Actually, I probably won't be that silent, but it was a good title so I'm leaving it.
Hey there world! Oh, you all look so lovely. I missed your faces. I've been so busy lately, I haven't had a chance to talk to you at all. What have I been up to? I'll tell you.
- Buying a house. Yes. You heard me correctly. Our offer has been accepted on an adorable little home just a few minutes from where we live now. This is the main reason why you won't see much of me here for the next couple months. I have to pack up our place, clean it, clean the new house, and move our stuff into it, and then unpack it. This process makes me want to curl up in a ball and weep uncontrollably. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. I love moving to a new place, but I hate the actual process of moving. So. Much. Work. And we've been here for almost 5 years, so we have a lot of...stuff, everywhere. My family has already been warned that a mighty purging will be taking place alongside the packing. I am not moving things simply because it's in my home. (If you do happen to see me here, it will be to rant and rage about how much packing sucks. Prepare yourselves.) We should be in our new place by Christmas (or New Year's if we're slow), so that's our present to our family. Merry Christmas, you get a house! Not a bad deal.
- Writing. Secret Story is really becoming a unique experience. Usually when I write I have specific scenes floating around, and definitely an ending in mind that I work around and build towards. When I started Secret Story, it was VERY different from what it is now. And it's evolving even as I write it. I can already tell the beginning is going to need some rewrites to make what I'm working on now make sense. Also, I don't really have a plan for this story anymore. It's just kind of coming out as I write, which is both exciting and extremely terrifying. I don't have an ending! I don't know what happens next! Each time I sit down, my characters pull something that completely takes me by surprise. I'm almost to 25k, with the girls currently in possession of the first 12k. So far they like it, which is good because it's very dark and different from what I've written in the past. I'm excited to send them more - when they're ready, of course!
- Reading. The library book madness continues. Honestly, I will finish the stack on my bookshelf, take them back, pull out a book I bought months ago to finally read it, and I get a call that at least 3 new books are on waiting for me. Gah! Once upon a time this wouldn't be such a problem, I could read those in a week and move on, but I've been reading things slower lately so I'm making less progress in the TBR pile. And silly as it may be, those books sitting there stress me out. I can't read my own books when I have library books in my possession. I know. I'm a nerd.
- Random family stuff. Dude has started occupational therapy for his sensory issues. Getting him to eat is a constant battle and now we're finally able to get him some help. Cross your fingers for us, because this is a big deal. Babies are popping up all over - with my newest niece being born last night, and I've been going through my own kids old clothing and toys and such to send to the appropriate people for their new babies. Sharing is caring you know. And we've been getting ready for the holidays and Diva's birthday next week, so all the crazy stressful things going on have a festive feel to them as well.
Like I said, it's been busy around here. So, for the time being I'm putting anything and everything I can on the backburner so I don't completely lose my mind during this move. Hopefully around February my new house will be mostly unpacked and in decent order and I can come talk to you all again. Wish me luck in the meantime - I'm going to need it!
Do any of you have major things going on right now? And just because I'm curious, who's braving the madness and going shopping next Friday?
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Time Management
To say I'm terribly at managing my time responsibly is a terrible understatement. Really. It's ridiculous. Especially because my priorities might be a tad skewed. For example, in order of what I'm finding most important right now:
- I have spent most of this week reading almost non-stop. A bunch of books I had on hold at the library suddenly came in all together so I went from having one library book to six. All with waiting lists, which adds to the pressure of reading them fairly quickly so the next person can get it. I've finished three books so far this week and returned them, only to get a call from the library this morning, letting me know three more books are now waiting for me to pick up. I just can't catch up. *sigh*
- When I'm not reading, I'm trying to write. I'm working on a completely new and secret idea that is really, really exciting me. It's almost overwhelming how badly I want to sit and write until the whole story is out. But my lovely children love to "help" me write, so I try to write when they are both elsewhere. (naps, school) It's making progress slow, but I'm loving the potential of what I have so far.
- My house is insanely messy. Last week, my whole family got sick. Thankfully not all at the same time, although there was a little overlap here and there. But one right after another we got sick and the entire week was spent either taking care of someone or being sick myself. Not a lot of time left for cleaning. And now with the avalanche of library books and distracting secret story, I'm really not making much headway. Bless my patient husband for not completely losing it everytime he walks in the door to find the house looking exactly the same as it did when he left.
Those are the main things on my plate. Add in silly things like eating, exercise, or showering, and my day is pretty much gone. Sadly, I end up spening an entire day concentrating on just one thing, rather than appropriately spreading it out through the day so a little bit of everything gets done each day. I honestly don't know how full-time authors do it. They all say you sacrifice something so writing is a priority, but still. Huge respect for those busy, busy people.
If only I could stick to one of the millions of different schedules I've made for myself, then maybe things wouldn't feel quite so overwhelming. I just keep telling myself I'll figure it out eventually.
Right? *hopeful face*
RIGHT? *looks at you desperately*
How about you, lovely readers? Ever feel like there's just too much to do in a day? What distracts you, and how do you still manage to get things done anyway?
- I have spent most of this week reading almost non-stop. A bunch of books I had on hold at the library suddenly came in all together so I went from having one library book to six. All with waiting lists, which adds to the pressure of reading them fairly quickly so the next person can get it. I've finished three books so far this week and returned them, only to get a call from the library this morning, letting me know three more books are now waiting for me to pick up. I just can't catch up. *sigh*
- When I'm not reading, I'm trying to write. I'm working on a completely new and secret idea that is really, really exciting me. It's almost overwhelming how badly I want to sit and write until the whole story is out. But my lovely children love to "help" me write, so I try to write when they are both elsewhere. (naps, school) It's making progress slow, but I'm loving the potential of what I have so far.
- My house is insanely messy. Last week, my whole family got sick. Thankfully not all at the same time, although there was a little overlap here and there. But one right after another we got sick and the entire week was spent either taking care of someone or being sick myself. Not a lot of time left for cleaning. And now with the avalanche of library books and distracting secret story, I'm really not making much headway. Bless my patient husband for not completely losing it everytime he walks in the door to find the house looking exactly the same as it did when he left.
Those are the main things on my plate. Add in silly things like eating, exercise, or showering, and my day is pretty much gone. Sadly, I end up spening an entire day concentrating on just one thing, rather than appropriately spreading it out through the day so a little bit of everything gets done each day. I honestly don't know how full-time authors do it. They all say you sacrifice something so writing is a priority, but still. Huge respect for those busy, busy people.
If only I could stick to one of the millions of different schedules I've made for myself, then maybe things wouldn't feel quite so overwhelming. I just keep telling myself I'll figure it out eventually.
Right? *hopeful face*
RIGHT? *looks at you desperately*
How about you, lovely readers? Ever feel like there's just too much to do in a day? What distracts you, and how do you still manage to get things done anyway?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A Note of Positivity
Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you're enjoying your fall season so far. I have been. (Except this week. I was sick with a head cold and then a stomach flu. Blah.)
Today, I'm going to do something a little different. It's going to be a list. When I was a sophomore in high school, I had math with my friend Aubrey Anne. We both hated math and were easily distracted and somehow we started writing up a list of things to be happy about. Several of our friends contributed to it here and there, but the majority of it was written by us. Before she transferred schools, we were up to 1,000. (You read that right.) As high school became harder to handle, I would add to that list, trying to cheer myself up, and eventually my own personal list was around 1600-1700. I still have it - it's in a binder in my storage tub full of high school stuff. Anyway, Aubrey and I were chatting on Twitter the other day and she felt like blogging, but couldn't think of anything positive to blog about. So I mentioned starting a mini list of Things to be Happy About. She loved the idea, and asked me to contribute. I've been wanting something fun and positive to blog about as well, so I agreed. Now, once a week you'll get a list of 10 things that make me happy, and I'll link to Aubrey's blog so you can see her list as well. Some things may be personal to us, some may be things that make you happy as well. But the point is that in a world full of tragedies, hatred, and plain old awful negativity, once a week this will be a place to find something happy. And don't worry, I'll still talk about the writing I'm up to in between my lists. So here we go.
1. The holiday season. Doesn't matter the holiday; if it has a season, I love it. Halloween and fall leaves, Thanksgiving and pies, Christmas and twinkling lights - I love it all. There's such an ambiance about it all that I find comforting and fun.
2. Stephen's Mint Truffle Hot Chocolate. I love hot chocolate in general, but this is my favorite at home kind. It's so, so yummy and as the weather gets colder, I'll end up having at least one cup a day. It's my version of coffee.
3. Rainy afternoons. I don't actually like being out in the rain, but I love rain. I open my windows and fill my house with the sound of it falling and the fresh crispness it gives the air. I find it inspiring, and I always end up pulling out a notebook or my laptop and just writing for an hour or two.
4. Snuggling with my kids. This doesn't happen often, since they aren't really cuddly by nature. They prefer to be up and around, checking things out and playing. They've been this way since they were babies. But when they are really sleepy or sick they like to be cuddled, with blankets and stuffed animals and everything. Sometimes it lasts ten minutes, sometimes it lasts an hour, but I take it when I can get it because it's pretty rare.
5. Pictures of at-home libraries. Little book noooks, huge rooms with vaulted ceilings, built in shelving or ornate bookcases - I love them all. It's like you get a taste for someone's personality in that one snapshot, just by seeing how they like their books arranged, their reading atmosphere, etc. One day, I will have a photo of my own to share.
6. Twitter. Oh yeah. I'm in love with it. I'm still kind of a lurker on there, but I'm trying to reach out more. But I love seeing the friendships and jokes between authors I love, seeing articles that spark conversations from people all over the place, and the comfort offered by complete strangers when someone is going through a hard time. It really is a community, and unlike other social networks I've used in the past, I actually feel connected to this one. It's lovely.
7. Pillows. Sparky and I both love our pillows - we have several that make a pillow mountain on our bed. (That is, when I actually end up making it properly.) However, Sparky leaves for work a little over an hour before I wake up with the kids for school, and in that hour, I steal his pillows too until I'm in a lovely, soft, squishy cave of pillows. It's my favorite part of the morning.
8. Cake. Or, more specifically, cake from a local grocery store about a block from my house. Their bakery in general is fantastic, but their cakes are simply heavenly. Light but moist cake, just the right amount of yummy frosting, and fresh fruit in the fruit filling. So, so good. And they make these little teeny cakes for like, $6, that I'll get every now and again just for fun. So, so cute.
9. Those rare times when my entire house is actually clean. It doesn't happen a lot, because I have two small children and I tend to attack rooms individually rather than the house as a whole. But sometimes I get into a cleaning frenzy and for a couple of days my house is really, very clean. It's just so pretty. And there's no guilt there when I spend an afternoon writing or reading, because there's no cleaning to be done. Always a plus. :)
10. Good hair days. It sounds slightly shallow, but honestly, sometimes it's the one thing that keeps a good day from being a bad day.
Well, there's my list for this week. Click here to see Aubrey's list. And feel free to share your own list in the comments! We could all use a reminder of things to be happy about, right?
