It's time. Well, it was time at the beginning of the month, but real life got in the way. Real life is always going to get in the way, which is the first magical thing about NaNoWriMo. It is one of the rare times during the year where it is okay to be a writer. It is okay to be sitting at your computer, banging on the keyboard to get the story locked in your head out to the blank page with the blinking cursor in front of you. Let's go through the steps to feel that you're ready and what to do to actually get ready.
First Steps
1. Sign up at the NaNoWriMo website. You need to commit to what you are doing and the first step is making an account. That's it. You have until November 1st to come up with an idea and do all the world building steps.
2. Tell the people that you trust that you're going to try to write 50,000 words in a month. There are going to be questions. The one that I get the most is "why are you doing this?". There's no right or wrong answer that you give to that question. For me, it was "because I'm a writer". You might not be thinking of yourself as a writer right now and that's okay. A better answer might be "I have a story that I need to get out" or "I want to try writing" or that you have a big fanfiction project that you want to get done. The last one will get you raised eyebrows unless you have my mom, who is awesome, and said "why not fanfic" when I couldn't decide on my idea.
3. If you do not have a project in mind, brainstorm. What do you want to write? Do you want to write a memoir? Do you want to write something that is a bit like another thing you read but you think you could do it better? Do you have a project sitting somewhere that you feel needs a big rewrite or even a finish? Find that one project. After you do, go to the NaNo website and commit to that project. How you do that is go to the Novels tab in your dashboard. There will be an edit button or a declare your project button. Hit that, fill out what you feel comfortable with, and hit save. For me, I feel the most comfortable with a title and a genre. So, my novel for 2015 is Sky Pirates and fantasy genre. I might add more. I might not. Go with what you are most comfortable with.
Alright, so there are the first three steps. I am not going to say this is easy. It is not. It took me until 2008 to win a NaNoWriMo and even then I didn't think I could do it. You can do it. It is one of the scariest things that you might do in your life, but, having come out the other side, you're going to be okay. Even if you only write 1 word, you have still won. You know why? That's 1 more word than you had before the month even started. Now that we have the first steps down, let's talk about tools to help you build up your novel.
Building the Novel
1. World Building. There are so many ways to world build out there. One of my favorites is Anna Staniszewski's World Building Through Character. I usually have a really good grasp of the characters I want to write, so I will use this as world building. It helps to have it broken down into the chunks that she talks about vs completely building a new world. However, if you do need to build an entire world, the big one is Patricia C. Wrede's Fantasy World Building Questions. It seems huge and like you're never going to be done with it, but it also helps unlock the world that is in your head onto paper. Also, there's two full weeks before NaNo begins and, after you have one down, either characters or world building, the rest comes a bit easier.
2. Characters. Now, this could be your #1 instead of your #2. I know that I usually character build before world building or do a bit of both. Or I'll start world building, get an idea for the characters, and character build before finishing up world building. What I'm getting that is, no matter which way you go, you're going to have characters. What I like to do is get an idea of their personality and then use sites like Seventh Sanctum to get an idea of what they look like. I do not use word for word what they give me but use it to get a general idea of what I'm going for. There's also character sheets that you can use like Writer's Digest's Character Cheat Sheet. Or, if you're a gamer, I would recommend making a character through the character sheets that you use. Go through the dice rolling or putting points into dots and see if that helps. Anyway that you want to make your character is the right way. Like there's no wrong way to world build, there is no wrong way to character build.
3. Plot. We get to the hardest part of the novel building process. You have to decide what happens and how your characters get from point A to point Z. Or, for me, how to get from #1 to #30. I use a method that was created by erin called the Awesome OctoOctober Outline of Awesome with the following instructions being more her words than mine. What you do is open a word document or grab a piece of paper or whatever you do and number it from 1 to 30. At each one of the numbers, you put a plot point with 15 being your first climax and 25 being your secondary climax or twist. Now, you can do it a bit sooner or later, but I don't recommend going before 14 or after 16 for the first climax. Same goes for the twist not being before 24 or after 27. You can have the secondary twist a bit later, especially since then you have three chapters after it to wrap up your novel. Also, if you move the first climax up one or down one, you have to move your secondary climax / twist up or down as well. It needs to be consistent. Then, as November starts, you write the first plot point as much as you can on day one. On day two, you write the second plot point or finish up the first one and then as much as you can of the second one. You want to space it so that you are finishing your novel on the 30th or sooner so you can win NaNo. This method has not failed me ever since I started using it in 2009 but you need to stick to it. You cannot skip a day unless you plan to write two plot points the next day. It is unforgiving but, honestly, with NaNo, sometimes that is exactly what you need.
So there are the bare bones of your novel. You got your world, your characters, and your plot. You are ready for this. You are awesome. However, you're probably going "but Liz, what about the real world? I've got a job and I don't think I can do this". Or "I've go to do a million things in November!". Take a breath. Then another. You can do this, even with real life in the way. Let's talk about that next and then I'll finish up this mammoth of a post. Regular readers, or people who found this and are reading back logs, know that I am not this wordy. So, let's continue.
Real Life and NaNoWriMo
1. If you can, clean your house before NaNoWriMo starts. Or at least where you are going to spend your time writing the novel. If it's in your room, clear off your desk and get as much clutter as you can out of the way. You know why? It has been shown, through the NaNo people and others, that you will do anything to get out of writing. You will clean the house from top to bottom, possibly with a toothbrush to get out that really bad stain, and you will not write. Before November 1st, clean your damn house and/or writing space. Do it now so that you will not be distracted. This includes your fridge, your pet, and anything else that you even think will be a distraction if it's not clean.
2. Do not start any sort of diet or medication unless absolutely necessary on November 1st. I recommend at least a week to a week and a half for your body to adjust. This includes going off caffeine, going off sugar, going off of anything that you eat normally. Also, when I say medication, I mean vitamins. If your doctor says that you absolutely need to change meds on November 1st, listen to your doctor and not some random person on the internet. They know more than I do, considering they have a medical degree and I've got a Bachelors of Arts in English Lit. Also, if you plan to go on caffeine because you think it'll help you through some last night writing, do it at least a week and a half before. Same for sleep schedule and any other big changes in your life if it doesn't impact your job or your health. Otherwise, it will screw up your writing count.
3. Carve out writing time. Either in the morning, afternoon, evening, midnight - just carve out time that you are going to write. You need to make sure that you have time to write. If you know that you only have a half hour to write and you can only write 500 words, then you need to have more time on the weekend to make up writing time. Or your day off or a day where you'll only have a half day of work. Does it suck? Yes. I went through at least two NaNos where I was working retail. I would write on my lunch break and then wouldn't make it up during my off days. It didn't work. You need to make sure that you're doing make up writing time or push yourself to write more when you can. But get to your writing and get it done.
Alright, that's it. Those are the three parts of NaNoWriMo that I think you need to gear up for. Once you have those three down, you're going to be set for a month long haul of writing 50,000 words. Oh, and one more thing.
You Can Do This. It is only 1,667 words a day. You GOT This. Go be awesome.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
[WriYe Blogging Circle] To Prep or Not to Prep? That Is the Question.
Happy Monday! This month, the blogging circle is focusing on the ever looming mountain of doom that is known as NaNoWriMo, aka NaNo. If you haven't heard of it, then I can tell you what it is in very simple terms. You have to write 50,000 words in one month. You get from November 1st midnight your local time to November 30th 11:59 your local time. The first time I won, after many attempts, was 2008 but I've been attempting NaNo since at least 2003. After 2008, I've won every single year, which is nice, and sometimes I have big word counts. Sometimes I just get over the finish line. But this is what a majority of the posts in October will be about, save for this week's post, which will be more about the black hole of editing.
That all said, let's get to the questions.
NaNo Planning vs NaNo Plotting
Which is better for you?
I am a planner. Now, I wasn't one to begin with and I'll get into that with the next question. However, if I have a plan, then I will not fail. I need something, just a basic idea of what I can get done during the month, or I'll sit and stare at a blank screen. Now, my sort of planning is a more that the outline is a general idea of what will happen. It can change. The characters can change from good to bad, save for the main characters or any major characters that need to stay how they are. But, if I have my outline and my basic stats? I will not fail.
Which one always fails?
Due to last answer, you're going to think pants-ing. You'd be correct. On a longer project, like NaNo, I cannot pants. I can do it for a few chapters, but not all the way through the novel. Now, if I'm doing something shorter, like a quick fanfic or flash fiction? I can pants the hell out of that. My problem is not pants-ing in general but the length of the work that I'll be writing.
Or can you do either/or?
Heh - you know the answer to this! I can do both. I like doing both. Sure, you could follow your outline to the T in order to get from point A to point Z. My question is - what's the fun in that? I like throwing in random plot twists as I think of them if they fit the plot that I'm going with. For example - random vampire attack out of the blue? Does it fit with what they're doing at the moment? Yes, it does, so it stays in. However, if there's something like "she follows the rabbit" and I'm all "why?" then random plot point does not go in. You can pants as well as be a plotter but you better know what you're doing at the end of the game. Or be ready for a hell of a lot of editing. But yeah, you can have the best of both worlds. You just have to make sure that you know what you're doing and where you're going.
