Liebster Award!!!

I have just been awarded the Liebster Award. I did not see this coming at all, and super thanks to http://cloveramerica.net/ for awarding it to me! It’s especially cool to get it in the middle of a massive metamorphosis of the blog. The concept of the blog has evolved so much from my original plan. Can’t say it’s a bad thing either!

So, what is it? The Liebster Award is community-based, and qualifying blogs must have fewer than 300 followers. It’s a great way to discover new blogs and bring them to the attention of your readership and the Blogosphere.

Once nominated, you answer 11 questions about yourself or your blog, then give 11 random facts about yourself. The next step is to nominate 11 more qualifying bloggers for the award and create 11 questions for them to answer. Then you must visit each blog you’ve nominated and inform him/her about the award.

So here are the 11 questions from http://cloveramerica.net/, along with my answers:

1.  Why do you blog?
It started as me wanting to get the word out about my writing, but I’ve met so many awesome people on here since that point. Now it’s become a hobby.

2.  What is your deepest fear?
Oh, that’s a deep question. I have way more insecurities than I should, but a big one is rejection.

3.  What was the first thing you ever wrote/created?
I started drawing when I was about two, but my first creative writing piece was from when I was eight. It was a journal entry from my cat’s perspective It’s pretty funny even now!

4.  What is your most prized possession?
Probably my laptop or my Bible. But I have a Bible on my laptop, so probably my laptop.

5.  What is number one on your bucket list?
Go to Scotland and find my great grandparent’s home!

6.  Coke or Pepsi?
Coke! I was raised in a Coca-Cola loving family, so it’s sort of ingrained in me now. But I still enjoy a good Pepsi from time to time.

7.  What is your favorite historical time period?
It’s a tie between the French Revolution and the later Victorian era.

8.  What inspires you?
Life constantly inspires me! Life itself is beautiful and fantastic, and most of the scenarios in my stories are at very least inspired by true events.

9.   If you saw a crime in progress, would you put yourself in jeopardy or seek help/call 911?
I would probably try to do both. The better question is which one I would do first, I guess.

10.  If there was one thing in your life you could re-do, what would it be?
As many bad things that happened that I could change, I don’t think I would change anything. I am a firm believer in the butterfly effect. Who can say what would happen if I had just changed one tiny thing? I might accidentally start World War 3!

11.  What do you hope people get out of your blog?
I want them to be able to think and laugh, basically.

And these are the people I’m nominating, each of whom has inspired me in one way or another:

1.   http://onwritingdragons.com/

2.   https://atolkienistperspective.wordpress.com/

3.   http://pintsizefiction.com/

4.   https://akankshagulia.wordpress.com/

5.   https://pisscoffeeandvinegar.wordpress.com/

6.   http://aetherealengineer.com/

7.   https://johnguillen.wordpress.com/

8.   https://benjaminditmars.wordpress.com/

9.    http://forwhomthegearturns.com/

10.  http://lscott76blog.wordpress.com/

11.  https://butismileanyway.wordpress.com/

Finally, the eleven questions for my nominees to answer:

1.  Why do you blog?

2.  Favorite music?

3.  What would be your perfect day?

4.  If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

5.  Favorite author?

6.  Coke or Pepsi?

7.  What is your favorite historical time period?

8.  Read on a Kindle or paperback book?

9.  Who would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?

10.  Favorite color?

11.  What do you hope people get out of your blog?

Thanks for playing and best of luck to you all!!

Getting Back to Basics

Who am I? Why am I here? What do I want to accomplish? Why should you read this blog?

In September of last year, I decided to push my limits and make a personal blog answering those questions. I wanted to tell people about life as a college student, an amateur writer, and as a Christian.

It’s been almost a year since that first post. Now that I’m in Blogging 101, I’ve decided to come back to the basics. So let’s get started.

So, who am I? Well, I’m a young dude by the name of Gabriel Penn who really loves Jesus even more than his writing. And I really love writing. You have no idea. The people who read this blog regularly have some idea, but you new readers, oh… you’re in for a real ride with this blog. And for those who are wondering, my last name isn’t actually Penn. It’s a pen name. It’s one of the most glorious yet totally lame subtle jokes I have ever crafted in all of bad-joke-crafting history. And that’s saying a lot.

Why am I here? Because I believe that if you have a gift, you ought to share it with the world. All right, I’m not insanely epically talented, but it’s a gift. Like, if this gift were a car, it would be a Camry in the midst of a whole lot of Mustangs. But hey, it’s still a car, and it’s better than your own two feet. Especially for those who don’t have feet. But if you don’t have feet… how are you driving a car?

These are the great questions of life.

Also, I’m writing a novel, and I want to get the word out. Trust me, the word’s getting out. I reference it in some way in basically every other blog post. What I lack in Tolkienesque writing skills I make up for in persistence.

