New Novel and I Question Myself (Legit)(ft. Beautiful People)

HELLO HI I'M BACK AND SUPER EXCITED because today I am talking all about my new story idea... which finally came together after a bajillion years because #braindead.

So have some questions and some answers and eat some cheesecake or something. 

WHAT IS THE STORY'S AESTHETIC?

candles. rain hitting the window. faded t-shirts. broken glass. bruises. coffee. 
BEHOLD THE AESTHETIC BOARD





WHO IS THE PROTAGONIST?

Her name is Bella, she's nineteen, and she's one of those people who is quiet most of the time but you get nervous around her after a while because she's just got this look in her eyes like she's seen more darkness in the world than you could imagine. She's a poor, shattered soul and I love her to pieces and I get to mess up her life a bit because I'm just cruel.

Okay, so here is the August set of Beautiful People questions. 




What are they addicted to/can't live without?

Bella finds it hard to live without security. (And so naturally I throw her into a lot of insecure situations) She likes to know there's a 'safety net', she likes to have a Plan B, etc.

Name 3 positive and 3 negative qualities about your character

Pro: independent. thinks of others first. smart. 

Con: only sees the bad in people. lets herself be taken advantage of, even when she knows it. a very closed up person.

Are they holding onto something they should get rid of?

In a way, no, and that's her issue. She is too scared to hold onto anything, especially hope.

If 10 is completely organized and 1 is completely messy, where do they fall on the scale?

5. She's perfectly half-and-half. Organized when it comes to her thoughts, her ideas, and more important things; messy when it comes to her bedroom, the dishes, etc.

What most frustrates them about the world they live in?

How completely, totally dark it is. She only sees the darkness.

How would they dress for a night out? How would they dress for a night in?

Night out: nice jeans//grey t-shirt//green military jacket//Converse hi-tops//her brother's beanie

Night in: leggings and a t-shirt

How many shoes do they own and what kind?

Not many. She's got a few pairs of Converse, probably a pair of Minnetonka ankle boots, and not much else.

Do they have any pets? What pet do they WISH they had?

Nope, no pets. She likes dogs, though. 

Is there something or someone they resent? Why and what happened?

She basically resents most of the people in her life, because they all kinda backstabbed her in some way. Except her brother, who is too sweet for this world. She adores her little brother. 

What's usually in their fridge of pantry?

I mean, she's nineteen. Poptarts. Cup-o-Noodles. Eggo waffles. Coffee. Clif bars. Chinese take-out leftovers. Those super gross fruit cup things. I dunno, anything quick and easy. 

OKAY so she may have come off as a bit dark, but really it's not her fault, life's been incredibly mean to her. And her brother, another major character, sees more light in the world than she does and so they kind of balance each other out. 

I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. Thanks for staying with me this far. Love you all <3

Two Weeks

Before I went off to my two-week college summer program, I had a handful of half-written posts I was determined to finish and post soon after I got home. Yet somehow now, they don't seem as important as I thought they were. The two weeks I spent at this amazing school in the California mountains with sketchy wifi, a big beautiful library, and the most incredible people ever seems more important to me now. 

Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect from this. I already knew I wanted to go to this school next year. I was going with some friends from school, and I thought I'd spend most of my time with them instead of branching out. Branching out sounded scary. It sounded intimidating. I mean, I was only going to know these people for two weeks--what kind of friendship can one form in two weeks? 

Apparently the best kind. 

The dorms were single-sex, and my roommate and I spent many nights up late talking. She liked to sing to herself and I liked to listen. Her aunt gave her a bunch of red roses to take with her, and she kept them on the table between our beds. She told me about home in Florida, and I pictured it in my mind. 

In the library, I sat across from a blonde girl on one of the first nights. We were supposed to be quiet, but we kept giggling for no reason. She made me an origami swan and I named him Jerry and kept him on my desk. She lived in the room across from mine, and I'd see her in the mornings with one earbud in, listening to Spanish music. 

One girl had basically my personality. We had a new inside joke every day and the laughter never stopped. Our minds were synced, and it was both creepy and amusing. We would race to the cafeteria for root beer a thousand times a day, and we talked about everything from our love of desserts to whatever was on our minds. 

