SPEAK (a voice).

SPEAK changed my life. It saved me. After SPEAK I felt as if I could actually breathe...live. I don't support or believe in banning books. NO MATTER WHAT THEY CONTAIN. Because everyone is different. Everyone has different problems. Everyone needs an outlet. Some of these books are a voice for those who don't have one. These books, especially SPEAK, help these teens find themselves, help them know they are not alone.

I know teens who have been raped and abused. I know them personally and their story. I have been hurt in ways no girl should ever be hurt. That's why the discussion that this book is disgusting, pornographic... makes me sick.

Me, these teens, my friends, all of us have been forced to live with a horrific memory, something that will NEVER leave their minds. They deserve an outlet, they deserve for people to see that the world isn't perfect, isn't as heavenly as we would all like it to be.

They DON'T deserve to be censored, to be shut up, and by who? Another human being who is no better than any of us, any of them. Because these children and teens are not aliens. They are NORMAL human beings.

Banning books such as SPEAK only sends the message that these children and teens are not worthy to be heard, to be noticed. That whatever has happened to them should be kept' a secret, that they may never be able to live a healthy life again because if they reveal what happened to them society will shun them, call them disgusting and pornographic.

No. No. No. I'm not going to sit here and say NOTHING. No. We have to be their voice. We have to show everyone that the world and it's people are NOT perfect, but far from. Evil happens. Betrayal happens. Home is sometimes no longer safe, neither is school. This is something that NEEDS to be heard, not ignored. Because I am sick of the people who think the world is a bucket full of sunshine, that what they hear on the news can NEVER really happen.

NEWS FLASH: it can.

Children and teens are abused and neglected every single day. We can't ignore this fact, because if we do we are just as wrong as the ones who are trying to silence their voices, ban the novels that SPEAK out.

Blessings to all of you bloggers who have spoken out, who are helping fight this, who are being a voice.

Strength and love to those who have been hurt beyond reasoning. Please, have faith that you will be able to be happy again, to feel like you can breathe again.

You are not alone. You are understood. You are worthy.

Bloggers, this is my opinion. How do you feel?

"I have survived. I am here. Confused, screwed up, but here. So how can I find my way? Is there a chain saw of the soul? An ax I can take to my memories or fears?"

— Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)

"You have to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against. "

— Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)

*Te read more about this issue click HERE, written by Laurie Halse Anderson herself.*

Pure Magic.

Have you ever had that invigorating feeling while writing a certain scene? A rush, a flash binding you to the impossible, almost as if you are being pulled away from your body and entering your story?

Have you ever entered that magical realm where you can see your characters so clearly you can practically feel them?

I have. I always feel a connection with Drake (my MC) when I write, when I day dream of my story, but earlier today…it was…unreal. I was completely lost in this scene. My fingers couldn’t move fast enough to keep up with his voice; everything around me suddenly didn’t exist.

It felt like I was there with him, seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. Everything was in such detail; Drake’s scent, the wet grass, the still air, and his emotions so powerful, so intense. I watched his hands move, listened to his voice, tried to capture everything in all its wonder.

I felt the scene coming to an end and I held on to his voice for as long as I could. I wanted to stay there forever.

The center of my chest tightened as soon as I finished. I didn’t re-read it just yet, didn’t spell check.

I just sat there with my eyes closed, soaking in everything I just felt and saw—the depth and weight in Drake’s eyes clung to me, stayed with me, effected me so much I had to share it with all of you.

Writing is such an escape for me, but when moments like this happen, where I am lost in his world, flying high on my imaginary wind, I am at a loss for words.

Times like this remind me why I love to write. Why Drake means so much to me. I can’t be myself and not write. It has become a part of me and so has he.

So no matter how hard the future for a writer may be, no matter how many rejection letters I may receive, or however many nights I stay up wide awake trying to perfect a scene, I’ll never stop writing.

How about you bloggers? Have you ever had a moment while writing that felt incredibly surreal? Where you felt so immensely close to your characters?

I don't take breathing for granted. I suck in every bit of air that I can because I know what it's like to be trapped, to have everything be given to you and then taken away. So come on, take a deep breath. Breathe with me. - Drake

Update.

These past few weeks have been a rejuvenating rollercoaster ride. I was able to visit the University of Florida up in Gainesville—a university I hope to attend. I loved Gainesville. The difference from Miami and there is clear. It’s amazing how two places in the exact same state can differ on so many levels. Miami is a fanatical city, where everything is open late and people tend to stay up much later and the traffic is, well, not one of our better qualities.

Gainesville was silent and peaceful with a continuing mist that lasted throughout the entire night, rising up from the ground like steam out of a hot bath. It is a swamp land drenched in mystery with its haunting bleak marsh lands and hunching cluster of trees. We have trees in Miami, but not like this. Everywhere I looked the land was covered in southern magnolias, winged elms, bluff oaks, and live oaks. It was fascinating on every level.

Also, I started school again, my last semester at my community college which I have grown to cherish. To say I love my classes is an understatement. I’m taking Creative Writing III and a tough advanced literature course, but I wouldn’t change one thing about them. And our school magazine will be launching its newest edition very soon which I am ecstatic about!

Oh! And I promised I would be sharing my editing stages for Silver Touch, and I will as soon as I retrieve my camera back from my aunt’s house. So stay tuned.

I know I may be a bit late, but I just started reading the Hunger Games Series. I know…I know…

There is one word for this series, and that word is wow….

Collins is fabulous, her writing supreme! I can’t believe it took me this long to start reading this series!!

So far, I’m team Gale.

What about you bloggers? Anything new and exciting lately?

Remember, there's a bit of magic everywhere.