Today, I'm going to do something a little different. It's going to be a list. When I was a sophomore in high school, I had math with my friend Aubrey Anne. We both hated math and were easily distracted and somehow we started writing up a list of things to be happy about. Several of our friends contributed to it here and there, but the majority of it was written by us. Before she transferred schools, we were up to 1,000. (You read that right.) As high school became harder to handle, I would add to that list, trying to cheer myself up, and eventually my own personal list was around 1600-1700. I still have it - it's in a binder in my storage tub full of high school stuff. Anyway, Aubrey and I were chatting on Twitter the other day and she felt like blogging, but couldn't think of anything positive to blog about. So I mentioned starting a mini list of Things to be Happy About. She loved the idea, and asked me to contribute. I've been wanting something fun and positive to blog about as well, so I agreed. Now, once a week you'll get a list of 10 things that make me happy, and I'll link to Aubrey's blog so you can see her list as well. Some things may be personal to us, some may be things that make you happy as well. But the point is that in a world full of tragedies, hatred, and plain old awful negativity, once a week this will be a place to find something happy. And don't worry, I'll still talk about the writing I'm up to in between my lists. So here we go.
1. The holiday season. Doesn't matter the holiday; if it has a season, I love it. Halloween and fall leaves, Thanksgiving and pies, Christmas and twinkling lights - I love it all. There's such an ambiance about it all that I find comforting and fun.
2. Stephen's Mint Truffle Hot Chocolate. I love hot chocolate in general, but this is my favorite at home kind. It's so, so yummy and as the weather gets colder, I'll end up having at least one cup a day. It's my version of coffee.
3. Rainy afternoons. I don't actually like being out in the rain, but I love rain. I open my windows and fill my house with the sound of it falling and the fresh crispness it gives the air. I find it inspiring, and I always end up pulling out a notebook or my laptop and just writing for an hour or two.
4. Snuggling with my kids. This doesn't happen often, since they aren't really cuddly by nature. They prefer to be up and around, checking things out and playing. They've been this way since they were babies. But when they are really sleepy or sick they like to be cuddled, with blankets and stuffed animals and everything. Sometimes it lasts ten minutes, sometimes it lasts an hour, but I take it when I can get it because it's pretty rare.
5. Pictures of at-home libraries. Little book noooks, huge rooms with vaulted ceilings, built in shelving or ornate bookcases - I love them all. It's like you get a taste for someone's personality in that one snapshot, just by seeing how they like their books arranged, their reading atmosphere, etc. One day, I will have a photo of my own to share.
6. Twitter. Oh yeah. I'm in love with it. I'm still kind of a lurker on there, but I'm trying to reach out more. But I love seeing the friendships and jokes between authors I love, seeing articles that spark conversations from people all over the place, and the comfort offered by complete strangers when someone is going through a hard time. It really is a community, and unlike other social networks I've used in the past, I actually feel connected to this one. It's lovely.
7. Pillows. Sparky and I both love our pillows - we have several that make a pillow mountain on our bed. (That is, when I actually end up making it properly.) However, Sparky leaves for work a little over an hour before I wake up with the kids for school, and in that hour, I steal his pillows too until I'm in a lovely, soft, squishy cave of pillows. It's my favorite part of the morning.
8. Cake. Or, more specifically, cake from a local grocery store about a block from my house. Their bakery in general is fantastic, but their cakes are simply heavenly. Light but moist cake, just the right amount of yummy frosting, and fresh fruit in the fruit filling. So, so good. And they make these little teeny cakes for like, $6, that I'll get every now and again just for fun. So, so cute.
9. Those rare times when my entire house is actually clean. It doesn't happen a lot, because I have two small children and I tend to attack rooms individually rather than the house as a whole. But sometimes I get into a cleaning frenzy and for a couple of days my house is really, very clean. It's just so pretty. And there's no guilt there when I spend an afternoon writing or reading, because there's no cleaning to be done. Always a plus. :)
10. Good hair days. It sounds slightly shallow, but honestly, sometimes it's the one thing that keeps a good day from being a bad day.
Well, there's my list for this week. Click here to see Aubrey's list. And feel free to share your own list in the comments! We could all use a reminder of things to be happy about, right?
Friday, September 30, 2011
Banned Books Week
I had originally planned to write this on Monday, but since I'm a procrastinator, it's being written today - Friday. I know. Good job, Jenn. But the point is that I'm writing it, and that's what's important, yes? Yes. So, let's get to the good stuff.
This week is/was Banned Books Week. A week where we as readers challenge those who seek to "protect" us by reading the books they seek to ban. There are so many out there, and they are really such good books. I haven't read all of them, though I definitely respect anyone who has, but I've read some and I must say, a lot of these books are excellent. I won't talk about all of the ones I've read, but if you don't mind, I'm going to touch on a few.
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson - This book was challenged this year in Missouri for being "soft-pornography" and "glorifying drinking, cursing, and premarital sex". Now, when I read this, my first thought is to get angry. It's about a 15 year old girl who is raped at a party and feels like she can't tell anyone. But as I think about it, I just feel sad for these poor people who failed to see the beautiful story of a girl who faced something horrific, her struggles in dealing with her pain, and eventually overcoming and facing her attacker to save her friend. It's beautifully written as she tries to communicate with her parents, her friends, even to herself about what happened, and what to do next. It's sharp and honest and even a little funny as she observes the people around her. You go on this journey with her, and it's an incredible read.
The Hunger Games trilogy - Suzanne Collins - These books were challenged in New Hampshire by a parent that said it gave her 11 year old child nightmares and would make other children numb to violence. I can see where she's coming from, since other adults have shared this fear. However, there are two points to this problem. They are intense books. Age and maturity of the reader should definitely be considered - but by the parent of the child/teen reading it. Not someone else. (I have no problem with parents controlling what their own child reads, but I get annoyed when they try to control what other kids read.) As for making kids numb to violence, that's kind of the point the books are trying to make. We live in a world filled with war, video games and movies of war, and while it's horrific and tragic, there is already an aura of glory around it. Could her world be possible someday when teens already think nothing of a bloody game or movie? It's an exquistely written series that - for me - raised a lot of thought provoking questions. I wish these books were required reading in high schools, because there is SO MUCH there to discuss. Maybe someday.
The Twilight series - Stephenie Meyer - These books were banned from primary and some junior high schools for being too racy and going against religious beliefs. They were taken out of school libraries and kids were even banned from bringing their own copies of the books to school. This seems silly to me, since there is a fair amount of kissing and sexual tension but no sex, except after a marriage has taken place. And even then, there is nothing explicit. These books, to me, are simply fun reading. They don't have a moral agenda or anything like that, they are just enjoyable books to read. It's a good story. I am a Twilight fan, and I'm not ashamed of it. These books were my "gateway drug" to the incredible world of YA fiction. I had been extremely narrow minded in my reading choices, but after multiple people told me I would love them, I gave in. And they were right. I LOVE them. And by realizing how I might have missed out by being stubborn, I now put no restrictions on what I read, leading me to some INCREDIBLE books by AMAZING authors. These books put me on a path that led to my discovery of wanting to write YA fiction myself. So, needless to say I have a soft spot for these particular books. ;)
The Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling - When these books started becoming very popular, there were several school across the country that wanted them banned for promoting witchcraft and other satanic overtones. These parents obviously never read the books. While there is witchcraft (they are all wizards and witches, so that's obvious) the overall arc of the books doesn't really focus on that. And there are no satanic overtones. They are about intense friendship and loyalty to those you love, choosing right over wrong no matter what the circumstances even when it's not the easiest choice. Good overcoming evil. Fighting to make the world a better place, even when you feel like you can't possibly to do much to help. And love. First loves. The love of friendship. And the binding love of family. These books led to a huge boom in the amount of kids and teens who never read much to wanting to read more. They found there were books out there that peaked their interest, spoke to them, made them excited to find even more books that fired up their imaginations in a similar way. We should be GRATEFUL for these books, and the generation it inspired to READ AGAIN.
There are so many more that I could go on and on about, but I won't. This post is very long as it is. But I hope that as this week comes to a close, you go out and look at the lists of books that have been challenged or banned and challenge those people right back by reading it anyway. You never know what you could be missing out on. :)
Until next time, happy reading and writing everyone!
This week is/was Banned Books Week. A week where we as readers challenge those who seek to "protect" us by reading the books they seek to ban. There are so many out there, and they are really such good books. I haven't read all of them, though I definitely respect anyone who has, but I've read some and I must say, a lot of these books are excellent. I won't talk about all of the ones I've read, but if you don't mind, I'm going to touch on a few.
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson - This book was challenged this year in Missouri for being "soft-pornography" and "glorifying drinking, cursing, and premarital sex". Now, when I read this, my first thought is to get angry. It's about a 15 year old girl who is raped at a party and feels like she can't tell anyone. But as I think about it, I just feel sad for these poor people who failed to see the beautiful story of a girl who faced something horrific, her struggles in dealing with her pain, and eventually overcoming and facing her attacker to save her friend. It's beautifully written as she tries to communicate with her parents, her friends, even to herself about what happened, and what to do next. It's sharp and honest and even a little funny as she observes the people around her. You go on this journey with her, and it's an incredible read.
The Hunger Games trilogy - Suzanne Collins - These books were challenged in New Hampshire by a parent that said it gave her 11 year old child nightmares and would make other children numb to violence. I can see where she's coming from, since other adults have shared this fear. However, there are two points to this problem. They are intense books. Age and maturity of the reader should definitely be considered - but by the parent of the child/teen reading it. Not someone else. (I have no problem with parents controlling what their own child reads, but I get annoyed when they try to control what other kids read.) As for making kids numb to violence, that's kind of the point the books are trying to make. We live in a world filled with war, video games and movies of war, and while it's horrific and tragic, there is already an aura of glory around it. Could her world be possible someday when teens already think nothing of a bloody game or movie? It's an exquistely written series that - for me - raised a lot of thought provoking questions. I wish these books were required reading in high schools, because there is SO MUCH there to discuss. Maybe someday.
The Twilight series - Stephenie Meyer - These books were banned from primary and some junior high schools for being too racy and going against religious beliefs. They were taken out of school libraries and kids were even banned from bringing their own copies of the books to school. This seems silly to me, since there is a fair amount of kissing and sexual tension but no sex, except after a marriage has taken place. And even then, there is nothing explicit. These books, to me, are simply fun reading. They don't have a moral agenda or anything like that, they are just enjoyable books to read. It's a good story. I am a Twilight fan, and I'm not ashamed of it. These books were my "gateway drug" to the incredible world of YA fiction. I had been extremely narrow minded in my reading choices, but after multiple people told me I would love them, I gave in. And they were right. I LOVE them. And by realizing how I might have missed out by being stubborn, I now put no restrictions on what I read, leading me to some INCREDIBLE books by AMAZING authors. These books put me on a path that led to my discovery of wanting to write YA fiction myself. So, needless to say I have a soft spot for these particular books. ;)
The Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling - When these books started becoming very popular, there were several school across the country that wanted them banned for promoting witchcraft and other satanic overtones. These parents obviously never read the books. While there is witchcraft (they are all wizards and witches, so that's obvious) the overall arc of the books doesn't really focus on that. And there are no satanic overtones. They are about intense friendship and loyalty to those you love, choosing right over wrong no matter what the circumstances even when it's not the easiest choice. Good overcoming evil. Fighting to make the world a better place, even when you feel like you can't possibly to do much to help. And love. First loves. The love of friendship. And the binding love of family. These books led to a huge boom in the amount of kids and teens who never read much to wanting to read more. They found there were books out there that peaked their interest, spoke to them, made them excited to find even more books that fired up their imaginations in a similar way. We should be GRATEFUL for these books, and the generation it inspired to READ AGAIN.
