Focus Tips!

Today I had to watch general conference with my family. Usually I enjoy this opportunity, but today I found myself unfathomably bored! Of course, there were some moments where I was truly intrigued, but for the most part I found myself wishing I could be somewhere else. I was stuck. I knew that this was important not only to me, but to my parents as well. I, being the eldest, need to set an example to my younger siblings. Sure I have lots of practice with boring lectures, I have them in school all the time. But this was important to me and I needed away to sustain my attention so that I could gather at least a few lessons from eight hours of conference. So, I came up with a few tips for myself on staying focused when bored out of your mind. Weather in school or in church.

Tip #1: Write stuff down- Even though you're bored, there has to be a few phrases or ideas that catch your attention. Write them down. Then, as the talk goes on, you can find things that tie to that phrase or idea. You could even carry that phrase or idea over to the next talk and listen intently to that one to see if it has any similarities.

Tip #2: Look for Humor-Most speakers try to put at least a little humor into their talks or lectures to help people pay attention. Some, unfortunately,  do not. For example, I have a teacher at school who, if he were reading out of the textbook it would probably be more entertaining, and I would most likely learn more. More often than not I find myself falling asleep in his class, so to help me focus, I look for unintentional humor. He may have a slip of the tongue and say something that he did not mean, or maybe something he says sounds like something else. It is easy to find these little humors if you are listening, and then, well your listening. One piece of advice I would give with this tip though, is that you might not want to laugh out loud! :)

Tip #3: See if They Use Anything You Had Previous Knowledge of- This is a tip I use frequently during school. Although they seem diverse, a lot of the subjects they teach us during school all connect in one way or another. Math and Science of course, but also Math and English. Even English and a foreign language you may be taking. Looking for, and finding these similarities can hold your attention for hours on end no matter how the teacher's voice may drone on and on!

These are just a few tips I use to keep myself awake during school or during any other boring lecture I need to listen to. Granted that it does take work to pay attention, I hope these tips will help you as they have helped me. Of course, you could always just sleep through everything, but where's the fun in that?

Blog Post #20: Moon Spell

Continuation of Blog Post #19


Aden stared at the moon as it rose over the city skyline, and as the moonlight hit him something strange happened. Haley blinked repeatedly. No, it couldn't be real! But there it was she saw it with her own eyes. The moonlight was gathering around Aden and sparkling as it turned from light to a dust that clung to him like a magnet. He stared at the dust with a look of longing lingering on his face. He ran his fingers through what remained in the air and made patterns. Glittering, beautiful, out of this world designs in midair with this moonlight turned glitter. Haley watch this with a look of awe on her face, and sunk to the ground. She knew it, she had gone completely off the deep end with this one! Here she was hallucinating in an alley that a boy from her school was taking moonlight and turning it into some kind of... pixie dust? Haley laughed at the incredulous notion, what did it matter? It was just a hallucination. But her laugh had drawn his attention. He seemed confused for a moment and looked at her with no recognition in his eyes. He peered at her for several more seconds as the dust continued to swirl and collect around him. Finally he opened his mouth and said, "Haley?" But his voice was different. It was deeper and had more sustenance, and had and unearthly ring to it that echoed in her ears. It was beautiful. That is when she decided that this was not really Aden Moonsinger, she must have slipped in one of the many disgusting puddles that were numerous around here, and hit her head and she was having a most wonderful dream in which a  boy from her school was much more than what he seemed. She was so sure of this that she nodded at him and stood up. When she confirmed that she was in fact Haley, Aden grew panicked. "Crap!" he said not quite looking at her. She stepped forward. "What's wrong?" she asked. She had a sudden desire to touch the swirling, glittering dust. Aden backed away, "You weren't supposed to stay conscious, how can you look at it and still be awake?" Haley laughed, "I'm not!" she said "This is all a dream, how else could any of this be possible?" She grew nervous at the look he gave her. But it had to be a dream because the only alternative was, NO, she was not crazy! Was she? Haley began to second guess herself and each breath became more and more panicked. "Haley," someone was calling her name from far away she focused on that to bring her from the edge of a mental meltdown. "Haley, you need to calm down." It was Aden, he was still standing there surrounded by moon dust. Seeing the moon dust only caused her to become more distraught. "I'm sorry Haley," Aden said as he started to cup some of the dust into his hand "But maybe this might help you calm down" He brought the hand with the dust to his mouth and blew. Haley couln't let that dust touch her, because what if it was real? Would that make her crazy? She decided she didn't want to find out and lunged to the side to avoid it touching her, but in the darkness of the alley, the wall was much closer than it appeared. Haley heard a crack and went down on the pavement. She laid there for a moment until a white hot nail of pain drove itself into her temple. The pain turned her whole world white, then black and she was gone.

