But...But...It's so Prrrrettty!

Okay, so I know that today's post was supposed to be about different personality types, but you see, what happened was that I got...uh... sidetracked, and was...er...procrastinating *shifty eyes*, which in turn, segued into this post. (Never fear though, we will discuss personality tomorrow)

Yes, in one form or another, we have all experienced this--it's more severe in some of us than others, but no matter when or where it strikes, it has the same incapacitating effect - we end up not doing what we're supposed to be doing: writing!

I think you know what I am referring to here? Uh huh... Distractions!

Unfortunately, for me, unless I unplug my internet while I write (which I am seriously considering doing), it's my number one distraction. I always justify it by telling myself what I am actually doing when I pause in the middle of my MS to google something very important is research. And even though I end up reading blogs instead, it's okay. Because this is relatively new to me, and there's such a wealth of information out there, and I have to learn, right?

Wrong! Well, not completely :)

Yes, we need to research, but there is a time and place for everything. May I suggest writing down what it is you want to know on your handy dandy post-it sticky, and come back to it later during your free time (this is clearly advice I need to follow myself). Just keep writing even if you need some more information for the scene. Because once you stop, there's no telling when you will go back and what frame of mind you will be in.

While internet is the biggest one for me, there's also books, television, people, food and other. There is so much more that falls into that other category. I find I get the most easily distracted when I'm procrastinating (see the segue ;) )

Now it's sharing time. What are some of your distractions and how easy is it for them to pull you away from what you are supposed to be doing?

Why do today what you can do tomorrow?

Yesterday we talked about having a fear of writing.

Today, I wanted to elaborate on what stems from that fear, or rather, what spurs it on (for me at least)--procrastination.

I'm a planner by nature most of the time--I like things to follow a certain order--but if I'm faced with something that scares me, I will do almost anything to avoid doing it right away (for instance--rearranging my whole room or alphabetizing my cans in the kitchen cupboard...uh, yes, I did that). Once I get into it though, you can't stop me. I don't like doing things last minute, but every now and again, I will stall for as long as I can.

But what causes this?

Why do some of us hit the procrastination button when we are faced with certain situations, while others immediately pass "Go" and never pause, even to collect $200? It may just boil down to force of habit.

Some of us are born ready to take the world by storm, while some of us are biding our time, slowly crawling out of our shells and both are okay! (Just as an fyi, we are going to go into further detail on this particular point in tomorrow's post)

Back to the topic at hand however - take heart. For those of us running in the opposite direction--we are going to change!

So what's our new re-jigged mantra going to be? Courtesy of Mr. Jefferson (yes, it's not an exact eye opener - but it works and we forget sometimes!):

"Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?"

Because we are all going places people, and we have to get there, regardless of when!

Okay, show of hands--who here is a procrastinator with me? You get a high five. And if you're not, you get a high five too (but please share your techniques with us)!

It's Confession Time

I have a confession to make:

Writing scares me. Ahem. Writing scares me!

There. I said it...er... wrote it.

I didn't think it did, but I have to face the truth, because the sooner you accept something, the sooner you can move forward. The only reason I am realizing it now is because I am currently on my third attempt at my novel, and after re-reading the first two botched manuscripts sitting on my desktop, my fingers and brain feel frozen.

I love it. I hate it. I want to be published. I'm terrified of having people read my work. I don't want to write. I can't stop. This journey is just one big oxymoron. But it's worth it ;)

I promised myself I would get back into it this week, but I keep opening a new word document, only to stare, and then close it again after a few moments. It's okay, it's only Tuesday. The muse is there--I think it might just be shy, perhaps because I've been so hard on it in the past. We are going to get reacquainted this week, and I will keep you all posted on progress.

My question to you is whether, as much as you love it, (because we all do, otherwise we wouldn't be doing this) do any of you have a similar fear of writing? For those of you who have finished your MS, does it ever get any better?

The Art of Reading - Through a Writer's Eyes

I've always been a fairly voracious reader. I devour books. When I was little, I couldn't go to sleep unless I had been read to. As I grew older, I had to read at least one chapter, and then two, and then three--until eventually, it was the entire book that needed to be finished before going to bed (and trust me, this made for some very exhausting days at school).

That's the thing about reading - the way that almost any book, well written, and thoughtfully crafted, can completely transport you to another world. You don't want to put it down. You can utterly submerse yourself into the storyline and become a part of it.

The sad thing is when I'm writing, I'm not quite able to enjoy reading in the same way. It's like my brain fully rewires itself into "analyze mode" and all I can see is the technicality of the writing. I'm constantly picking apart each element of the novel, frequently going back and re-reading certain parts to see if they match up--it almost becomes very tedious, but I can't help it. While I still lose myself in the story, the expression "reading for fun" now has a different meaning for me.

Despite this, while I'm picking apart all these novels - I know it's because I'm learning. This never happened before when I was just writing for myself. Now that I'm positive I would like to someday be published, these are the sorts of things I am suddenly paying attention to. I'm learning not only about writing, but also about technique and myself--what works, what doesn't, what I enjoy, what I don't, how the story should flow, etc. When you really look at it, the book you're holding in your hands is something someone, somewhere thought was good enough to be printed - we can all learn from that.

Don't get me wrong - I can never stop loving reading - it's almost like breathing to me, it's just a different experience when I'm writing at the same time :).

Does this ever happen to you? Have you found that reading has changed for you since you became serious about writing?