There are so many more that I could go on and on about, but I won't. This post is very long as it is. But I hope that as this week comes to a close, you go out and look at the lists of books that have been challenged or banned and challenge those people right back by reading it anyway. You never know what you could be missing out on. :)
Until next time, happy reading and writing everyone!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Goodbye Summer
Good morning everyone! Are we all having a wonderful week so far? Eh, mine's ok. We're still adjusting to having Dude in school and I'm figuring out how to best use those hours to my advantage. He's in school all day - which we are all loving. He absolutely adores going to school and the routine has made him a much happier boy. Diva is loving having the house and toys to herself without any fights or sneaking or protecting what she's playing with, so she's been quite pleasant lately. And me, well, let's just say that after a month and a half of my kids being sick of each other and fighting constantly, I'm VERY happy that they are happy. Plus, with Diva's naptime, I pretty much get 2-4 hours to myself 5 days a week. It's delicious.
So, while we've been adjusting, I've been thinking about my writing. And I'll be honest guys, I'm a little burned out. I pushed really hard to get Bound in Ink finished by the end of the summer - and finishing it early fried my brain a tad. After having my freakout/panic attack, I was able to simmer down a bit and lose myself in books. And it's been fabulous. I've discovered the heartbreaking amazingness that is Sarah Dessen - I'm now in the process of working my way through her books at my library. And I'm catching up on the books I've purchased over the last 6 months that I haven't had a chance to read yet. And on a particularly lazy day last week, I watched Anne of Green Gables, remembering how much I loved it and deciding to read the books, since I've never read them before. It's been incredibly refreshing, letting myself soak in the incredible writing of others to help get my own creative juices flowing a bit.
Which has led me to the decision I made last night. I'm taking a break from Bound in Ink. I think I've gotten way too obsessed with it to the point that the story isn't fun - it's stressful. I need to write something fun again and then come back to Bound in Ink with fresh eyes and motivation. Because if I'm not having fun and enjoying the story, it will show in my writing, and I don't want that. So, I've had a shiny and intriguing new idea floating around in my head the last week, and I think I'm going to toy around with it for a while, see where it takes me. Already I can feel the stress leaking away and the excitement coming back. And it will be an excellent distraction for me and give my poor wonderful friends a break from my impatience as they read Bound in Ink. ;) Those poor girls, I don't think we realized what a pain I would end up being.
As well as reading and writing something new, I promised Sparky now that Dude is in school and I have more kid-free time, I would work on sprucing up our place. Right now we live in a cute townhouse and since I've always convinced myself it was temporary, it is in quite sad shape. I won't lie - I will use pretty much any excuse to get out of housework. But he wants me to try and do better, since it looks like we'll be here a while longer. So he made me a deal. One new book for each room I get back under control. (Basically, it's my major spring cleaning at the beginning of fall. I'm such a procrastinator.) Since I'm never one to turn down new books, and I promised I wouldn't buy new ones until I read all the unread ones in my possession, this is a good deal. 
Well, that's what's up with me now that summer is drawing to a close. School, cleaning, reading, and writing. How about you guys? Anyone going back to school? Working on a new project? And is any0ne besides me suddenly really excited for all the holidays now that it's pretty much September? (I'm already looking at Christmas gifts and watching Halloween movies. Yeah, I know.)
Monday, August 15, 2011
August Short Story
Yep, it's that time again and I have a new short story up on Once Upon a Distraction! I got the idea while I was driving home from my mom's house in Idaho. We had already discussed the theme for the month being music, and this song came on and the story just jumped into my head. I made my poor kids listen to it with me about 5 times while I got the basics solidified in my head and then when I got home I hopped on the computer and punched it out with the song on repeat.
(I love when inspiration like that happens.)
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And please feel free to leave comments here or on OUAD. As I mentioned in my previous post, I LOVE to know what people think. ;)
(I love when inspiration like that happens.)
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And please feel free to leave comments here or on OUAD. As I mentioned in my previous post, I LOVE to know what people think. ;)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
My Non-Discovery Discovery
Yep, you read that right. This week I made a non-discovery discovery. Because it was something I already knew about myself. However, I was unaware of how much this was a part of my personality.
I am not a patient person.
And I'm obessive.
And a *bit* paranoid.
Yeah. All of these things I already knew. But, over the last couple weeks I have realized that they are more dominant qualities than I knew. When I sent Bound in Ink to Aubrey and Andrea a couple weeks ago when I finished it, I was insanely excited. I had finished! It was ready for someone other than me to read it! This was a big deal!
And then time passed. Aubrey is working full time and taking care of 3 small boys. She's a very busy girl. Andrea was on a family vacation in the woods and then returned to find her work was in utter chaos without her. (She's pretty important to the flow and sanity at her work.) So they haven't really had a chance to read it. I understand this. I don't even resent this. They are busy ladies with many things on their plates. However, this does not stop me from having to remind myself on almost an hourly basis to not text them and ask how far along they are in the MS, even though I know they haven't read anything since the last time I asked them. That would be stalkerish and creepy and obsessive. And I am not stalkerish or creepy or obsessive. Of course not.
So, this last week at the weekly family dinner with Sparky's family, I mentioned to one of my SIL's that I had finished my MS. She was super excited for me and asked if she could read it. I said sure, since she's a big reader, and the more constructive criticism, the better. Enter my other two SIL's who also said they would love to read it. I'm thrilled that they want to read it! They seemed genuinely excited and enthusiastic about it. Warm fuzzies filled my heart and that night I send to them.
It has now been 5 days (I know, I can see your eyes rolling at me already) and I haven't heard a word from anyone. Now, a rational and patient person would understand that it takes TIME to read a book that's just over 58k words. Especially when TRIPS and KIDS and JOBS are involved. But I am obviously not a rational or patient person. This is where my thoughts have been for the last 2 days.
"They hate it. It's awful and stupid but they all like me enough that they can't tell me that so they are avoiding me and saying nothing."
"It's boring. No one has been able to get very far into it because it wasn't intersesting enough and so they can't tell me what they think about something they don't even want to read anymore."
*starts obessessing about MS and storyline* "It's cliche. I'm completely unorginal and I have no idea why I thought this was a good story."
*starts zoning out and visualizing future conversations of sadness and failure with said family and friends* "I am so embarrassed! I was proud and excited to share and now they all look at me with pity in their eyes because I'm too blind to see that I have no talent for this! My dream is dead!! I'm a complete hack!!!"
*sits on the couch, eats cookies, and whines on Twitter*
Yeah....pretty pathetic isn't it? I recieved some sweet comments on twitter telling me to hang in there, and Andrea talked me down after I text bombed her hysterically about all my insecurties, which helped me calm down a bit after my 2 days of freaking out. But it gave me a very sad and slightly worrisome picture of the future.
I am so screwed when I end up sending anything in to agents/publishers. To the people in my life, I apologize in advance, because judging from this experience, it's going to be ugly.
Has anyone else suffered from this crisis of self-confidence? Was it bad or do I just have a flair for the dramatic? How did you pull yourself out of the obsession hole and focus on something else?
I am not a patient person.
And I'm obessive.
And a *bit* paranoid.
Yeah. All of these things I already knew. But, over the last couple weeks I have realized that they are more dominant qualities than I knew. When I sent Bound in Ink to Aubrey and Andrea a couple weeks ago when I finished it, I was insanely excited. I had finished! It was ready for someone other than me to read it! This was a big deal!
And then time passed. Aubrey is working full time and taking care of 3 small boys. She's a very busy girl. Andrea was on a family vacation in the woods and then returned to find her work was in utter chaos without her. (She's pretty important to the flow and sanity at her work.) So they haven't really had a chance to read it. I understand this. I don't even resent this. They are busy ladies with many things on their plates. However, this does not stop me from having to remind myself on almost an hourly basis to not text them and ask how far along they are in the MS, even though I know they haven't read anything since the last time I asked them. That would be stalkerish and creepy and obsessive. And I am not stalkerish or creepy or obsessive. Of course not.
So, this last week at the weekly family dinner with Sparky's family, I mentioned to one of my SIL's that I had finished my MS. She was super excited for me and asked if she could read it. I said sure, since she's a big reader, and the more constructive criticism, the better. Enter my other two SIL's who also said they would love to read it. I'm thrilled that they want to read it! They seemed genuinely excited and enthusiastic about it. Warm fuzzies filled my heart and that night I send to them.
It has now been 5 days (I know, I can see your eyes rolling at me already) and I haven't heard a word from anyone. Now, a rational and patient person would understand that it takes TIME to read a book that's just over 58k words. Especially when TRIPS and KIDS and JOBS are involved. But I am obviously not a rational or patient person. This is where my thoughts have been for the last 2 days.
"They hate it. It's awful and stupid but they all like me enough that they can't tell me that so they are avoiding me and saying nothing."
"It's boring. No one has been able to get very far into it because it wasn't intersesting enough and so they can't tell me what they think about something they don't even want to read anymore."
*starts obessessing about MS and storyline* "It's cliche. I'm completely unorginal and I have no idea why I thought this was a good story."
*starts zoning out and visualizing future conversations of sadness and failure with said family and friends* "I am so embarrassed! I was proud and excited to share and now they all look at me with pity in their eyes because I'm too blind to see that I have no talent for this! My dream is dead!! I'm a complete hack!!!"
*sits on the couch, eats cookies, and whines on Twitter*
Yeah....pretty pathetic isn't it? I recieved some sweet comments on twitter telling me to hang in there, and Andrea talked me down after I text bombed her hysterically about all my insecurties, which helped me calm down a bit after my 2 days of freaking out. But it gave me a very sad and slightly worrisome picture of the future.
I am so screwed when I end up sending anything in to agents/publishers. To the people in my life, I apologize in advance, because judging from this experience, it's going to be ugly.
Has anyone else suffered from this crisis of self-confidence? Was it bad or do I just have a flair for the dramatic? How did you pull yourself out of the obsession hole and focus on something else?
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Round 1 - Finished!
Well, I've been on vacation at my mom's house the last week and a half and while she's at work and Diva's napping, I have managed to finish my first read through/edits/revisions of Bound in Ink. I must say, I'm pretty proud. It's still rough and needs work, but it feels like a book. It's not just random scenes put together, there's flow to it and it makes sense and has a beginning, and end, and a MIDDLE! The one thing that always stopped me in the past, that blasted middle, and I finally made it through! And it's not bad, if I do say so myself.
So, now that I'm done with that, I'm taking a break. I've sent it to Aubrey and Andrea for them to read, and I'm not going to lie, I am almost sick with anxiety and excitement and plain old nerves. I haven't let them read anything since I went back and practically rewrote the whole first half, so it's like they've never read any of it before. I'm really hoping they like it - maybe even love it. :) And then I'm hoping they edit the crap out of it, because there's nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to catch all the things I missed this time around. While I'm waiting for them to read it (and obsessively checking my phone for texts from them) I'm going to try and work on an outline for Book 2 so I can get an idea of where I'm going in that one and let it sit and stew for a bit. I'll also be doing a bunch of research on agents and query letters so that I can do it a little bit at a time. Last week I started looking, just to see what was out there, and nearly died of a panic attack. Not fun. I'm hoping that smaller steps keeps me from hyperventilating in the corner.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my huge success, because I reached my goal of having it written and ready to send to the girls to read by the end of the summer! I'm even 3 weeks ahead of my deadline! I'm so proud!!
