Blog Archives - Crossworlds

Lost Girls Poem

4/26/2017

I am a Lost Girl
And I have a Lost Girl’s dream
And this journey of wandering
Is my Lost Girl’s journey
I celebrate this feeling
This scared uncertainty
I embrace the knowledge
Of this scared child in me
I may be lost in the dark
But my voice can make the light
It is my guide, my power
When I look around I see the dark behind
The dark ahead
And the light that I create
To be Lost is to be in the dark
In danger
In fear
But to know you are still standing
To know you’ve come so far living in the dark
We make the light
We sing to celebrate
And we celebrate all of it
The frightened child
And the strong, proud woman
We have nothing to be ashamed of
For being Lost, we know we can survive
Creating our own lights
Celebrating our strength
And when other lights catch our eyes
We know we are not alone
There is another light, another dream, another Lost Girl on her journey
And when we come together, we can light up the dark
And celebrate our journeys
Because everyone has been Lost

Mansion's Twins

Mansion's Family

Dawn's Acapella

Acapella Angels

Tuesday Tips: Quick Tips Review

4/25/2017

1) Find your ideal writing environment through experimentation. Once you find it, use it as often as possible. But remember, sometimes we have to be adaptable or we'll never get anything done. Always put the writing first, and try not to spend too long putting together a perfect setting when you're going to be somewhere else (inside your story) anyway.

2) Never sell a creepy relationship as romantic. If you want to be romantic, leave out the stalking, the possessiveness, the over-the-top jealousy. But, if you must have a relationship in your story that's going to be creepy, make sure everyone knows it's supposed to be. Call out that creeper and don't let them get away with being so creepy!

3) Don't be too nervous to try reading something more difficult, or an old classic. Also, never be too pretentious to read children's books. Read everything. Read inside and out of your favorite genre. It'll all help you in different ways.

4) "Show don't tell." You know what this means in writing, I don't need to tell you again. Or show you again. Or go off on a rant again. This is a life rule: actions speak louder than words. Make sure your words and actions line up. Also, this can be a good way to give a character whose supposed to be annoying a real flaw, if you have trouble with things like that.

5) If you struggle in a writing class, don't lose hope. This isn't where it's determined whether or not you have the talent to write. Creative writing classes can be fun and useful for a lot of people, but they're definitely not for everyone. Writing is such a personal journey, there's no one size fits all method for learning how.

6) There may not be a method of learning that will work for every single person, but there are two tips that certainly will. Don't forget them! Read as much as you can. Write as much as you can. These are your golden rules, and the only ones you really need!

Good luck, and happy writing!

Mansion's Twins

Mansion's Family

Dawn's Acapella

Acapella Angels

Monday Music: Dido - Don't Leave Home

4/24/2017

Another song about Claire and November's relationship. Hey, at least this one doesn't have any terrible pun-potential in the title like the last two.

You might have wondered why I'm fixating on this particular couple if the number one love story from the early days was supposed to be Claire and Dimitri. Turns out it's a lot easier to find songs about a messed up relationship than a good one. Well, Claire and Dimitri's clearly wasn't perfect either, but Claire blatantly abused November.

When I first heard this song, it was playing at work. I could only hear snippets of it, but I found it beautiful/creepy as hell. When I looked up the whole thing later on, I found it a perfect fit for the kind of possessive affection Claire has for her new, young love.

Stories of the Early Days is coming soon!

Mansion's Twins

Mansion's Family

Dawn's Acapella

Acapella Angels

Wednesday Word: Thoughts on "My Life Hereafter"

4/19/2017

Everything is exactly the same, as before that day, which she can now only vaguely remember. The day her school bus ran over the cliff. The day she and most of her fellow students ended up here. The twins, Mark and David, were also on the bus, but David did not come here with them. David was sent across the valley to the other side. Mark convinces Sunel to help him find his brother, no matter what the dangers might be.

I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes wondering about the afterlife. Is it odd to say it's fun to imagine where we might go after we die?

I found this to be a very unique depiction of the afterlife, not just heaven and hell, but multiple options in between, such as recycle, rehabilitation, and purgatory. This was a good way to set up the themes of the complexity of good and evil, and how a person isn’t necessarily one or the other. I really enjoyed Sunel, and found her struggle relatable and believable. She considers herself a good person, but with a dark side who manifests as a little man on her shoulder whispering in her ear. Throughout the story, she faces her demons and seeks redemption.