That's it for this WriYe Blogging Circle! Hope you enjoyed it and we'll be back here next month for a new one. On deck, this week, is how editing is a big ass black hole. Next week, we start the all NaNo all the time. Cheers!
That all said, let's get to the questions.
NaNo Planning vs NaNo Plotting
Which is better for you?
I am a planner. Now, I wasn't one to begin with and I'll get into that with the next question. However, if I have a plan, then I will not fail. I need something, just a basic idea of what I can get done during the month, or I'll sit and stare at a blank screen. Now, my sort of planning is a more that the outline is a general idea of what will happen. It can change. The characters can change from good to bad, save for the main characters or any major characters that need to stay how they are. But, if I have my outline and my basic stats? I will not fail.
Which one always fails?
Due to last answer, you're going to think pants-ing. You'd be correct. On a longer project, like NaNo, I cannot pants. I can do it for a few chapters, but not all the way through the novel. Now, if I'm doing something shorter, like a quick fanfic or flash fiction? I can pants the hell out of that. My problem is not pants-ing in general but the length of the work that I'll be writing.
Or can you do either/or?
Heh - you know the answer to this! I can do both. I like doing both. Sure, you could follow your outline to the T in order to get from point A to point Z. My question is - what's the fun in that? I like throwing in random plot twists as I think of them if they fit the plot that I'm going with. For example - random vampire attack out of the blue? Does it fit with what they're doing at the moment? Yes, it does, so it stays in. However, if there's something like "she follows the rabbit" and I'm all "why?" then random plot point does not go in. You can pants as well as be a plotter but you better know what you're doing at the end of the game. Or be ready for a hell of a lot of editing. But yeah, you can have the best of both worlds. You just have to make sure that you know what you're doing and where you're going.
That's it for this WriYe Blogging Circle! Hope you enjoyed it and we'll be back here next month for a new one. On deck, this week, is how editing is a big ass black hole. Next week, we start the all NaNo all the time. Cheers!
Saturday, October 3, 2015
And.. Something.
So, hi. I'm alive. I've been battling the editing monster since March. I have one full edit of the novel completely done. I am doing a second read-through edit and catching all sorts of plot holes. Is it done? Hell no. Will it be done before November? I'd like that, but we'll see.
Tomorrow is the Blog Circle post day. I'm just going to jump into November and we'll try to keep that up to the once a month. I'm planning, going forward, once a week on Tuesdays. You might or might not see more during NaNo, but we'll leave that up in the air because I don't want to promise and not deliver.
So, yeah, that's basically it. I've got an Instagram account now that I've been posting to. But I'll try to be a bit more active and hopefully everyone will like reading what they see.
Peace out.
Tomorrow is the Blog Circle post day. I'm just going to jump into November and we'll try to keep that up to the once a month. I'm planning, going forward, once a week on Tuesdays. You might or might not see more during NaNo, but we'll leave that up in the air because I don't want to promise and not deliver.
So, yeah, that's basically it. I've got an Instagram account now that I've been posting to. But I'll try to be a bit more active and hopefully everyone will like reading what they see.
Peace out.
Friday, March 13, 2015
This is Your Brain. And This is Your Brain on Editing.
Heh. I'm noticing that I'm having what I am calling "Editing Brain". It's where I have this tunnel vision where there is editing and only editing. Things go undone, emails are left unopened, and so on. I'm not even remembering things for World of Warcraft, which is one of my favorite if annoying games to play at the moment.
So, remember kids, while writing brain is bad, editing brain is worse. However, unlike drugs, you really should edit. Edit is good. Editing leads to publishing which leads to readers which leads to fanfic that is not categorized by wattpad. God that was a stupid article about fanfic. Tempted to write into Huff Post about it and complain. Probably won't, but jeez. Use more than one source where people host their stuff. Like AO3 for example.
Anywho. I'm going back to the editing slag mines. Have a good weekend and you can find my fanfic at AO3 under crescent_gaia. Cheers!
So, remember kids, while writing brain is bad, editing brain is worse. However, unlike drugs, you really should edit. Edit is good. Editing leads to publishing which leads to readers which leads to fanfic that is not categorized by wattpad. God that was a stupid article about fanfic. Tempted to write into Huff Post about it and complain. Probably won't, but jeez. Use more than one source where people host their stuff. Like AO3 for example.
Anywho. I'm going back to the editing slag mines. Have a good weekend and you can find my fanfic at AO3 under crescent_gaia. Cheers!
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
An Update
One and a half chapters are done. I overuse some words too much, like just, but otherwise, there's nothing too horrible. Saturdays and Sundays are going to be the days where I put the line edits into the word documents. Right now, it's more printing out and going line by line to find the mistakes. Then, when that's all done, just do a quick read before sending it out to the readers. Should take about a month, month and a half, and then... then I'm not sure what to do with myself.
Other than write book 2. I am thinking that I might start outlining and writing it instead of the other projects I have on tap. We'll see. I've got the rest of the month to figure out what to do.
Other than write book 2. I am thinking that I might start outlining and writing it instead of the other projects I have on tap. We'll see. I've got the rest of the month to figure out what to do.
Monday, March 2, 2015
[WriYe Blogging Circle] Fuck the Ides, I'm Going to Fear the Entire Month
Welcome to the first Monday of the month and to the WriYe Blogging Circle prompt. It is also March. March is the editing month. It is known as NaNoEdMo and I am signed up for it through the WriYe forums. Should also go join the official forums - okay, tried and failed and tweeted them about it. Woo, productive. Besides, I did... three hours on a eleven page chapter today. Oi. There was a lot of just. I feel horrible as a writer about the justs. However, we get the story out and then we take the month of March to red pen it.
In that spirit, we have the question! A single easy question and a single hard question. I just realized there are two questions. Here we go.
Easy Question: Why is it necessary?
Metaphor answer: It's necessary because you need hard work to turn sand into a pearl.
Simile answer: It's necessary because you want your novel to read smoothly like a river flowing through a forest.
It's necessary because, in some way shape or form, you want to publish. Either self or traditional. Therefore, you need to edit because no editor wants to slog through all of your errors to get to the gem. Same goes for self publishing, even more so, because you will get one star reviews about how you've written there for their and so on. So yes, necessary because we want people to read and like our babies. Do you like a messy baby with a poopy diaper and syntax errors? No? Nobody does. Change the baby and fix your errors through editing. The end.
Hard Question: Do you enjoy it?
Like I enjoy a root canal. At least I can sleep through those. Necessary but not enjoyable. If I could staff out of my editing without people killing me, I would. But I can't at the moment. So I shall soldier on. Possibly like you did reading this blog post.
Anywho, thanks for reading and see you Wednesday!
In that spirit, we have the question! A single easy question and a single hard question. I just realized there are two questions. Here we go.
Easy Question: Why is it necessary?
Metaphor answer: It's necessary because you need hard work to turn sand into a pearl.
Simile answer: It's necessary because you want your novel to read smoothly like a river flowing through a forest.
It's necessary because, in some way shape or form, you want to publish. Either self or traditional. Therefore, you need to edit because no editor wants to slog through all of your errors to get to the gem. Same goes for self publishing, even more so, because you will get one star reviews about how you've written there for their and so on. So yes, necessary because we want people to read and like our babies. Do you like a messy baby with a poopy diaper and syntax errors? No? Nobody does. Change the baby and fix your errors through editing. The end.
Hard Question: Do you enjoy it?
Like I enjoy a root canal. At least I can sleep through those. Necessary but not enjoyable. If I could staff out of my editing without people killing me, I would. But I can't at the moment. So I shall soldier on. Possibly like you did reading this blog post.
Anywho, thanks for reading and see you Wednesday!
Friday, February 27, 2015
The Silence / Finish Line / Hello Again My Old Friends
This is going to cover a lot of stuff in one post, so there isn't just one name for it. There's several and I'm not sure which one really fits the best. So, three titles instead of just one but a shortish post.
First: apologies for not updating in a while. I really felt that I had nothing to say, which is why there were no posts. I'm going to try to make sure that doesn't happen in the future, but I can't promise anything. I'll try to give a heads up if I have nothing to say, but again, no promises. I wish I could promise my readers that I'm going to do everything on time but I can't. So I would rather apologize than make false promises.
Second: Mystery of the Dark is completely written. It comes out to right under 100,000 words. It is rough and it needs editing and that's happening in March. So prepare for a lot of "oh my God, what did I do?" and moaning about editing. I'm also thinking about signing up for EdMo - Editing Month - but we'll see.
Third: I'm going to try my best to go back to the Monday/Wednesday/Friday posting. It might just be a how things are going but I have another project that I am starting on March 1st. It's the secondary project of this month - Desiring an Umbrella - but I'm going to be writing it on my phone. It's a silly thing, but I like to try to see how writing works on different mediums. I've tried doing a handwritten novel, but that's extremely hard. It's a mix of sight issues and wrist issues, so that's that. So, we'll see if I can't get back to the schedule and work on filling this journal with different things again.
So, that's it for the moment. Hope everyone had a great February and I'll see you in March!
First: apologies for not updating in a while. I really felt that I had nothing to say, which is why there were no posts. I'm going to try to make sure that doesn't happen in the future, but I can't promise anything. I'll try to give a heads up if I have nothing to say, but again, no promises. I wish I could promise my readers that I'm going to do everything on time but I can't. So I would rather apologize than make false promises.