Until next time, happy writing everyone!! And enjoy the rest of your summer!
So, now that I'm done with that, I'm taking a break. I've sent it to Aubrey and Andrea for them to read, and I'm not going to lie, I am almost sick with anxiety and excitement and plain old nerves. I haven't let them read anything since I went back and practically rewrote the whole first half, so it's like they've never read any of it before. I'm really hoping they like it - maybe even love it. :) And then I'm hoping they edit the crap out of it, because there's nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to catch all the things I missed this time around. While I'm waiting for them to read it (and obsessively checking my phone for texts from them) I'm going to try and work on an outline for Book 2 so I can get an idea of where I'm going in that one and let it sit and stew for a bit. I'll also be doing a bunch of research on agents and query letters so that I can do it a little bit at a time. Last week I started looking, just to see what was out there, and nearly died of a panic attack. Not fun. I'm hoping that smaller steps keeps me from hyperventilating in the corner.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my huge success, because I reached my goal of having it written and ready to send to the girls to read by the end of the summer! I'm even 3 weeks ahead of my deadline! I'm so proud!!
Until next time, happy writing everyone!! And enjoy the rest of your summer!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Movies, Books, Music, and Other Randomness
*Warning: This post got pretty long, so I apologize. But if you made it all the way through, thanks for reading, and a gold star for you for sticking with me through my ramblings. :)
Hey there! How are all of you enjoying your summer so far? Lovely? Mine's been pretty good so far. Did you know that it's mostly over? Yeah, you heard me right - MOSTLY OVER. Well, at least it is for me. Dude goes back to school in just over a month, which is insane. That means summer vacation is almost over and he'll be back in school - all day now. It's exciting and scary at the same time. I'm excited for him to be going all day because he loves school, it will give him and Diva some time apart (which we need after this summer of togetherness), and I will have at least 2 hours every weekday where I'm kid free and able to get some work done. (Diva napping, Dude still in school. This will be a HUGE luxury and one I am greatly looking forward to.) But he's a super picky eater and I kinda worry about him not really eating lunch since I won't be there to make sure he does. But, that's something I don't really need to worry about for another month, so I'm going to put it in the back of my nind for now. In related news, Dude turns 6 tomorrow. This is completely weirding me out, for defineable and undefinaeble reasons. But I'm excited to give him his gifts. I'm pretty proud of myself this year. (I am a notoriously bad gift giver. My ideas are rarely the awesome ones I think they are. But this year, I know I did a good job.)
In a completely unrelated topic, I went and saw the final Harry Potter movie this weekend with Sparky. He really enjoys the movies and we've seen every one together since a date we had when Prisoner of Azkaban came out. He's not really a reader, but once upon a time we tried reading them together, and we made it through the first two before we realized that he's insanely busy and it would take us until we're 60 to read them that way. So for now I just fill him in on things I felt they left out in the movies over dinner afterwards and he gets confused because I don't explain it very well and it's all good fun. He was greatly anticipating this movie because HP7.1 left him feeling very unsatisfied.
Sparky: "Nothing happened!! Why did we spend a whole movie watching them wander around England? I don't get it! Was it really necessary?"
Me: "Well, you really have to get a sense of how hopeless their quest is, and how difficult everything they go through is, personally and as friends, before the big epic battle. It makes sense in the book, I swear."
Sparky: "I still think it was boring. The last half better be awesome."
Me: "It will be. I promise."
Sparky. "Alright then."
So, we went and it was awesome and epic and everything we had been hoping for. And as we were driving home, I asked him what he thought.
Sparky: "I was not happy that no one was there to see Neville get all badass with the sword. And that absolutely NO ONE was around when Voldemort finally died. What the hell was that?"
Me: *laughs loudly* "That's funny that you should mention that, because both of those things happen that way in the book. Everyone is watching when Neville kills the snake and also when Harry takes down Voldemort."
Sparky: "Why didn't they leave it that way then?"
Me: "I don't know."
You can't please everyone, I suppose. But I must say, I agree with him. Those two scenes...I wish they would have stuck to the book. In my opinion, it gave Neville his shining moment - which is completely deserved. And as for the final showdown, while it wouldn't have been as visually arresting, I think it's more emotionally impactful. It's extremely tense, and for the first time, Harry isn't afraid. He knows what's about to go down, and it's his turn to taunt Voldemort - make him afraid for once. And everyone is there! *sigh* Those were really my only two issues with the movie, and they're pretty small. (Not at all like the Freakout of Order of the Pheonix, where Dumbledore's 40-ISH PAGE explanation to Harry about ALMOST EVERYTHING is watered down to barely 2 minutes of screen time. I was NOT happy and it still annoys me.) Anyway, I think it was a fabulous ending to the movies, and a great way to close the era of Harry Potter. Those books are super fantastic, and the movies were very well done. I'm happy with how it all ended.
In other book news, I have been reading up a storm, now that I'm not quite as distracted by Bound in Ink, and I've finished a few books that were very, very excellent. I love books with strong, self-aware female characters, I think it's a rare quality in YA books, although it's becoming more and more common - which is awesome. But there's a few books that stand out in my mind as having awesome main female characters, and I wanted to share some with you.
The DUFF - Kody Keplinger - I loved Bianca. She's smart and witty and sarcastic and not afraid to say what she thinks. And her back and forth with Wesley was always fantastic. There's a ton of sex in this book - it's practically a character in and of itself - but it's believable and not overdone, and actually shows a side to Bianca as the story progresses that makes her one of my new favorites.
Flawless - Lara Chapman - Sarah was an interesting character to read about. Most of the girls in books - especially main characters - are anywhere from gorgeous to pretty-but-plain. Sarah is very pretty, but she has a huge nose - something that her mother struggles with (having had a big one as well before a nose job) but she tries to make light of it so she doesn't dwell on it. It's a take on Cyrano as a whole, but I love her personal transformation the best. You don't have to be gorgeous for a guy to fall in love with you, because the right guy will fall in love with YOU, not just your face.
Fire - Kristen Cashore - I read this a while ago, but it will remain one of my favorites because I find Fire to be such an incredibly complex character. I don't even really know how to describe what exactly I love about her, but it's there. She's strong, smart, and struggles deeply with herself about making sure she does the right thing, even if that means sacrificing the one thing she wants most, or doing something horrible for the sake of the greater good. And her relationship with Brigan is slow and moving and beautifully written. Seriously, I loved this book.
There are a bunch of others, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head right now. If you're really curious now about what I'm reading (or have read in the past, or looking forward to reading in the future) you can come find me on GoodReads. I love to share what I'm reading, and I love to see what others are reading as well.
And finally, I am spending a lot of time going through my CD's and importing them onto my computer. The burned CD's are taking the longest, but I'm rediscovering some really great songs that I haven't heard in ages and I'm loving it. My writing playlist is getting REALLY long (last session put me at just over 12 hours of music on that one playlist) but it's really helping me get into a good groove and bringing fresh ideas for my round of revisions and rewrites. And with that, I leave you with a song I was in love with once upon a time and just recently found again. I've been listening to it on repeat for the last 3 days. Enjoy!
And until next time, happy reading and writing!!
Hey there! How are all of you enjoying your summer so far? Lovely? Mine's been pretty good so far. Did you know that it's mostly over? Yeah, you heard me right - MOSTLY OVER. Well, at least it is for me. Dude goes back to school in just over a month, which is insane. That means summer vacation is almost over and he'll be back in school - all day now. It's exciting and scary at the same time. I'm excited for him to be going all day because he loves school, it will give him and Diva some time apart (which we need after this summer of togetherness), and I will have at least 2 hours every weekday where I'm kid free and able to get some work done. (Diva napping, Dude still in school. This will be a HUGE luxury and one I am greatly looking forward to.) But he's a super picky eater and I kinda worry about him not really eating lunch since I won't be there to make sure he does. But, that's something I don't really need to worry about for another month, so I'm going to put it in the back of my nind for now. In related news, Dude turns 6 tomorrow. This is completely weirding me out, for defineable and undefinaeble reasons. But I'm excited to give him his gifts. I'm pretty proud of myself this year. (I am a notoriously bad gift giver. My ideas are rarely the awesome ones I think they are. But this year, I know I did a good job.)
In a completely unrelated topic, I went and saw the final Harry Potter movie this weekend with Sparky. He really enjoys the movies and we've seen every one together since a date we had when Prisoner of Azkaban came out. He's not really a reader, but once upon a time we tried reading them together, and we made it through the first two before we realized that he's insanely busy and it would take us until we're 60 to read them that way. So for now I just fill him in on things I felt they left out in the movies over dinner afterwards and he gets confused because I don't explain it very well and it's all good fun. He was greatly anticipating this movie because HP7.1 left him feeling very unsatisfied.
Sparky: "Nothing happened!! Why did we spend a whole movie watching them wander around England? I don't get it! Was it really necessary?"
Me: "Well, you really have to get a sense of how hopeless their quest is, and how difficult everything they go through is, personally and as friends, before the big epic battle. It makes sense in the book, I swear."
Sparky: "I still think it was boring. The last half better be awesome."
Me: "It will be. I promise."
Sparky. "Alright then."
So, we went and it was awesome and epic and everything we had been hoping for. And as we were driving home, I asked him what he thought.
Sparky: "I was not happy that no one was there to see Neville get all badass with the sword. And that absolutely NO ONE was around when Voldemort finally died. What the hell was that?"
Me: *laughs loudly* "That's funny that you should mention that, because both of those things happen that way in the book. Everyone is watching when Neville kills the snake and also when Harry takes down Voldemort."
Sparky: "Why didn't they leave it that way then?"
Me: "I don't know."
You can't please everyone, I suppose. But I must say, I agree with him. Those two scenes...I wish they would have stuck to the book. In my opinion, it gave Neville his shining moment - which is completely deserved. And as for the final showdown, while it wouldn't have been as visually arresting, I think it's more emotionally impactful. It's extremely tense, and for the first time, Harry isn't afraid. He knows what's about to go down, and it's his turn to taunt Voldemort - make him afraid for once. And everyone is there! *sigh* Those were really my only two issues with the movie, and they're pretty small. (Not at all like the Freakout of Order of the Pheonix, where Dumbledore's 40-ISH PAGE explanation to Harry about ALMOST EVERYTHING is watered down to barely 2 minutes of screen time. I was NOT happy and it still annoys me.) Anyway, I think it was a fabulous ending to the movies, and a great way to close the era of Harry Potter. Those books are super fantastic, and the movies were very well done. I'm happy with how it all ended.
In other book news, I have been reading up a storm, now that I'm not quite as distracted by Bound in Ink, and I've finished a few books that were very, very excellent. I love books with strong, self-aware female characters, I think it's a rare quality in YA books, although it's becoming more and more common - which is awesome. But there's a few books that stand out in my mind as having awesome main female characters, and I wanted to share some with you.
The DUFF - Kody Keplinger - I loved Bianca. She's smart and witty and sarcastic and not afraid to say what she thinks. And her back and forth with Wesley was always fantastic. There's a ton of sex in this book - it's practically a character in and of itself - but it's believable and not overdone, and actually shows a side to Bianca as the story progresses that makes her one of my new favorites.