Earlier in the story, she and some of her friends end up in a place called the G.A. Academy, where I assumed the rest of the story would take place. This is where deceased souls who aren't destined for heaven or hell learn to become guardian angels. I absolutely loved this idea, and had a little trouble letting go when Sunel decided to leave. I feel like this could be a whole other book, about someone going to school there and what their afterlife is like once they graduate. I was a little disappointed not to have more of this, but then again, perhaps it will be a future book. That said, I understand why she had to move on. I did enjoy the direction this book went, and the journey of the friends to the other side.

There is also a love story weaved in, which at first I found unexpected, and borderline unrealistic. The truth is, it's too realistic. Have you ever had a crush on someone and never said a thing for years? Ever thought someone disliked you, but they were only acting strange because they liked you too much? Especially among high school kids, these things are common. This fits the real world so well, that often we don't think it's realistic at all. Because the real world doesn't have to make as much sense as fiction.

But, whether you love the love story or not, My Life Hereafter will take your mind on a crazy journey, to all different options of the afterlife, ponderings about sin, judgement, and redemption, and realizations of what matters most in life.

Pick up "My Life Hereafter" here!

About the Author

Lynette Ferreira mostly writes stories about first love, really cute boys, kissing and all the drama. Her stories sometimes address social issues and are most times set in a supernatural world. She does not really like the cold, is afraid of what might be hiding in the dark, and loves anything in, on or smothered with chocolate.
For most of her adult live she worked as a personal assistant at an international financial institution and in 2008 she took the brave leap to becoming a self-published author.
Her first indie book 'My Recycled Soul' was chosen as a Quarter Finalist (top 250 from 5000 entries) in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards (Young Adults) 2010. In 2011, her story, 'When we Love' was also chosen as a Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards (Young Adults).
Since then Lynette has published more then twenty stories.

Check out more of her books here!

Tuesday Tips: Writing Courses

4/18/2017

From special guest author, Lynette Ferreira!

When I started writing in 2008, I had an amazing idea for a story.

Before that, I had many story ideas but usually my word max was a thousand words, so I would stop and the story would eventually get binned. After all, I wasn’t an author and I did not have time to waste on frivolous things and dreams.

The story idea in 2008 was different though, the story just kept coming and coming until I basically lived in Elizabeth’s world. I thought like her, I imagined being her, I loved Jared and Joshua both in different ways. When I finished writing My Recycled Soul, I wrote SPAM, When We Love, ForNever (One) and the first chapters of many of my unpublished stories. I enjoyed this process of immersing myself into the lives of the characters in my stories.

Then!

I wanted to add a qualification in creative writing to my author bio so I went on a writing course. There I was told, to write a good story I had to worry about the writing and the prose. I had to learn how to plot.

After going on the course, I don’t get lost in my stories any more. I write according to a formula and I do think that sometimes I write a story just for the sake of writing a story. Does this mean my readers will only read it for the sake of reading a story – the same old story told a million times over just with different names and settings?

I now realize, like most art-forms, writing is a combination of instinct and craft. The craft part is the part you are taught at school – how to write sentences, how to use grammar, how to spell, how to use synonyms, etc. However, the part that cannot be taught, is instinct – how to tell a story, how to get readers interested in the lives of the characters, to emphasize and to relate, to be totally immersed in a story as if the person on the pages are real. I think real readers are not worried about how the book was written, all they want to do is find out what happens in the story next.

Next time you see some fancy qualification in an author bio, your first thought should be (as mine should have been): So what? Can you write a story, never told before?

In hindsight, going on a creative writing course was the worst thing I had ever done, and if I could rewind the clock I would.

Check out Lynette Ferreira's books here!

Monday Music: Overflow by Bekkah Shae

4/17/2017

Featuring special guest author, Lynette Ferreira!

When I started writing My Life Hereafter in 2010, I heard the song, Overflow by Bekkah Shae, for the first time, by accident – I was looking for something different, but when I heard this song it resonated with me.

The theme in My Life Hereafter is that when we face hardship, sometimes our minds fill with a voice and most times those thoughts are not good to have. Sunel is bullied when she is little, she covets the lives of the rich people who live upon the hill in her small town, she has a crush on David, and her parents often fight.

