there's anything wrong with that though. Life is too short to not get in touch with our inner child once in a while, let go of all the stress and worry, and just have fun.

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Participants
aimeelaine - www.aimeelaine.com/writing/blog
AuburnAssassin - http://clairegillian.wordpress.com/
DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/
FreshHell - http://freshhell.wordpress.com/
Simran - http://theglutenfreefoodblog.blogspot.com/
Proach - http://everythinghistorical.wordpress.com/
*RomanceWriter* - http://www.staceyespino.blogspot.com/
Breddings - http://breddings.blogspot.com/
laffarsmith - http://www.writersroundabout.com/
Sneaky Devil - http://sneaks-myfantasylife.blogspot.com/
leahzero - http://words.leahraeder.com/
razibahmed - http://www.southasiablog.com/
RavenCorinnCarluk - http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com/
Collectonian - http://collectonian.livejournal.com/

Writing About Love - February Blog Chain

Writing about Love

When I first read this idea on AW’s February Blog Chain, I was immediately hooked. It’s SO much easier to write about love than it is to live it. Obviously, I’m not the only one who thinks so. But for some people, love comes naturally in their lives as well as their writing.

Not so for me.

When I find that my character(s) is going to have a love interest, and sometimes it is a shock to me, I tend to tense up a little at first. How can I write about something that, outside of my friends and family, has never really happened to me before? Yes, I’ve loved a few people in my life, I suppose. But it never lasted and IMHO it wasn’t love, I just thought it was.

So what do I do when I have to/want to write about it?

Simple.

I just write about how I wish it could/would be. That’s easy enough. Unfortunately it all seems so mushy and fake and cliché that it usually does not end up getting past the editing process. But those are just my self-editing skills (or major lack thereof) coming to the forefront. The words and ideas come to me easily enough. It’s not hard to write about how I wish I was treated in a relationship or about how I would treat my significant other. The only major conflict I usually run into is with my MC’s. Generally these girls are not about falling in love with anyone. They’re about doing what they have to do to survive, protect people, etc. So when the whole love question comes up, it throws me for a loop.

Also, my MC’s, the poor girls, don’t usually get the HEA, no matter what. The stories all end in tragedy and pain. Trust me, I’ve tried making it the opposite way, but the story wants what the story wants.

After all, real life isn’t always about happily ever after.