Gender Specifics

Being a female myself, I have always written from the female perspective--because it's what I know. My MC is always a girl. When I was younger however, I used to want to show what everyone in the story felt, so I would end up writing from ALL character perspectives--male, female, animal, creature...you name it.

Eventually I just stuck with the female POV because it made sense. But I like to know what everyone else is thinking too--especially the male MC and particularly if he is the love interest of my female MC. I always imagine how things are on his end of the spectrum in vivid detail, because even though readers aren't seeing things as they progress in his mind, I want them to be able to understand his actions and reactions.

It's not necessary to make your MC the same gender as you in order to write a good book. Look at J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter anyone? How about E.B. White and Charlotte's Web? Or A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Also Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

I think you should be able to write from any perspective as long as you understand your character and know what it is you want to convey to your reader.

I am curious to know whether your MC is a male or female. From what perspective do you write and why did you choose the same or opposite of what you are? Which is easier for you?

Let Us Die Young or Let Us Live Forever

Yup, I'm quoting the Jay-Z song here.

In today's post, I would like to discuss the idea of character immortality in books and what it is about it that draws readers in. Vampires, Werewolves, Immortals, Angels... just to name a few ;).

There has been a surge in these types of characters recently, but they have existed in stories forever. Many fantasy novels involve at least one type of immortal character, if not more. They are usually young and beautiful, frozen that way, both doomed and destined to roam the world for all eternity. But what makes them so appealing?

Is it that they never get older? They are literally "forever young", and considering the human quest to unlock that elusive fountain of youth, perhaps this is what draws us to them. They don't need to die young to be immortalized or obtain perpetual youth. People will never remember them as old, aged or wrinkly. They get to live forever, never age, never get sick, experience all life has to offer, to do it all with no regrets--because they always have that second, third, fourth chance to make it right. But do they?

Not always.

Perhaps it's the tortured soul that we sympathize with. The lost wanderer who is all alone with no one to turn to because he/she eventually loses the people and things they love, while they themselves continue to merely exist, but not really live anymore.

What do you think? Are your characters immortal and if so, why did you choose to make them that way (of course, depending on the genre you are writing)? And if not, what is your opinion of the appeal of these characters?

Honing Your Writing Skills

It's a fact. The more a person writes, the better at it they become. I've definitely noticed a very slight improvement over the last 3 failed drafts of my novel. In each one, the writing has gotten consecutively better, even though the story is still not coming out right.

I haven't been getting to write as much as I would like to over the last few weeks, and all the words just get bottled up inside, and eventually they start becoming jumbled. So then--how is my writing getting better if I'm barely writing at all?

Today it hit me.

While at work, I was trying to reword and decode a very long, frustrating email for public distribution. As I sat there, thinking my time could be better spent actually writing, I realized that's exactly what I was doing. I was writing. And I'm fortunate to be in a job where I constantly am writing, even though it's not the type of writing I would prefer to be doing.

I think every little bit helps. Writing in some form or fashion, whatever it is--helps. And your writing is improving, even if you think it's not.

I would like to throw this out there. What do you do to hone your writing skills? Are you currently in a job or situation which allows you to give your talent a workout?

Bye for now!

Hello Again with Pictures!

Hi Everyone,

I have returned after my mini hiatus. I apologize for my absence, however, as promised, new things are coming and posting will be more frequent, I swear! :)

I am extremely relaxed and inspired after a two week vacation in Florida - I am ready to get back to work - novel writing work, that is. I hope things stay this way. For a while there I didn't know whether I was coming or going.

Spending time with Mickey and Minnie definitely has a way of bringing out the creative side of a person.

And now for your viewing enjoyment:

No matter what time of day, Cinderella Castle is beautiful and majestic!

The perfect ending to my vacation - a whole new world peeking through.

Do you ever feel this way? What inspires you to write?

Bye for now!

Coming Soon!

I've decided I need to spruce up this blog a little bit.

I haven't worked out exactly what I want to do as yet, but you can expect some new weekly features, and more helpful sidebar links for starters. As I mentioned before, while I haven't been writing, I've been reading and I've seriously come across a whole wealth of information that I will be sharing.

Stay tuned!

Top 20 Things You Should Know About Me

So I decided to get a little more personal on my blog (still no names though ;) ), and to start things off, I am going to list the top 20 things I think you should know about me.

Ready?

Here we go - in no particular order:

1. The first one you already know - I want to be a writer!

2. I am 26 years old

3. I believe that family comes first, before anything else

4. I am a moviebuying-holic (yes, it may not be a word, but the condition exists)

5. I would love to lose at least 40 pounds

6. I love food - all food - particularly sushi & dark chocolate. Together? Not yet, but this does sort of make point #5 much harder.

7. I think I could very happily live in any one of the four parks at Disney World

8. I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with American Idol - I hate that I can't stop watching it and how much time it wastes each week during the season!

9. I love 50's & 60's music

10. Sometimes I wish I were more outgoing

11. I've only been to a beach twice in my life (and the first time I nearly drowned)

12. My favorite subject throughout school was English

13. I love watching musicals - I've seen The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia & The Sound of Music -- to name a few

14. I can fit into the kid sizes at the shoestore

15. I still sometimes watch movies on a VCR

16. Occasionally I eat TUMS as a snack

17. I wish I had continued taking piano lessons (I made it to Level 4)

18. I really enjoy glow-in-the-dark bowling (even though I'm not very good)

19. I hate missing the previews at the movie theater

20. I think I'm developing a serious crush on one of my Male MC's ;)


That's all I can think of for now. I hope this helps you to get to know me a little better. :)