So I have been busy on my novel and on the first day of NaNoWriMo I managed to write 1,772 words therefore beating the daily mark by 105 words. Sadly enough on the second day I only wrote 1,271 words and that's way below the mark, hopefully I'll recover that within today and tomorrow.

Anyway today I am not here to write about the NaNoWriMo, I want to talk a bit about my book; The Diary Chronicles of Neill. This is my first novel that maybe some have heard about and even the lucky ones have managed to have a glimpse of it and read a little bit of it. I am currently writing it and like I said in the previous post, I am hopeful that by early next year, I shall have finished it.

The Diary: Chronicles of Neill is a book developed from the path that I have lived, the life that I have seen from my very own eyes but basically it is a young adult mainstream fiction; meaning, everything in it is somehow influenced by factual events but presented fictionally to capture the conscience of the reader to understand it well and feel like he/she can relate to it. It narrates the life of the protagonist, Neill Kynberg, his transformation from a troublesome background to living the fame in high school, death of the parents and the post-trauma life. It is somehow like a fictional memoir of Neill Kynberg.

The setting of the book is a fictional town in South Carolina, presented in real life with Charleston. I know the question is why Charleston, South Carolina? Well when I was researching about the best place I can choose as setting, I was looking for factors like; it must be a town close to an ocean, a town with history, a humble town that is somehow country but at the same time has a city quality and a town that embraces religion and no town could fit that quality better than Charleston, SC...the Holy City or also known as Chucktown.

The writing style of the book is influenced by a number of authors notably the likes of Oscar Wilde, Stephanie Meyer, Sophie Kinsella, Patrick Suskind and Nicholas Sparks. I don't know about the other authors, but my writing style here is also influenced by songs from artists like Missy Higgins and Kate Voegele. So it is a mixture of a lot of styles thus it is something that anybody can read and get attached to.

A lot of themes are discussed in this book, but the most outstanding is the inevitable tragedy. The book itself is tragic from the loss of his brother to the loss of both parents in his final year in high school to losing himself as he tries to find himself after the loss of the family, then later in life when everything should be fine...he loses the love of his life. Another theme is the immortality of faith. Despite everything that happens to the protagonist, when everybody would expect him to give up, he still finds his reason for living and expecting that one day everything will be alright. Other stuff highlighted include, society oppression, love and drugs.Basically everything you encounter in life and everything you encounter in your imagination as an escape, is encountered in this book.

So this is my first book, The Diary: Chronicles of Neill that will later be followed by The Diary: Scarlet's Chronicles. I'll be posting more bits of the book here with time as we unfold the chronicles of Neill Kynberg.I am going to end this post with one of my favorite quotes from the book.

"You see Neill, sometimes you have to withdraw yourself from the battlefield; not because you are weak or giving up but to have a better view at what you are fighting. Then, just then, your heart will tell you what to do. That's how I ended up with man of my dreams." Motherly advice from Leila Kynberg to Neill, when torn up between two girls.

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Yes, yes, yes...my bucket list...the list i can't survive without. We all know what bucket list is...but for those who don't know what this is...well this is that list that contains all the things you wish to to do, or places you wish to travel to or even food you always wish/want to eat eat before your living time clicks to zero (die)...well, i have been modifying mine ever since i don't know when 'cause when you grow up you, you outgrow some of the passions. Well so here is my bucket list of which i hope i'll manage to clear before i die...God help me, i haven't even done a quarter of the list....so here we go (the one(s) with tick, are accomplished) lol, that if there's any.

