Blog Me MAYbe #3: Drat! I’m forgetful? And Other Randomness.

Tags

Blog Me MAYbe, blogging, high school, personal, Random, Writing

Drat! And I was doing so well…for the first two days. Ok, so I’m behind on the Blog Me MAYbe challenge. I might have forgotten to blog more days than I remembered…oops?

So, it’s Tuesday again. My least favorite day on the schedule, because I’m supposed to tell you something about me. Last week, I told you about my obsession with lipstick. This week…

…I’m not sure. I think I’ll start by telling you that I have a better memory than anyone I know, yet can be randomly forgetful, like forgetting to blog for the past 6 days! Ok, so that’s not super interesting…Let’s try again…

I write (mostly) YA fiction. I write mature YA for high school students. I’m currently working on a novel in which my main character (MC) struggles to deal with the death of her identical twin sister. My MC is a senior in high school. It’s interesting to write about high school students. I spend whole chunks of my days thinking about high school life and characteristics that are unique to those teen years. I often find myself thinking about my high school years. So, I thought that I’d share some random tidbits about my ms/hs career.

Here goes, in no particular order or importance:

• I was in every play and musical my high school put on. I always received a part, but I was never the lead…oh, wait! I was the lead in 9th grade. I had to play a female football player, AND had a steamy on stage kiss!
• The same boy asked me to homecoming 4 years in a row. I said no each time.
• I’ve had the same best friend since the first day of kindergarten. Her name is Jodee, and she rules!
• I had a cat named Scooby-Do. Oh, the irony!
• I broke a few hearts. Oops!
• I have two sisters, but they are nearly 10 years older than me. So, by the time I reached middle school they had moved out. Growing up as a faux only child greatly affected my life (and not in the best way).
• As freshman I went to the prom with a hot, popular senior. (Go, me! LOL)
• I was extremely angst-y, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I wrote notebooks full of poetry. I was published several times in HS.
• I became an aunt at the age of 14. My niece, who I love more than life, is graduating from my old HS this June!
• I fell in love. Hard. But in the end, I broke his heart. After, our lives went in drastically different directions. I still feel guilty about that.
• I wrote a play in 10th grade that I would love to revise and produce on stage!
• I could continue to write these for hours, because it’s fun to think about! But, I’ll stop here.
• What was life like for YOU in high school?

Good night!

Blog Me MAYbe #2: You Wake Up and Suddenly…

Tags

Blog Me MAYbe, blogging, Calvin&Hobbes, comics, Fiction, Inspiration, Random, Writing

It’s Wednesday. That means it’s my turn to ask YOU a question for the Blog Me MAYbe challenge.

Question: If you could wake up tomorrow and live a day in the life of any fictional character (books, movies, tv), who would it be? 

I thought a lot about this. I’ve read so many great books, and have loved so many great characters that I wasn’t sure I could pick just one. I was going to be all “literary” and pick some highbrow character from a classic novel. But, honestly, that wouldn’t have been honest. If I could be anyone else for a day, I would want to be someone who has a ridiculous amount of fun and has very little responsibility.

Therefore, tomorrow morning I plan to wake up and be Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes!

I’ve been a fan of Calvin & Hobbes since I was in middle school. Bill Watterson is a genius. I was crushed when he stopped making the comic. I own all of the books in their individual versions, and my wonderful husband, Cheeks, gifted me the complete, bound set for Christmas a few years ago.

I would love to be Calvin for a day! I mean, who has more fun than Calvin?!

Not only is Calvin awesome, but he has the world’s most wonderful best friend!

Now YOU tell me…who would you like to be for a day? Can’t wait to hear your answers! (So, someone please answer! )

Blog Me MAYbe #1: Lipstick Lover

Tags

Blog Me MAYbe, blogging, fashion, lipstick, makeup, Random, Writing

I’m back, as promised, with my first entry for the Blog Me Maybe Blogfest/Challenge.

Since it is Tuesday, I’m supposed to tell you something about me. Le sigh. If you’ve been following along here on my sad, little blog, you know that while I love writing (fiction!) I absolutely detest writing about myself. I don’t even keep a journal. Therefore, I’ve spent the better part of the day thinking of what I should write today’s post about. Since, there are FIVE Tuesdays in May, I’ll have to do this FIVE times. I thought I would start out with something light, but important. In my life that means:

LIPSTICK!