Blog Post #19: What to do now...

This is a story I started some time ago that I thought I would revise so I could take it to a writer's conference.

Haley sat outside the school waiting for him. Aden had been in there for hours, and it was starting to get dark. She shouldn't bee here. She got up and started to walk home. When she turned the corner she saw him there in front of her. Impossible! Haley opened her mouth to yell at him, but stopped. Something in her wanted to follow him. So she stayed a couple of steps behind him the whole way through town and into a part of town that made her uncomfortable. Dark alleys lined these streets and the old buildings were covered with graffiti. When she thought she saw someone lurking in the alley she had just passed she turned to yell for Aden, but he was gone. She saw the edge of his foot disappear down an alley. Haley ran for the alley and was met with a high wall of a dead end. She turned around looking for another way out. Oh no! Was she seeing things again? Did Aden even come down here? Or was he an apperation. No, he was the whole reason she had started seeing things and she was going to find him and some answers. Haley crept forward and started feeling the wall, maybe there was a secret passage? "Why did you follow me Haley?" A low voice said from the mouth of the alley. Haley gasped and turned around to face Aden. "I need to talk to you." Haley said as she walked towards him. "About what happened the other day." "I told you not to ask!" he growled. Haley stopped advancing, she had never seen him this nervous. He kept looking behind his back and checking his watch and glaring at her. "How could I not ask Aden? I've been losing my mind! I saw you glow for Pete's sake!" Haley could feel herself losing it, and she took a few calming breaths. "I just need you to tell me I'm not crazy please!" She said softer. Aden looked at her for a moment, his face softening, "Did you say you saw me glow?" he asked. Haley nodded her head. "Are you sure that what you saw? I mean, we were watching a slide show, maybe you just saw it reflect off of something and it made it look like I was glowing." His voice was softer now, and Haley could see now how she had been mistaken. Of course he hadn't been glowing! She had just let her apprehensions about him cloud her better judgement. In fact, she now felt stupid and stalkerish. At least he wasn't making fun of her like most boys would. "Oh gosh Aden! I'm so sorry I must have sounded like a complete crazy person. I have no idea what got into me!" Haley said apologetically. "Yeah, yeah no problem." Aden said distractedly. He was looking over his shoulder more often now and checking his watch more frequently. "You really should go home." he said grabbing her arm "Like, right now!" Haley drew back. No matter how cute, she did not like boys manhandling her! And the sooner Aden learned that lesson the better. "I will, but I don't need you to drag me there." Haley said as she tried to pull her arm away from him, but it was impossible. If anything his grip seemed to be getting stronger by the second. "Aw, crap!" Aden said. "What?" Haley asked. Aden turned to her with a pleading look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but please don't freak out." He pleaded as the moon rose over the horizon.

Blog Post #18: The End! (Finallly! :)

Continuation of Blog Post #17

Boy knew he was in a dream. He knew it because she was there, and she was dead. "How are you here?" he murmured into her hair. She pulled back with a sigh and looked sadly into his eyes.  "I'm not." she said   with unshed tears in her eyes. "What do you mean?!" he cried feeling like his heart was being ripped to pieces. "I shouldn't be here," she said to herself and began to turn away. "It's just hurting you." She walked a few steps before he got ahold of himself and he yelled after her "Alaina! Where the heck do you think your going?" he grabbed her arm and pulled her into him. "Stop!" She yelled, "I'm not really here, I can't do this to you!" Boy was suddenly furious. He had watched her die, and he could do nothing about it and now his subconscious had conjured up a apparition to torment him. "Fine, your not here! I'm going to leave then before I become truly crazy." He stalked away fuming when he heard her lovely voice say softly behind him. "I'm not an apparition sent by your subconscious to torment you." He turned around quickly, "How did you know what I was thinking? I had my protection up. And if your not a figment of my imagination, what are you?" Alaina sat on the ground and looked sadly up at him. "It's kinda a long story." Boy sat down next to her. "You've got till I wake up!" he said with a weak smile. Alaina sighed and began her story.

