Friday, July 30, 2010

August Goals

So July wasn't as exciting as I hoped it was going to be, but at least I got a lot of writing done.

Seaweeds is just about ready for agents! I still have a few more edits to do. But it's solid. Just gotta make sure the query is top notch. My plan is to spend all of next week reading it as many times as possible to make sure it's error-free. I really like the story. I think agents will either hate or love it. Best I stick to agents who like dark humor and sex.

Flicker is almost done. Two more chapters to write. It will def be over 95K when it's all finished. I was thinking I'd hit 100K, but I'm not. Like I really want to edit that long of a book? I might actually have to re-write the whole thing. I'm not sure if 1st person works, so it may have to translate all over to 3rd person which will take a long long long long time. Is it worth it? I'm not sure...especially when I have another book I want to write.

WIP #3...in synopsis form...dying to be written. I shall start it as soon as Flicker is done and Seaweeds is queried.

Goals for August:
Query Seaweeds
Edit/Revise Flicker
Get to 25k in WIP #3
Write another short story for grad schools (I have two that I really like but they're too much alike)

Saturday, July 24, 2010

need a place to go

I need a place to go where I can scream, cry, kick my feet against the ground, curse like a sailor, and throw punches at the wind. Usually I put my anger into my writing, but I'm so worked up right now, I'm unable to do anything but write down exactly what I'm feeling. But quite frankly I don't know what I'm feeling.

I went away for a week. Drove 5 hours to PA and spent most of the time with my grandmother or my cousin. I felt relaxed. I worked on my novels. I ran 4 miles every day. I ate good food. It was a nice escape.

Just got back yesterday and I've never been more on the edge. That escape for a week wasn't enough. And it's made me realized how unsatisfied I am with my life. I feel like I'm going nowhere. While I love writing (it's the only thing I can depend on to make me happy) it's not enough. I want a real job. My own place. A boyfriend, or at least more guy friends. Some of these things require patience. But it's hard when there's people all around you getting everything you want and they don't have to wait. And while it's probably not true for most cases, I feel like some are completely undeserving. And it really ticks me off when people don't appreciate the great things they have.

So in a way, I'm mad at myself for being ungrateful. I know I have talent. I know I'm not ugly. I know I have a family that loves me and some pretty good friends. And I'm employed. I seriously just wish I could be satisfied with what I've got but its near impossible in this crazy world where cell phones and facebook control your social life and make you feel 80 times more disconnected with the world than you already feel. Maybe I'm just being a drama queen. Maybe I'm just being selfish. Spoiled. Ungrateful. But I can't help what I feel.

Everything I wish I could say
And everything I wish I could do
Are locked behind these double lines I’ve created for myself
Been trying to erase it but I used a sharpie pen
So do I white it out or find new places to write on?

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The Everchanging World VS the Simple Me

Technology. Love it or hate it, it's never going to stop growing. What we learned last week might be out of date a year from now. A month from now. Tomorrow. Who knows!? Teenagers are obsessed with vampires. In a few years, it may be ghosts and goblins. Have to be in with the latest trends and fashions, technology, gadgets...etc etc etc.

All I can say is: YUCK.

And that I'm thankful this doesn't affect my writing. I write what I want to write, when I want to write it, breaking the rules as I go along, not caring if people are going to be offended or pissed off that I killed off an important character or gave the antagonist a happy ending. It's my fictional world. I can do whatever I want with it. And I don't have to worry about keeping up with technology. Because you can't anymore. If I write a novel and it's published it won't be on the bookshelves for 2 more years. I can't predict what people are going to like in the future and I can't write what's hit right now because it may be out of style in 2 years.

So that means I write what I want to write. Make it unique. Make it funny. Make it something I'll enjoy now and ten years from now.

I think people will always like vampires though.

I wish I could close my eyes and jump into my fictional world. All my characters would love me because I put a piece of myself in each and every one of them. :-)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

JULY!

Well, it's July. Yippee! How is writing? Hmmmm let's do an update:

1- WIP #1 still doing edits, friends are reading it, query has been written but needs tweaking, I'm thinking August shall be when it's ready for agents

2- WIP #2 is almost at 60K. love the story. Love my main character. The novel has the potential to be my first 100K book if I continue in the direction I'm going. I have so many ideas for the series and so many characters I want to put in. It's very exciting.

And that's all I'm working on currently. I do have other novels in synopsis form but I'm going to wait until I've queried WIP #1 and finished the first draft of WIP #2 before exploring them.

Summer is the best time of the year for writing. Everything is beautiful and thus everything inspires me.