I love lipstick, and it’s a major part of my life. That sounds completely superficial, but it’s not…and even if it is, it’s still true! My obsession with makeup started about 10 years ago. At first, I just played around. I’d find a look in a magazine that I liked, then try to replicate it on myself or one of my friends. I did makeup at a few weddings, and amassed an enormous collection of makeup.

Then, about 3 years ago, I left my career as a MS/HS English teacher, went back to school and became a professional makeup artist and esthetician. It was a scary leap for me to leave teaching. I adored the students, and loved talking about amazing books all day. However, I needed to follow my own dreams. Working as a makeup artist/esthetician not only allowed me to explore that passion, but it also afforded me more time to write. As I prepare to move from Boston to D.C. next month, I am once again transitioning my career. It’s time to be a full-time writer!

But, alas, I digress, slightly. I may not be a full-time makeup artist or skincare professional anymore, but my love affair with makeup, and specifically, lipstick is undying! When I first started doing makeup, I typically focused on my eyes and wore a basic gloss on my lips. Then, I realized I’d been playing up the wrong facial feature. My lips is where it’s at! I bought one tube, then three tubes, then twenty tubes, and now I’ve lost count!

Most people plan their makeup around their outfits. I plan my outfits around my makeup! My lips are like a mood ring. I pick a color to wear based on how I’m feeling, where I’m going, and how adventurous I want to be.

I DO have a favorite color. It was my first true lipstick love. It is YSL’s Signature Fuchsia color. (I think it’s #5?)

Here’s a photo of me wearing my favorite lipstick lover:

I do love the pinks and reds, but I was obsessed with purple lips this past winter and fall, and am looking forward to wearing my favorite shade of orange this summer!

I know a lot of girls think lipstick is really hard to wear and/or that it’s for old ladies. Not true! I have tons of tips and tricks on how to wear lipstick. Maybe I’ll share those in another post…on this here…my writing blog. Oh, dear. But, I challenge you to try some real lipstick, if you never have. It may look shocking (and even ridiculous to you!) in the mirror, but I promise you that once you step outside everyone will compliment your pretty pout.

Blog Me MAYbe

Tags

Blog Me MAYbe, blogging, Writing, Writing Process, Writing Prompts

Hi Friends!

So, I’m going to (attempt to) participate in this:

What is Blog Me MAYbe? It’s a blogging challenge for the month of May. Clink on the graphic to find out more. It’s being hosted by writer and blogger, Sara McClung. On her page you can see a list of the different blogs that are participating.

I’ve voiced my struggles with blogging. I’ve voiced my struggles with writing about myself. By participating in this, I’m hoping to be inspired to blog more, and to learn to diversify my posts…while having them still (mostly) pertain to writing. I don’t know if I will post everyday, but I’m going to try.

Actually, let’s set a more tangible goal. I was once a Teach for America corps member and we really like measurable goals. I will mark this month down as a successful one if I blog 20 days out of the 31 in May. (Also, if I pack up my house for the move, sell at least $400 worth of stuff on Ebay, and finish all of my work on time for my writing class, and lose 20 pounds.)

Here is the weekly guide on blog topics for the Blog Me MAYbe challenge: (This is from Sara’s blog. Check her out. And participate!)

The schedule: 

Mondays: May I tell you something about writing?
This can be anything writing-related. A post on craft. A post on your process. A snippet of your WIP, if you like to share. A book on craft that you want to recommend. Things you struggle with. Things you rock at. ANYTHING at all! 

Tuesdays: May I tell you something about myself?

Pretty self-explanatory   Share something about yourself that your followers might not know. Or maybe they do. It doesn’t matter–this is just so people who read your blog can get to know you a little better.

Wednesdays: May I ask something about you?

Ask your followers something about themselves. 

Thursdays: May I tell you something about someone else?
Make this post about someone else. A writing friend. A critique partner. A person from history who’s fascinating. A character from a book. Anyone you want.   Have a guest poster. Give an interview. Get creative! Just let the spotlight shine on someone else. 

Fridays: May I share something funny?
Fridays = the starts of weekends! BOOYA. Reason to celebrate and laugh on it’s own–plus, who doesn’t want to see something amusing after a long week?

######

Hmm…just noticed I get the weekends off. Maybe I’ll make up my own stuff for those days. Maybe I’ll just take those days off. MAYbe you’ll just have to wait and see!

Look for another post later today. As this one doesn’t really count. Really? Really. I just wanted to write REALLY one more time. And in capital letters. REALLY!

Hearts. Elle.