Flawless - Lara Chapman - Sarah was an interesting character to read about. Most of the girls in books - especially main characters - are anywhere from gorgeous to pretty-but-plain. Sarah is very pretty, but she has a huge nose - something that her mother struggles with (having had a big one as well before a nose job) but she tries to make light of it so she doesn't dwell on it. It's a take on Cyrano as a whole, but I love her personal transformation the best. You don't have to be gorgeous for a guy to fall in love with you, because the right guy will fall in love with YOU, not just your face.
Fire - Kristen Cashore - I read this a while ago, but it will remain one of my favorites because I find Fire to be such an incredibly complex character. I don't even really know how to describe what exactly I love about her, but it's there. She's strong, smart, and struggles deeply with herself about making sure she does the right thing, even if that means sacrificing the one thing she wants most, or doing something horrible for the sake of the greater good. And her relationship with Brigan is slow and moving and beautifully written. Seriously, I loved this book.
There are a bunch of others, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head right now. If you're really curious now about what I'm reading (or have read in the past, or looking forward to reading in the future) you can come find me on GoodReads. I love to share what I'm reading, and I love to see what others are reading as well.
And finally, I am spending a lot of time going through my CD's and importing them onto my computer. The burned CD's are taking the longest, but I'm rediscovering some really great songs that I haven't heard in ages and I'm loving it. My writing playlist is getting REALLY long (last session put me at just over 12 hours of music on that one playlist) but it's really helping me get into a good groove and bringing fresh ideas for my round of revisions and rewrites. And with that, I leave you with a song I was in love with once upon a time and just recently found again. I've been listening to it on repeat for the last 3 days. Enjoy!
And until next time, happy reading and writing!!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
In Other Writing News....
I know what you're thinking? With the insane writing I've been doing these past few days, what on earth could I possibly be up to now? Well, it's July, and it's time I posted my story over on Once Upon a Distraction, which is now up! Hooray! Something you can read now instead of just hearing me talk about it. Excellent.
This month's theme was just something a little more upbeat, since the last few stories we've posted have been a little on the...dramatic side. This month was hard for me, because I was super distracted by Bound in Ink, but I'm pretty happy with what I was able to come up with. However, I'm aware this particular story isn't my strongest, so please be gentle in your comments. Either way, I hope you enjoy it! And please, please leave comments. I love hearing what people think - good or bad, it's all constructive to me.
I might be popping up again this week with some music to share, but if I don't, it's because my brain is still recovering from the writing marathons I've had the last couple days. Have a great week, and until next time, happy writing!
This month's theme was just something a little more upbeat, since the last few stories we've posted have been a little on the...dramatic side. This month was hard for me, because I was super distracted by Bound in Ink, but I'm pretty happy with what I was able to come up with. However, I'm aware this particular story isn't my strongest, so please be gentle in your comments. Either way, I hope you enjoy it! And please, please leave comments. I love hearing what people think - good or bad, it's all constructive to me.
I might be popping up again this week with some music to share, but if I don't, it's because my brain is still recovering from the writing marathons I've had the last couple days. Have a great week, and until next time, happy writing!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
I FINISHED!!!!
YES!!! It's true, this afternoon after two word wars and a couple hours writing solo, I wrote the very last scene for Bound in Ink.
That means the end. Which means it's done.
No, actually, it doesn't. At least, not really. It's done in the sense that I now have the complete skeleton of the story written. There's a little meat here and there, but for the most part it's pretty rough. Now I'm going to go back through it, from beginning to end, and add scenes here, details there, and tweak some dialogue so that it's better. Because as many wise authors have said, you can always make it better.
So, I'm going to spend the next few weeks really working on Bound in Ink so that I can feel comfortable sending it to my little group of readers. Andrea and Aubrey can hardly wait to read it, and I can't wait for them to read it. I am so excited to hear what they think!
Well, I'm going to give my tired brain a break and watch the next movie in my little Harry Potter mini-marathon as I get ready to see the final film with Sparky on Saturday. (It's like then end of an era, it really is.) And I'm going to reward myself with brownies! Here's to an awesome day!!
That means the end. Which means it's done.
No, actually, it doesn't. At least, not really. It's done in the sense that I now have the complete skeleton of the story written. There's a little meat here and there, but for the most part it's pretty rough. Now I'm going to go back through it, from beginning to end, and add scenes here, details there, and tweak some dialogue so that it's better. Because as many wise authors have said, you can always make it better.
So, I'm going to spend the next few weeks really working on Bound in Ink so that I can feel comfortable sending it to my little group of readers. Andrea and Aubrey can hardly wait to read it, and I can't wait for them to read it. I am so excited to hear what they think!
Well, I'm going to give my tired brain a break and watch the next movie in my little Harry Potter mini-marathon as I get ready to see the final film with Sparky on Saturday. (It's like then end of an era, it really is.) And I'm going to reward myself with brownies! Here's to an awesome day!!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Almost Done and a Working Title!
That's right boys and girls, you read that right. I am *this close* to being done with the first complete draft of book 1 - which now has a working title because I'm sick of calling it "book 1".
Are you ready?
Here we go.
BOUND IN INK.
Nice, right? I like it. It has a certain ring to it. And sounds WAY better than "book 1". So there you are.
Anyway, back to the progress. I'm just under 50k, and am really close to the end. I'm guessing it'll be around 55k when I hit the end, which seems small, but as I'm writing I'm realizing that I'm skipping over things that will need to be added in. I didn't mean to skip over them, I just thought it wasn't important to cover, until I got further into the story and realized it was important. So, that will be next, once I finish. I'm still keeping it to myself, and once I get to the end, I'm going to do a read through and add/revise/rewrite the things that need to be fixed, and then it goes out to my beta readers and the girls to critique. I have a total of 5 (possibly 6) people who will read it and send it back to me with all of their thoughts, suggestions, and edits. Then, hopefully, I can organize all of that and get to work on the next round of edits and revisions. It's getting all kinds of exciting for me around here!
So, that's where I am. Next time you hear from me, I will have - for the first time - completely finished writing a book. Even if it's still pretty rough. ;) Hooray for progress! Until next time, happy writing!
Are you ready?
Here we go.
BOUND IN INK.
Nice, right? I like it. It has a certain ring to it. And sounds WAY better than "book 1". So there you are.
Anyway, back to the progress. I'm just under 50k, and am really close to the end. I'm guessing it'll be around 55k when I hit the end, which seems small, but as I'm writing I'm realizing that I'm skipping over things that will need to be added in. I didn't mean to skip over them, I just thought it wasn't important to cover, until I got further into the story and realized it was important. So, that will be next, once I finish. I'm still keeping it to myself, and once I get to the end, I'm going to do a read through and add/revise/rewrite the things that need to be fixed, and then it goes out to my beta readers and the girls to critique. I have a total of 5 (possibly 6) people who will read it and send it back to me with all of their thoughts, suggestions, and edits. Then, hopefully, I can organize all of that and get to work on the next round of edits and revisions. It's getting all kinds of exciting for me around here!
So, that's where I am. Next time you hear from me, I will have - for the first time - completely finished writing a book. Even if it's still pretty rough. ;) Hooray for progress! Until next time, happy writing!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Caught Up
Well boys and girls, after a few visits full of hard work at the library while my younger sister babysat the children, I am officially caught up with my revising.
That's exciting!!!
With all the changes I made, I wrote out an outline so that I knew where I was going with it all. That was a huge help so that I wasn't afraid to tackle all the work that needed to be done. Then I went through, chapter by chapter, adding and deleting and rewriting what was necessary. At first it was just a sentence here and a paragraph there. Then big chunks. Then half chapters. Until finally, I was rewriting complete chapters, one right after another because everything was becoming completely irrelevant to the story that was now forming. So yesterday, after beating out 3 completely new chapters, I skimmed the 3 chapters that were left and realized that there was nothing in them that I wanted to save. So I deleted them. It was scary, but freeing, since for me it's easier to start from scratch than rework what's already there. I find that distracting, and it's harder to get the words to flow.
But, now I'm caught up. From here on out it's all new stuff instead of changing what was already written. It's nice, because I must say the revisions were a little draining. I'm excited to move on to the rest of the story and see where it takes me next! It's just been me and my little book in a bubble, and it's been nice, so I think I'll keep it that way until I'm done. Then I'll get it printed out for Andrea and Aubrey and they can go through it for me and make notes and edits for my next round of revisions. (It's easier for me to look at that stuff on paper, rather than scrolling through on my computer.) If I keep up the pace I have going, I should be done with my first draft by the end of July, but I should definitely be able to keep by goal to finish by the end of August. It's very exciting! I have started several stories, but I always get distracted and never finish, so I'm super excited that this one WILL get finished. It's a big deal!
Anyway, that's where I am right now. About halfway through, and on to all new material until I hit the end of book 1. (I seriously need to think of a nickname for it to use on here.) Wish me luck that I can keep up the good pace and the creative juices keep flowing for me! Until next time, happy writing!!
That's exciting!!!
With all the changes I made, I wrote out an outline so that I knew where I was going with it all. That was a huge help so that I wasn't afraid to tackle all the work that needed to be done. Then I went through, chapter by chapter, adding and deleting and rewriting what was necessary. At first it was just a sentence here and a paragraph there. Then big chunks. Then half chapters. Until finally, I was rewriting complete chapters, one right after another because everything was becoming completely irrelevant to the story that was now forming. So yesterday, after beating out 3 completely new chapters, I skimmed the 3 chapters that were left and realized that there was nothing in them that I wanted to save. So I deleted them. It was scary, but freeing, since for me it's easier to start from scratch than rework what's already there. I find that distracting, and it's harder to get the words to flow.
But, now I'm caught up. From here on out it's all new stuff instead of changing what was already written. It's nice, because I must say the revisions were a little draining. I'm excited to move on to the rest of the story and see where it takes me next! It's just been me and my little book in a bubble, and it's been nice, so I think I'll keep it that way until I'm done. Then I'll get it printed out for Andrea and Aubrey and they can go through it for me and make notes and edits for my next round of revisions. (It's easier for me to look at that stuff on paper, rather than scrolling through on my computer.) If I keep up the pace I have going, I should be done with my first draft by the end of July, but I should definitely be able to keep by goal to finish by the end of August. It's very exciting! I have started several stories, but I always get distracted and never finish, so I'm super excited that this one WILL get finished. It's a big deal!
Anyway, that's where I am right now. About halfway through, and on to all new material until I hit the end of book 1. (I seriously need to think of a nickname for it to use on here.) Wish me luck that I can keep up the good pace and the creative juices keep flowing for me! Until next time, happy writing!!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Hey, something cool!
Hey, it's a new month and that means that I have a new story up over on Once Upon a Distraction!! You should go check it out, because this month really had me stumped and after 6 tries, I think I finally came up with something good! (And it was inspired by a cartoon picture while I was researching hair colors. True story.)
I hope you enjoy it and remember, comments are as good as gold to me because I would love to know what you think! Have a great week!
