As another NaNoWriMo starts to draw to a close I find that I have a few days left. I might be able to get a last minute spurt in and get very close to the 50k, but I really have no guarantee of that. And I know a large part of that is the irregularity that I allow in my life. I don't read every day. I don't write every day. I think that is a determent. It's something that I want to get better at. Even if it is only a hundred words that I write and a page that I read, I think doing those kinds of things are important and should never be overlooked so that is my goal.
In the next year, I want to just set up a pattern for myself. To write. To read. To do those things that I love and have started to neglect in my life. I actually have a blog where I do write reviews of books that I have read. So I am hoping to revive Life of a Book Addict. I have a few books that I am reading so I do have a few that should hopefully soon be ready to go up on the blog. As for my writing, I have another old blog (not that this has ever been a pattern or trend in my life) that I am hoping to revitalize tonight before I write my first blog post. It is called The Wellspring. That one was created back in 2013 when I decided it was a good idea to try and write 1 million words in a year. Not a bad idea, but honestly, one that I did not succeed in well at all. This goal is far more conversative, and I'd like to think, more practical.
I just want to do this for myself. And if you'd like to follow me on the journey here and on those other blogs as well, it would be appreciate. Support is never a bad thing.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Friday, October 24, 2014
So Excited!
So I've been productive the last few days. Not really, but a little. I have another story published on kindle...
Wait, did I ever even mention I have one?
I do! It's been up there since 2012 actually so about two years. Shame on me for not mentioning it before! One of my early NaNoWriMo projects, and a story that I very much enjoyed writing, A Taste of Hope is not the story I wanted to mention. As it happens, I finally decided to publish my novelette Soulless! It is the first book in a series I call the S Series.
To add to that little victory, I have also (finally), put up an author page on Facebook that can be found here!
Now, I mentioned NaNoWriMo earlier, and I'm very pleased to say that it's almost upon us! I'm so excited just as I find myself to be very year! As it happens, I actually hope to be working on one of the novels in the S Series this coming November. So please, wish me luck and to anyone else participating, I wish you well!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Trying to Work on It
So, I looked back at my writing habits of late and they're not that great. Sure I can make the excuse that I'm trying to get a manager position at my job right now (application is already submitted just waiting to hear that it is a for sure thing), but really it is just that.
It's an excuse.
I hate making excuses, but it seems like I do it a lot. And that's really a bad thing. Especially when I sit and watch these movies based off books or I read these amazing books and I keep thinking: I want that to be me. My muse is ready. It's there, I just have to push myself into that position. I know I do. I know that I can which is even more important.
And I really have to get out of that. I have so many ideas and I even have one that's ready, I just, I don't want to publish it without something else waiting to join it in the next few months or however long it ends up being. I don't want to be that person who puts up a story that clearly builds into a world and then never add anything to it. That never seems right to me.
So, I have to fix that. I really do. I have to find a way to schedule time. Motivation and reward and all of that. Writing makes me happy. It brings me alive. It fills me with something that I can't explain and I refuse to give up on it and just let it go. That means I have to come up with a plan and go for it. I can't hold back. And I have been. I have been doing it for a long time.
I really need to stop that. It's not good for me. In the least. I don't think it's good for anyone to hold back when it comes to what they really love. So to writing I go. If I keep holding back, it's gonna kill me.
It's an excuse.
I hate making excuses, but it seems like I do it a lot. And that's really a bad thing. Especially when I sit and watch these movies based off books or I read these amazing books and I keep thinking: I want that to be me. My muse is ready. It's there, I just have to push myself into that position. I know I do. I know that I can which is even more important.
And I really have to get out of that. I have so many ideas and I even have one that's ready, I just, I don't want to publish it without something else waiting to join it in the next few months or however long it ends up being. I don't want to be that person who puts up a story that clearly builds into a world and then never add anything to it. That never seems right to me.
So, I have to fix that. I really do. I have to find a way to schedule time. Motivation and reward and all of that. Writing makes me happy. It brings me alive. It fills me with something that I can't explain and I refuse to give up on it and just let it go. That means I have to come up with a plan and go for it. I can't hold back. And I have been. I have been doing it for a long time.
