The Twelve Days of...Me! Day Six

On the Fifth Day of Me, I give to you…Five Random Things!!! (Rhymes with Five Golden Rings…Gold Rings??)

Anyway.

To start, I’d like to thank Julie Dao at Silver Lining for my Honest Scrap award! Yay awards!! ::Blows celebratory horn:: I haven’t had a chance to post about this yet, so I’ll try to get that done by the end of this weekend. Picking blogs to award is such a difficult thing for me to do because I love each and every one for different reasons. Which is why it takes me forever and a day to do anything about it!

Second, I read on A Writer Wannabe's blog that Monday, December 21st is Official Kissing Day here in the blogging world. This is thrilling to me because I love kisses! I love reading about them, watching them, and, of course, giving and receiving them myself.

To participate, all you have to do is post a kissing scene or almost kissing scene from your WIP. If you are too shy(which might happen right here on this blog), you can post your favorite kissing scene from a book you’ve read.

This might be the most fantastical day in the history of blogging. For serious.


Third! This has been a very long week and I’m so excited that tonight is my work’s Christmas get-together. I could really use a drink. I planned this night out because my work really can’t afford to throw us a party, so I thought it would be nice to book a room and just invite everyone to come hang out. Nothing exclusive, just a space for us to gather. So I booked a room at one of our local faves, made up a few flyers to hang around the buildings, and began looking forward to a fun night out. I love hanging out with coworkers because they’re so much like family anymore. Any excuse to hang out is welcomed.

Anyway, so this afternoon, I get a call from my friend in a different office who tells me that some of our coworkers are under the impression that tonight is paid for by the company. OH. NO. Nowhere on my flyer does it say this is a company sponsored party. No one was ‘invited’, per se. And who in their right mind would see a flyer on a wall and believe the evening would be paid for? COME ON, PEOPLE!!!
So my relaxing night I’ve been looking forward to has just exploded and is now the cause for some serious stress. This post with no rhyme or reason is the result of that stress. I have lost any train of coherent thought. What’s on your agenda for the weekend? Any Christmas celebrations?

Moving on.



Fourth. I’ve been thinking more and more lately about taking advantage of my Twitter account. I’ve had one for a while but I only follow celebrities and I log on about once a month. But the more I read about fellow bloggers utilizing it, the more I want to be a part of the club! So this weekend I might do just that. Be prepared for some Twitter stalking as I muddle my way through the learning process. I’m kind of nervous! Any Twitter advice for me??

Fifth. It’s one week before Christmas! ONE WEEK!! I have barely begun shopping and I might be screwed. Are you all ready?

Happy Friday everyone!

The Twelve Days of...Me! Day Five

Today's post was handed to me by Victoria S.
She tagged me to answer some questions about my writing, so...

On the Fifth Day of Me, I give to you...some answers!

1)What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?

It’s been a few days since I’ve written anything, but the last thing I wrote was the opening of a new chapter of my current ms, Evie After. The first thing I wrote that I still have? My diary. And…I would have to say the first book of a series I spent a good eight years of my life writing. Anything before that, my mom probably has tucked away!

2) Write poetry?

I used to. I used to write it constantly. But somehow I lost my passion for it and now it just collects dust in an old binder on my bookshelf.

3) Angsty poetry?

I’m going to reveal something humiliating about myself. Here goes. ::Deep breath:: The most angst-filled poem I’ve ever written was about Taylor Hanson. From the band. Hanson. This is not a lie, but in fact a ridiculous truth. It was about four pages long and it rhymed and I read it out loud to my mother with tears in my eyes while hers glazed over. I’m pretty sure she had an anxiety attack waiting for me to finish the awful thing.

4) Favorite genre of writing?

I love getting lost in other worlds in fantasy/paranormal fiction, but I don’t think I have the mental capacity to create my own. I recently discovered YA fiction and I’ve been inhaling books as fast as I can to get my fix. I’ve never felt such a strong pull to books before YA, so I’m pretty sure it’s my calling.

5) Most annoying character you've ever created?

I wrote this chick who had the most amazing fiancé in the history of the world and I made her cheat on him. If that weren’t bad enough, she turned into this weepy paranoid person who couldn’t make a decision to save her life and annoyed the crap out of her two best friends. Story filed away!

6) Best plot you've ever created?

I would love to say the one I’m working on, but I have a new idea forming in my head and I’m loving it! One at a time, Julie, one at a time! I do love the story I’m working on now, though.