I hope you enjoy it and remember, comments are as good as gold to me because I would love to know what you think! Have a great week!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Fear and Other Randomness
Hello, hello to one and all. So, since my last post when I talked about making a side character a fairly important and villianous character I have now changed a fair amount of my story and it may now be a three book story instead of just two books. *sigh* To be completely honest with you, this didn't really thrill me at first. And I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. It's a little exciting, because all of these changes are making the story SO much better (you never realize how much work it needs until you start revisions, wow) and it's got great potential. But three books is a lot and pretty daunting when I've yet to finish the first one. And there's still a lot left to figure out so that it all works nicely together and it leaves me feeling very overwhelmed. So after coming up with all of these changes, I kind of ignored my story for about a week because I was too afraid of it to dive in. (Yes. My name is Jenn and sometimes I'm afraid of my WIP.) There's just so much to do and for someone who has always been a huge procrastinator, this is my biggest hurdle. And while all of this was swirling around in my head (I was pretty distracted during this time, let me tell you) I was seriously starting to doubt myself and my ability to do this. I mean, I'm just one more person who wants to be an author. What makes me any different from the millions of other people out there who want the same thing? But after some pep talks from the girls and my darling Sparky, I realized that they believe in me, and that's enough to carry me through until I can believe in myself. And even if I only ever end up writing for myself, I really enjoy it, so I'll keep going no matter what ends up happening.
In other news, my challenge for myself to finish book 1 by the end of the summer is going fairly well so far. A few days ago I finally sat down and wrote a decently detailed outline for it with all the new changes so that I could figure out where everything was going and what did and didn't need to be rewritten. It's a huge relief to have that done, because I finally feel like I have some direction after changing things up. Yesterday I had my younger sister come and hang out with my kids while I escaped to the library and wrote all afternoon. And after 3.5 hours of solid writing, I managed to revise 6 chapters (don't get too impressed, they aren't super long) and finish up a project for Aubrey. It was SO nice. I haven't been able to focus on my writing like that in ages. So she and I are going to try and have her come over once a week so that I have at least one day where I know I can get some serious work done. It's really nice. She's such a doll face for helping out during her summer vacation, but she's one driven girl and I'm just one of the many little jobs she has going on this summer, so I'm doing her a favor as much as she's doing one for me. :) Aubrey and I have also discussed watching each other's kids once a week so we can each get away for some writing time free of kids. So, all in all, I think that as long as I don't get lazy (this is a serious flaw of mine, so cross your fingers for me) then I should be able to finish the official first draft of book 1 by the end of the summer - and maybe outlines for books 2 and 3 so that they won't scare me as much. ;)
And then in random news, I think you should all get on Twitter and follow @maureenjohnson and @kierstenwhite because they are both HILARIOUS. I love reading their tweets because they border on the ridiculous while dipping into the serious every now and again. They never fail to make me giggle at least once a day, and to top it all off, they are very gifted writers and their books are fantastic. Honestly, just get on Twitter for all of the awesome authors on there. It's such an amazing community and this way I can kind of feel like I'm a part of it - or at least like I can watch it. It's a great way to connect with these amazing people and get a feel for their personalities and get updates on what they're working on. But they also connect me to other news that I wouldn't be finding on my own, and it's all just making me feel a little smarter and more connected to the world. So, if you aren't on Twitter, what are you waiting for? And if you are, come find me! We can be Twitter buddies and cyber stalk our favorite authors together. ;)
Well, that's it for this fairly random post. I hope you all are enjoying the summer so far (our weather is still bipolar, but I've had my windows open all week so I'm pretty happy) and that you're enjoying some great books and getting some writing in! I think I'm going to share some of my summer reads every now and again on here, just for fun, so look for those as well. And until next time, happy writing!!
In other news, my challenge for myself to finish book 1 by the end of the summer is going fairly well so far. A few days ago I finally sat down and wrote a decently detailed outline for it with all the new changes so that I could figure out where everything was going and what did and didn't need to be rewritten. It's a huge relief to have that done, because I finally feel like I have some direction after changing things up. Yesterday I had my younger sister come and hang out with my kids while I escaped to the library and wrote all afternoon. And after 3.5 hours of solid writing, I managed to revise 6 chapters (don't get too impressed, they aren't super long) and finish up a project for Aubrey. It was SO nice. I haven't been able to focus on my writing like that in ages. So she and I are going to try and have her come over once a week so that I have at least one day where I know I can get some serious work done. It's really nice. She's such a doll face for helping out during her summer vacation, but she's one driven girl and I'm just one of the many little jobs she has going on this summer, so I'm doing her a favor as much as she's doing one for me. :) Aubrey and I have also discussed watching each other's kids once a week so we can each get away for some writing time free of kids. So, all in all, I think that as long as I don't get lazy (this is a serious flaw of mine, so cross your fingers for me) then I should be able to finish the official first draft of book 1 by the end of the summer - and maybe outlines for books 2 and 3 so that they won't scare me as much. ;)
And then in random news, I think you should all get on Twitter and follow @maureenjohnson and @kierstenwhite because they are both HILARIOUS. I love reading their tweets because they border on the ridiculous while dipping into the serious every now and again. They never fail to make me giggle at least once a day, and to top it all off, they are very gifted writers and their books are fantastic. Honestly, just get on Twitter for all of the awesome authors on there. It's such an amazing community and this way I can kind of feel like I'm a part of it - or at least like I can watch it. It's a great way to connect with these amazing people and get a feel for their personalities and get updates on what they're working on. But they also connect me to other news that I wouldn't be finding on my own, and it's all just making me feel a little smarter and more connected to the world. So, if you aren't on Twitter, what are you waiting for? And if you are, come find me! We can be Twitter buddies and cyber stalk our favorite authors together. ;)
Well, that's it for this fairly random post. I hope you all are enjoying the summer so far (our weather is still bipolar, but I've had my windows open all week so I'm pretty happy) and that you're enjoying some great books and getting some writing in! I think I'm going to share some of my summer reads every now and again on here, just for fun, so look for those as well. And until next time, happy writing!!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
In Other News...
Well, while I've been waiting for the weather to pick a season and waiting for this stupid cold I have to go away, I've been busy with writing.
First up, while lounging on my couch, watching Tangled for the zillionth time with Diva and Dude, I came up with a new plot point for one of my characters. Suddenly, a small side character became fairly important, with an entire backstory and new motivations that turned her into a bit of a villain. Definitely an obstacle of sorts for my main characters. This means more changes to my story, but it adds another layer to everything that makes me excited to see how it all forms up and comes together. I have to admit, while it's been frustrating, it's also been fun seeing how things are changing to make it better.
Also, it's a new month and a new short story for Once Upon A Distraction, and my story is now up for all to read. So head on over there if you have a chance to check it out. There's love and death and stormy weather to entertain you. :)
Well, that's it for me for now. Until next time, happy writing!
First up, while lounging on my couch, watching Tangled for the zillionth time with Diva and Dude, I came up with a new plot point for one of my characters. Suddenly, a small side character became fairly important, with an entire backstory and new motivations that turned her into a bit of a villain. Definitely an obstacle of sorts for my main characters. This means more changes to my story, but it adds another layer to everything that makes me excited to see how it all forms up and comes together. I have to admit, while it's been frustrating, it's also been fun seeing how things are changing to make it better.
Also, it's a new month and a new short story for Once Upon A Distraction, and my story is now up for all to read. So head on over there if you have a chance to check it out. There's love and death and stormy weather to entertain you. :)
Well, that's it for me for now. Until next time, happy writing!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Word Wars
So, Andrea and I both follow alot of the same authors on Twitter. And every Wednesday a few of them would talk to each other about word wars, and since I figured it was an inside joke of their's or something, I didn't pay much attention. But Andrea was paying attention and was invited by one of them to join in on the fun a couple weeks ago. So when she invited me to play, this was my reaction:
"What's a word war?"
This is what she told me: these authors (that are friends and critique partners) have a standing plan for a word war every Wednesday at 1pm. They invite anyone who wants to do so to join in with them and for a solid hour you type as much as you can for whatever story it is that you're working on. At the end of the hour, everyone compares word counts, declares a winner, and shares a favorite line that they wrote during that hour - all via Twitter. It's like a fun (yet productive) game!
Andrea and I did one on Sunday after the President's big announcement (kinda nice since it let things sink in while I lost myself in my story) and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! Then today, because Diva went down for an early nap I was able to participate in their war this afternoon. Once again, it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I even won the word war and Brodi Ashton told me the line I shared was really good and intrguing! (She's a soon-to-be published author!) Needless to say I had warm fuzzies from her compliment because she obviously knows what she's talking about. Very, very cool.
But the really great thing about these word wars is that I'm able to pick one of the scenes that's been rolling around in my head and just get it down without having to worry (right now anyway) about how it's going to fit in with everything else. Since I'm rewriting quite a bit, it's nice being able to jump around during the word wars so I can leave the chapter by chapter revisions for another time. It's quite freeing and I'm finding the creative juices flowing during these little one hour sessions. It's fantastic.
In other news, I'm going to try to make it my goal to finish my WIP over the summer. It will take a lot of hard work, but I think with some creative multi-tasking, I'll be able to get it done. And I've finally accepted that it won't be perfect to start with. The revisions I'm already doing have helped that sink in, and I'm able to move on and just keep writing a little easier than before. I'm hoping I'm not setting myself up for failure by setting this goal, but I think if I sit down for an hour or so every day and hammer some of it out, then little by little I could get it done by the time Dude goes back to school. Wish me luck!
Well, that's it for me right now. Until next time, happy writing! And maybe we'll have a word war together in the future!
"What's a word war?"
This is what she told me: these authors (that are friends and critique partners) have a standing plan for a word war every Wednesday at 1pm. They invite anyone who wants to do so to join in with them and for a solid hour you type as much as you can for whatever story it is that you're working on. At the end of the hour, everyone compares word counts, declares a winner, and shares a favorite line that they wrote during that hour - all via Twitter. It's like a fun (yet productive) game!
Andrea and I did one on Sunday after the President's big announcement (kinda nice since it let things sink in while I lost myself in my story) and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! Then today, because Diva went down for an early nap I was able to participate in their war this afternoon. Once again, it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I even won the word war and Brodi Ashton told me the line I shared was really good and intrguing! (She's a soon-to-be published author!) Needless to say I had warm fuzzies from her compliment because she obviously knows what she's talking about. Very, very cool.
But the really great thing about these word wars is that I'm able to pick one of the scenes that's been rolling around in my head and just get it down without having to worry (right now anyway) about how it's going to fit in with everything else. Since I'm rewriting quite a bit, it's nice being able to jump around during the word wars so I can leave the chapter by chapter revisions for another time. It's quite freeing and I'm finding the creative juices flowing during these little one hour sessions. It's fantastic.
In other news, I'm going to try to make it my goal to finish my WIP over the summer. It will take a lot of hard work, but I think with some creative multi-tasking, I'll be able to get it done. And I've finally accepted that it won't be perfect to start with. The revisions I'm already doing have helped that sink in, and I'm able to move on and just keep writing a little easier than before. I'm hoping I'm not setting myself up for failure by setting this goal, but I think if I sit down for an hour or so every day and hammer some of it out, then little by little I could get it done by the time Dude goes back to school. Wish me luck!
Well, that's it for me right now. Until next time, happy writing! And maybe we'll have a word war together in the future!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
I Found My Lady an Anthem
So, once upon a time in high school, I really liked Hilary Duff's music. (Still do, to be honest.) Since I was a poor high school student, I downloaded a bunch of her songs and burned a cd to listen to in my room while I got ready for school or did my homework and whatnot. Forever ago, when I was getting ready for a 6 hour drive to go visit my mom, I stuck this cd in my car so that I had good music that I knew and could sing to so that I could stay awake. (I am notorious for falling asleep on long drives.) Well, a few days ago I popped that cd back into the stereo of my car because there were no good songs on the radio, and as I'm listening to the tracks and singing along, this song comes on.
