Madeline Turnipseed - Author

Hey friends!  It's Friday already? Loryn Brantz I've been thinking about what I have to do to finish my current projects, and how to stay on track with finishing those and starting new ones.  Sometimes Pinterest brings you what you need, and this time it brought me to  Kristen Kieffer's   She's Novel site and the post about the Drafting Cycle . You can (and you should) go to her site and read all about it.  Instead of pushing through each of my projects to the point I'm exhausted and no longer care about them, I'm going to alternate month by month to keep my momentum.  Here's what that's going to look like:      June:  finish draft of The Neif      July:  finish draft of Spitfire (and Camp NaNoWriMo !)      August:  finish draft of/edit The Neif      September:  finish draft of/edit Spitfire      October: Prep for NaNoWriMo     ...

Hello friends!  Happy Friday! Haven't gotten to check/update everything on the blog just yet.  Still a work in progress. If you recall, way way back in August, my awesome friend Leah did a guest post for me about visual novels , which was a great way to introduce you guys to some alternate forms of interactive storytelling.  I'm going to introduce you today to some other forms you may or may not have seen, because this is the format I'm exploring for my next project .  I haven't decided on one in particular, I'm still weighing my options, but it will incorporate reader choices that directly affect story consequences. Why reader choice?  Why not just tell the story? Some time last year, I was watching a Let's Play of the game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons .  At one point, one character is burying someone he loves.  The digging of the grave is shown as a cut scene, but the player is then given control and has to drag the body of the loved one int...

Happy Friday Friends!  It is so good to be back here with you guys. Odditorium, formerly EccentricTeatime It feels like forever since I last posted (November 1st!  Yikes!) so here's what's been going on.  I FINISHED SCHOOL!  And I am set to graduate next Friday.  I've been dreaming up new ideas for stories and working on writing workshops with a local writing group, BCS Writing .  I'm super excited to have a bit more time now to dedicate to my creative pursuits.  This week and next week I'll be going through my posts and making sure that links still work and images still display properly.  I've changed the mobile platform look and I'll probably be changing this layout also.  If you have opinions on any of those things, let me know. Since I'm graduating next Friday, there won't be a post next week, but look for one on the 27th.

Hey everyone!  It's been too long since I've posted.  One of the voices in my head said I can't post on a Sunday since traditionally I post on Fridays, but another voice said that it's my blog, so I'll do what I want with it, thanks much. This year is a bit sad for me.  With my time commitment to school, I can't participate in NaNoWriMo .  I still have a ton of story ideas, I'm still going to several write-ins (albeit to work on homework and mooch the creative enthusiasm), but I'm not working on a novel of my own. NaNo was my first really positive creative writing experience.  NaNo has been my start of new novels and my deadline for finishing them since 2011.  Not that I've stuck to the finishing bit that much, but in my head it's been the goal.  Not working on something this year almost feels like I'm betraying my people.  Like I'm betraying myself. Needless to say, but worth saying anyway, I can't wait to graduate in May so I...

Hey there! I’m Leah, also known as the person responsible for piquing Madeline’s interest in visual  novels. So much so, apparently, that she asked me to write a guest post about them. So without further  ado, here we go. What are Visual Novels? Visual novels are like choose-your-own-adventure books in video game format. The emphasis is on reading through the story from the protagonist’s point of view, occasionally making choices that influence the type of ending you get. They can be any genre, and usually include art of the characters (a.k.a. ‘sprites’) and background art, as well as background music. How did I do? Hope that was clear enough a description for you to get a basic idea. “Okay, Leah, you’ve piqued my interest, too,” you might be saying. “So what visual novels do you recommend I check out to start with?” I’m glad you asked! Here are two recommendations that immediately come to mind. 2 Short (and free!) Visual Novels to Try: Ripples W...

Happy Friday, friends!  It's been forever!  Here's what I've been up to: 1) Adult Health I (6 hrs), Mental Health (4 hrs), and Evidence-Based Practice (3 hrs).  One A and two Bs! 2) That's Midna from Twilight Princess . She's a little over two feet tall! 3) Having my brain go crazy with new ideas for stories.  There is nothing like being busy to make your brain have plans for you to be doing anything other that what it is you are supposed to.  I've planned out several of the characters for my next novel.  The one that I won't be able to start until after May 2016.  The one that I shouldn't start until after I've edited Om Nom Nombies  and finished the drafts of The Neif  and Spitfire .  But it's so awesome!  Sigh. 4) I've been inspired by an incredible new storytelling format.  I say "new". New to me, really.  You might know it as the format uses for visual novels or choice-based games.  I can't say more ...

Happy Friday, friends and neighbors. This week my family laid to rest my paternal grandmother.  She was one of the most awesome people I have ever met.  Her house was covered with watercolors and oils and sculptures that she had made.  And they are quality stuff.  Her creativity is something that nurtured mine as I grew up. Today, in her memory, I'm going to share with you guys one of my methods for coming up with and developing stories.  There are a few *spoilers* for stories I haven't told yet, but I'm going to keep all the most exciting ones to myself. :) This is the pickle jar that I keep story ideas in.  For a while it still smelled like Kosher dills every time I opened the lid.  If I breathe really deep when I open it now, the aroma is still faintly present.  I sacrifice a piece of paper every so often to be cut into strips and I keep them on top of the jar so that whenever inspiration strikes, I can write down my idea, fold it up, an...