What do I want to accomplish? If nothing else, I would like to give people a bit of a break from the average and the everyday. I think that’s in some way what books and stories are all about. It’s about giving someone a step away from real life to teach them more about it. Apart from all the hubbub about novels and stories and writing tips, I want a blog that makes people think. The fact is that making another world is a great way to teach someone how to live in the current one. It’s like the Sims, but better.

Why should you read this blog? Well, you should read this blog because it has cool personal stories, even cooler written stories, stuff about my upcoming novel, occasional so-lame-its-funny humor, writing tricks I’ve picked up along my writing journey, and… that’s about it. Wow. That was so easy to summarize that it makes me a little sad inside.

In the continuing months, I plan to evolve the blog a little more. You’re going to be seeing more personal stories and intellectual thoughts alongside all the writing stuff. I don’t know how it’s going to work, but I’m going to take my road less traveled anyway.

Where no Gabriel Penn has gone before!

* ‘Star Trek’ theme sounding off into the distance *

Before I go too crazy, follow me if you have not already, give me a like, and comment your thoughts on all this!

God of Tumblr

It has begun.

After a little more than a week, I have gotten one new follower and two notes on a post. This happened in one day. Clearly, it is the sign of great things coming. This great thing will surely end in my complete reign of Tumblr as a site. I will become…
the GOD OF TUMBLR.

Ok, maybe not the GOD of Tumblr. But it is nice to see a weeks worth of work actually coming to fruition. And here’s what is excellent about Tumblr, so far as I can tell – they truly understand the worth of good writing. And not only do they understand the worth, but like WordPress, they are more than willing to help. With everything from character sheets, to how-to’s, to deep discussion on issues like race and sexuality of characters, it’s hard not to feel at home as a writer.

Through my time in Tumblr, I have gotten to deeply appreciate fan-fictions. Fan-fictions are hard work, as I have come to find! Unlike regular fiction, you must work with characters that already exist and make it believable. Now while there are certainly the smutty fan-fictions, there are also just excellent pieces of work based off already existing characters. I would suggest to all readers that they try at least one fan-fiction in their time, so that they get the idea of how to make a well-rounded and believable character.

Just be careful, should you come to Tumblr. There are many dangers here – feminazis, obsessive fangirls, people who think straight (and gender-aligned? if that’s a word?) people are evil, obsessive fanboys, and easily offended people who think everything is their “trigger”. Scary.

But if you at all get a chance, and have Tumblr, check out the blog. It’s fun, even with craziness! Maybe it’s the craziness that makes it so much fun. And be sure to check out MY Tumblr while you’re there! (Link)

Have an excellent day, and may phoenix fire guide you wherever you go!

Acknowledging Assistance: A Great Big “Thank You”!

I realize I talk a bit too much about myself and not enough about the people who have really did the most work. So this blog is going to have nothing to do with me and all to do with those who’ve helped me throughout the process of writing and creating a beautiful fictional world. There may be more that help as time goes on, and you’re freakin’ awesome, too, even if I haven’t met you. So here’s to you, even if you don’t read it.

A Post on Caffiene

Alright, I’ll clear it up, I’m not actually on a terribly large amount of caffeine, just two cups of Mountain Dew, which is the same as like, five cups of tea. However, it has mixed with my own tiredness, and therefore is making me loopy. So this is my post on caffeine.

Herp de derp.

Which, by the way, is an excellent song. I want some yellow people to follow me around and dance awkwardly. It would break the ice really quickly. Either that, or they would walk away really quickly. Either way, ice is broken, even if it leaves an awkward stain of awkwardness.

I don’t like the way that last sentence sounded.

I have no idea what’s going on anymore, so I’m going to leave that alone.

I have just come to realize that there will absolutely be no cross-breeding between gnomes and humans, unlike in LotR. In LotR, dwarves and humans could possibly mate. In Soldier Chronicles, gnomes look like mole-people. You would have to have one seriously pervy brain to make that work.

I know that may sound racist, but it’s more like… species…ist. Yeah.

It’s a darn good thing I am not walking outside in this state. I would not stop talking. And I might just randomly gain a British accent. I have been known to do that in my boredom. It’s not a very good one, and it wouldn’t fool an actual British person. But it’s enough to fool your typical American. And they’re like, where are you from? And I’m like, “Well, I used to live near Amsterdam…”, which is true. Amsterdam, New York. It’s hilarious to me. Only one American has ever recognized it as false.

Poor roommate came in while I was blogging / Skyping and just saw me talking randomly. The best part is he said nothing about it. He would be totally ok with me talking to myself like a psychotic person.

I swear, if we were romantically interested in each other at all, we would already be married.

But I think I’ve let you guys hear my psychoticness enough. Have an excellent evening and party hard!