Second: Mystery of the Dark is completely written. It comes out to right under 100,000 words. It is rough and it needs editing and that's happening in March. So prepare for a lot of "oh my God, what did I do?" and moaning about editing. I'm also thinking about signing up for EdMo - Editing Month - but we'll see.
Third: I'm going to try my best to go back to the Monday/Wednesday/Friday posting. It might just be a how things are going but I have another project that I am starting on March 1st. It's the secondary project of this month - Desiring an Umbrella - but I'm going to be writing it on my phone. It's a silly thing, but I like to try to see how writing works on different mediums. I've tried doing a handwritten novel, but that's extremely hard. It's a mix of sight issues and wrist issues, so that's that. So, we'll see if I can't get back to the schedule and work on filling this journal with different things again.
So, that's it for the moment. Hope everyone had a great February and I'll see you in March!
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
The Point of No Return
At the time of writing this post, I am at chapter 27 out of 30 of my novel. Including my current chapter, I have four more to write and then I can finally edit this bad boy. This is great, mostly because I really wanted to shop the novel around this year and get it published for release in late 2015 / early 2016. In order to do that, I have to edit it and get it out to readers who will tell me if it's a good story and so on. The hard deadline to be finished writing, because I completely missed the other deadline of having it completely done by January 31st, is this Saturday.
Yep, Saturday. By the end of the day. This might be moved to Sunday, if only due to family reasons that I will not get into here. That's only because it is not my news to share and I am not sure if they want those reasons spread. However, next week Monday, I will be hard core editing and then putting the editing marks into the word files. Also with a blank notebook because I'll need to write down if there are plot holes.
But this is the point of no return because, really, it is the end. The end of everything. And so on. It's really not. It's the end of the novel and I'm really afraid of it for no good reason. I think it's because it's something that's new. New is scary but it's also good. I have to remember the end of that last sentence. It is also good. Repeat that after me - It Is Also Good. Mantra time. Huuuuummmm.
So, there's that. Apologies for there being nothing on Monday but... it was Monday? And I didn't know what to really talk about? So, yeah, sorry for that.
Yep, Saturday. By the end of the day. This might be moved to Sunday, if only due to family reasons that I will not get into here. That's only because it is not my news to share and I am not sure if they want those reasons spread. However, next week Monday, I will be hard core editing and then putting the editing marks into the word files. Also with a blank notebook because I'll need to write down if there are plot holes.
But this is the point of no return because, really, it is the end. The end of everything. And so on. It's really not. It's the end of the novel and I'm really afraid of it for no good reason. I think it's because it's something that's new. New is scary but it's also good. I have to remember the end of that last sentence. It is also good. Repeat that after me - It Is Also Good. Mantra time. Huuuuummmm.
So, there's that. Apologies for there being nothing on Monday but... it was Monday? And I didn't know what to really talk about? So, yeah, sorry for that.
Friday, February 6, 2015
[TGIF] Weekend Plans
So, this weekend, plain and simple is to catch up. I've been dithering around in Mystery of the Dark and I know where I'm going next. So, really, finishing up that chapter, working on Desiring an Umbrella, and stop the side projects.
I'll report on Monday how it went. Until then, happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!
I'll report on Monday how it went. Until then, happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
[Book Review] Women's Murder Club Books 1-4
In my defense, it was either this or talking about music and writing some more like I did on this week's vlog. It's not pretty but feel free to go ahead and watch it if you want to. So, a book review. Oh, but not just one book, four of them! It's a series and I gobble them up in a span of two to three days (James Patterson has a gift y'all), so why not talk about more than one? Makes sense to me, makes sense to you, and makes sense to the rest of the world. Or at least I hope it does by the end of you reading this post.
So the books are, in order, 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, 3rd Degree, and 4th of July. If you notice, they all have numbers in the title and all listed by the "number in title" part of the 2015 Reading Challege. He's up to book 13 in the series and I said that I was going to read all of them this year. I'm praying hard that he doesn't come out with a new book in the series this year. He could. James Patterson is known for being the Speedy Gonzales of the writing world. He has five active series and this year will see... Wikipedia says three books. I say someone hasn't updated the article considering last year he came out with seven books. For all I know he might be slowing down but I love the fact that he can do so much in writing all these different series. It is something that I aspire to be in my writing.
Back to the books themselves, they are an insanely fast read. I could read them faster, if I just sat and read, but I do have other things to do with my life. It's set in San Francisco, which is a place that I would like to visit but won't cry tears over if I don't, and there's one main character, Lindsey Boxer, and the three major characters - Cindy Thomas, Claire Washburn, and Jill Bernhardt (later Yuki Castellano) that orbit around Lindsey. This is shown in the first book, the introduction to the series, and then cemented into place in the second book. It's more commonplace by the third and fourth book, continuing on through the rest of the series. You get their personal issues, to feel more attached to the characters, rather than just the case that they're working on. For example, in the first book, Lindsey has a life threatening medical issue that is the entire secondary plot line of the book. In the second book, you get to see Cindy more in a relationship with someone who they thought was targeted by the killers they're looking for and so on. I think it's one of the hooks that work well with the series and I do hope that it continues on. I'll chime in later reviews if it doesn't.
So that's the nutshell of the books - there's a case and there's the personal lives of the club that revolve around the case. It's interesting because I know, in a later book, that something happens where Lindsey's personal life and professional life collide in a not good way and she misses a promotion. It'll be interesting to read due to, at this point, having her be nearly all about her job. She's got a boyfriend who is in the FBI, but other than that, it's really the job. I mean, she's got a dog, which was a nice touch instead of a cat, but her life is very one note at the beginning. It works because these are mystery/thriller and not straight up literature or chick lit. It's nice that there's a closeness and it blurs the line a small bit sometimes between mystery and chick lit but still stays mystery. It's not as bloody as, say, his Alex Cross series (Along Came a Spider is the first book of that series, also a movie) but it has enough to make it a mystery series.
So, I highly recommend them, especially if you're looking for a quick read. The chapters are small, the writing is tight and you want to know what happens next, and you'll enjoy yourself. None of them are creepy and yes, you might find them get formulaic, but they're worth it. My favorite type of brain candy as it's smart enough to keep me reading and yet candy enough to make me feel like I'm having a delicious literary treat.
So the books are, in order, 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, 3rd Degree, and 4th of July. If you notice, they all have numbers in the title and all listed by the "number in title" part of the 2015 Reading Challege. He's up to book 13 in the series and I said that I was going to read all of them this year. I'm praying hard that he doesn't come out with a new book in the series this year. He could. James Patterson is known for being the Speedy Gonzales of the writing world. He has five active series and this year will see... Wikipedia says three books. I say someone hasn't updated the article considering last year he came out with seven books. For all I know he might be slowing down but I love the fact that he can do so much in writing all these different series. It is something that I aspire to be in my writing.
Back to the books themselves, they are an insanely fast read. I could read them faster, if I just sat and read, but I do have other things to do with my life. It's set in San Francisco, which is a place that I would like to visit but won't cry tears over if I don't, and there's one main character, Lindsey Boxer, and the three major characters - Cindy Thomas, Claire Washburn, and Jill Bernhardt (later Yuki Castellano) that orbit around Lindsey. This is shown in the first book, the introduction to the series, and then cemented into place in the second book. It's more commonplace by the third and fourth book, continuing on through the rest of the series. You get their personal issues, to feel more attached to the characters, rather than just the case that they're working on. For example, in the first book, Lindsey has a life threatening medical issue that is the entire secondary plot line of the book. In the second book, you get to see Cindy more in a relationship with someone who they thought was targeted by the killers they're looking for and so on. I think it's one of the hooks that work well with the series and I do hope that it continues on. I'll chime in later reviews if it doesn't.
So that's the nutshell of the books - there's a case and there's the personal lives of the club that revolve around the case. It's interesting because I know, in a later book, that something happens where Lindsey's personal life and professional life collide in a not good way and she misses a promotion. It'll be interesting to read due to, at this point, having her be nearly all about her job. She's got a boyfriend who is in the FBI, but other than that, it's really the job. I mean, she's got a dog, which was a nice touch instead of a cat, but her life is very one note at the beginning. It works because these are mystery/thriller and not straight up literature or chick lit. It's nice that there's a closeness and it blurs the line a small bit sometimes between mystery and chick lit but still stays mystery. It's not as bloody as, say, his Alex Cross series (Along Came a Spider is the first book of that series, also a movie) but it has enough to make it a mystery series.
So, I highly recommend them, especially if you're looking for a quick read. The chapters are small, the writing is tight and you want to know what happens next, and you'll enjoy yourself. None of them are creepy and yes, you might find them get formulaic, but they're worth it. My favorite type of brain candy as it's smart enough to keep me reading and yet candy enough to make me feel like I'm having a delicious literary treat.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
[WriYe Blogging Circle] Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
[Due to circumstances outside of the blogger's control - meaning that the computer went to shit via blue screens and other horrible computer type things - I was unable to post this yesterday. I apologize for missing a Monday, but we will be back to regular scheduling tomorrow. For now, please enjoy the WriYe Blogging Circle post on character motivation.]
