changes

So, I haven't been able to write much in the last few weeks due to a few changes in my life. I moved back home to my parents' house after being on my own for 10 months. I'm still trying to figure out how I exactly feel about the situation. The first word that comes to mind is relief. I'll be able to save some money this summer and take my time finding my next place to live. I'm not going to rush into anything anymore.

Speaking of rushing...I think it's my biggest problem when it comes to writing. I am a rusher!!!!! I push myself way too hard. The average writer spends at least 6 months on a novel, some spend up to 2 years. I can hammer out a first draft in two months. I get excited by my speed and the product, and of course having everyone I know read it, but it's not benefiting me in the long run. Every time I query a book, I think to myself "This is my best work!" And then months later, when no agent has shown any interest, I think "I wished I'd spend more time editing and revising and tweaking my query." By then I'm on to my next project and thus the cycle starts all over again.

So, my newest novel is about to be given to friends to read. And I've put a limit on myself not to query any agent until August. No matter how perfect I think the book is, I need time to separate myself from it, and revise it later. They'll always be mistakes to fix.

That's it for now. The other change in my life is having a new part time job in fall teaching at a new studio!!! Yay!


So, for

motivation

So I finished writing a novel about a month ago and I've been editing it on and off since. I'm so close to having a semi-solid first draft, but I can't find the motivation to finish editing the last few chapters. The ending is so poorly written and rushed. I can't seem to focus. I get distracted by my other work in process (which is currently at 32K yikes) and other ideas I have for future projects. I seriously think I need summer so I can focus, relax, and get things done. I'd like to start querying this book by July, but at the rate I'm going, I don't see it happening, unless I want to query a poorly edited book. I still also need to get people to read the draft. I feel like people will either hate it or love it. It's not my typical style. It doesn't have enormous amounts of violence and my main character is a guy. But when I tell people the plot, they seemed very interested and can follow it without asking a billion questions like I've had happen with previous books. It's straight forward. But is it me? Maybe that's why I can't seem to edit it. It's not personal enough. Eh.

too many ideas! too many projects! but a-okay!

So check this out. This is my writing life as of today:
1- Book #1 is being queried to agents/publishers
2- Book #2 is being edited/revised, soon to be given to friends/family to read
3- Book #3 is almost at 30K...it's so much fun to write, I'm addicted
4- Book #4 is in my head, synopsis on paper, and may be something I actually start to write very soon, it's a middle-school level book, 40K is the goal so it shouldn't take too long to write

Then of course, there's the short stories I'm entering into writing contests and a few finished books I want to go back and revise.

WOW. Am I trying to commit writer's suicide or what?

Write until your fingers bleed, then write some more!

my favorite binder

So I have this 3-ring binder. It's yellow. It's cheap. And it holds every single rejection letter I've gotten for writing whether it be from a publishing company, an agency, or a grad school. Every few weeks I add new letters. It's sad to think I might run out of room someday and have to buy a bigger one. But my imagination leads me to believe that one day I'll be sitting next to Oprah with that binder on my lap. And I'll show it to the world.

I've only been pursuing writing seriously for two years. I've grown so much. It's shocking when I read stuff from two years ago and think "Yuck! What was I think putting in all those exclamation marks?" Two years from now, I'll read the stuff I'm writing right now and probably think the same thing. So if that's the case, am I really ready to see my novels on the bookshelves of Barnes&Nobles and Borders? Maybe not. Maybe I'm not ready to be published. Maybe I'm not good enough yet.

But I will be someday. Because I'll never give up.

In the meantime, I'd be nice to have a literary agent at least ask for more sample pages. At least.

Deadlines

We all hate deadlines, but if they weren't there, we wouldn't be as productive. For example, I have to have a full-length play in 2nd draft form by next Monday. So far, I've done about 2 scenes with about 8 more to go. Plays aren't my favorite things to write anymore, so it's hard to stay focused. So what have I been doing? Rewarding myself! Every hour I work on the play, I get to work an hour on my novel. I'll be productive, but at the same time I won't get away from what needs to be done. I have lots of projects I'm working on right now:

1- Editing Seaweeds (goal-May 1st)
2- Finish querying To Catch a Rainbow Butterfly (a few more agents to go...now if only the rest would reply!!!)
3- Submit my three short stories to writing competitions (and tweak them up a bit before sending)
4- Finish editing my play (deadline-May 3rd)
5- Continue working on my newest novel, which may be my favorite (because I'm putting everything I love into, versus high depth emotion/feelings)

Will it all be done when I want it to be done? Hmmmm...I dunno. Hopefully!

the importance of reading

I love to read.

As a writer, I find it crucial to read as many words as I write, if not more!

I just finished "Silver Borne" the 5th book in the Mercy Thompson series. I absolutely loved it. Mercy is an awesome heroine. Though the ending wasn't as fight-oriented as usual, the emotions/stakes were much higher this time. I recommend the series to anyone who enjoys vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, etc. It's by Patricia Briggs. She has tons of other books too.

The only bad part about finishing the book is I have to wait a whole YEAR for the next one to come out. How will I survive? Well, I have other books to read. And books to write! I find that reading good fiction in my genre (which is fantasy) spurs me to write more. Though I didn't write anything more than this blog tonight, I know tomorrow I'll be pumped to get down 3,000 words of my next novel. I did a lot of editing this week. I'm ready to write fresh material.

PS, there's a lot of short story competition deadlines coming up in the next month or so. I have two short stories ready, but I'd like to get some more ready. I wrote a short story a few nights ago about suicide. It was very hard to write because I feel sad when people die, and even more sad when they could have been saved. Anyway, I'm letting it sit before editing.

The weekend is near! I feel like despite having major disappointments thrown at me (grad school rejections, boy rejections, housing issues, headaches during the middle of the day issues) I'm doing alright. If life shoots you with arrows, shoot back with fire. I got plenty of fire.

Progress/Goals

I thought after spring break I wouldn't have the time/energy to write as much, but it's been quite the opposite. I've been very productive. Since my last posting, I've written a short story, edited 3 chapters in my novel, edited another short story, and started brainstorming my next novel (which will be about life/death again but for YA). I'm super excited to start on the novel, but I got a dozen other projects to take care of first. I find the more stuff I have on my list, the more productive I am. I also feel more creative. If I don't feel in the mood to write, I'll edit. If I'm not in the mood to edit, I'll write. If I'm not in the mood for either, I'll brainstorm ideas for other projects. One of my favorite writing activities involves looking up names and their meanings. So much fun! Names are so important. Make sure you love (not like) the name. Especially for your main character.

:-) Happy Tuesday!

Goal of the week- finish editing novel!