I'm smack dab in the middle of my novel. It's been going great for awhile. I was writing at least 2k words a day. But now, for the last week, it has hurt to write 200 words. I always hit that place in a novel where I just don't want to write it.
It's not because it's a bad idea, or the writing sucks. I'm just tired of it. And that's when my other ideas all begin to creep up on me. And my blog becomes more and more interesting.
I haven't written in a week. I'm tired, I feel that I've been overworked even though I haven't been doing anything but watching tv. But, you know what? I'm going to keep writing. Because I believe in my novel and I know that this will pass. It's like a man in a mid-life crisis. I just need a red sports car-like plot thread and then everything will be fine. I'm going to keep going because I believe in my writing. And you should too.
I have obtained a obsession for British tv shows. I don't know what it is about them, they are just more interesting to me than american ones. Well that and all the guys have cute accents :) Anyways, here are my top 3:
#3 Skins:
Skins is an award winning british tv show that is about teens going through the two years in sixth form. It covers just about everything, from eating disorders to metal illness and more. It's pretty racy(which is what ended up killing the american version of the tv show) but I personally like it. It's real, ya know? It's like a way better version of Degrassi in a way.
#2 Being Human:
Being human is a tv show about a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost living together. Crazy, right? Truthfully I like the American version and the UK version (UK version is on the left, US is on the right). They are both funny and make me want to keep watching. But anyone else you ask will probably say the UK version is better. Oh well :/
#1 Misfits
I love this tv show. Oh my goodness I love this tv show. Misfits is about five delinquent teens who get struck by lightning and then get special powers. I heard about it from people on inkpop and so I decided to watch it. I'm addicted. I'm on the second season episode 4 right now and I'm probably going to finish season two tomorrow. E4 has confirmed that there will be a 3rd season witch makes me super happy (as long as I get to watch it on Hulu :D ). The characters are great (Nathan is so funny and I'm in love with Simon!) and it's a show that you just want to keep watching. Part of me doesn't want to finish the second season because I know I'll be dying to watch the third season. So great. I recommend this tv show to everyone. So so so great.
Determination is one of my favorite things. We are all determined to so something at one time or another. Whether it be to become famous( like Marilyn Monroe always wanted) or to scrape up enough money to buy a car and go to college(like me). Determination is what keeps you on your toes.
Right now all I'm determined to do is finish Doppled in Gray. I'm taking steps with that. Right now is finish the first draft. Then edit. Then rewrite. Edit again. Query. From there it gets hazy. If I get an agent, I'll go for traditional publishing. If I get burnt out(which I will after 200+ queries) I'll self publish. I really just want my baby to be read. It doesn't matter how. After Doppled in Gray will come another book that I wrote, and then another. But I'm always going to be determined to keep going.
Who knows, maybe you You have the same goal as me. Maybe you want get published. You want to see your name on a beautiful cover in the bookstore and be able to smile and say, “That was totally worth it.”
Maybe your goal is smaller, maybe you just want to get through the month, the week, the day. It doesn't matter. Life isn't about the outcome it's about how you got there and what pieces you left behind. Maybe it will be huge like JK Rowling's or Oprah's. Maybe it will be tiny. But stay with whatever it is.
Set a goal, make a bucket list. As long as you are determined just trust yourself. You'll get there.
2011 has gotten me to think a lot about love. Yes, I know that it's only halfway through the year but stay with me here. This is important.
Love is something that's important to us all. Love leads to peace, to happiness, to all sorts of things that could potentially help. Love makes the world go round. But love is a folly thing. There are times when people get hurt, when they feel like they are at wits end, when they can no longer stand it any more. But love is what will always make us human. I personally think love is what causes all the other emotions, love makes us smart. It's what makes us real.
Your probably wondering why I'm blogging about something every person already relates to. You have someone you love, whether it be a relative, a partner, a child, friend or just an object. Love makes us all do silly things. And the same happens with your characters.
Characters are like people, they have emotions and one of the biggest ones is love. Love can drive a whole plot, love is what makes characters interesting. But not just love in general. No, I mean how they react to love.
For example, in my novel Doppled in Gray the main character Daze doesn't have any parents. Barely anyone did in the virtual world that she lived in all her life. But they do have people that they call their siblings. They are grouped together at a young age and forced to take care of each other. In the virtual world there isn't hunger or any physical pain necessarily but there is still a lot of emotional turmoil there. Everyone needs someone that they can depend on. With Daze it was Pher. He was the one who took care of her, comforted her when she was scared, made her smile when all she wanted to do was fight. And she did the same for him.
In my opinion novels are all about the characters. How the characters can make something come into being. Make sure that a character has someone or something they love. Whether it be a spaceship, a dog, a person, it doesn't matter. The plot widens because of it. How is the main character going to be able to protect [insert loved thing here] when there is a crazed monster attacking? How is the main character supposed to fall in love when all she/he/it ever knew was how to love a stuffed animal?