So, this month's topic is about character motivation. Basically, we're talking about the whys of what your characters are doing. If you want to think about it in a very simple way, then I will tell it in a joke. Why did the chicken cross the road? The answer, to one of the most basic jokes in the universe, can either be "to get to the other side" or "to escape the aliens!" or whatever you want it to be. In doing so, you are giving the character, in this case the chicken, the motivation of going across that road because otherwise, why is the chicken crossing? Why not just stay on the side of the road that they're already on?
The same is true for characters. If there is no drive behind them, then why are they doing what they're doing? Take Hunger Games for example. Would Katniss have volunteered if it was anybody other than Prim? Nope. Would she have tried so hard to stay alive if she hadn't made the promise to Prim that she'd come home? Probably not. Same goes for Peeta. He would not have made the sacrifices for anybody but Katniss because he loves her. Love is a bit motivation and it's why you see a lot of it in novels. I'm not talking about romantic love either, but family love or love for your friends and so on.
My challenge to anyone who wants to comment is to take the most recent book that you've read and find the motivation for what the characters are doing. I'll be taking this challenge myself and my own comments will be in next Monday's post, possibly along with a book review. We'll see. First though, we have the questions from the blogging circle and we'll answer those quick.
What is the main motivation behind your characters?
We'll go with Mystery of the Dark for the moment and talk about them. Their main motivations differ so much, mostly because they're all different people, but also because they're at different stages of their lives. Like, while Kate's main motivation is to save people from vampires by killing all vampires, she's realizing that motivation might not be the best for her. She's going through a bit of a change in motivation and shoving her main to the back while she deals with all these little motivations. At the end of the first novel, she's going to have a different motivation to carry her through the rest of the series. What that's going to be... well, you'll have to read the book. I'm not giving away everything. Maybe her motivation will become survival at some point. Or maybe her motivation will change into something else.
Justinian, on the other hand, his main motivation is survival. He knows that the walls are closing in on him and he needs to do something. His motivation is simple because, right now, he feels he has everything else that he wants. He doesn't feel a need to change, even though someone (*cough*Kate*cough*) might want him to, and he might have a change within the series. Or he might not. Sometimes the most simple motivation is the best because, when it comes to survival, what will you do to make sure you live? Who would you step over or double cross just to make sure that, by the next day/night, you're still breathing and moving? Now, that's why he's interesting.
Where do you come up with that motivation?
It usually comes up in character creation. I usually have some inkling of the plot already, so I make the character to go around that plot. In my more fantasy type novels, the heroes get the job of saving the world because they don't want their world to die. That's just the base motivation that I give them. As the plot develops and I have a clearer vision of what I want the characters to do, the motivation changes as well. In another project I'm working on, Desiring an Umbrella, Amelia's motivation is finally becoming her own person and not what her parents think that she should be. I didn't have that motivation at first and didn't fully understand the why behind her until my plot outline was completely done. Then I noticed that "oh, she's getting away" and then it goes "from what?" and I see that she has conflicts with her parents. So, getting away from her parents to become her own person. Sometimes I get it right away and sometimes I don't.
Do you tend to use the same sort of motivation in every novel or do you tend to mix it up more?
I try to mix it up. I like to think that I am, but I might be dreaming. So, for now, I'm going to say that I mix it up. I know that Mystery of the Dark and Power of the Scions (YA epic/high fantasy novel) has the main female characters trying to understand their family backgrounds more, but I think that's more character background than motivation. Kate's motivation isn't to find her family. She knows who her mom is and she wants nothing to do with her vampire father since he wanted her mother to get an abortion. In Power of the Scions, the main female character's motivation is more of my base hero motivation with added in trying to figure out about who gave birth to her since she isn't pure dragon. So I guess it is different.
What if your favorite example of character motivation?
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving has one of my favorite character motivations. That novel makes me cry every time I re-read it and I highly recommend it. It's narrated by a character called John and it goes through his life with his friendship with a boy named Owen Meany. Now, I'm not talking about John's motivation, because he's the narrator and he's not the favorite in the example. Poor John. Owen Meany's motivation, for everything he does, is that he is an instrument of God and he has this fate that he and he alone is supposed to fulfill. It is my favorite John Irving and one of the books that made me want to become an author. For that alone, you should read it.
Have a good Tuesday everyone!
So, this month's topic is about character motivation. Basically, we're talking about the whys of what your characters are doing. If you want to think about it in a very simple way, then I will tell it in a joke. Why did the chicken cross the road? The answer, to one of the most basic jokes in the universe, can either be "to get to the other side" or "to escape the aliens!" or whatever you want it to be. In doing so, you are giving the character, in this case the chicken, the motivation of going across that road because otherwise, why is the chicken crossing? Why not just stay on the side of the road that they're already on?
The same is true for characters. If there is no drive behind them, then why are they doing what they're doing? Take Hunger Games for example. Would Katniss have volunteered if it was anybody other than Prim? Nope. Would she have tried so hard to stay alive if she hadn't made the promise to Prim that she'd come home? Probably not. Same goes for Peeta. He would not have made the sacrifices for anybody but Katniss because he loves her. Love is a bit motivation and it's why you see a lot of it in novels. I'm not talking about romantic love either, but family love or love for your friends and so on.
My challenge to anyone who wants to comment is to take the most recent book that you've read and find the motivation for what the characters are doing. I'll be taking this challenge myself and my own comments will be in next Monday's post, possibly along with a book review. We'll see. First though, we have the questions from the blogging circle and we'll answer those quick.
What is the main motivation behind your characters?
We'll go with Mystery of the Dark for the moment and talk about them. Their main motivations differ so much, mostly because they're all different people, but also because they're at different stages of their lives. Like, while Kate's main motivation is to save people from vampires by killing all vampires, she's realizing that motivation might not be the best for her. She's going through a bit of a change in motivation and shoving her main to the back while she deals with all these little motivations. At the end of the first novel, she's going to have a different motivation to carry her through the rest of the series. What that's going to be... well, you'll have to read the book. I'm not giving away everything. Maybe her motivation will become survival at some point. Or maybe her motivation will change into something else.
Justinian, on the other hand, his main motivation is survival. He knows that the walls are closing in on him and he needs to do something. His motivation is simple because, right now, he feels he has everything else that he wants. He doesn't feel a need to change, even though someone (*cough*Kate*cough*) might want him to, and he might have a change within the series. Or he might not. Sometimes the most simple motivation is the best because, when it comes to survival, what will you do to make sure you live? Who would you step over or double cross just to make sure that, by the next day/night, you're still breathing and moving? Now, that's why he's interesting.
Where do you come up with that motivation?
It usually comes up in character creation. I usually have some inkling of the plot already, so I make the character to go around that plot. In my more fantasy type novels, the heroes get the job of saving the world because they don't want their world to die. That's just the base motivation that I give them. As the plot develops and I have a clearer vision of what I want the characters to do, the motivation changes as well. In another project I'm working on, Desiring an Umbrella, Amelia's motivation is finally becoming her own person and not what her parents think that she should be. I didn't have that motivation at first and didn't fully understand the why behind her until my plot outline was completely done. Then I noticed that "oh, she's getting away" and then it goes "from what?" and I see that she has conflicts with her parents. So, getting away from her parents to become her own person. Sometimes I get it right away and sometimes I don't.
Do you tend to use the same sort of motivation in every novel or do you tend to mix it up more?
I try to mix it up. I like to think that I am, but I might be dreaming. So, for now, I'm going to say that I mix it up. I know that Mystery of the Dark and Power of the Scions (YA epic/high fantasy novel) has the main female characters trying to understand their family backgrounds more, but I think that's more character background than motivation. Kate's motivation isn't to find her family. She knows who her mom is and she wants nothing to do with her vampire father since he wanted her mother to get an abortion. In Power of the Scions, the main female character's motivation is more of my base hero motivation with added in trying to figure out about who gave birth to her since she isn't pure dragon. So I guess it is different.
What if your favorite example of character motivation?
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving has one of my favorite character motivations. That novel makes me cry every time I re-read it and I highly recommend it. It's narrated by a character called John and it goes through his life with his friendship with a boy named Owen Meany. Now, I'm not talking about John's motivation, because he's the narrator and he's not the favorite in the example. Poor John. Owen Meany's motivation, for everything he does, is that he is an instrument of God and he has this fate that he and he alone is supposed to fulfill. It is my favorite John Irving and one of the books that made me want to become an author. For that alone, you should read it.
Have a good Tuesday everyone!
Friday, January 30, 2015
[Friday Writing] The Knock
[Every Friday, I'll be finding a writing prompt and writing whatever comes to mind. It won't always be a gem of a story or it might be a poem, but this is to get my writing juices going. This week's prompt comes from 105 Author Blog Prompts. Today's writing comes from #2 under the Creative Writing Prompts. Please enjoy.]
"A knock on the door in the middle of the night is never a good sign" is something that her mother said. That was never more true than when Rebecca woke up to a loud knocking on her door. No, not a knocking, a pounding. She threw on a robe and slipped her feet into slippers before going to see what the hell was happening. She turned on a few lights along the way, grabbing one of her house phones as she did so. Looking through the peephole, she saw that it was her brother Michael. With a sigh, she opened the door and let him in. "What the hell are you doing? Are you drunk again? Do you know it's three in the bloody morning?!"