At first I'm not really paying attention to the lyrics, even though I know them by heart. I'm just singing along, grooving in my car. Then, towards the end, I start listening. Then I start the song over. And all of the sudden I realized, this song is exactly something that my main female character would say. The angsty music, the "What do you really want from me?" lyrics - it was absolutely perfect. I was in awe. So now I've been listening to this song constantly and it's given me an almost crystal clear scene in my head and after I post this, I'll be typing it up so that I don't lose it for when I get to that scene and I need it. It's given me a great insight to her character and it's been awesome to see how it's helping me change things up so that the characters feel more real.
So thank you to Hilary Duff - almost 10 years after I downloaded this song - for making music that still speaks to me. It's been inspiring, to say the least.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Why didn't you just say so in the first place?
So.
For the past week my main character from my main WIP has been talking to me. And not like "Oh look, I have excellent dialogue for you so you can continue writing" type talking. It's been "Well, if you can't figure it out on your own, I'll tell you" type talking. What did he help me figure out? Well, I'll tell you.
I've been writing him all wrong.
Well, not completely wrong. Just wrong for where I'm currently at. He's too nice, way too soon. And so there's not enough conflict between him and my female lead. So there was nothing left for me to do but end the book way before it was time to do so. I wasn't giving him enough depth and he was coming out shallow, so the rest of the story was too.
The fact that he's finally revealed what the hell the problem has been after all these weeks thrills me to no end. Because it means that now that I've had time to digest this development, I'm getting all kinds of new scenes running through my head.
But.
That also means I have to go back and rewrite a fair amount of the 50 pages I have sitting in my documents file on my computer.
Ugh.
Now, I could just move forward and write from where I am with this new knowledge in mind, but it actually changes A LOT of what's already happened, and I don't quite know where I am in the story anymore. So, for the next little while I'll be going through what I have, chapter by chapter, and rewriting what needs to be fixed right now and leaving the rest for edits later, so that I can continue with the story and finish it. Then I'll go back and fix everything else that isn't so important right this second.
While I don't relish this task, I don't see any other way to proceed. And I'm kind of excited to see how everything changes, because I really think this will make it better. I feel bad for Andrea and Aubery though. I'm going to be making them read my stuff all over again now, and not everything is going to be a glaring, obvious change.
They will hate me by the time I get to anything new. *sigh*
So, wish me luck as I let my characters take over and change the story as much as is required. Hopefully I don't end up going absolutely crazy in the meantime.
Until next time, happy writing!!
For the past week my main character from my main WIP has been talking to me. And not like "Oh look, I have excellent dialogue for you so you can continue writing" type talking. It's been "Well, if you can't figure it out on your own, I'll tell you" type talking. What did he help me figure out? Well, I'll tell you.
I've been writing him all wrong.
Well, not completely wrong. Just wrong for where I'm currently at. He's too nice, way too soon. And so there's not enough conflict between him and my female lead. So there was nothing left for me to do but end the book way before it was time to do so. I wasn't giving him enough depth and he was coming out shallow, so the rest of the story was too.
The fact that he's finally revealed what the hell the problem has been after all these weeks thrills me to no end. Because it means that now that I've had time to digest this development, I'm getting all kinds of new scenes running through my head.
But.
That also means I have to go back and rewrite a fair amount of the 50 pages I have sitting in my documents file on my computer.
Ugh.
Now, I could just move forward and write from where I am with this new knowledge in mind, but it actually changes A LOT of what's already happened, and I don't quite know where I am in the story anymore. So, for the next little while I'll be going through what I have, chapter by chapter, and rewriting what needs to be fixed right now and leaving the rest for edits later, so that I can continue with the story and finish it. Then I'll go back and fix everything else that isn't so important right this second.
While I don't relish this task, I don't see any other way to proceed. And I'm kind of excited to see how everything changes, because I really think this will make it better. I feel bad for Andrea and Aubery though. I'm going to be making them read my stuff all over again now, and not everything is going to be a glaring, obvious change.
They will hate me by the time I get to anything new. *sigh*
So, wish me luck as I let my characters take over and change the story as much as is required. Hopefully I don't end up going absolutely crazy in the meantime.
Until next time, happy writing!!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sigh...so....
Ok, so here's where I am right now.
- I've completely been ignoring my current WIP. I feel stuck and that annoys me so in typical Jenn fashion, I'm pretending it doesn't exist for right now. (That's a lie, I still think about it quite a bit, but I haven't actually worked on it for weeks.)
- I've been taken over by a new, different idea and it's what I end up working on when I do actually sit down to write. It's not bad. Really rough, but I'm liking where it's going. And right now they are the characters who are talking to me the loudest, so that's where my attention is going.
- This morning while in the shower, a brand new sparkly idea popped into my head and while I washed my hair and shaved my legs I let my mind wander with this new character. I'm very intrigued, but I think that story would involve a fair amount of research, so I think I'll get the basics down (so I don't forget) and then leave it alone for awhile. Or, as I start writing it I'll become obsessed with it and it will take on a life of it's own. It's happened before.
- But, while my head has been taken over by shiny new ideas and crazy new characters, I've disappeared into the world of reading. I found some great books at the library and so I've disappeared into other peoples' made up worlds for a while. And it's been blissful. And very interesting, since I still read like a reader, but I also now read like a writer. I'm picking up more on things I like and don't like as research for my own writing style.
Anyway, that's what I've been up to. Completely disregarding any deadlines I had given myself and just going with the flow. Call me irresponsible, but I don't care at this point. I'm giving myself up to the characters that talk the loudest right now - no matter what story they are a part of.
It feels very freeing.
- I've completely been ignoring my current WIP. I feel stuck and that annoys me so in typical Jenn fashion, I'm pretending it doesn't exist for right now. (That's a lie, I still think about it quite a bit, but I haven't actually worked on it for weeks.)
- I've been taken over by a new, different idea and it's what I end up working on when I do actually sit down to write. It's not bad. Really rough, but I'm liking where it's going. And right now they are the characters who are talking to me the loudest, so that's where my attention is going.
- This morning while in the shower, a brand new sparkly idea popped into my head and while I washed my hair and shaved my legs I let my mind wander with this new character. I'm very intrigued, but I think that story would involve a fair amount of research, so I think I'll get the basics down (so I don't forget) and then leave it alone for awhile. Or, as I start writing it I'll become obsessed with it and it will take on a life of it's own. It's happened before.
- But, while my head has been taken over by shiny new ideas and crazy new characters, I've disappeared into the world of reading. I found some great books at the library and so I've disappeared into other peoples' made up worlds for a while. And it's been blissful. And very interesting, since I still read like a reader, but I also now read like a writer. I'm picking up more on things I like and don't like as research for my own writing style.
Anyway, that's what I've been up to. Completely disregarding any deadlines I had given myself and just going with the flow. Call me irresponsible, but I don't care at this point. I'm giving myself up to the characters that talk the loudest right now - no matter what story they are a part of.
It feels very freeing.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Stepping back
So, for the last week or so, I have been in a writing slump with my WIP. I still love it, but my characters are being extremely stubborn and only talking to me about scenes way ahead of where I am. Not very helpful and it's leaving me quite frustrated. I might do another free write, just to get it down, but I'm trying really hard to work straight through so that I have a solid, working first draft. Wish me luck that they'll be a little nicer to me so I can make progress again.
Also, I think I've been focusing too much on getting it done so it can be published. I know, I accepted Andrea's challenge, but it's putting my focus on the wrong part of the process, and I think it's contributing to my slump. I'm too focused on what other people will think, I'm not focused on just writing what I like; my story the way I want it told. So, I'm going to give my creative self some space and try to just think about writing the story for me. Not for anyone else. I think it will come out better too. Lately I feel like it's too forced, which makes me sad. I'm hoping to get a night once a week where I can turn on my music and disappear into my head for a few hours. I haven't done that in a long time, and I miss it. It's been way too busy around here.
Also contributing to my lack of progress (I know, there's a lot) is I have a new idea that's distracting me. It's a mixture of an old idea and a new one, which I feel makes for a new, even better idea. It's rolling around in my head and now those characters are starting to talk to me as well. It's getting very distracting in my head to be honest. So, since I'm paranoid I'm going to forget it, I'm doing a free write for this new idea. It's weird because usually I focus on one thing at a time, but I'm actually going to attempt to work on both the new idea and WIP until the free write for the new idea is done. Then, once it's safely stored in my computer and thumb drive, hopefully I can leave it alone and get back to my main WIP. Wish me luck.
And, last but not least, if you haven't headed over to Once Upon a Distraction you really should. All of our February stories are up, and I must say, they are pretty good for our first time. The theme for February was trauma (dealing with it, overcoming it, etc), just in case you were curious. Next month is more fun. In honor of Andrea - who LOVES 311 - March's theme is to use a 311 song as the title for the story. I have to say, I was surprised by what I came up with, because it has nothing to do with the song, so I'm curious to see what the girls come up with for their stories. And there's an awesome contest going right now to win a signed copy of Matched by Ally Condie. So really, you should check it out.
Oh, and just because I just finished it and it was incredible - everyone needs to read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This book blew me away and I was crying by the end. The story was so amazing and so...relevant to life that I just can't get over it's awesomeness. I borrowed it from the library, but I'll definitely be buying my own copy in the future. And I'm making Casie read it. Really. It's amazing.
That's it for me at the moment. Until next time, happy reading and happy writing!!!
Also, I think I've been focusing too much on getting it done so it can be published. I know, I accepted Andrea's challenge, but it's putting my focus on the wrong part of the process, and I think it's contributing to my slump. I'm too focused on what other people will think, I'm not focused on just writing what I like; my story the way I want it told. So, I'm going to give my creative self some space and try to just think about writing the story for me. Not for anyone else. I think it will come out better too. Lately I feel like it's too forced, which makes me sad. I'm hoping to get a night once a week where I can turn on my music and disappear into my head for a few hours. I haven't done that in a long time, and I miss it. It's been way too busy around here.
Also contributing to my lack of progress (I know, there's a lot) is I have a new idea that's distracting me. It's a mixture of an old idea and a new one, which I feel makes for a new, even better idea. It's rolling around in my head and now those characters are starting to talk to me as well. It's getting very distracting in my head to be honest. So, since I'm paranoid I'm going to forget it, I'm doing a free write for this new idea. It's weird because usually I focus on one thing at a time, but I'm actually going to attempt to work on both the new idea and WIP until the free write for the new idea is done. Then, once it's safely stored in my computer and thumb drive, hopefully I can leave it alone and get back to my main WIP. Wish me luck.
And, last but not least, if you haven't headed over to Once Upon a Distraction you really should. All of our February stories are up, and I must say, they are pretty good for our first time. The theme for February was trauma (dealing with it, overcoming it, etc), just in case you were curious. Next month is more fun. In honor of Andrea - who LOVES 311 - March's theme is to use a 311 song as the title for the story. I have to say, I was surprised by what I came up with, because it has nothing to do with the song, so I'm curious to see what the girls come up with for their stories. And there's an awesome contest going right now to win a signed copy of Matched by Ally Condie. So really, you should check it out.