I really need to stop that. It's not good for me. In the least. I don't think it's good for anyone to hold back when it comes to what they really love. So to writing I go. If I keep holding back, it's gonna kill me.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
I am a Horrible Person
Alright, so I am officially all moved which is great.
My friend is no longer visiting.
I have no real excuses.
Well, I am trying for the front counter lead position at work, but I don't think I can count that as a real excuse either. I mean, after all, there is always time to write. As anyone who peeks in at my other blog knows, I have been getting at least one book review up a week, sometimes two. So basically I need to buckle down and do some more writing.
I do have some pretty exciting news though!
I found an old short story of mine and with some encouragement from my friends, I've decided to expand the world in it into a series. So hopefully that goes well. I haven't decided on a release date for the short story yet, but I'll let you know when it is ready to go up on amazon. Until then, I'm hoping to work on some stories to build up the world itself so that I have some things ready to come after it.
My friend is no longer visiting.
I have no real excuses.
Well, I am trying for the front counter lead position at work, but I don't think I can count that as a real excuse either. I mean, after all, there is always time to write. As anyone who peeks in at my other blog knows, I have been getting at least one book review up a week, sometimes two. So basically I need to buckle down and do some more writing.
I do have some pretty exciting news though!
I found an old short story of mine and with some encouragement from my friends, I've decided to expand the world in it into a series. So hopefully that goes well. I haven't decided on a release date for the short story yet, but I'll let you know when it is ready to go up on amazon. Until then, I'm hoping to work on some stories to build up the world itself so that I have some things ready to come after it.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Exciting News!
As a warning I will be posting this on both Life of a Book Addict and Writing is Life for those of you who meander between both of my blogs. I have some very exciting news though! Starting the 21st and possibly for a few days after, I shall be moving! Not cities or anything big like that. Just apartments, but I am very excited for it. It'll be a better living condition, a better neighborhood, more space. And honestly, it's the little things I'm excited for.
- Having a in-complex laundry mat.
- Having a swimming pool (alright, not so little, especially in this drought)
- Having more than one set of house keys.
- Having an oven I don't think will short-circuit and burn my living space down.
- Having a fire alarm that works.
See, the little things boys and girls that make life worth living. And the fact it is a lot closer to my job, also makes things really awesome. Speaking of, I have to buy a bike. Anyone know of any cheap ones that function? I'm going to be looking around, of course, but i I figure, it never hurts to ask around. Especially since I've been told that getting a steady ride to work means promotion opportunities. Exciting and terrifying at the same time!
Monday, June 30, 2014
It's Worth a Thought
So I'm trying an experiment at the moment and I'm finding it to be a rather interesting one. I have decided that I am going to take a notebook and start handwriting a story. I haven't done this kind of thing in a very long time. But there is a kind of method behind the madness actually. Basically the idea is that I am going to write the whole story by hand. sure it'll take a while, but I think it will be worth it. I won't be able to backspace which is a good thing. I'll just have to take it as it goes.
Basically the idea is that I'll write up the whole story and then after it's finished I will type it up and that way I can edit it as it goes. At least that is the hope. We'll see how that actually goes in the end. It's way too early in the process to decide if this will actually work or not. I think the key to all of it is to make sure that I don't abandon it like I have done the sacred notebooks, at least for the time being.
Most people do not know of the existence of the sacred notebooks. No, they're not some kind of relic or anything like that. It's actually one of my oldest stories that I still have. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of my writing from middle school due to an unfortunate incident involving a neighbor and the police that I prefer not to go into. And for a while it seems like I really didn't write very much because I can't seem to find many things from my freshman year of high school though that could also have had to do with moving twice within two years.
The earliest story that I still have lurking around these days it the sacred notebooks. They're falling apart and in serious need of finishing, but it was the start of me taking fairy tales and stories and twisting them to how I want. Which is honestly what I do when I write. I love the twists and turns. And as a good friend, who also writes, very recently told me, we all have something that makes our stories unique. Something that we throw in no matter what genre we're writing. I'd like to think that is what I do. Of course there is probably more to it, but I'll have to figure that out as time goes and I write more.
And I fully intend to write more. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even finish the story contained within the sacred notebooks.