"Yeah, I just, I had no place to go," he said. His hands were shaking and she could see that his shirt was covered in blood. His face took a few hits as well, with one of his eyes swelling shut and bruising.
"Is that your blood?" she asked, in a low and shocked voice.
"Yes. No. I don't know!" He tore off the shirt and threw it on the floor. "Look, I went to the bar with Matt, kay? We had a few, he went off with a girl, and next thing I know, I'm awake in a back alley with blood down my shirt! And it was only me in the alley!"
She bit her lower lip and thought. Matt was a childhood friend of theirs and it was a weekly tradition to get drunk together. She never thought that they drank into blacking out, but ignorance is bliss sometimes. "Then we need to call Matt." She started to dial his cell phone number, hoping he hadn't changed it in the last few years.
"He wasn't there!"
"This is the only thing I know to try," she said. "Go put ice on your eye."
He sighed and marched off to the kitchen, opening and closing her cabinets and fridge like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.
"Oh please pick up," she quietly prayed in the phone and smiled as it picked up. "Matt?"
"Actually, ma'am, I'm Officer Donovan of the Chicago Police. The owner of this phone is in surgery at the moment."
She blinked. "What?"
"From what we've been able to figure out, he was in a bar fight with someone. That someone beat him up like he was going to kill him."
She froze, not even breathing, as she looked to where her brother was in the kitchen. Her eyes moved to the torn shirt, stained with blood, and she heard the officer trying to get her attention. "Could you send someone over to my apartment?" she asked and gave her address. "My brother showed up all bloody and I know he was drinking tonight with Matthew Clarke. That's the name of who owns the cell phone."
"Ma'am, we'll send someone right over. I want you to stay on the phone with me, if you can," he said.
"Yeah," she said and looked over at her brother coming back into the room. "Find the ice okay?"
"Despite your organizational skills? Yeah," he said before flopping down on the couch. "Did you get a hold of Matt?"
She nodded. "He's just taking his sweet time getting back on the phone since he's got manners about not taking a piss with me listening in."
"That was one time and you keep on bringing it up."
She was about to say something when there was a sharp rap at the door. "Ma'am, that's going to be my partner and another two with him in case. It's okay to answer the door."
"What the hell?" her brother asked.
"Probably Sarah. She's nearly overdue and would have come knocking for me to stay with her kid until her mom got here." She went over and opened the door, standing back as the three policeman rushed in and quickly cuffed her brother. She moved away as her brother started to swear and try to get to her, calling her a bitch for calling the cops and how mom would never forgive her. She was shaking at the end and was grateful when one of the officers led her over to a table to sit. "There's a blood stained shirt," she said quietly. "He didn't have any memory of what he did, but, he could have - I just - "
"You did the right thing," the officer said soothingly. "We're going to take the shirt as evidence, as well as the bag he used. Do you have someplace to stay for a bit?"
She nodded before breaking down into tears. She moved back into her mother's house for a bit, where there were arguments about how it was handled as mom took her brother's side, and she refused to go to the trial. The last she heard, her brother was looking at anywhere from nearly life in prison to just a few years. It didn't matter; she was moving to a new city where nobody but very close friends had the address. She didn't need another night wondering if her brother nearly killed a friend. All she needed was a life away from her crazy family.
"A knock on the door in the middle of the night is never a good sign" is something that her mother said. That was never more true than when Rebecca woke up to a loud knocking on her door. No, not a knocking, a pounding. She threw on a robe and slipped her feet into slippers before going to see what the hell was happening. She turned on a few lights along the way, grabbing one of her house phones as she did so. Looking through the peephole, she saw that it was her brother Michael. With a sigh, she opened the door and let him in. "What the hell are you doing? Are you drunk again? Do you know it's three in the bloody morning?!"
"Yeah, I just, I had no place to go," he said. His hands were shaking and she could see that his shirt was covered in blood. His face took a few hits as well, with one of his eyes swelling shut and bruising.
"Is that your blood?" she asked, in a low and shocked voice.
"Yes. No. I don't know!" He tore off the shirt and threw it on the floor. "Look, I went to the bar with Matt, kay? We had a few, he went off with a girl, and next thing I know, I'm awake in a back alley with blood down my shirt! And it was only me in the alley!"
She bit her lower lip and thought. Matt was a childhood friend of theirs and it was a weekly tradition to get drunk together. She never thought that they drank into blacking out, but ignorance is bliss sometimes. "Then we need to call Matt." She started to dial his cell phone number, hoping he hadn't changed it in the last few years.
"He wasn't there!"
"This is the only thing I know to try," she said. "Go put ice on your eye."
He sighed and marched off to the kitchen, opening and closing her cabinets and fridge like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.
"Oh please pick up," she quietly prayed in the phone and smiled as it picked up. "Matt?"
"Actually, ma'am, I'm Officer Donovan of the Chicago Police. The owner of this phone is in surgery at the moment."
She blinked. "What?"
"From what we've been able to figure out, he was in a bar fight with someone. That someone beat him up like he was going to kill him."
She froze, not even breathing, as she looked to where her brother was in the kitchen. Her eyes moved to the torn shirt, stained with blood, and she heard the officer trying to get her attention. "Could you send someone over to my apartment?" she asked and gave her address. "My brother showed up all bloody and I know he was drinking tonight with Matthew Clarke. That's the name of who owns the cell phone."
"Ma'am, we'll send someone right over. I want you to stay on the phone with me, if you can," he said.
"Yeah," she said and looked over at her brother coming back into the room. "Find the ice okay?"
"Despite your organizational skills? Yeah," he said before flopping down on the couch. "Did you get a hold of Matt?"
She nodded. "He's just taking his sweet time getting back on the phone since he's got manners about not taking a piss with me listening in."
"That was one time and you keep on bringing it up."
She was about to say something when there was a sharp rap at the door. "Ma'am, that's going to be my partner and another two with him in case. It's okay to answer the door."
"What the hell?" her brother asked.
"Probably Sarah. She's nearly overdue and would have come knocking for me to stay with her kid until her mom got here." She went over and opened the door, standing back as the three policeman rushed in and quickly cuffed her brother. She moved away as her brother started to swear and try to get to her, calling her a bitch for calling the cops and how mom would never forgive her. She was shaking at the end and was grateful when one of the officers led her over to a table to sit. "There's a blood stained shirt," she said quietly. "He didn't have any memory of what he did, but, he could have - I just - "
"You did the right thing," the officer said soothingly. "We're going to take the shirt as evidence, as well as the bag he used. Do you have someplace to stay for a bit?"
She nodded before breaking down into tears. She moved back into her mother's house for a bit, where there were arguments about how it was handled as mom took her brother's side, and she refused to go to the trial. The last she heard, her brother was looking at anywhere from nearly life in prison to just a few years. It didn't matter; she was moving to a new city where nobody but very close friends had the address. She didn't need another night wondering if her brother nearly killed a friend. All she needed was a life away from her crazy family.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Wednesday Post: Where Liz Expands on Her Video Blog Entry
Every Wednesday, I take over the One a Day WriYe video channel on Youtube with the Wednesdays with Liz video blog or vlog for short. Considering this week's subject on advice for writers, I thought I'd expand a bit with a few more questions here. My vlog can be found here and you can go further into the channel to see some videos from other WriYers. The following questions are taken from Pub Hub: Words with Writers. The questions were randomly chosen by the power of the roll of a d20 (a die with 20 sides) with three taken from the great interview questions and three taken from the crazy ones that nobody ever asks. They are not in order by number but how the die rolled. So, let's get started.
17. Do you have a favorite conference to attend? What is it?
The easiest and best question for me to answer. Then again, I've only ever really attended one conference but I love it. That conference is the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. I've gone for the past three years, two week long sessions and one weekend, but I've always come away like I've learned something new. I've had wonderful teachers who have encouraged me and I do feel it's one of the reasons why I've really been continuing writing on Mystery of the Dark for as long as I have. I highly recommend it, even if you go for a weekend, because you will come away feeling like a writer. I think that's the best thing about a conference, even though I've only been to the one.
12. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Both. See, I have these nice multi-page outlines that give me the sense of where I'm going. It's like a map so I know how to get from point A to point B and so on. It's nice and gives me a sense of direction so I can keep an eye on the plot. However, that doesn't mean that I stay on that path. There are side trips, depending on what I write in any given chapter. Taking Mystery of the Dark for an example, I've redone the outline for the third draft... five, six times now? Sometimes a chapter doesn't take the shape of what I have in the outline, so it gets shaken up. In getting shaken up, plot sometimes changes, even if it's just in a little way, so I have to go back and make sure that I resolve whatever happened. So, plotter in having a plan, pantser in sometimes not sticking to it. I believe rolling with the plot punches is what makes a good writer. Being inflexible is not going to make a novel.
20. What are you working on now? What's your next project?
Right now, of course, I'm working on book one of Mystery of the Dark. I feel I will be working on this project forever and ever but that's how it is at the moment. My next project, which starts on Sunday, is a romance / chick lit story called Desiring an Umbrella. It follows Amelia through her journey in London as a personal assistant to the public face of a posh company who also happens to be blind. There's romance and plot twists and all that good stuff thrown in. I really can't wait to start it because I really love the characters.
Alright, silly questions start now.