I have deeper friendships with people I knew and lived with for two weeks than I do with some people I've gone to school with for years. Each one of them were so talented, unique, and interesting. And the memories I made with them will last for my lifetime. Whether it was figuring out the washing machines, studying Euclid on sugar highs, continuing our class discussions during lunch, jumping in the ponds, giving each other hennas, playing volleyball after class, or praying the rosary together, I finally discovered that in true friendships, time doesn't matter. You don't need seven years to make the best friendships. 

I had two weeks and I love these people to death. We brought each other closer to God. It really was one of the best experiences of my life. 

Quills in the Inkwell || Three Years and Counting

GUUUYYYYYS IT'S MY THIRD BLOGOVERSARY!! 

Legit, I'm so excited, but also super confused, A) because I don't understand how on earth it's been three years, and B) because I'm terrible at coming up with ideas for special blogoversary posts... xD 

JUST JUST JUST COME EAT OREOS WITH ME OK? OK. 

But honestly, this has been a wild ride. I'm so grateful to everyone who reads all this jumble of randomness. It makes me feel so happy that my voice is being heard, even way over here in this lil corner of the Internet. Because I have a lot to say, and the fact that you guys read my posts and comment and encourage me so much is unbelievable x) YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST. 

The world is big and scary and dark, and we've all been told to be careful on the Internet, but I know I've made some real, genuine, EXTREMELY SWEET friends through this blog. I've gotten to know so many girls who are on the same journey as I am; following God through the chaos and writing our freaking stories xD And you guys inspire me to be better! You inspire me to be a better writer, you inspire me to be a better Christian, and you inspire me to enjoy life in all its craziness. 

Thank you for reading. You mean so much to me <3

Hello August!

Wow, July is over! I can't really believe it...? Summer's 2/3 of the way to be done. School's almost here. SENIOR YEAR is almost here. 

Alright so right now I'm off having a wonderful time at COLLEGE WHAT. Nobody's freaking out though, it's ok *breathes heavily into paper bag* it's fine I'm fine we're all fine just at college whatevs. 

July was a BLAST of a month!! Legit, I've had so much fun this month, so let's talk about it. 

LIFE THINGS

Um I went to Palm Springs with a bunch of my family which was the craziest/funnest/EPIC-EST THING EVER (I like fake words). We rented this super cool, midcentury house with a bunch of my cousins and it felt so good to get away for a while, and the heat wasn't even that bad. It was like 107 degrees I think, but it didn't feel too bad. And I saw Spiderman Homecoming but I cant let myself talk about that because I'll probably just end up screaming for a long time because I just loved it so much...
Also, I went off to a college summer program, which is where I am now, and it's like up in the mountains with super sketchy wifi so I'm actually writing this ahead of time (July's not over from where I am haha hello The Future). But I suspect I'm having a great time right now because this is my dream school. But leading up to this program, I was getting super nervous, but it all kind of went away. I had fun getting everything I would need and packing and stuff and I went with a ton of friends. 

This July, I fell a little more in love with life, guys. 

BOOK THINGS

I read The Consolation of Philosophy and LET ME TELL YOU I think everyone should read this. The world would be a much better place if everyone took the time to read this book. 

Also I got yet another Agatha Christie mystery to add to my collection. What's your favorite of her books? 

WRITING THINGS

I've been working so hard this month on my new WIP!! I just recently sent the first chunk of the first draft off to my editor and I'm super excited. I'm actually planning a post all about it for the near future. Still unsure if I will be doing NaNo this fall, though I hope to. 

JULY WAS...

//palm trees swaying in the warm breeze

//jean cutoffs

//lemonade slushies

//new sunglasses

//peppermint tea

//bonfires

//bakeries

//a night sky exploding with colors on the Fourth 

FAVORITE JULY MOMENTS...

//sitting by the pool at night in the insane Palm Springs heat

//choreographing dances with my cousins in a small, crowded room

//binge-watching Downton Abbey and drinking milkshakes on a cloudy day

//going to see Spiderman Homecoming

//sitting around the bonfire

//watching the fireworks from my deck

LETS TALK! HOW WAS YOUR JULY?