Most times, we all have similar thoughts, even though our wishes may differ, the problem always seem insurmountable. Little do we know what is really going on in other people’s lives—the people we want to be like have their own inner demons or little man who sits on their shoulder and they are most probably begrudging someone else whose lives they envy.

The lyrics of the song say, “Fill my mind with peace, fill my heart with truth, fill my eyes with love and fill my joy with you. I'm desperate for you. You're all I desire, you're all I need, overflow in me.”

And, in the end, I do think all of that happened for Sunel. She realized she did not need anything else, besides to be loved.

My Life Hereafter is available here!

Check out all Lynette's Ferreira's books here!

Wednesday Word: What Makes a Good Person?

4/12/2017

We all want to think we’re good people. That’s why often times, people will try to be good by telling you how good they are, and forget about trying.

That’s right, we’re still not done with yesterday’s topic.

When I was in fifth grade, I had always been told I was a good girl. A good student, and, mainly because I was so quiet, a good listener. The truth was, the more my little mind developed, the easier it was becoming to fall into that vast expanse of daydreams. I could appear to be listening quietly, and looking directly at you, while in truth I was spacing out while I just happened to be pointed in the direction of your face. We did an exercise on following directions, and literally every person in the class failed it. Including me. Now, you might think that wouldn’t bother me, because if everyone in the class failed, how could I take it personally that I failed? Because I also believed I was different.

This was the first little wake up call for me. Thinking something about yourself doesn’t always make it true. Maybe it was true in the past, but once you stop trying, that trait can go away.

Once I took a philosophy class, and one of the major questions is “Are humans inherently good or evil?”

My answer is neither. Most of the times I’ve been wronged, it’s been out of cluelessness, not cruelty. I’ve said before that most people want to be good, even if their not inherently good. It’s kind of troubling to simply believe you’re inherently good. If you think you’re already kind, and kindness is an inherent trait of yours, you can hurt people without thinking, and still walk away with the opinion that you’re a good person. Maybe you made a mistake, but it was a fluke. You’re a good person, so you would never deliberately hurt someone. It had to be a fluke. But soon enough your brushing off every mistake, because if you are good, why should you have to try to be good?

That incident in fifth grade made me realize I was becoming complacent (though I didn’t know what that word meant at the time). Listening did require effort. And as my daydreams fought harder and harder to pull me into the world that would someday become The Mansion’s Twins, paying attention to anything else became incredibly hard.

I don’t remember how exactly I applied this concept to kindness. Perhaps it was from watching the other people in my life. I’ve been lucky enough to have a few friends who are absolute shining stars. They’re always smiling at everyone, full of genuine kind words, with a persistent positive attitude. I’m not mean, but I’m no shining star. It takes effort sometimes, to smile and greet everyone with a genuine, “Good morning, how are you?” or to not complain, to always look on the bright side, and to be a light for others. So, I thought, maybe I’m not the best of people. Maybe I should try harder to be like those I admire.

Being a "Good Person" isn't a straightforward journey where you reach a clear destination. Even the Senka twins aren't always "the good guys." But they are still heroes because they'll forever question what it means to be heroes.

As June would say:

"Even heroes have darkness inside them. And even villains have light and love."

Mansion's Twins

Mansion's Family

Dawn's Acapella

Acapella Angels

Tuesday Tips: Show Don't Tell

4/11/2017

If you’ve been writing for a while, your first thought at the title of this is “Ugh, I KNOW!!” It’s one of the first rules of writing. But it’s more than just a writing rule. It's a life rule.

For some reason I’ve always liked “show don’t tell” rather than “Actions speak louder than words.” Maybe because it’s more direct and to the point. Maybe because I learned it first in writing, and then decided it's applicable to life in general.

If a friend of yours makes you feel weird for being caught up in your story, or “nerdy” for enjoying another person’s story—well, that’s already not a great friend. If he/she continues on to say they do support you, and “if it means a lot to you, it means a lot to me,” etc… That might be my biggest pet peeve in life. Especially after said friend promises to go to an event of yours and then doesn’t show with no explanation. Oh, and don’t be concerned that’s she’s reading this. She probably doesn’t know I have a blog.

If a co-worker says “You’re the boss,” and then proceeds to fight you over every little thing (even though it was the higher-up bosses who told you both the right way), and then to top it all off calls you “sweetheart,” of course any normal person is going to be angry. If said co-worker then apologize, saying he does have respect for you and you are in charge, he shouldn't be surprised if you can't accept that apology. Not necessarily because you're still mad, but mainly because you have literally no idea what to make of him.