13. What secret talents do you have?
Despite being blind, I can drive and park perfectly within the lines on the first try. I can type without looking down at the keyboard (well, it's out of my field of vision while looking at the screen). I can remember book plots up to five books, although I want to try with six, and I can leave a book alone for years and remember what was happening when I pick it up to read it. I also have a nice singing voice.
18. Do you have any scars? What are they from?
I have a scar on my nose from when I was five and had chicken pox. This is why they tell you not to scratch when you have it. Other than that, I don't really have any scars? Kind of nice that way.
1. Do you write naked?
Nope. We're just going to leave it at that.
17. Do you have a favorite conference to attend? What is it?
The easiest and best question for me to answer. Then again, I've only ever really attended one conference but I love it. That conference is the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. I've gone for the past three years, two week long sessions and one weekend, but I've always come away like I've learned something new. I've had wonderful teachers who have encouraged me and I do feel it's one of the reasons why I've really been continuing writing on Mystery of the Dark for as long as I have. I highly recommend it, even if you go for a weekend, because you will come away feeling like a writer. I think that's the best thing about a conference, even though I've only been to the one.
12. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Both. See, I have these nice multi-page outlines that give me the sense of where I'm going. It's like a map so I know how to get from point A to point B and so on. It's nice and gives me a sense of direction so I can keep an eye on the plot. However, that doesn't mean that I stay on that path. There are side trips, depending on what I write in any given chapter. Taking Mystery of the Dark for an example, I've redone the outline for the third draft... five, six times now? Sometimes a chapter doesn't take the shape of what I have in the outline, so it gets shaken up. In getting shaken up, plot sometimes changes, even if it's just in a little way, so I have to go back and make sure that I resolve whatever happened. So, plotter in having a plan, pantser in sometimes not sticking to it. I believe rolling with the plot punches is what makes a good writer. Being inflexible is not going to make a novel.
20. What are you working on now? What's your next project?
Right now, of course, I'm working on book one of Mystery of the Dark. I feel I will be working on this project forever and ever but that's how it is at the moment. My next project, which starts on Sunday, is a romance / chick lit story called Desiring an Umbrella. It follows Amelia through her journey in London as a personal assistant to the public face of a posh company who also happens to be blind. There's romance and plot twists and all that good stuff thrown in. I really can't wait to start it because I really love the characters.
Alright, silly questions start now.
13. What secret talents do you have?
Despite being blind, I can drive and park perfectly within the lines on the first try. I can type without looking down at the keyboard (well, it's out of my field of vision while looking at the screen). I can remember book plots up to five books, although I want to try with six, and I can leave a book alone for years and remember what was happening when I pick it up to read it. I also have a nice singing voice.
18. Do you have any scars? What are they from?
I have a scar on my nose from when I was five and had chicken pox. This is why they tell you not to scratch when you have it. Other than that, I don't really have any scars? Kind of nice that way.
1. Do you write naked?
Nope. We're just going to leave it at that.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Random Progress Post: Writing Outside of Your Genre
Subtitle: Where Liz rants about writing detective fiction and how she's worried she's doing it wrong. Well there's more than one subtitle to this but that's what I'm going with for the moment. On the WriYe website, there's a challenge called genre stretch. It's very much like what you're thinking, where you get a genre that is possibly outside of your comfort zone and you write in it. It's related to breaking out of your box, but it's more of a month to month challenge vs a yearly challenge. It can be anywhere from a short story to novel length. I'm working on making mine into just being a short story, even though it's being slow going.
This month's genre stretch is crime fiction. Crime fiction can be anything from a detective story to legal drama. Some authors of crime fiction are James Patterson, John Grisham, Mo Hayder, and Agatha Christie to name a few. If you've ever watched an episode of Law and Order, that's straight up and down crime fiction with the police and lawyers working together. Another aspect of crime fiction is the movie Usual Suspects where the point of view comes from the criminal who was at the scene of a crime / worked with the suspects of the crime. I won't say more, other than you should go watch it and bow down to Kevin Spacey's performance. For older crime fiction movies, Alfred Hitchcock did a lot such as Vertigo, Rear Window, and Dial M for Murder to name some. He's got a lot. For myself, I love crime thriller, considering I've devoured three of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club this month (that post is coming this week around Thursday/Friday), and that I will watch Law and Order repeats (has to have Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston in it).
So that's the background of crime fiction. You cannot throw a stone in our society and not find some type of crime fiction. Now, you'd think that with all of this in society and how much I love crime fiction, that it would be ever so easy to write it. Haha, no. I'm learning that quickly that there is no short cut to writing crime fiction. Also, no matter how much I've watched, I'm second guessing myself on what I'm writing. Well, the words itself. The plot overall is wonderful, if reminding me of L&O, but I'll take what I can get. Basically, a veterinarian was killed in her clinic and they have to figure out who did the murder. And, of course, there's the red herring suspects and then the real murderer. See? Feels L&O-ery but I'll take what I can get. I do plan to have it done by the end of the month - four days, four sections, ta-da - and have it up sometime mid-February or start of March so people can read it.
This month's genre stretch is crime fiction. Crime fiction can be anything from a detective story to legal drama. Some authors of crime fiction are James Patterson, John Grisham, Mo Hayder, and Agatha Christie to name a few. If you've ever watched an episode of Law and Order, that's straight up and down crime fiction with the police and lawyers working together. Another aspect of crime fiction is the movie Usual Suspects where the point of view comes from the criminal who was at the scene of a crime / worked with the suspects of the crime. I won't say more, other than you should go watch it and bow down to Kevin Spacey's performance. For older crime fiction movies, Alfred Hitchcock did a lot such as Vertigo, Rear Window, and Dial M for Murder to name some. He's got a lot. For myself, I love crime thriller, considering I've devoured three of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club this month (that post is coming this week around Thursday/Friday), and that I will watch Law and Order repeats (has to have Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston in it).
So that's the background of crime fiction. You cannot throw a stone in our society and not find some type of crime fiction. Now, you'd think that with all of this in society and how much I love crime fiction, that it would be ever so easy to write it. Haha, no. I'm learning that quickly that there is no short cut to writing crime fiction. Also, no matter how much I've watched, I'm second guessing myself on what I'm writing. Well, the words itself. The plot overall is wonderful, if reminding me of L&O, but I'll take what I can get. Basically, a veterinarian was killed in her clinic and they have to figure out who did the murder. And, of course, there's the red herring suspects and then the real murderer. See? Feels L&O-ery but I'll take what I can get. I do plan to have it done by the end of the month - four days, four sections, ta-da - and have it up sometime mid-February or start of March so people can read it.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Review: Neither Here or There
Title: Neither Here or There: Travels in EuropeGenre(s): Travel
Image from: Goodreads
Rating: 2.5 / 5
When I found this book on my shelves, I was excited. For one, I do love Bryson's writing as I'm currently reading At Home which is something else I'll review if I ever finish it. I seem to be slow reading when it comes to non-fiction these days but, like the title says, that's neither here or there (groan here). This is his fourth published book, third in travel, and I was keen to read it. For one, I love the idea of Europe and really want to go back there one day. I've only been to Paris, which is lovely, but there is so much more to Europe than France and Paris. I've heard Germany is lovely, as is Rome, so I was really liking the idea of reading about places that I really dreamed about going to.
On principle, this is a lovely book about Mr Bryson's travels through the place. If you know where he is, then you can see them in your mind. If not, then you're a bit a fish out of water. However, there were a lot of points where I felt like I was in the bar with him and drinking with him. That was nice and cozy. I liked that a lot and felt his pain when he was in Yugoslavia when he was spending so little to have so much. The social interactions were what made the book sing and I just wished that there had been more of them. I felt myself cheering at the end when he's at the edge of Europe and decides to go home instead of going onto Asia.
Why I cheered is a bit twofold. While this book did help with the want to go to see more of Europe, it is also fell down in the same manner. There were a lot of stereotypes throughout the book, which Mr Bryson relied on heavily throughout the entire book, and made reading less enjoyable. I was done with the stereotypes by the time he got to Denmark and found myself wishing to be done wanting to speed read the rest by Austria. Another part where Mr Bryson fell down was actually describing the places. Sure, we could look them up via Google to see where he went, I didn't want to do that. I wanted the places he visited to be shown instead of told. The way that he writes is explaining where he goes but, save for when he visited the Vatican in Rome, I had no sense of space on where he was. Yes, he talked about all these walks and what were on the walks, but there was nothing to bring me to where he had been. There was nothing to draw me into the place where he was walking and that annoyed me more than anything. It's the reason that I was very happy when the book came to a close.
In ending, the premise of the book is wonderful. If you've been to the places where he has, then you'll probably enjoy the book more than I did. That is not to say to not read it, but more of a reason why I will probably not be giving this book a re-read next year. However, as in all interesting experiences and books in life, you should try it at least once.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Review: Never Let Me Go
Picture this. You're at the library and you're thinking "man, I want a book". However, you don't know what kind of book you want. You're not sure if you're into a book that is in your wheel house, like fantasy or sci-fi, or if you want something like a chick lit or romance. Then you find this book that seems so strange. There's a picture of people running on a deck and, on the back, just reviews about how good the book is. How it's his best since Remains of the Day and you have this hazy memory about how it's a movie about something historical and bits of romance. So you're all "oh, okay, I'll try it.'