– Writerly Links & Love —

Tags

Contests, Inspiration, Random, Rejection, Writing, Writing Process, Writing Prompts, Writing Tips

Don’t Shakey-Cam Your Writing: This is a great blog post that includes some guidelines on writing actions scenes. It was written after the blogger saw The Hunger Games, with all of those “shakey-cam” scenes. I think writing actions scenes is one of my weaknesses, so I appreciated this.

“The Writer’s Voice” Contest: A writer contest run by writers and literary agents. It is modeled after The Voice. Do you have a completed and revised manuscript ready to be seen by agents? If so, you might want to check this out!

“Book Twos are Strange Beasts”: A blog post by YA author Erin Bowman about writing a sequel.

Seven Tips for Rising Above Rejection: The title is pretty self-explanatory.

Thank You for Your Rejection: When you can’t rise above rejection, there’s this.

13 Writing Prompts from McSweeney’s: Hilarious. Maybe I should try these out…

Something I Love: We Found Love Cover

Something Random: (and hilarious!) The Fashion Shack

Schools IN for Summer!

Tags

Fiction, Media Bistro, Writing, Writing Process

See what I did there? Good, right? Ok, admittedly not my best work. It’s late, and I’m a bit cranky.

My young adult novel writing class started last week, and just a few short hours ago I turned in my first assignment. It’s lovely to be a student again, but homework still sucks! Ok, maybe, it’s just that I disliked this week’s assignment.

We had to write a full summary/synopsis of the novel we will be working on in class. You’re thinking, Why would she think that’s hard? She writing a novel. A synopsis should be easy. And my reply is, WRONG, my friends. Horribly wrong.

I’ve always hated writing summaries. They’re stupid. And that’s me being juvenile. LOL. I’ve never really liked writing summaries, because I’ve never felt I’ve been very good at them. Sure, I’m a confident writer. But there’s something about summarizing my novel into a condensed one page format that freaks me out. It also has a lot to do with my issues (see: failures) with brevity, which I believe I’ve mentioned before.

Was this assignment necessary and ultimately helpful? Absolutely. For one, I’m terrified of writing a query letter. I’ve actually thought about how I might be able to bribe one of my critique partners or beta readers to do it for me. So, writing this synopsis was good practice for my future query letter. Also, a synopsis, it would seem now that I have one, helps you (the writer) identify plot holes and possible problems with your storyline. It helped me see how far my story has come since the idea first struck me nearly two years ago. It also helped me see that there are still some decisions that need to be made.

I really shouldn’t be complaining considering I’ve already written over half of the novel. Many of my classmates haven’t started yet, and they still had to write a synopsis. Or, maybe, that’s easier, because then you’re sort of talking through a new idea instead of condensing an already lengthy novel? I don’t know.

Speaking of my classmates, they are wonderful and diverse. Many of us have a long history of writing, some more professional than others. While others have never written anything of length before. I’ve been reading through some of the other summaries that have been turned in. They are some really awesome and creative ideas for novels! I can’t wait to read them and see them develop over the next twelve weeks. Oh, and I can’t wait to finish my own novel. ‘Cause it’s gonna happen, and SOON. (<–That’s me convincing myself…)

What are YOU working on? What goals would you like to accomplish this spring/summer?

Serious Writer Time, Or My Class Starts in a Week (EEEEKKK!)

Tags

Fiction, Writing, Writing Process

Yesterday, I realized, much to my chagrin, that my writing class starts next Thursday. That means, it starts a week from today. Every time I think about this I clutch my chest and take a deep breath to make sure that I keep breathing, and then I let out a loud

EEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be taking this class. It’s being taught by the YA author of Imaginary Girls, Nova Ren Suma. If you want more deets on the class and how I came to be in it, check out this earlier post by me. 

I haven’t taken a real class since I finished my Master’s at Johns Hopkins in the spring of 2007. I did take a couple of adult education classes at a community center here in Boston. Both were on writing, but neither really lived up to my expectations, and neither were focused on YA writing specifically. So, you can understand my interminable excitement about this class.

So, why am I freaking out? Well…because I had hoped to have the draft of my novel finished before the class started. And…I don’t think I’m going to meet that goal. I’ve been writing a lot lately, but outside life has been crazier and busier than I had hoped or anticipated. Therefore, I haven’t made as much progress as I had planned.

I’m EEEEKKKK! freaking out. Not only had I hoped to finished, but I had also planned on revision the first chapter or two, so that I could turn those in as my first pages to be critiqued.

