Scene Writing

I've decided the assignments I enjoy the least are the ones that require me to write a 'short scene.' I've always written my stories from beginning to end so that I can feel the same flow of emotions I'd want my readers and characters to experience. The author however must not feel this is very important (or that a writer can achieve the same experience without doing this) because she asked me to write a scene for three characters each where I describe their emotions through physical description. Then I needed to write a scene for one of them where they were feeling one thing but had to hide it for one reason or another. I didn't like the idea of this but it's the assignment so I wrote one.
Unfortunately for me, the assignment was helpful. It was good to focus on one scene including focusing on one skill. I realized I don't describe my characters feelings as much with physical description but with their thoughts on their surroundings. It was good practice but I still hated it. I haven't thought too much about the details of the scenes so trying to write four scenes for three different characters felt impossible. I can only think of one other character and moment to write about.
Today I'm spending the day with a friend of mine, enjoying the nice, summer weather before the storms come tomorrow so I won't be doing much writing today. I suppose I could do some tonight but I doubt it. I have a feeling after I walk around all day today I'm not going to want to walk all the way to the Starbucks that's open late to write some scenes I'm not looking forward to writing.
I will say though, possibly thanks to the fact I spend most of my days inside, surrounded by dogs, or toddlers, or my aunt, that leaving to go write has become something I really look forward to doing. In fact, a couple days ago I finished two assignments in one day! Maybe I'll actually have this book done by July anyway!

There's nothing better than a good pen

I hadn't written in a while due to a very busy two weeks. At least that's what I'm telling myself. Yesterday however, I like to think I made up for that finishing my last character profile and the next day's assignment while drinking a latte in a pastry shop. I think it took me all of an hour and a half. I was about to start the next one, which was focused more on setting instead of characters, but I realized my brain was moving elsewhere. Plus the place was closing. And my favorite pen, which I had bought in China, had just run out of ink.
I moved to Starbucks to sit in their window with a Doubly Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino, thinking the change of scenery would bring more focus. When I reached the cashier, I saw the advertisement for the new caramel drink and decided to order that instead. I also changed my original plan when I sat down and made a face when I saw my back-up pens. I had weighed the idea of buying new ink for my Chinese pen whenever it ran out so I could keep using it. I don't know if you, the reader, write much but if you do and you use pens you know there's nothing more gratifying than finding, and using, a good pen.
Thus, I left Starbucks and worked back to Office Depot to see if I could find some filler ink for my pen. By the way, the new caramel drink is ridiculously caramel and sweet. This is coming from someone who changes the ratio of syrup and espresso in her Caramel Frappuccino so that it's practically a caramel milkshake. I couldn't even finish it.
Anyway, a man at Office Depot helped me find a filler ink that fit the pen and even opened the package and inserted it so I could try it out to see what I thought. It was apparently the generic brand but my test tries were promising so I bought it. Afterwards, I decided to just return home and relieve the dogs and work on the next assignment tomorrow (or since I'm writing this the next day, today). However, I was reminded that on Thursday my aunt has class which means she won't return home until nine. So I left after she arrived and walked to the Starbucks near the L since the one closer was going to close in an hour. It was a good thing I did because it assignment took me about two hours and I wasn't able to finish because the last part required me to research, which I couldn't do without a computer. This time I wised up and got the drink I originally intended to drink.

Improving

Thanks to babysitting jobs, better weather, and Starbucks extending their hours, I've been writing more than I was before. I'm not writing everyday as I started out doing but I'm improving. Each time I write I finish another character profile. Tonight however I managed to finish two. Now I have all of the main characters done and I'm starting on the secondary characters. I think I'm only going to do two of them (the ones most influential to the story) because, I mean, do I really need to do everyone? We'll see once I finish these two- then I'll reread the chapter and see what she suggested.
I'm really curious to see how far I'll be by my graduation ceremony. Hopefully I'll be pretty far and have something to show to prove I've actually been working on something.
I really have to stress how helpful these character profiles are to filling out the story. I've been able to tie up so many loose ends in the story just by creating backgrounds for these people that writing the story will be much easier.

Worries

Message is a big deal when it comes to a piece and sending the wrong message can destroy something.
So remember when I was talking about the names for my different characters? Well, I was thinking about the two I had been struggling with, Goliath and Isaac, and realized if I wasn't careful someone might take it as a biblical reference. Like, I was trying to say something about the old testament with these two characters and then maybe the readers might over analyze the rest of the book, searching for more hidden references. I was really just looking for names, not trying to make a statement about the bible. After this realization, I discarded those names and most of the names I had picked and decided to push my original message even further.
I think this was the right decision but I'm wondering if I was over thinking it. I mean, how careful do I need to be exactly?