And then you get home and you're 50 pages into it when someone asks "so, what's it about?" and you realize you have no idea. There's a mystery about this book with no summary on the back or inside the first few pages. All you know is that you have to figure out what Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are learning. How they're all connected. What donors, carers, and this school is all about. You think it might be about cancer patients and how it's about working through cancer. However, you're proven wrong when you go to wikipedia and it says it's a dystopian science fiction story. The appeal of the mystery is so strong that you don't want to read more of the article or the mystery will be broken. So you just go back to the book to try to figure out what the hell is happening.
Here's a picture of the book so you know I'm not putting you on. Also, after this, I get into spoilers for the book. So, if you don't want to know any more until after you've read it (or seen the movie), I'd stop reading after you see the pictures.
And then you get home and you're 50 pages into it when someone asks "so, what's it about?" and you realize you have no idea. There's a mystery about this book with no summary on the back or inside the first few pages. All you know is that you have to figure out what Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are learning. How they're all connected. What donors, carers, and this school is all about. You think it might be about cancer patients and how it's about working through cancer. However, you're proven wrong when you go to wikipedia and it says it's a dystopian science fiction story. The appeal of the mystery is so strong that you don't want to read more of the article or the mystery will be broken. So you just go back to the book to try to figure out what the hell is happening.
Here's a picture of the book so you know I'm not putting you on. Also, after this, I get into spoilers for the book. So, if you don't want to know any more until after you've read it (or seen the movie), I'd stop reading after you see the pictures.
Alright, everyone got that? Starting the spoilers in 3...
2...
1...
Okay, spoilers. The book is divided into three acts that go childhood, teenager/transition into adulthood, and adulthood. It follows, for the most part, three characters: Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. They all go a school called Hailsham and the story is told from the memories of Kathy. She's the main character in the end and the story is told in first person from her. So we're getting her memories and, for the most part, she seems like a reliable narrator. She's a carer, which does sound exactly like the title, and she's looking after donors. Until you get more into the book, it seems like it's about people doing something nice for others which is what we think about when we see the name donor. Or at least I do because you usually donate a kidney to someone who needs it. Or you donate blood. However, this seems to be a lot worse since people donate for what seems like a max of four times before they "complete".
We'll get to what complete means in a moment as I want to go back to the characters. So, we start out seeing them as children in a school. The teachers, for the most part, drop hints about what the characters are going to become. I was kind of dense, as I didn't fully understand what they were really talking about until much later in the book. There is one teacher, called Miss Lucy, who does try to spell it out for the kids. However, due to this being child memory from Kathy (and Ruth a bit), it's not a good explanation. So they have this nice quiet school life where they learn and do art where it gets taken away by Madame for her collection (again, explained later). Tommy comes in as a child who doesn't / can't hold onto his temper. Kathy, when she comes Tommy's carer, believes it's because of the fact that, on some level, he knew about what was coming. So, there's kid problems and things with teachers, and you get the connection for the book title from a cassette tape called Songs After Dark by Judy Bridgewater (fictional artist). We also have a scene where Kathy is dancing to the song while holding a pillow and Madame, the one in charge of Hailsham, watching her and crying. When Kathy (along with Tommy) find Madame after Kathy becomes a carer, they have two different views of the scene. Kathy thought Madame was crying because Madame couldn't have children. Madame was really crying because she saw it as a young girl trying to hold onto an innocent world where there was little to no innocence in the world (paraphrasing here). Now, before the end of the first part, Kathy does lose the tape and there's no finding it. It's important for the next part, I swear. So, that's childhood, from the memories of Kathy, Ruth, and a bit of Tommy.
The book goes into part two, where the characters (along with others), go to what is called the Cottages. They meet two major characters there called Chrissy and Rodney, who are a tight knit couple. The three mains - Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy - are together but also growing apart. Tommy and Ruth became a couple in the last bit of being at Hailsham and it carried over to the Cottages. Kathy, on the other hand, has a lot of one night stands and it was refreshing to see a female character do so without any sort of stigma attached. Well, aside from Ruth, who was only doing it because she broke up with Tommy during that time and didn't want Kathy taking Tommy away. During this time, the idea of "possibles" come to mind. The "possibles" are the original version of the characters as you start to understand that they are actually clones. It was probably given away before this time, but this is when I got hit over the head with it. Chrissy and Rodney tell Ruth that they've found her "possible" working in a nice office building. Funny thing is that Ruth had gone on and on about wanting to work in an office building. So they go to Norfolk and search out the possible, and it seems likely, until Ruth goes off on a tantrum (seriously, that's the way it read / felt) about how they're not from those kind of people. That they're from the trash of society and it just turns the entire visit sour. So, while Chrissy, Rodney, and Ruth go off to meet a carer friend of the first two, Kathy and Tommy go off to find Kathy's tape. They do find it, even thought Tommy wishes he could have found it first, and you get the first instance where Tommy has more feelings for Kathy than Ruth. Which leads back to the idea of Ruth talking about Kathy's one night stands and her urges for sex being horrible because.. well, Ruth doesn't want to give up Tommy. It's after the trip to Norfolk that Kathy decides to start her career as a carer.
Which leads into the third part of the book where we're a bit out of memories and more into what's happening in the present. Ruth has done two donations and it seems to really take a toll on her but it seems normal to Kathy and Tommy. Since it's never really said what the donations really are, it's kind of strange to think of someone dying from them. I could see that if it was organs but, until that point, I really thought it was blood or marrow or something on a smaller scale. However, it seems more like organ donation because of the toll shown on Ruth. This is shown the best when they go out to see a boat that someone got caught in a marsh. Nobody knows how, but it's the great attraction for miles around (don't ask, I don't get it either). So you see Ruth having problems with breathing and Kathy being worried. Ruth, at the end of the visit to the boat, tells Kathy she's sorry for keeping Tommy and Kathy apart. Shortly after that, Ruth "completes".
Quick note, because I said I'd get into this, but I'm not sure I like the word of "complete" being used for death. For one, it doesn't make sense to me to talk about it this way unless you're making it nice. For two... well, I just don't like it. It feels uncomfortable and like you're skirting around the real issue. That folds into the first issue I have with the word but I'm not the author and he went with it. It's pretty good, unless you have issues, which I seem to. Okay, tangent over.
So, after Ruth completes, Kathy goes to be Tommy's carer. She's more than a carer, which makes me happy because it's a great "finally!" when it happens, but it comes with a price, of course. That price goes into the last plot point of the novel, where they go to find Madame to try to get a pass for Tommy for his fourth donation. See, the fourth donation usually meets he'll "complete", and, in a way, neither of them want to let go of what they have (woo, tying back into the title). They go to meet Madame, thinking that she has this magical way of looking at the art from when they were children to show their souls are comparable to show they're really in love, which is the only way to get around the next donation. Yeah, it would be a nice and magical ending, but this is dystopian so it won't go that way. It turns out that the gallery was to show others that the clones have a soul and that they shouldn't just be used for spare parts. After World War II, they found out how to clone and it turned into a way to cure cancer and other horrible diseases. Who would really want to give that up, but Madame and the other teachers at the school were trying to show that it should be different. It didn't go that way and, in the end, the school got shut down due to a scientist trying to make the clones into children that were better than the originals / possibles. That was so not kosher and, due to this one scientist, the movement to show clones = humans too was shut down. After that, everything does downhill with Tommy pushing Kathy away and Tommy having his fourth donation and then completing. The novel ends with Kathy just wondering about what happens next and what will happen to her after she's done with being a carer in 8 months.
Now, this is a well written book. If you don't look for certain clues, then you really don't know what's going to happen in the end. Even after the ending, you don't know what's going to happen but you can guess. I usually hate books like this (see the This is Where I Leave You review from November 2014) because I want definite endings. However, I did like the fact that you didn't know what truly happened in the end. I think the most common guess is that Kathy, like the others, turns from carer into donor. I have a different guess. I'm thinking that her possible doesn't get sick and she just spends out the rest of her days as at a center. Or perhaps she does small donations but nothing that makes her complete so early. I like the idea of a long life for her. The movie, from what I'm reading on the Wikipedia page, goes in a different direction. I doubt I'll see the movie, unless I happen to come across it somehow on cable, but I might go looking for it.
So, that's the book based on the cover. Who knew that thinking that it was going to be this romance book turn into something completely different? I think it might be something about like calling to like, due to the fact that one of my genres is sci-fi/fantasy and dystopian isn't all that bad either. I might try this picking only on the cover thing again sometime and see if the same thing happens. If I do, don't worry, I'll report back.
The 2015 Reading Challenge: The List (aka the Master Post)
So, along with the rest of the WriYers Read Too community, we're doing a challenge to read books that fit a category on a list. Here is the list from PopSugar but I remember first finding it on Facebook and I started sharing it with others. Or Tatra/Ana found it first and she started sharing it and then I shared it to others. Either way, we found it on Facebook and decided to take the challenge and bring anybody else who wanted to read it along with us. Feel free to join in, readers, and send me the link to your list in the comment section. I'm going to share mine - it's not complete, so feel free to recommend books too - and you might see books that I've mentioned before. Or, if you follow me on Goodreads, you'll see I've read them before. I don't mind re-reads and there's nothing in the challenge against them, so I put them in.
