Waiting in Line

Does life ever feel like one giant line that never seems to end? And yet the line does end and you're told you need to go somewhere else and wait in an even bigger line. Everyone around you is impatient and loathing you because you're in that line, taking up a space, consuming air, getting ahead and maybe they're not.

I'm 24. I am single. I live at home with my parents because I can't afford to live on my own. I work. I don't have a career. I have a JOB. In five years, I ideally want to be published, own a house, be married, and be thinking about babies. But at the rate I'm going, in five years I may not have any of those things. I may still be in line, waiting for a new job, or waiting for an acceptance letter, or waiting for a guy to buy me a rose.

I'm stubborn. And dedicated. And IN LOVE with writing. So much that I'm not going to get out of line. My line may be the longest of them all. There may be a shorter line close by, but the results would be less satisfying.

I will wait. There's lots to do when you're waiting in line. Just have to think a little off the page...

word counts, book review, and Valentine's Day

When I begin a novel, I always ask myself: how long is this going to be? My estimates are never right. In fact, most of the time they're way off. For example, my current book was only supposed to be 50,000 words and it's currently 45,000 and I'm not even sure if I hit the half-way point. My last novel was supposed to be 80,000 and it barely scratched 66,000. I always wonder which is better/worse...to overestimate or underestimate? Or does it even matter?

Book Review! I finished THE REPLACEMNT a few weeks ago and I've been meaning to write a review. I think this is an excellent first novel for author Brenna Yovanoff. She takes YA to a new level. For one thing, the teenagers actually sound and act like teenagers. They swear. They take off their clothes around the opposite sex. And they are funny. Or at least, they think they're funny. Bravo to that! Most writers are terrified to drop the f bomb. Shakespeare forbid they say it in a YA novel. In The Replacement, I was happy to see that wonderful word about two dozen times. Plot wise, I loved it. Lots of twists and turns. The only bit of criticism I have is sometimes certain sections became too telling and/or simply structured. There were also at least 6 typos but I blame the editors/printers for that. I give this book a 9.5/10 and recommend it to all those who want to read a good YA novel.

Valentine's Day was yesterday. Yep.

You know you're in love with your WIP when...

1- You think about your characters like they're your friends/enemies.

2- You like editing and revising what you've written.

3- You go to bed a half hour later because you just have to get to a certain word count.

4- You feel like its the "one."

5- You think about what actors/actresses would play the characters if your book ever became a movie. You wonder if they'll give you a cameo in the movie or perhaps a speaking part. Will they let you write the screenplay? Will you win an oscar for best adapted screenplay?

6-You can block out your mother sreaming at the TV during the superbowl and write a very intense scene without feeling distracted.

7- You think about who you're gonna dedicate the book to when it's published. You think about all the time you'll have to write once you're a bestseller and your bank account has gone from three figures to six.

8- You just keep thinking to yourself, "This has to be published. This HAS to be published!"

And I'm sure there are plenty of other signs, but those 8 are mine. :-)

Dialogue

Just thought I'd share some dialogue from my novel...


“Don’t apologize for things you have no control over.”

“Control. That’s a pretty strong word in my dictionary. I don’t like it when people try to control me. I feel like I’m being kidnapped and rearranged into something else, something I’m not. Sometimes…well, actually most of the time, I like to pretend I’m on another planet.”

“Babe, you are on another planet.”

“I wish it were true.” She sighs and slaps her hands against her knees. “Sorry, I’m saying things that don’t make any sense. I’m really tired.”

“Can’t apologize for that either. We only use like 10% of our brains, so everything we say or do is only 10% understandable when you look at it from a full-brain perspective.”

She rolls her eyes. “Oh, please, that 10% thing is just a myth. Our brains do a lot more than just think for us. Most of the brain’s energy is used to make our neurons communicate with each other. That’s how we’re able to breathe. How our organs work without us thinking, ‘Hey, stomach, it’s time to digest this burger I just ate.’ Those functions occur on their own, using the other 90% people like you think is impossible to tap into.”

“Wow.” Peter folds his arms across his chest and nods three times. “You are a real geek, you know that? You like comic books and science. Do you like Zelda too? Or are you a Final Fantasy fan?”

“Smart ass. I’m neither. Zelda and Final Fantasy are for little girls who can’t handle a gun. I play Resident Evil and Call of Duty.”

“Damn. Will you marry me now?”

“No.”

“Someday you will. And we’ll have little geeky babies together.”

“No, we won’t.”

“I’m kidding. Don’t look so constipated about it.”

ridiculous word counts

Wednesday my novel was 15,000 words. Today it is 29,000 words. I thank the snow.

Book Reviews

Push by Sapphire 7/10

Push is emotionally touching but hard to read because of the language and details of the rapes. I also wanted it to be longer. It didn't seem believable that the main character could transform so quickly. The changes she made were great and admirable, but I'm one of those people who appreciate the journey.

Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist 10/10

This is a real vampire novel. Scary, bloody, gory...loved every page of it! I felt sympathy for every character even the "evil" ones. I think this could be enjoyed by mature high schoolers. It's graphic but not over the top. It's classy gore.

On the Prowl 6/10

This is a collection of urban fantasy short stories. "Alpha and Omega" was good. The rest were so-so. Too much telling not enough showing.

Next reads...THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff. I will admit, I bought this book based on its cover but I've heard it's actually really good. :-)

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

So I entered SEAWEEDS into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. This is my 3rd year doing the contest. The first year I made it through the first round and got reviews of my excerpt. Last year I didn't make it through the first round even though I my piece was probably a thousand times better than the first. This year I'm hoping to make it to the 2nd round. And if I go further...well, that'll be real nice.

I am about 4,000 words close to finishing my Nano novel. And 14,000 words into my new novel. I find that I tend to write sad stories in the winter and happier stories in the summer. My nano novel is a happy story. My new novel is sad. That explains why I'm compelled right now to finish the new novel. But I will finish the Nano novel by February. Then wait until spring to edit it.

In non-writing news, I'm on foot rest. Curse having flat feet!!!!!!!!!!

It needs to snow right now. I need a real snow day so I can write my snow chapter. I've decided I'm going to record some voiceovers of my experiences shoveling snow, making snowmen, feeling cold, feeling warm afterwards...but I need a legitate snow day to do all that.

Is anyone else doing the Amazon competition? If so, best of luck!