7) Coolest plot twist you've ever created?

The one I’m working on right now! I was surprised by it myself. No spilling the details on that just yet.

8) How often do you get writer's block?

Writer’s block and I are totally BFF. It happens all the time, especially lately. I’m not sure why because my ms is always on my mind and there’s no problem with flow up there, but when it comes to putting the words on the screen, I’m stumped. How is that???

9) Write fan fiction?

Not even once. I did, however, find inspiration in the Sweet Valley series and I developed my own series about twins(which turned into quintuplets along the way)because they fascinate me.

10) Do you type or write by hand?

Type! Before I had a computer(which wasn’t until my freshman year of COLLEGE)I wrote everything longhand or on my typewriter. I have notebooks upon notebooks of writing.

11) Do you save everything you write?

Thanks to my stepdad, I do. When I started packing to move out of my parent’s house, I tossed all my old stuff rather than cart it around with me. He told me I would regret it if I did that, and I thank him every day because he’s right.

12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?

Sure. Sometimes the stuff I thought was crap at the time turns out to be better than my new stuff. I guess I just need to put things away for a while and come back with a fresh eye.

13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

I have this story about four girlfriends who all have these deep dark secrets that they keep from everyone, including each other, until a vacation together reveals everything. I loved creating the characters and helping them deal with their inner turmoil. This is one of those stories I plan to go back to. Maybe.

14) What's everyone else's favorite story you've written?

Honestly? No one has ever read my stories. I’m pretty sure my mom has peeked when I wasn’t around, but I’m pretty tight-lipped about my writing. It’s a part of the fear. I did write a poem once that I let my family read. It made everyone cry, so I guess it was good.

15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

LOVE romance and angsty teen drama. To me, a book is not worth reading without these! Well, most of the time.

16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?

I like small towns where everyone knows everyone. Cities terrify me, so I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that. My current ms setting is inspired by a town near me on the river, but I’m adding my own elements.

17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?

My novel, Evie After, and planning to start jotting down ideas for the next one that’s been floating around in my head.

18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I have never won an award, but I was used as an example of what you’re SUPPOSED to do on a weekly basis in my Creative Writing class. My professor was a published author and each week we had to turn in a new chapter. Although I was embarrassed that he kept shouting my name and random pieces of my ms to the class, I was thrilled that he thought I was that good.

19) What are your five favorite words?

Dream, Believe, Hope, Inspire, Shine. Kind of cliché, I know, but they inspire me.

20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?

In that series I mentioned earlier? I created this character named Julie(wow! Surprise!)who was me to a T. And she had a boyfriend named Tony(because I had a monster crush on a guy named Anthony). I basically created these characters to write out my fantasies…

21) Where do you get your ideas for your characters?

Everywhere! People I know, people I read about, even things that don’t make sense, like when it snows. Usually I come up with an idea and the characters barge in whenever they feel like it and I have a story.

22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?

I’ve had some amazing dreams but I never wrote them down. Yes, I even had a fantasy novel play out in my dream, but when I woke up, I could only remember it for a minute. And then it was gone. ::Sigh::

23) Do you favor happy endings?

I favor uplifting endings which is different than happy ones, I think. I don’t like to give my characters everything they want, but I don’t want them to end up in an institution when they get older either.

24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?

Oh my gosh, yes! At least with spelling. I am a stickler for proper spelling and I get all crazy-eyed when anything is wrong. I’m not perfect by any means, but I try to spell correctly.

25) Does music help you write?

Music inspires me to write, but I can’t listen to it while I’m writing. It’s too distracting. I listen to the words rather than the melody and I lose my focus. But I create playlists and when I’m writing a certain scene, I’ll play the songs that go with it to help me along.

26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.

"“I know that if I stay here, nothing will get better.”

And so he would go away.
There was nowhere else in the whole world that would help him escape his memories. Nothing that wouldn’t remind him of my mom in one way or another. The only way he could start over, begin a whole new life...was to end his first."

Just a note: This quote came from a story I had been writing that was very personal to me. I chose this quote because it actually helped me move on in my own life. And then had to put it away because it got waaaaay too deep for me and I spent more time crying than writing. Maybe another time??

And that was an inside look at me.

Now I have to pass this on to five other bloggers. Forgive me if you've already been tagged to do this; I tried glancing through each blog to make sure, but when my eyes started to swim, I had to stop!

If you're not following these already, be sure to click that button! They are always awesome reads.