Le sigh. Now, I’m faced with a dilemma. Do I continue on and try to finish or do I except defeat, knowing I have the end well outlined, and go back to the beginning and start revising? Based on my outline, I imagine I have approx. 20k words left to write before the end. Though, knowing the way I write, it will probably be more like 30k. Can I write 30k in a week? Umm, no. Just, no. Ok, so I should start revising? Ugh. I feel like my WIP is finally at a point where I can see the end, and I just want to keep writing. I’m not sure how I’ll feel about going back to the beginning again. Again, Le sigh. 

Thoughts? Recommendations? Advice? All are welcome!

Obligatory Hunger Games Post, or Duh.

Tags

Fiction, Hunger Games, Movies

As a huge fan of The Hunger Games and a YA writer who, clearly, writes a blog, I feel rather obligated to write a post upon the release of the HG movie. Though, I’m probably not going to write what you might expect.

First, a bit of history about my history with The Hunger Games. I was the first person in the history of the world to read The Hunger Games.

Ok. Do I have your attention now? Good. Because that was a total lie! See how slick I am? 

Ok, so I wasn’t the first person in the world to read HG, but I did read it long before it was the crazy smash hit it is now. I made the joke about being first, because I HATE it when people have a competition of “Who Knew It First.” You know this game. This is when you tell a friend about that cool band, book or restaurant that you just fell in love with. Then they tell you how they’ve known about that for years, and make you feel silly and inferior that you’re just discovering it now. Seriously, I really do hate this game.  So, I want it to be clear that I’m NOT playing this game when I say that I read the Hunger Games early on.

I used to be a middle/high school English teacher. Three years ago, during my last year teaching, the school librarian, during a book fair, recommended that I try out this new book called, you guessed it, The Hunger Games, because she knew that in college my literature concentration was in Utopian/Dystopian fiction. I bought the book, and then…I let it sit on my self for 3-4 months. Finally, in the spring of 2009, I decided to give it a read. Obviously, I was enthralled!

My reading experience was different from almost everyone I know (except for another teacher friend of mine), because when I read it, I had no idea that it was going to be part of a series. I thought it was a stand alone book. Towards the end, with 10 or so pages to go, I got confused. I thought, “How on earth is this writer going to wrap this up? There’s no way to write a satisfying conclusions in just a few pages!” But still, I was shocked when I reached the last page, only to read, “End of Book One.”  I had to wait 6 months for the 2nd book to come out, and then a full year after that for the 3rd. All of them were well worth the wait, and I was very satisfied with the final resolution in Mockingjay.

I’m happy The Hunger Games have become so popular. I think that it and books like it represent some of the very best in YA fiction, and are examples of why I write YA. But, I’ll save all of that for another post, as I’ve already digressed…a lot. This post was supposed to be about the movie…duh!

I’ve seen the movie twice, and I loved it both times. I think they did a fantastic job bringing HG to the screen. I also recognize that many have just recently read the books, while I haven’t read the first one in nearly 3 years, so I may have forgotten some of the finer details. However, I’ve been struck by the number of people, friends and strangers, on twitter, facebook, blog, etc. who have started off their review of the movie by saying this prolific bit of prose, “I liked the movie, but I thought the book was much better.”

And to that I say:

DUH!

Equally prolific, right? Of course, the book is better than the movie. Books in general are better than movies. And, I’m not just speaking of movies that are adaptations of books. I’m stating that books (good books!) are better than movies. Books ignite the imagination. Writers give you the foundation, the plot, but it is really you, the reader, that creates the story in your mind. We spend countless hours reading books for a reason. I’ll devout 10 hours to the reading of a good book, but I’d never watch a 10 hour movie…which is why the don’t exist, which is why movie adaptations can never ever contain every plot point, twist, and favorite parts of the books they’ve adapted. Comparing a book to a movie is (forgive the cliche) like comparing apples to oranges.

So, were there parts of HG that I loved in the book that I wish had been in the movie? Sure. Did I think the movie failed, a bit, to demonstrate just how much Katniss struggled during the Games? Absolutely. Was I disappointed that the movie didn’t include the “gift” of bread to Katniss from Rue’s district after her death? Of course. But does that mean that the movie somehow failed to live up to the standards of the book? No, no, no.

Sometimes, I wish all of my favorite books would be turned into such fantastic movies. And, at other times, I’m glad most of them haven’t been, so that the images my mind created while reading the books are the only ones I have. I’m a bit wishy-washy, back and forth on that issue. And, I’m ok with that. I’ll take an apple or an orange and be happy with either. But, if books are apples…well, there’s a reason why the saying isn’t an orange a day will keep the doctor away.

