Pages From My Journal

Today, I am guest posting on Go Teen Writers about finding an encouragement group of family and friends to support you along your writing journey. To read the 4 Tips for Creating a Writing Encouragement Group, click here. If you have any thoughts about encouragement groups, feel free to share. ~Alyson

Everyday  something gets under my skin. My siblings  say words I'd rather ignore. Tasks and work take much longer than they should. People speak thinking only about them. But, I will choose to fight for family. ~Alyson

I used to let space complement my subjects when I dabbled in photography. But life has changed. Ick has gotten in the way of my view. It's become harder to see the blessings when hate and disgust cloud them over. Life changed. My photography changed. I get closer.  When I can't get rid of the annoying background or odd looking object, I zoom in.  When the distracting things get in the way, I have to get even closer to remember what really matters. Do you choose to zoom in to see the things in your life that truly matter? ~Alyson

In honor of Teen Read Week, I'm telling you my top five books that I was made to read for school, was convinced I wouldn't like it, and ended up loving it. School books don't have to be boring and dull. Give them a chance and you might find some you love like I did. 1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame      - The size scared me, but this story really caught my attention. Give is a chance and you might love is as much as I did. 2. Mornings on Horseback      - This was a biography of Teddy Roosevelt by David McCullough. It's packed with so much information about his childhood and upbringing. Instead of focusing on his time as President McCullough focused on what made Teddy the man he was.  3. To Kill a Mockingbird      -I talked about how much I love this book on my blog before so of course it makes the list. Check out the post  I wrote about To Kill a Mockingbird. 4. The Indian in the Cupboard     ...

Today: + Visits to my big sister at college + Hotels that offer free coffee + Gluten free granola bars + A job that I love + A biography on C. S. Lewis + Spreadsheets that makes budgeting easy + Peanut Butter =Enough Join me below! ~Alyson

  Why      I write.       But, this fact alone (which at this moment is all you really know about me) doesn't tell you a lot about me as a person. The motives behind what I do, how I prioritize my work, who I place at the center: these reveal much more.       So let's start with  Why do I write?             Why do a push past writers block? It's easy to stop.      Why do I spend hours outlining? This is boring. I just want to get to the writing.      Why do sift through criticism? It hurts, and ice cream doesn't always help.      Why is my wall covered in sticky notes? I could use my room as an escape from my story instead.       Why do my dreams at night put me in my story? Sleep. Yeah, I could take some more sleep.       Why do I sacrifice the enjoyment of watching ...