1. Anissa at Anissa Off the Record
2. Sara Tribble at I Am Write
3. Karen Denise at I'm Always Write
4. Jemi Fraser at Just Jemi
5. Heather at See Heather Write

There you go! Thanks again, Victoria, for tagging me! I had fun.

For the ladies I tagged, if you see this before I have a chance to tell you, I'm sorry! I can't leave you a comment at work, so it has to wait until tonight.

The Twelve Days of...Me! Day Four

I don't have much time to write here today because I'm going to a Tupperware party at a friend's house right after work and probably won't be home until late.
But it's day four and I'm still blogging strong, just like I promised!

On the Fourth Day of Me, I give to you...the Little Green Monster.

I write YA. Romantic, contemporary, real life YA.

But I have a secret:
I would love to be able to write Paranormal/Fantasy YA. These books fascinate me, and when I read blogs of paranormal YA authors, I am quickly taken by the little green monster we like to call ENVY.
The imagination required to write these elaborate stories, to make up whole worlds with a completely different vocabulary, different morals, different everything, simply amazes me. I have a wild imagination, without a doubt, but I can't seem to come up with ideas outside the real world box.

J.K. Rowling alone blows me away. The spells, the potions, the creatures, the backstory of all of the quirky characters...who has this brain power to begin with? And why can't they share some with me???
How come when my MC goes to school, she wears jeans and a t-shirt and sits through boring classes like Chemistry? Why can't she go to Herbology while floating in House Robes instead?

Because it's just not in me.

Is it?

If it is, I wouldn't even know where to begin. And besides, I love the stories I create, even if they do take place in the real world.
This little green monster on my shoulder likes to torment me, though. He's always questioning why I don't put in a little more effort to come up with an alternate universe, a new creature to make women of every age swoon and line up outside theaters to drool over.
I hate that little guy.

I have so much admiration for people who can create those worlds, the intricate details that go along with those worlds, and the characters that would only fit in in those worlds. I wonder how they do it. I'd like to open their heads and root around in their brains for the answers to my questions.

But for now, I'll stick to writing about the girl/boy next door and their struggles with the real world. And that little green monster on my shoulder? He gets squashed by my bra strap.

Do any of you have a genre you'd love to write in, but just can't seem to do it for one reason or another? How do you squash your little green monster?

The Twelve Days of...Me! Day Three

Can you believe this?? Three days in a row and a blogging record for me!

After a stressful work day and a heap of bad news, I thought about scrapping day three. But I'm determined to keep my promise of twelve days in a row, so here I am.

On the Third Day of Me, I give to you...my writing fears.



Okay, first of all, I'd just like to say that when I googled the word 'fear', a ton of really creepy pictures popped up. Apparently there's a video game with the same title and a super scary little girl(much like the girl from The Ring)on the cover.
Moving on and far away from that nonsense...

I'm sure everyone attempting to break into this business is scared. Even the people who have already been agented or published. There's always that 'what if' feeling in the back of your mind, a clench in your stomach, a lump in your throat.

I am no different. I know I have a talent, it's something I've done since I learned how to write a complete sentence. Writing is who I am, not just something I do. I need it like I need the air I breathe.
And more than anything, I want to be OUT THERE. You know exactly what I mean: to walk into a Barnes and Noble and see my cover on the New Authors shelves(and even better to be mixed in with all the big names!). To sit behind a table while people line up for my autograph, an opportunity to meet the person who wrote the words that touched them.
It is my dream, my biggest dream.

But what if it doesn't happen? I tell myself that this is foolish, if I think positive and work hard, of course it will happen.
But that stupid thing we call fear just creeps right back up, raising goosebumps across my arms and twisting my stomach into a ball of knots.
Sometimes the fear is so great, I wonder what the hell it is I think I'm doing, trying to break into this business!
But I force myself to take a moment and remember why I'm doing this. Because without it, I would not be who I am.
Even without publishing, I would still be a writer. But it wouldn't be my dream.

I'm a pusher. I push everyone I know(and sometimes even people I don't know!)to follow their dreams. There's enough room in this world for every dream to come true. And what a world it would be if more people went after their dreams!

So I wake up every morning with the fear, and I go to bed every night with it as well. But throughout the day, I know that in facing this fear, my dream will eventually come true and it will all be worth it.
I just keep chugging on, working harder and harder.
I will get there, you'll see.
I know I'm good enough. And you know what? You are, too. We're all in this together, facing the fear as partners, as friends. Fear is really just a molehill on this wonderful journey and if we all hold hands, we'll make it through.

