new laptop=new inspiration?

I think having a new laptop will help my writing. It's something new and exciting. The keypad is so nice and smooth and the screen is bigger.

So it's January. I completed half of my December goals. I edited a lot of stuff, but I could have done better. I was also supposed to finish my Nano novel. I have roughly 5,000 words to go but I'm falling out-of-obsession with the story and becoming enthralled by a new novel that 9,000 words strong. So here's my dilemna: finish the old novel or continue with the new?

I could work on both, and that sounds like a fair compromise, but I'm so excited by my new novel. So maybe I'll promise myself this: I can write my new novel so long as I write 500 words a night on the other.

I love arguing with myself.

That's what makes me a writer. ;-)

Compelled

I am compelled to finish a story I started over three years ago. A story that began as a short play, which then turned into a performance, then a short story. And now, it's a continuation of stories that all center around a common topic: grief.

A young woman is unable to grieve for her dying father and will use any means necessary to avoid it. Even after her father dies and her family falls apart, she is committed to her silent heart. But how long can a heart survive without beating?

This could be a novella. Or maybe just a really long story. I don't know. All I know is I have to finish it. Scenes come to me at random moments and I write them. Every thing is in pieces now but I kind of like it that way. It's more real. Cause when you look back on life, you rarely see things linear. You see them in bits and pieces. Maybe I'll call the story "Fragments of the Silent Girl who Longed to go to Pluto."

book reviews and writing updates

So ever since Nano ended I've maybe written 3,000 words in my novel. I'm a tiny bit disappointed in myself, but I've accomplished a lot elsewhere. For example, grad school applications are done. I'm in the process of submitting my short stories to contests. I'm making edits to my play. And...I'm reading tons!

Recent books read and reviews:

Catching Fire - 8/10
Overall, I was happy with the sequel to The Hunger Games but I felt like it had a slow beginning.

Mockingjay- 7/10
I would have given this a 10/10 if the ending had been re-worked. I felt it was too rushed and I didn't particularly understand the choices of a few characters.

The Girl Who Played with Fire- 9/10
LOVED IT! Lisbeth Salendar is by far my favorite heroine because she is incredibly flawed yet determined and strong. I'm so tired of reading about whiny girls who freak out over dumb stuff. Lisbeth would tell those kind of girls to grow the F up!

I am about to start SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson. I saw the movie a few years ago and really enjoyed it, so I'm hoping the book is just as good, if not better.

Writing wise, I plan to finish the first draft of my Nano novel by the New Year and spend January preparing another novel for the Amazon Breakthrough Award. I also hope to squeeze in sometime to edit a novel I wrote over the summer and basically have ignored for several months.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday(s)! Ho ho ho

All I Want for Xmas is....

...well, a lot ;-)

In terms of writing, I'd like to finish the novel I worked on during Nano month. It's YA. I probably only have 10-15K left, but I'm already thinking about future projects and past projects that still need to be edited. I have applied for grad schools, yay! And I have had another succesful playreading. All around, I feel pretty darn accomplished in terms of my writing.

So goals for December:
1- Finish Nano novel
2- Edit novels that need to be edited
3- Submit Seaweeds to publishers since agents don't seem to be interested
4- Prepare for amazon novel competition
5- Try not to gain weight by eating cookies

Nano over...what comes next?

Ah, so I reached 50K last night but my internet was not working so I couldn't post until today. Though 50K is an exceptional number of words, I feel like I could have done better considering my past word counts. Over the summer I wrote a 96K book in a month. Then again, over the summer I had more free time and less priorities.

I'm putting the novel on hold this week, even though I only have 15k left (approximately). Grad school applications aren't due for a month, but my goal is to submit by the end of this week so I can relax over the holidays. So every night this week I'll be re-reading my stories and editing/revising my statement of purpose. I'm super nervous to submit. I want to feel like I've submitted my best work and feel confident that 1 of these 4 schools will appreciate what I have to offer and accept me. After being rejected from 8 schools last year, I know I have to step it up a notch. I have to prove myself a writer. I know I have the dedication and talent to pursue a career in writing. I just have to prove it to a group of professors.

The statement of purpose is killing me. My goals are clear, it's just my beginning that is so mundane. Right now I have a few sentences about how I learned to read by typing storybooks into the computer. I feel like it's so cliche. I'm considering this instead:

If I did not write, I'd never shut-up because I have so much to say.

Statements are tricky. You want yours to stand out without being unprofessional.

But besides Grad school...my playreading is next week! Yay. I hope for good feedback. And I'm reading Catching Fire (sequel to Hunger Games). Love it so far, but I've heard it's not as thrilling as Hunger Games.

And that concludes my latest blog posting. December, here I come! Ho ho ho!

Nano

I'm about to hit 25K....I heart nano month! And this'll probably be my last post until December 1st, so good luck to everyone doing nano! Keep going. You're almost half way there. :-)

A piece of advice...

If someone tells you after hearing a brief synopsis of your book: "Oh, your book sounds a lot like ________" just ignore them. Because if you think about it for too long, any creative idea you sprout you'll panic thinking you're copying someone else. Originality isn't solely about coming up with a completely new idea. Originality can also be achieved by taking an old idea and making something new out of it. For example, Twilight (though I'm not a huge fan of series but I admire its market) took vampires and made them sparkle in the sun rather than burn. That's original. Vampires are not. But what you can do with them is.

Especially for Young Adult and Middle School levels, you have to consider that many kids like to read books that will remind them of other books they like. How many times have you seen on a book cover or review: "Fans of Harry Potter will love this book!" or "If you loved Edward Cullen, you'll love Bobby Dumble even more!"

So don't write with the idea that you need to be completely original, otherwise you might end writing something that nobody understands or can relate to. At the same time, don't base what you write on what's hot either cause vampires might be dead in three years, no pun intended ;-) Write what you WANT to write. And your end product will be better. And if it is similiar to another book, there are always ways to tweak a book to make it stand out. PS, the person critiquing your book should read it first before saying whether it's too much like another book.

The reason I'm writing all this is because I am in love with my new project and while the idea of a bullied kid going off on the adventure of his life has been done before, it hasn't been done by N. Blank who has her own way with words and her own ideas of what a real adventure is.

Nano word count: 4,361 words
Goal for today: 6,000+ words
Goal for the week: 12,000+ words