Weird Writer Behavior #1: Carrots

Tags

Writing, Writing Process, WWB

I think most writers have weird behaviors that they partake in while they write, before they write and after they write. I’ve started to become more aware of mine…

I do not like to mix food and writing. It’s not that I starve myself to find divine creativity, more that if I try to write on a full stomach, I usually opt for a nap instead.

I’ve discovered that the one exception to this rule is carrots. You know, the little baby ones that you can eat by the bag full. Or, that I can eat by the bag full while writing without realizing that I’ve just eaten an entire bag of carrots. Don’t judge me!

I think it’s the crunch. It sets a rhythm for my writing. Helps me balance my feng shui of words. It’s a vegetable beat of iams. LOL.

“Just Let It Go”

Tags

Inspiration, Writer's Block, Writing, Writing Process

I set a goal today. I’m almost embarrassed to admit and/or reveal it. But, shame is its own form of motivation, is it not? Let’s try this again. I set a goal today to write 2k new words in my WIP (Work in Progress). To say I failed, would be the truth and an understatement. I was successful in writing approximately 100 new words, and that may be a bit generous.

Quick, someone check. I think I’m blushing with shame.

It’s not that I didn’t get any other work done; I did. I edited some previous work, and read through some earlier chapters for logistical purposes. Yet, all day, I felt like I was avoiding my “real” work. Of course, it’s all necessary, but let’s face facts: In order to write a novel, you have to write a novel.

Just writing that sentence makes me anxious. Really anxious. Does anyone have some extra Adavan lying around? I’m kidding…unless you have some…still kidding…

Some parts of this novel have come so quickly that I almost understood the cliche phrase: It basically wrote itself. Almost, because other parts of the novel have come so slow I thought maybe I’d died and gone to hell. For example, my MC (main character) spent a month (in real time, not book time) in the bath tub. I just couldn’t write her out of it. She was so wilted and moldy by the time I finally wrote her into scene I had to wonder if I was writing realistic fiction or a zombie book.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like nothing has come easy. The words aren’t flowing the way they should. But, really, how should they? It’s different for every writer, I know.

I could make a lot of excuses. I work five days a week, so my writing time is mostly crammed into my “weekends”, which are Tuesday and Wednesday. And, sometimes on T’s&W’s, I’m just plain too tired to write. Cheeks and I are getting ready to move, and between moving plans and future travel plans, everything has been a bit of a logistical nightmare.

But those are just excuses, and I don’t really believe in those. Thank (or blame) Teach for America for that.

I have to admit, if the words were flowing, I’d find the time to write them down. It’s not that I’m really stuck or out of ideas. The whole outline for the novel is done and has been revised several times. And, it’s good! I want to write the scenes I have outlined. Yet, I just can’t seem to do it.

I have a history of struggles with “letting things go” when it comes to projects that I’ve worked really hard on. It took a college professor calling me out on this for me to realize it. I wrote an honors thesis in undergrad on utopian fiction and the women’s movement of the 1970s. I got extension after extension, and eventually took an incomplete in the class.

Oddly enough, the thesis was completed on time save all but the last 10% of it. But, for months, I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. I would sit and stare at my old Gateway desktop for hours, days and just couldn’t continue.

Having seen several drafts, my professor was wise to my game, and called me out on it. She said, “Elle, my guess is that your thesis is pretty much done, and that you just can’t let it go. Just turn it in. Let it go.” She was right, and a few days later I finally turned it in. It felt amazing to finally let go.

I was unable to let it go before that, because, subconsciously, I was afraid to let the (metaphoric) world see it. I had worked for months on that thesis. What if it was a failure? Ok, I wasn’t actually worried that it would be a failure. I was worried that it wasn’t perfect. I’m a perfectionist to a fault, and I knew that once I turned it in there was no turning back. I had to be perfect, before I let it go.

Ten years later, I believe I’m back in the same position. Nearly paralyzed with fear, afraid to finish the first draft of this novel. Because, after I finish this draft (and revise it), it’ll be time to let others read it. Just like with my thesis, I’ve already shared parts of the novel with other writers, friends, and critique partners, and I don’t have a fear of other people reading my work. Yet, in my mind, there seems to be something different about letting it go as a whole work.

I’m hoping that coming to terms with this will help me overcome it, and I’ll soon be on my way to finishing. Especially, since in novel writing, unlike in graded thesis writing, until it’s published there is always revision.

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.