I will always believe what you've shown me above what you've told me.

I can’t stand people who are different in their words/on paper/on facebook than they are in person. Don’t go on facebook and "like" all my posts about embracing your weirdness, being true to who you are, and believing in magic, when all of those things actually make you uncomfortable, and you want to run away or make fun of me when you see me living by those words.

Also:

Mansion's Twins

Mansion's Family

Dawn's Acapella

Acapella Angels

Monday Music: Guns N' Roses - November Rain

4/10/2017

EXCUSE ME if this song is perfect for Claire and November. Y'all thought "Clarity" was too much?

Okay, but seriously. How could I not think about them when I hear this?

If you're already familiar with Crossworlds, you know this simple fact I'm about to announce. If you're not, the first thing you should know is:

I'M RIDICULOUS, GET USED TO IT.

Stories of the Early Days is coming soon!

Mansion's Twins

Mansion's Family

Dawn's Acapella

Acapella Angels

Wednesday Word: Chasing my Dreams – Literally

4/5/2017

No, this isn’t going to be a cheesy inspirational post. This is probably going to be quite silly. Because one of my New Year’s resolutions this year has been to learn to lucid dream.

It took me this long to learn, and I've been lucid a couple of times. First, I would start to notice strange things in my dreams—like, when a pet who passed away years ago was in a dream, I thought it was strange to see him, but couldn’t figure out why. Or, when I was yelling at someone, I couldn’t yell cuss words, but I could yell the rest just fine. Normally when I’m very angry in dreams my voice breaks, and as hard as I try, I can’t yell. This time it was only the bad words. In the dream, I thought, “Maybe I can’t cuss at my dad because he’s my dad,” and that made sense in the moment.

Anyway. Here are some methods I’ve tried for lucid dreaming:

Meditations
Reality checks throughout the day: “Am I dreaming?”
Writing down dreams every morning.
Having a plan for when I become lucid. There are all sorts of things I could do. Do I want to fly? Explore? Talk to people? Sing? Walk through a mirror into an alternate dimension? Maybe this is why I’m not quite there yet. My brain wants too many things.

In one lucid dream, all I could think to do was start singing and make everything around me a musical. So, that was pretty cool... In the other one, I was trying to tell someone "hey, this is a dream!" but she didn't believe me. So, I jumped in the air, flew around the room once, and then flew out the window.

Why am I trying so hard to lucid dream? Go and Google what percentage of our lives we spend asleep. Just go check real quick. I'm not going anywhere.

A THIRD of our lives (or I guess you could have kept reading... but Google for yourself if you don't believe me). If I'm already spending that long in dreams, I want to have as much fun as possible.

For the first few weeks, I did pretty well writing down my dreams every morning. Lately I haven't been keeping up with that, but just for fun, here are a few random clips from various dreams:

We played a lot of games, the last one being a real life sized version of Candy Land—don’t know why, there was no candy. At one point I stood up to agree with something and my head hit the ceiling.

I thought I was on vacation but was scheduled at work for literally ten minutes.

I’m yelling at my dad for looking at things on my computer. He said my stories were too dark.

We got to ride wales under water. Mine didn’t want me to leave, because after a certain point we were supposed to float back up to the surface. We had little bubble things on our faces so we could survive under water.

Exploring a mansion, but it was like an obstacle course. I kept doing it again and again, trying to see how far I could get in a certain amount of time.

I was singing “Carry on my Wayward Son” in an acapella group, and everyone else was screwing up so I took the lead and totally crushed it. Afterward these people from some school came to talk to me and offer opportunities. I wasn’t wearing a shirt but I wasn’t embarrassed, just a little cold, and very excited. I asked if I could put one on first, did so, and went in to talk to them.

Actually, several of my dreams lately have involved mansions or acapella groups. Funny how sometimes night dreams do relate to life dreams. Just about every part of the mansion in “The Mansion’s Twins” was inspired by recurring dreams. And now, I’m going for both types of dreams, and it’s incredible.

And now I’m going to end this post because dammit I just said we wouldn’t go cheesy and inspirational. Happy Wednesday!

Mansion's Twins

Mansion's Family

Dawn's Acapella

Acapella Angels