"Well, when I went a level deeper to find the names I went to a place that is beyond the Mind Field, a place where you are now." At this Boy started and looked around him to look at his surroundings, but even as he looked at them he forgot them. "Don't look to hard!" Alaina grabbed his face and turned it towards her. "If you look to hard and begin to see, you will become overwhelmed and it will break your mind. Focus on me, I am real to you so I am a focal point that you can focus on." When she knew that she had his attention again she resumed her tale. "Anyways, this is the place I came. A place, as I have learned, we all come to dream each night. This is the very beginning of thought, it's birthplace. If you stay here too long you will become a part of it." Boy interrupted her and said, "Is that what happened to you?" "Yes, in a way. You see, usually when people loose themselves to the "Dream Field", as I call it, they are no longer themselves, they are just a thought that is eventually lost in its vast expanse. But I wasn't lost. I am still me." "How is that?" Boy said incredulously. "Well, I think it may have to do with the fact that I didn't loose myself. My mortal body just died while I was in the Dream Field and I stayed here fully aware of who and what I am. Actually whey I died then it became easier to exist it in the Dream Field because I am now truly a part of it." Boy turned away from her in anguish, "So you really are dead." Alaina sighed and touched is shoulder "Yes Boy, or Khitam, I am dead, but not gone. I will always be with you, But there is some thing that I need you to do for me." Khitam turned towards her, "Anything." he said. "There are others like me, my grandmother, and my uncle. I need you to find them and teach them so they understand who and what they are and have a future. I need you to bring them to me, to this spot where you buried me, so that I can teach them."  "But how will I find them?" he asked, "Do not worry, I will send you to them." Boy began to feel the edges of the dream fall apart and he knew that he was going to wake up. But he couldn't! He had to stay with Alaina! "Be brave, love. I will be here." she whispered

Boy woke up under the same tree next to her grave. But he felt calm. She was with him, and always would be. He stood up with renewed confidence. He would go and make sure that this would never happen to anyone else again. He had his purpose, and so did she.

Blog Post #17: Aftermath

Continuation of Blog Post #16


Queen Ayla had her work cut out for her. Her kingdom had been nonexistent for at least sixteen years and people were still recovering from the effects from the Burglar King. Some people, like herself, had little or no lingering effect from the whole ordeal. But others were bedridden with horrible headaches or loss of control of their bodies. The King, being one of those with a crippling headache, told her to take care of the kingdom until he was well. But she wasn't worried so much about the kingdom. Sure people needed food, and houses needed repair after years of no use, and every thing, really every thing was in great need of a good cleaning. No, the thing that worried her most was her son. The day that they had been freed he had stayed and helped everyone get back on their feet and then he had took the body of the girl and disappeared. Before he had left he had told the story of how she and the King had sent an envelope with connection sand to a place rumored to be Cecily the Great's home before they had been taken. He told of how that sand had been found by Alaina, the dead girl, and she had come to their aid when she was ready, without even knowing what she would face. He said she was brave, and a true hero, and the only reason we were all still alive today. Queen Ayla was sure his story was true, but she could tell he had left many details missing. She remembered how he had sobbed over her still form when she had first encountered him, the broken look on his face. When he disappeared, Ayla had a manservant sent after him. But he returned not knowing why he had left. She then knew that he wanted to be alone, she only could hope that he was safe and would soon come home.

Khitam sat underneath a great oak tree next to a freshly dug grave. So many thing had happened in the last couple of weeks that the whole while he had been Khitam, prince of the realm of the Forest. As he sat by the fresh dirt though, he was Boy, best friend and lover of Alaina. She was dead. She left him. It tore him apart every day to know that he did this. Why couldn't he have taken care of the Burglar King himself? Why did he ever have to get her involved? This was all his fault and now she was gone, forever. The most amazing intelligent girl he had ever known. The worst part was, was that he would have to go on with his life, and soon. He was a prince and he had duties. Never he thought I'll never go back, I've caused too much damage to my own heart. I will sit here next to her until I die. He leaned his head back against the tree and fell asleep.

Blog Post #16: Sacrifice

Continuation of Blog Post #15


Alaina was hanging to herself by a thread. She only stayed with herself because of the names. That's what they were right? She was so confused. As she concentrated on the shining lights she noticed, through the confusing haze in her mind, that they were bound by a thick, slimy, black cord. Nothing that beautiful should be bound by such and ugly thing, she thought. She reached forward and grabbed the cord. She screamed and pulled her hands away as quickly as she could. It had burned her! But in that moment of pain, she had  also a moment of clarity. She remembered who she was, why she was here, and what she needed to do. It was fading fast though. She thought quickly and concluded that the cord binding the names was them being held by the Burglar King. Bracing herself to do what she had to before she lost herself again; Alaina reached out quickly and grabbed the cord again.
Hot searing pain burst through every nerve ending in her hands. It traveled up her arms and into her shoulders. Everything in her was screaming to let go! It was going to eventually reach her heart and brain making for a very long and painful end she knew.  Alaina tugged even harder her efforts now tinged with desperation that only the dying posses. Every pore, every cell in her body was zinging with sharp pain. I'm going to die, She thought with resignation. Then suddenly through the pain she felt a pressure on her hand, as if someone were squeezing it anxiously. She realized deep inside her being that this presence on her hand was important to her. She channeled that feeling of power it gave her and pulled on the black cord. She felt it begin to give, but at the same time she was also starting to lose strength. With what she knew would be her very last action, she tore at the cord with the very essence of her being, and collapsed.