Bucket/Wish List
1. Reach the peak of Mt. Kenya....yes, why would i want to start elsewhere if charity begins at home.
2. Visit Australia. This has been my childhood dream and somehow the only dream that i have managed to keep to date. Most definitely, i'll start with Sidney and it beautiful Opera House then to the beautiful coral reefs. I hope this happens to be around New Year, i heard the town gets really colorful during this period.
3. Travel to Nevis. Why? Because my favorite character in my novel in progress is named after this Caribbean island.
4. Visit Charleston, South Carolina. My book made me fall in love with this town. Since the setting of the book is Charleston and i have never been there physically,  i had to do a lot of research about the town and everything about it just made the baby in me scream YAY!! Definitely this is a MUST!!
5. Visit Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand. This has always been my most desired vacation destination. What more can i say about it? Nada!! Just google it and you'll see the beauty.
6. Watch a movie in a drive-in theater. I know this is so old school and so "The Notebook" movie, but come on, what beats the thrill of watching a movie in a field in your car, with that special someone?
7. Publish a minimum of three books. Okay i know as an author (to-be), i should be talking about thirty books or something, okay that will happen when that time comes but as per now i just want to have my first novel, my poem collection and inspiration stuff in paperback...the rest will come with time.
8. Help someone fulfill a goal. Not for fame or anything but because even i myself i am where where i am because of hands that decided to spare time for me.
9. Go night camping. Okay this totally is insane that i have never been to night camping...day camping, yes i have done that when i was still a scout but i'd so love to spend time just under the stars in nature. I'm planning for one to happen this December, i hope it'll come to happen.
10. Write myself a letter and read it ten years letter. Okay i don't know how i can explain this :D but i find it interesting. I am to write a letter now and never open it until i am thirty-three, i hope the thirty-three year old me, won't be disappointed in the twenty-three year old me.
11. Go sky diving. Totally and seriously who doesn't want to do this? I know i am freakishly afraid of heights but this is the ultimate bonus. At least it will corroborate to me that i can achieve anything.After this certainly i will try bungee jumping.
12. Watch all Marilyn Monroe movies. Well so far, i have managed five.
13. Watch top 100 movies of all time. Yeah this related to the one above and congratualtions to me i have watched like only sixteen. Damn that's bad, well the list is not ever constant and varies a lot but as for me i follow imdb movie list and life'd movie list. http://www.lifed.com/top-100-best-movies-of-all-time and http://www.imdb.com/chart/top
14. Get passionate about a cause. Okay currently i am supporting cancer, breast cancer cause specifically, not that because i lost someone to it but i was researching about it because in my first novel there's a character who is a victim to it and my third novel is a bout a lady succumbing to it. The research did open my eyes to a lot of things and that's why i decided to take it.
15. Take a week long technology hiatus. Yep...a week away from anything that has technology embedded to it. So far i think i have managed two days and that was because i traveled to a very remote place.
16. Throw a huge party and invite all my friends. Okay i have done this except it was not huge.
17. Learn how to play piano perfectly.
18. Record at least three songs, not for fame or anything but just so that one day my child(s) can listen to.
19. Drive a Pontiac Solstice GXP coupe or Jeep Wrangler (whichever edition).
20. Have two dogs, preferably German Shepherds. I basically i am not a fan of pets and since i can't legally own a shark plus it is a bit stressful, I want to have these two.
21. and the final one, set foot on all seven continents. Yes that's right, Africa, Asia, N.America, S.America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. I hope you don't need glasses to figure out why it is the last on the list. If i can accomplish everything up the list, that means i have finally somehow stepped on all the seven continents.

On the picture is the beautiful twin peaks of Mt. Kenya...So so far, i noticed i haven't accomplished any of the things above, maybe, just maybe because the list is an updated one, there are certain things i am sure i have accomplished that i always wanted to do while i was young, like writing a poem that can draw more than five people to tears.
Everybody should have a bucket list. Stop living a mundane life and make one if you don't have one, or better yet just watch the movie Bucket list, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson and you'll definitely understand what i am talking about . §
In case you need help with creating your bucket list,  just google Bucket List and it will bring you the cool sites that have some crazy ideas of what to do before you kick the bucket. Damn i should have added "stop biting my nails" in the list above...but then, i enjoy this lol...
Next...let's wait and see my top five everything list. Cheers.
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