Oh, and just because I just finished it and it was incredible - everyone needs to read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This book blew me away and I was crying by the end. The story was so amazing and so...relevant to life that I just can't get over it's awesomeness. I borrowed it from the library, but I'll definitely be buying my own copy in the future. And I'm making Casie read it. Really. It's amazing.
That's it for me at the moment. Until next time, happy reading and happy writing!!!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead
K, well, maybe not a witch, but my writer's block is gone! Hooray!
While I was waiting for my characters to start talking to me again, I looked for any kind of inspiration I could. I watched some good (and not so good) movies, and read a bunch of books - taking notes on things I liked and didn't like so I could apply it to my own writing. And then I read a book that helped me break through my wall.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
To say it's a delicious morsel of YA romance is an understatement. In my opinion, it got everything right. I LOVED Anna. I wanted her to be real so we could become friends. She was smart and sassy and her inner dialogue was HILARIOUS. I was constantly laughing or giggling out loud. Her love interest - St. Clair - was fabulous and witty and completely charming. While they had chemistry right away, I love that they became friends first. They had a wonderful friendship and it just made the book that much better for me. There was plenty of conflict and subplots to keep everything moving and the ending made me sigh with delight and contentment. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Anyway, reading this fantastic book gave me back my desire to write again. Immediately after finishing, my characters started talking to me again and my mind was flooded with scenes and dialogue that it was almost overwhelming. And the next day I wrote 4800 words!! In ONE DAY!! It's not perfect, but I'm happy. And I'm learning that it's my first draft, so it doesn't have to be perfect right now. What's important is to get it all out, then I can go back as many times as I need to to polish it up and make it just right. That realization helps me to not feel so intimidated by the awesomeness of other authors. Someday, I'll be awesome too. : )
Anyway, I have another critique group with the girls tonight, and that always helps with motivation too. Andrea is working on her second draft and I'm loving her details and descriptions. It makes me jealous because I have the worst time describing things. I can see it in my head, but I struggle to put it in words. And Aubrey is still working through her free write and the stuff she's coming up with is intensely emotional and beautifully written. When she puts it all together as a book, it's going to be amazing.
I'll try to post later this week with some musical inspiration when I'm not busy writing, because my head is still buzzing with new material. Until then, happy writing!
While I was waiting for my characters to start talking to me again, I looked for any kind of inspiration I could. I watched some good (and not so good) movies, and read a bunch of books - taking notes on things I liked and didn't like so I could apply it to my own writing. And then I read a book that helped me break through my wall.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
To say it's a delicious morsel of YA romance is an understatement. In my opinion, it got everything right. I LOVED Anna. I wanted her to be real so we could become friends. She was smart and sassy and her inner dialogue was HILARIOUS. I was constantly laughing or giggling out loud. Her love interest - St. Clair - was fabulous and witty and completely charming. While they had chemistry right away, I love that they became friends first. They had a wonderful friendship and it just made the book that much better for me. There was plenty of conflict and subplots to keep everything moving and the ending made me sigh with delight and contentment. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Anyway, reading this fantastic book gave me back my desire to write again. Immediately after finishing, my characters started talking to me again and my mind was flooded with scenes and dialogue that it was almost overwhelming. And the next day I wrote 4800 words!! In ONE DAY!! It's not perfect, but I'm happy. And I'm learning that it's my first draft, so it doesn't have to be perfect right now. What's important is to get it all out, then I can go back as many times as I need to to polish it up and make it just right. That realization helps me to not feel so intimidated by the awesomeness of other authors. Someday, I'll be awesome too. : )
Anyway, I have another critique group with the girls tonight, and that always helps with motivation too. Andrea is working on her second draft and I'm loving her details and descriptions. It makes me jealous because I have the worst time describing things. I can see it in my head, but I struggle to put it in words. And Aubrey is still working through her free write and the stuff she's coming up with is intensely emotional and beautifully written. When she puts it all together as a book, it's going to be amazing.
I'll try to post later this week with some musical inspiration when I'm not busy writing, because my head is still buzzing with new material. Until then, happy writing!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Stuck
Lately I haven't been writing anything. I just hit this mental brick wall and I can't think of anything to put down. It's extremely frustrating, because I still think about my characters all the time, but I just don't have anything to give them right now. I'm really quite sad about it.
So, to try and get me through my bout of writer's block, I'm reading a ton of books, hoping to be inspired by others' awesomeness, and working on a fiction blog with Andrea and Aubrey. I'm hoping it will be a place that will help me work past blocks like this because I can just write without it having to be perfect or even connected to what I'm working on now. It will be purely for fun and to stretch my imagination. You can check it out here.
So, that's where I am right now. Stuck with impatient characters and a new blog that might help me unblock myself. And if you're wondering what I'm reading right now, I'm working my way through the books of the Breathless Reads Tour. I've got 2 more to go before they come here in a couple weeks. Check them out, they're extremely good and are helping me find my motivation again.
Matched - Ally Condie
Nightshade - Andrea Cremer
Across the Universe - Beth Revis
The Eternal Ones - Kirsten Miller*
The Replacement - Brenna Yovanoff*
*I'm reading these next.
So wish me luck that I can find the motivation and the inspiration again, and happy reading until then!
So, to try and get me through my bout of writer's block, I'm reading a ton of books, hoping to be inspired by others' awesomeness, and working on a fiction blog with Andrea and Aubrey. I'm hoping it will be a place that will help me work past blocks like this because I can just write without it having to be perfect or even connected to what I'm working on now. It will be purely for fun and to stretch my imagination. You can check it out here.
So, that's where I am right now. Stuck with impatient characters and a new blog that might help me unblock myself. And if you're wondering what I'm reading right now, I'm working my way through the books of the Breathless Reads Tour. I've got 2 more to go before they come here in a couple weeks. Check them out, they're extremely good and are helping me find my motivation again.
Matched - Ally Condie
Nightshade - Andrea Cremer
Across the Universe - Beth Revis
The Eternal Ones - Kirsten Miller*
The Replacement - Brenna Yovanoff*
*I'm reading these next.
So wish me luck that I can find the motivation and the inspiration again, and happy reading until then!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Update and Music
So, I originally posted this song (different video) a few weeks ago, but it was taken off and I don't know if anyone got to see it. So I'm posting it again, because it's just such a great song and it connects to my main male character so much. I love Taylor Swift, and this is off of her newest CD. I think the lyrics are absolutely perfect for what my poor boy goes through, and while I prefer the acoustic version of this song, the powerful music in this version seem to add to the hurt and frustration in the lyrics and fits the character better. I'm sure this will be a song I listen to over and over when I officially get to that part of the book.
In other news, the critique group when fantastically, with good ideas for everyone on their individual projects. Andrea is going back to start on draft two of her book and is trying to not be distracted by a shiny new idea for a different book that also shows awesome potential. Aubrey is doing a major free write to get everything out before she starts putting it all together for her book. And I have to say, both girls have some incredible stuff going on. Andrea's story is gripping and intense and has me dying to know what happens next, while Aubrey's is heartwrenching and emotional and very beautifully written - even though she says it's all very rough right now. As for me, they gave me great feedback, and going through Aubrey's notes on my chapters was incredibly helpful. She is our editing queen and she has some fantastic ideas on how to make things sound more natural. Andrea gave me some great ideas on what to bring for book two and encouragement over some subplots going on in book one. I love these girls and these meetings are great for helping us all keep up our motivation.
I've managed to get out a couple more chapters since and I'm getting really excited about where I am. It's getting past most of the setup and into the meat of the story and I am really getting into it. It's on my mind all the time, and I'm constantly thinking about different scenes and dialogue and whatnot. It's actually kind of distracting, but I'm loving it. I'm just under 18,000 words and I'm amazed that I've gotten so far. My goal is at least 65,000 words for each book, though I would love to get to 80,000 if it works out that way. Which means that I'm almost a quarter of the way through!!! It's exciting and only helps keep my motivation up. I'm hoping to get to 20,000 by the end of the week, so wish me luck, and hopefully what I get out is good.
That's all for me right now. I'm still waiting on hearing back from the university I applied to, so in the meantime I'll keep on writing (and reading fantastic books by fantastic authors) while I wait. Until next time, happy writing everyone!
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Middle
So, I've been writing my book from the beginning for the last couple weeks now that I've gotten everything out with my free write. I feel like it's been going fairly well, and I've got about 11,000 words - my prologue and three chapters. So far I like what's coming out, especially things that I didn't bother with during my free write. The characters are fleshing out a little more and I'm getting a better feel for their personalities. But as I was working on chapter three, I realized something.
I really struggle with the middle "stuff".
I have a solid beginning and ending, because those are the most clear in my head. And I do have some scenes in the middle that are fairly clear as well. But it's everything else - the side characters, the sub-plots, the planting of hints without giving things away.... Yeah, that stuff is turning out to be really hard.
I've started books before, I have about 15 outlines for different stories of varying degrees of originality in notebooks all over my house. But I've never gotten this far. I've never gotten to the point where I'm seriously putting it all down with the intention of someday submitting it. And it's bringing to light all of the things I've never worried about before.
And it's hard.
By the time I'm done with a chapter, my mind is melted from trying to make it all work and sound good and coming up with new things that aren't stupid or distracting. It's really, really difficult. But I'm hoping that as I get further into the book, it will get a little easier, since right now is mostly set up and background and whatnot that I'm trying to figure out. *fingers crossed* *knock on wood* *wishing on a star*
For the moment I'm trying to not focus on getting it perfect. Right now I just want to get it out and finished. I can go back and make edits and rewrites as required, but if I worry about that right now, I'll never finish. So wish me luck that I can survive making it through the middle with my sanity, and that what I come up with doesn't totally suck. : )
I have another group critique on Tuesday that I'm super excited about. I'm loving what the girls' are writing, and their feedback on my writing is always extremely helpful. Hopefully they'll have some ideas/thoughts that will help me make my way through the tough spots. I'll let you know how it went. Until then, happy writing!
I really struggle with the middle "stuff".
I have a solid beginning and ending, because those are the most clear in my head. And I do have some scenes in the middle that are fairly clear as well. But it's everything else - the side characters, the sub-plots, the planting of hints without giving things away.... Yeah, that stuff is turning out to be really hard.
I've started books before, I have about 15 outlines for different stories of varying degrees of originality in notebooks all over my house. But I've never gotten this far. I've never gotten to the point where I'm seriously putting it all down with the intention of someday submitting it. And it's bringing to light all of the things I've never worried about before.
And it's hard.
By the time I'm done with a chapter, my mind is melted from trying to make it all work and sound good and coming up with new things that aren't stupid or distracting. It's really, really difficult. But I'm hoping that as I get further into the book, it will get a little easier, since right now is mostly set up and background and whatnot that I'm trying to figure out. *fingers crossed* *knock on wood* *wishing on a star*
For the moment I'm trying to not focus on getting it perfect. Right now I just want to get it out and finished. I can go back and make edits and rewrites as required, but if I worry about that right now, I'll never finish. So wish me luck that I can survive making it through the middle with my sanity, and that what I come up with doesn't totally suck. : )
I have another group critique on Tuesday that I'm super excited about. I'm loving what the girls' are writing, and their feedback on my writing is always extremely helpful. Hopefully they'll have some ideas/thoughts that will help me make my way through the tough spots. I'll let you know how it went. Until then, happy writing!
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