Love can make or beak a person. Keep it close. And remember. Whatever happens, love will always be an option.
This weeks inspiration was really all over the place...
Inception theme: Mind heist
I loved writing to this for fight scenes! So thrilling.
Angel and Demon Pic
I really loves how this picture plays out. Not only did it inspire me for a scene but it kinda reminds me of myself thinking about the book. Be super evil or go easy on them. Your right, evil works. >:)
Romance by Apocalyptica
This song inspired an entire scene. Not only do I love the song but I love all the feeling that the cellos bring to the music. But then, maybe I'm biased. I am a cello player, after all.
This really doesn't have anything to do with the story but I loved the look of it. And the cat is just like WTF?! I suppose the reason that I like it is because it portrays the feeling of being lost. Whether it be withing your personal life or literally being lost in totally new situations we will all feel the confusing feelings one time or another. That's why I think humans are social creatures. We need someone to keep our feet on the ground.
The Last Goodbye by David Cook
I heard this song on the radio while I was driving. The sun was shining, shaded by only the trees and the song really ended up speaking to me. I normally don't like David Cook but this song is awesome.
This picture inspired me for my NaNo novel, SEEN. I'm currently just outlining and thinking up idea for it and when I saw this picture it felt like the hoover dam of my ideas for the novel just let loose. So great.
I love the embrace here. You can feel how much they need each other.
Hallelujah by Kate Vogele
I love this song, I have since I heard it on Shrek. And I really became attached to this version. Kate Vogele(how she looks) really helped inspired the look for Dia in my novel Dark and Far but I hated just about all of her actual music. It's funny how for the next book that I'm writing I find out her voice is better than I thought.
Yeah, just had to put this in. I'm doing Camp NaNo and I encourage all my other writer peeps to do it to. It helps so much with just getting done with your first daft. NaNo has really helped my typing skills too.
I just love this gun. I know that only one or two of my female characters can actually handle a gun but I want to learn. I have no idea why I want to learn to shoot. I mean, I know that it's super dangerous and hunting isn't really fair to animals but on the other hand, knowing that you could take someone or something down if you were in danger, you would think that it would make you feel more confident. Especially if your a super lanky girl that can't punch, like me.
Those of you who read this probably know I am an active member on Wattpad.com, have been for a couple of years. I am on a couple of other writing sites also(Inkpop, AbsoluteWrite forums) but Wattpad has always stuck with me, through thick and thin. Though, it seems there has always been one complaint about the site.All the The most popular stories are cliche and poorly written. Well, that is just not true. There may be stories that are poorly written on the site but there are also some that are pretty amazing. So I've decided that once a week I am doing a Watt's Hot on Wattpad post. There will be my top picks for best written stories. They don't necessarily have to be popular, they just have to be well-written and unique. I'm not going to promote stories that are already published or about to be published. It's all about the undiscovered gems here. So lets get started!
In the near-future, mankind succeeds at curing A.I.D.S. However, something much worse fills the void, changing the world forever... This story is actually becoming quite popular, which is a surprise for a SciFi story on Wattpad. It is about a man who cures A.I.D.S but a stronger mutated form of it ends up killing all the women on the planet. So scientist have to come up with a substitute. And that substitutes name is Sylvia. I am usually not attracted to books with male main characters but this is an exception. the author just pulls the reader in without even trying. The story is an excellent read, still in the first few chapters but I'm always excited to read more.
GODS, a scientific branch of the US Department of Defense, has done it. They have genetically engineered the perfect agents. Better, faster, smarter, and stronger than regular humans, these "Gods" are the best any official could ask for. But when someone takes it too far, can Artemis, the sole member with her sanity intact, survive against members of her own kind? This story caught me from the moment I read it. The characters are all so life like, each personality is so distinct you cant help but feel sucked into their world. You feel very sympathetic for Artemis throughout the story. It is still in progress but she updates frequently. Awesome story.
When Krystal loses her best friend, Hanna, in a mysterious accident, she doesn't know what to do with herself. Her life takes a drastic turn after she receives a letter from Hanna, implying that there's more to Krystal than she thinks. Krystal meets a new boy, Maddox, who is tied to her in ways she doesn't yet understand. As she starts to look inside herself she discovers a power that has been hiding deep within her and there are others who'd like to use them for their evil bidding.
This story is one of those stories that catch you from the very beginning. From the first chapter I was hooked. Krystal is one of those characters that you just want to be friends with. In this story everything is just so put together. You just have to love it :)
If you have a story you think should be on next weeks Watt's Hot post you can either comment with the title, user-name and why you think it should be hot or email it to me at SarahWesten@ymail.com