Basically the idea is that I'll write up the whole story and then after it's finished I will type it up and that way I can edit it as it goes. At least that is the hope. We'll see how that actually goes in the end. It's way too early in the process to decide if this will actually work or not. I think the key to all of it is to make sure that I don't abandon it like I have done the sacred notebooks, at least for the time being.
Most people do not know of the existence of the sacred notebooks. No, they're not some kind of relic or anything like that. It's actually one of my oldest stories that I still have. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of my writing from middle school due to an unfortunate incident involving a neighbor and the police that I prefer not to go into. And for a while it seems like I really didn't write very much because I can't seem to find many things from my freshman year of high school though that could also have had to do with moving twice within two years.
The earliest story that I still have lurking around these days it the sacred notebooks. They're falling apart and in serious need of finishing, but it was the start of me taking fairy tales and stories and twisting them to how I want. Which is honestly what I do when I write. I love the twists and turns. And as a good friend, who also writes, very recently told me, we all have something that makes our stories unique. Something that we throw in no matter what genre we're writing. I'd like to think that is what I do. Of course there is probably more to it, but I'll have to figure that out as time goes and I write more.
And I fully intend to write more. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even finish the story contained within the sacred notebooks.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Unbury the Plot, Love the Characters
Now I have to say that there is nothing wrong with writing blind. It's a different experience and brings with it, its own kind of rewards. You never know where the story is going and that becomes an adventure all its own. But it isn't always that simple. Sometimes it is actually a little tough. Sometimes you need something, just one little point in the plot, one little twist and everything can build up around that. It's more than just starting with a character. That's all well and good, but there is more to it than that.
I've learned, at least when it comes to myself that some of my best stories come from focusing on the character. Despite what people think, however, focusing on the characters doesn't mean that you're flying without a plot. In my opinion, it just means that you do not let the plot guide the story. You do not make it so that the characters are merely plot devices manipulated to suite the plot's needs and thus negating their ability to be. To me, characters are alive. They are vibrant and real. They make mistakes and sometimes they get with someone that you don't want them to get with or they do something that you hadn't intended.
But, I think that is what makes stories so wonderful. Watching characters develop in ways that you might have never imagined. I don't believe that you fall in love with a story because of its plot line. Or even because of the twists that you find it. Yeah, those are great. They add so much to the story that you read and what you experience, but they're not really the point. You can have the greatest plot in the world, but if the reader can't connect with the characters in the story, it's really a moot point, isn't it?
So really, I think that a good story is a balance between the plot and the characters. If you have a good plot with characters built to follow it, the story comes across as shallow. If you have great characters with no plot, the story becomes dull and though people might want to force themselves to read on, usually they can't. So you have to find the balance. And honestly, the balance can be the hardest part at times, but it's the most fun at the same time. So, that's what you work for and right now, that's what I'm working to find as I start off with this story. I look at Malak, I know her and I know her well. And now it is time to give her a plot that is worthy of her.
I hope I am up to the task.
I've learned, at least when it comes to myself that some of my best stories come from focusing on the character. Despite what people think, however, focusing on the characters doesn't mean that you're flying without a plot. In my opinion, it just means that you do not let the plot guide the story. You do not make it so that the characters are merely plot devices manipulated to suite the plot's needs and thus negating their ability to be. To me, characters are alive. They are vibrant and real. They make mistakes and sometimes they get with someone that you don't want them to get with or they do something that you hadn't intended.
But, I think that is what makes stories so wonderful. Watching characters develop in ways that you might have never imagined. I don't believe that you fall in love with a story because of its plot line. Or even because of the twists that you find it. Yeah, those are great. They add so much to the story that you read and what you experience, but they're not really the point. You can have the greatest plot in the world, but if the reader can't connect with the characters in the story, it's really a moot point, isn't it?
So really, I think that a good story is a balance between the plot and the characters. If you have a good plot with characters built to follow it, the story comes across as shallow. If you have great characters with no plot, the story becomes dull and though people might want to force themselves to read on, usually they can't. So you have to find the balance. And honestly, the balance can be the hardest part at times, but it's the most fun at the same time. So, that's what you work for and right now, that's what I'm working to find as I start off with this story. I look at Malak, I know her and I know her well. And now it is time to give her a plot that is worthy of her.
I hope I am up to the task.
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