"At a certain hour the old white farmhouse was still; complacent it sat motionless, as a person deep in thought, letting the sun shine in through its wood-framed eyes. It was the time of day where the human eye can see dust in showers of sun, and when the birds sing their evening vespers. It was also, in its own random form, the most beautiful and fable-like moment to breathe in besides that of striking dawn and drowning midnight. "

 "What she saw made her laugh a little. An over-large slice of sponge cake, tormented with a severe dosing of what looked like the aftermath of a brown sugar hail-storm. “I just pretend its Tiramisu. Everything in life goes down easier if yah think it’s a French dessert.” “Oh…but haven’t you ever eaten Tiramisu?” “No; but by that ‘have pity on thee’ look in your eyes I’ll bet ye have.”"

"Now Leila saw that face for the very first time, the one she would see many a time again, and so very close to her own. The eyes which were in the tanned face did not look ‘set in place’ as other eyes are bound to, but rather had a way of copying the appearance of two drops of water when they are still on a vertical object; defying gravity yet beautifully so. Just as water drops they had a transparent glow to them, encircled by a deep and blunt blue of a sea-tone."

(*sighs aggravated because the volume popup won't go back down*)

For Campnano this April I decided to work on draft 2 of my novel, Gift of the Sea. My goal is (wait for it...) only 10k. I know, folks, with your pencil behind ear and crazy fast fingers, you are laughing.

But, to be honest, this month for me is packed. NOT ONLY AM I TURNING 15, but I'm going 30 Hours Without Food (more on that here), celebrating both Easter & Passover, trying to fit in dance exercises everyday + class on Wednesday nights, youth group, school, and band. And I was going to be in an Easter Play, but I think I'm just going to go watch it *sighs of relief*. Oh yeah, and there's also the business I'm moving from home into a local store, that I need to make 30+ necklaces for.

Are you sweating yet?

I'm focusing on a lot of 'realistic' qualities with Gift of the Sea draft 2. How Leila ended up with Charlie. Backstories. More character depth. Real flaws. Funny flaws. Etc.
So enjoy some scribbles I've been pondering...and such. It's hard and odd and amazing to write a second draft. I feel now like my story is much more real; I have the book for reference, and it feels as though the plot and foundation have been thus laid.

Oh yes, Don't be confused about Charlie. For less than 1/4 of the book her true identity (as a female) is hidden to Leila. She has a job where concealment is necessary, and Leila does not uncover that particular secret later. Thus, all of these quotes will have her mentioned, through Leila's view, as 'he'.

"Charlie now laughed; it was one of those laughs that has not been altered in its entire course, but has stayed strong and true since the moment God breathed it into the baby’s mouth. The way he laughed was a chuckle, like a toddler when it finds something inevitably funny. And it both alarmed and satisfied Leila all in one note. She had never, no, never, seen a lad with such an innocent face."

Are you taking the campnano plunge? What's your word goal?