Queen Ayla looked around her a horrible scream resounding in her head. She was on the floor in the throne room, the floor! She stood up hastily before anyone could see her faux pas. Then she remembered what had happened. The last thing she remembered was the Burglar King ripping her name from her and her son running from the room. "Khitam!" She yelled. Then she heard the sobbing from across the room. "No, no, no!" It was a man's voice. Ayla walked cautiously around the corner. There was a man with his back to her crying over the still form of a young girl with brown golden hair and porcelain skin that was too white for living. "Excuse me," The queen said politely, aware of how delicate of a situation this was. The man turned around and the queen just about fainted. "Khitam?" she said breathlessly as she used the wall to hold herself up. "Mother?" he said through his tears. "She did it!" he said ecstatically "Oh, she did it." he said much more somber as he looked back at the still form of the girl on the floor. "What? What is going on Khitam?" She said as she knelt next to her son that she didn't recognize anymore. "Whats going on?" he responded "Well, I love her Mother" he said gesturing to the girl "And she saved all of us."

Blog Post #15: Beyond the Mind Field

Continuation of Blog Post #14


            Alaina thought of all the people who needed her, her father, her grandmother, Boy's parents, all the people of Boy's kingdom, and Boy himself. With all of the people she loved in mind she sent out a psychic blast that knocked the Burglar King off his feet. She grabbed Boy's hand and began to run. "Where are we going?" He asked. "To the throne room where the names are!" she answered as a castle rose up in the distance, "Trust me, I have a plan!" They ran together up the stairs to the doors that were guarded by two towering knights. "Are they real?" Alaina asked Boy. "No, they are astral projections that he has created, so in a way, they are the Burglar King." "Good." Alaina replied as a sword appeared in her hand. She went up to the first knight and ran him through with her sword, and he dissolved into nothing. She looked over her shoulder to see that Boy had taken care of the other knight and they both turned in tandem and pushed the doors open.
            Inside of the castle was the most confusing layout Alaina had ever seen. "How in the world are we supposed to traverse this?" she said looking at the upside down staircases and the staircases that lead to nowhere. "I have no idea!" Boy replied. "Well then we just wait for the Burglar King to come and get us?" Alaina yelled getting frustrated, her whole plan centered on getting to the throne room. "Wait, I think I have an idea!" Boy said, "Can you reach out with your mind and see if you can feel the names and lead us to them?" "But I'm already out of my mind! How can I reach out again?" Alaina said. "I have no idea but you have to try!" Boy said grasping her hand anxiously. "But what if I can't come back?" She said worried. "Alaina," Boy said looking straight into her eyes, "If we don't try, you won't come back anyway!" She finally got his point and replied,"Boy, I need you to hold onto my hand and don't let go no matter what." She knew that she could feel the pressure of his hand anywhere and would always know how to come back to it. "I promise I will never let go." he said and with that Alaina closed her eyes and searched for the missing names.
             It was nothing like the Mind Field. The Mind Field had order and had rules and was a place that, even if it was something she never would have thought possible to exist, it had logic. Where she was now was simply raw instinct, no rules and almost empty. It was the very basic and genesis of thought. It scared her senseless. She knew that if she stayed her too long she would loose herself to the animalistic way of thinking this place inspired. She found it difficult to remember why she was here; what she needed to do. Names! She thought. Names, names, names! She thought it over and over like a chant inside her head to keep her sane, and on task. She drifted towards a glimmer that she thought she saw in the distance. The glimmer grew stronger and stronger the closer she came. She knew it was what she was looking for. As she drew nearer it grew so bright it was like a mini sun composed of million of tiny individual stars. She knew she had found what she was looking for, names. But while she had been so focused on her goal of finding the names, she could no longer remember anything else that she was supposed to do, and soon she felt herself succumbing to the wiles of the place beyond the Mind Field.