Drafting

This evening I wrote another third of the rough draft. It's interesting copying scenes from my head where I imagine them and see them playing on the tv screen of my mind and trying to put those into words, simple(ish) words.  

I wrote a lot of dialogue in this section and I think I spent too much of that showing the main character decide on a particular action. I try and write dialogue in a believable and human way - i.e. the way people actually talk. I'm not sure yet how well that fits because it's a children's book (at the same time, not one of the Learn-To-Read styles) but I think people will get a lot more out of something that sounds real (yet simple) as opposed to something over-simplified. 

I have a conversation between the main character and her friend about contacting a reporter, I like how it shows the trying-to-decide-process, but I think I should make it shorter and well, naturally do some re-writes while still keeping the feel. 

"you know, several months ago a reporter left some information with me and I sort of blew it off and completely forgot about it. Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just call and be like 'I use environmentally safe balloons!' do you think it's been too long?" asked Jane.

"No, you should definitely call. It could be really good. I don't think it's too late, they just did a story on it, remember?" encouraged her friend.

"Yeah, but, it was like seven months ago..." Jane protested, still weighing the options in her mind. 

So that is my current block. I'm actually semi-satisfied with the dialogue itself, I think I just need to not take up a whole scene on it (set up and everything). That's what editing is for.

The Balloon Lady

I wrote the first half (or third) of my first draft of The Balloon Lady today. I'm silently editing and critiquing myself as I go, which is why I'm writing in a notebook as opposed to on the computer first. When I transfer the story from the book to the computer I'll make the edits and change it where I need to. It's a little unconventional I suppose, but that's how I work. Get the first draft done physically on paper and then go from there.

You're probably wondering what "The Balloon Lady" is about. Well, simply put, it's a story of a girl wanting to send a message to her family, and in the process ends up sending a message to the world. Naturally, she's using balloons - which is how she becomes known as "the balloon lady".

Introduction

I'm Lauren Roselyn, but I usually just go by Ella. It's sort of my dream name because I like the way the pronunciation flows. It's not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing nickname, but it sounds nice - especially when I shorten my last name, "Ella Rose" just rolls off the tongue in a beautiful way and makes it sound like I'm some kind of fairy.

I'm an aspiring writer, my current story is called "The Balloon Lady". I never thought I'd want to write a children's book, but here I am. I'm excited about it and can't wait to give you more details as the pieces come together!

My favorite disney character is Tinkerbell, I love witty comedy and I'm a geek at heart. Thanks for reading!