The re-reads that are on here - Prayer for Owen Meany, the Elfquest books, Dragonsinger - are there because there's a comfort to reading them. It's like speaking to an old friend after not speaking to them in a long time. Or a nice cup of hot tea on the darkest day of winter or ice tea on the hottest day of summer. I like comfort and going back to things I've done before. I think we all do on some level, but I'm getting off track.
Below is the list of my books that I'm reading. I'll link to the reviews as I do them / do them later in the month if I happen to read a bunch of them, as in the case of the ones with numbers in the title, but that'll be on the rare side. Bold means that the category is done. Books that are striked out are ones that could not be finished for some reason or another. They'll still get reviews and, who knows, I might finish them, but for the most part, they're DNF (Did Not Finish).
So, the list.
The re-reads that are on here - Prayer for Owen Meany, the Elfquest books, Dragonsinger - are there because there's a comfort to reading them. It's like speaking to an old friend after not speaking to them in a long time. Or a nice cup of hot tea on the darkest day of winter or ice tea on the hottest day of summer. I like comfort and going back to things I've done before. I think we all do on some level, but I'm getting off track.
Below is the list of my books that I'm reading. I'll link to the reviews as I do them / do them later in the month if I happen to read a bunch of them, as in the case of the ones with numbers in the title, but that'll be on the rare side. Bold means that the category is done. Books that are striked out are ones that could not be finished for some reason or another. They'll still get reviews and, who knows, I might finish them, but for the most part, they're DNF (Did Not Finish).
So, the list.
2015 Reading Challenge
- A book with more than 500 pages: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett; The Stand by Stephen King
- A classic romance: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen; Little Women by Louise May Alcott
- A book that became a movie: If I Stay by Gayle Forman; The Maze Runner by James Dashner; Paper Towns by John Green;
- A book published this year: I Was Here by Gayle Forman; Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins;
- A book with a number in the title: 1st to Die by James Patterson; 2nd Chance by James Patterson and Andrew Gross; 3rd Degree by James Patterson and Andrew Gross; 4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
- A book written by someone under 30: Looking for Alaska by John Green
- A book with nonhuman characters: The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien; The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien
- A funny book: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett
- A book by a female author: A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott;
- A mystery or thriller: Birdman by Mo Hayder
- A book with a one word title: Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
- A book of short stories: Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
- A book set in a different country: Neither Here or There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson;
- A nonfiction book: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
- A popular author’s first book: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice; Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts; The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson; Odds On by MIchael Crichton as John Lange;
- A book by an author you love that you haven’t read yet: Cider House Rules by John Irving; The Shinning by Stephen King; Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman;
- A book a friend recommended:
- A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- A book based on a true story: Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill;
- A book at the bottom of your to-read list: The Stand by Stephen King
- A book your mom loves:
- A book that scares you:
- A book more than 100 years old: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
- A book based entirely on its cover: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t: Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy;
- A memoir: Wild by Cheryl Strayed; Blind Courage by Bill Irwin;
- A book you can finish in a day: Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
- A book with antonyms in the title: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
- A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
- A book that came out the year you were born: Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams
- A book with bad reviews:
- A trilogy: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- A book from your childhood: Fire and Flight by Wendi and Richard Pini
- A book with a love triangle:
- A book set in the future:
- A book set in high school:
- A book with a color in the title: The Green Mile by Stephen King; The Thin Red Line by James Joyce;
- A book that made you cry: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving;
- A book with magic
- A graphic novel: Kings of the Broken Wheel by Wendi and Richard Pini
- A book by an author you’ve never read before:
- A book you own but have never read:
- A book that takes place in your hometown: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
- A book that was originally written in another language: Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
- A book set during Christmas: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
- A book written by an author with your same initials: Soldier’s Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point by Elizabeth Samet
- A play: Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
- A banned book: Looking for Alaska by John Green
- A book based on or turned into a tv show: The Black Echo by Michael Connelly (Bosch - Amazon Prime); A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin (Game of Thrones - HBO)
- A book you started but never finished: Magic’s Price by Mercedes Lackey
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Poetry
I'm going to try something out, don't know how long it'll continue, but I'll try to keep it up. Some background first.
Around 2005/2006, I took some creative writing classes and found that I really liked poetry. I like poetry enough to consider becoming a full time poet instead of writing novels. However, novels won out but I love the way that poetry makes us feel. There's music in the words of poetry, considering that is our music in the end, and I like writing it. With that short background, every Tuesday (until I forget) is going to be Poetry Corner or Poet Tuesday or something catchy. I'll come up with an official title later. For now, have some poetry.
Winter
At the start, it is just
A whisper against bare trees
Their skeleton arms reaching up
To skies of purple light.
It is easy to sleep then
With the whisper lulling again
Windows, kissing them softly.
As it passes, the light dies until
A long night with a long vigil
The fires burning bright while
The faithful dance in celebration.
It is harder to sleep then
Whispers turning into screaming rattles
Where every small bump turns into nightmares.
And it passes with
A new day, each colder than the one before.
The cold breaks
The south wind blows
It is easier to sleep again
With new buds popping out of snow
With the promise of rebirth
At the start, it is just.
Around 2005/2006, I took some creative writing classes and found that I really liked poetry. I like poetry enough to consider becoming a full time poet instead of writing novels. However, novels won out but I love the way that poetry makes us feel. There's music in the words of poetry, considering that is our music in the end, and I like writing it. With that short background, every Tuesday (until I forget) is going to be Poetry Corner or Poet Tuesday or something catchy. I'll come up with an official title later. For now, have some poetry.
Winter
At the start, it is just
A whisper against bare trees
Their skeleton arms reaching up
To skies of purple light.
It is easy to sleep then
With the whisper lulling again
Windows, kissing them softly.
As it passes, the light dies until
A long night with a long vigil
The fires burning bright while
The faithful dance in celebration.
It is harder to sleep then
Whispers turning into screaming rattles
Where every small bump turns into nightmares.
And it passes with
A new day, each colder than the one before.
The cold breaks
The south wind blows
It is easier to sleep again
With new buds popping out of snow
With the promise of rebirth
At the start, it is just.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
[WriYe Blogging Circle] Hello 2015: There Can Be Only One
Hello everyone! I'm back, after a few days of getting into the feel of 2015, and decided to kick off with doing the WriYe Blogging Circle. It will become known as the WBC when I'm feeling too lazy to type that all out. For those who are new, this is a once a month blogging prompt about a certain topic. For example, this month is about the one goal for the year and then asking a few questions about it. What I do is usually list the questions and then have my answers follow them. It's a simple format and I might change it up or I might not. Either way, it's a fun once a month prompt that I like to answer.
Goals: What is your one main goal for this year? Call it your writing resolution - not two, not five - your main and only one. Why is it your only goal?
Well, I do have a lot, but the one big main goal is to publish this year. I've got a novel on it's third draft, called Mystery of the Dark, about dhampirs and vampires and all those good supernatural stuffs. I'm hoping to find a small press instead of a big one, mostly because I feel that a smaller press would be better for me, but we'll see where the chips fall. Either way, I've got to get 3.0 done to get to 3.5 to get to 4.0. Draft four goes out to the readers to see if people like it enough and to make sure that I'm hit all the narrative points. Don't have plot holes and the like. It's going to be fun in the end.
Bonus: Make a mantra to tell yourself all year when you feel as if you can't reach this goal. Share it with us!
You mean aside from "Let It Go"? I think the mantra is more "Yes We Can" or "I Can Do It". The "Yes We Can" coming from the year that I started winning NaNoWriMo (2008) along with all the other craziness going on. The craziness being working as a volunteer in the field on a Presidential campaign, getting sick right after, but being able to write 50,000 words in such a short time after. That was the year that I truly, in my mind, became a writer. Therefore, "Yes We Can" doesn't sound half bad.
That's it for now. There might be something coming up this week but we'll see. It's still early in the year, so I'm going to try to keep on blogging as much as I can, so watch this space.
Goals: What is your one main goal for this year? Call it your writing resolution - not two, not five - your main and only one. Why is it your only goal?
Well, I do have a lot, but the one big main goal is to publish this year. I've got a novel on it's third draft, called Mystery of the Dark, about dhampirs and vampires and all those good supernatural stuffs. I'm hoping to find a small press instead of a big one, mostly because I feel that a smaller press would be better for me, but we'll see where the chips fall. Either way, I've got to get 3.0 done to get to 3.5 to get to 4.0. Draft four goes out to the readers to see if people like it enough and to make sure that I'm hit all the narrative points. Don't have plot holes and the like. It's going to be fun in the end.
Bonus: Make a mantra to tell yourself all year when you feel as if you can't reach this goal. Share it with us!
You mean aside from "Let It Go"? I think the mantra is more "Yes We Can" or "I Can Do It". The "Yes We Can" coming from the year that I started winning NaNoWriMo (2008) along with all the other craziness going on. The craziness being working as a volunteer in the field on a Presidential campaign, getting sick right after, but being able to write 50,000 words in such a short time after. That was the year that I truly, in my mind, became a writer. Therefore, "Yes We Can" doesn't sound half bad.
That's it for now. There might be something coming up this week but we'll see. It's still early in the year, so I'm going to try to keep on blogging as much as I can, so watch this space.
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