Thanks to all my followers and fellow bloggers for being here for the ride. You give me the courage to continue!

What kinds of fears do you face in your writing? What pushes you over that hill to the other side?

The Twelve Days of...Me! Day Two

On the Second Day of Me, I give to you...my first completed work.



How many of you remember the first story you ever wrote? The first time you wrote The End, the first time you ran out of space in that notebook?
I think the first story I ever wrote was called The Lost Kitten and was about a little girl who fought with her best friend. :)
Hopefully, I know a little better now about titles and storylines and the fact that they should, you know, make sense together!
But the first story I ever completed in written form was the story of my own life. My diary.
Reading it tonight, I found this:

"Just think: when I finally finish my diary, I will have completed my first book. It's a cool thought."(Jan. 12, 1996)

Yeah, that was a while ago! But I didn't even start flipping through my diary until I began writing this post. Kind of neat that I have the same idea regarding my first completed book now as I did way back then.

When you think about it, every story you create is a diary of someone's life. You create their world, their life story. You put it down on paper to relive over and over for years to come.
Let's just hope my diary never gets published! Several posts back, I said that I am boy crazy, but the proof in my diary is just ridiculous. Not to mention humiliating. Door shut and locked.

The great thing about my diary is that it shows me how far I've come in my writing while still proving that I have the same passion for words. Reading through the entries brought me right back to that second of my life, and I can clearly recall things I've long since forgotten. What a treat for a Monday night!
The words I poured into my diary are so important to me. They tell me where I've been and where I hoped to be as an adult. Thank goodness I'm not far off.
It might not be a work of fiction(although my imagination would prove otherwise), but I'm so proud to say that it is my first completed story. I've owned other diaries and journals, but I've never stuck to them the way I did that very first one.

I suppose it was just time to move on to someone else's story.

How do you feel when you think about or read the first story you've ever completed? Do you feel pride in the accomplishment? What did it help you to discover about yourself?

The Twelve Days of...Me! Day One

In honor of Christmas and the fact that this year, I am trying to be a lot more selfless I am going to use the next twelve days(yes, I'm going to attempt a post twelve days in a row!)to be selfish and talk about yours truly.




On the first day of Me, I give to you...my inspiration.

I'll start off by saying that this year for Christmas, the only thing I asked for(and the only thing I wanted to buy for my family)was a donation to a charity. A charity of my choice, and nothing more. This did not happen because for some reason, this was considered 'silly' and I am now going to be receiving multiple Barnes and Noble gift cards to help me continue being selfish.
Ahem.
Because of my family's response to what I considered a good gift idea, I have limited my spending on them to twenty-five buckaroos a person. And I spent a few hundred(give or take)on toys for a hospital toy drive and a giving tree in my town. This made me feel much better(not to mention the pleasure of having to drop off the toys at the local fire station where all of the firefighters were very grateful for the donation...and very good looking)about receiving gift cards to help add to my reading addiction.

The biggest bonus of helping a charity? The inspiration I've had from giving to such an amazing cause. It's boosted my Christmas spirit and sparked my creative juices. Which comes in handy when creative juices run dry.
There's nothing like seeing that happy smile when you've made someone's day to push you forward. Nothing.
Someday, I hope to do that for my readers. I hope to inspire them, to make them think and react.

What about you? What is something that inspires you, especially around the holidays?

Pondering Themes

Tell me what kind of books you gravitate toward.
Do you enjoy the ones that are just for fun, a lot of action and drama with no real 'purpose' except to entertain?
Or do you like the ones that have an underlying message? The kind where the main character learns something in the end, something that makes him/her a better person.

I find that I read and write books that have some kind of meaning, something that is important to me and that I want to be important to my readers as well.
Maybe it's because I am so full of advice and I want to get it out there in mass amounts and hope that everyone LISTENS TO ME!!! :)
Or maybe it's because stories that teach you something always seem to inspire me, even if I already live by what is being taught. In that case, it might actually inspire me more.

The picture I found stands for 'believe in yourself'. This is something I preach to everyone who is in need of advice for...well, pretty much anything.
And because I write YA, I believe that this theme falls into play a lot. Who needs to believe in themselves more than teens who are struggling to find a place for themselves in this crazy world?

How about you? Do you have any favorite themes? Or do you just like to read(and write)books that simply entertain and detach yourself from the real world?