Goals

Since work is about to crank back up I need to make sure I set a daily word count goal for myself so I am not tempted to push writing to the side. I decided it was best to start small and then work my way up to a higher amount. So for now I am aiming for 300 words a day. This may seem small, but I don't see the point in setting my goal at an amount I will never reach amidst the lesson planning, paper grading, and other real life tasks that take up my time. I am happy to say that today I hit my goal.

Inspiration Strikes!

How cool is it to be plodding along through life when story inspiration strikes at the most unlikely of times? I have never been more excited about a character and plot before. I just started typing and words started flowing from my fingers as if they had a mind of their own. I wish that would happen every time I sat down to write.

Now I am going to attempt to finish writing my previous story (one I am finishing for myself and never intend to actually publish) and beginning the new novel concept. How many others out there write more than one thing at a time? Any advice you can share?

Character Names

So, I am starting to get back into my original story. I tried to veer off track and start some new projects, but I just couldn't let my characters go. They kept creeping back into my head and begging to be heard.

One of my first tasks was to reread what I had completed in the original draft and plot where things were headed next. I realized as I was reading that my main character is named Brynn and I have a minor character named Mason. Keep in mind I started writing this awhile ago - 2009 - so the Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer had not been published yet. Now that it's out though I feel like I need to change the name of my characters. Replacing Mason's name isn't a big deal since he isn't a major character, but I am pretty bummed about Brynn. It seems that name is popping up everywhere lately. Rachel Caine also just launched a new series featuring a main character with that name as well.

So now I need to rename my main character. Should I go for something unique or stick to mainstream? Thoughts?

Stay Tuned

I am in the process of getting back into writing and blogging. Patience, grasshopper. I'll be back to full strength soon. :)

Reading vs. Writing

Lately I have felt a lot more like reading instead of writing. I'm not sure why this is, but I do have a hunch. I am still struggling with what to write. Do I go back and work the characters I love into a new story? Do I start from scratch with entirely new characters and plot? Instead of taking the time to get serious and answer these questions I just choose to bury myself in a book. Reading is a useful tool for writers - it exposes us to new styles and ways of crafting stories. However, is my thirst for reading negatively affecting my writing? Who knows, but for today I am content to ponder this briefly and then get back to my Kindle.

I also think stress is worsening this issue for me. My current job has less than desirable circumstances and I am just biding my time until I can move on. However, it sucks out my desire to do anything truly creative in the evenings.

Are there any other writers out there with this issue or is it just me?

Rewriting Myths

Today on Facebook, my younger brother went into a rant on how horrible Twilight was because Stephenie Meyer changed the traditional vampire myths and legends. A few days ago on Goodreads, I saw where several readers had bashed Aimee Carter for changing up Greek mythology in her novel, The Goddess Test. Both of these incidents really bothered me.

Isn't the point of fiction to find new ways to tell stories? Don't we encourage people to give fresh paint to old concepts in their writing? I think it's fine to dislike a book, but is it really okay to say that these are bad books simply because they took a chance on creating something all their own?

Another reason this bothered me was because of my current work in progress. Originally, I was writing about vampires, but just wasn't feeling it any more. Don't get me wrong - I still love the fanged ones - but I just felt like if I ever really did want to try to publish something vampires probably weren't the way to go. I mean I think that cruise ship set sail without me long ago. The craze needs time to die down.

I tried to move on to a ghost story that I was excited about, but I just couldn't get the characters from my first piece out of my head. What can I say? I dig 'em. I started wracking my brain for how to solve this dilemma. I decided to go back to the characters I love, recycle the bits I can from the vampire story, and change directions with my supernatural element. No - I will not tell you what it is, however, I couldn't find anything that fit what I wanted to do exactly. I took elements of Norse mythology and am changing them to fit my purposes. Will people one day bash me left and right because I didn't hold true to the actual myths?

Feel free to bash my writing because it sucks or there are too many comma splices, but for goodness sake don't bash me for being creative and trying to tell a story my way. If you don't like a story - close the book - walk away - find something else to read. However, please provide some feedback other than "I hate this because you didn't do the same stuff as every other writer who covered this topic before you."

Who Am I?

I am just a girl, standing in front of boy... Wait - that's been done before, right?

Let me back up a bit. I'm really just a girl sitting in front of her Mac with words and ideas swirling about her head. The trouble is those words sure take their time falling from my brain to my fingertips so that I can craft something worth reading - hence the title of my blog.

I also am sitting here shaking my head as I type this. So many people out there want to be writers, but is it something truly attainable? It's like saying you want to be an astronaut or something. In all honesty, I might have a better chance of getting to the moon than publishing a book. The market is flooded and whose to say that my idea is not being written this very second by someone else? Right now my goal is to just FINISH something. I can worry about the publishing part once that is done.

I also have the slight problem of being a perfectionist. I struggle so much with writing without editing as I go. I'm not sure where along the line this became such an issue for me, but it is a huge hurdle to get over. I just need to write and worry about fixing the junk later. Stamina also seems to be a problem for me. Sometimes I have to force myself to sit down and write something. Should writing be painful at times or is it always moonlight and roses?

Admitting all these shortcomings may be like shooting myself in the foot, but hey, I like to keep it real.

Thanks for following me on this journey.