So…tomorrow is the first day of July. My first panicked thought is: Ah! How did half of the year escape on me already? What am I doing with my life? Which is then promptly followed by my second panicked thought: Ah! Tomorrow is when my month-long writing project will start! What am I going to spend that time writing?
I can’t do anything about the first panicked thought (unless you happen to know someone who can freeze time), but I have been pondering the second one for the past week and a half.
I’ve decided that I’m going to try and write at least 1000 words a day (sum total: 31,000). It worked well for me last July, despite my delay due to world-building brainstorms. One thousand words is a nice medium – it’s not an overwhelming amount like what I do in November, but it’s not giving me an excuse to write only really short pieces.
I also have a couple of playlists lined up for me to listen to while I’m writing. Because – like many writers I know – we like to have music in the background. It’s especially useful to have when trying to get inside a particular character’s head.
As for what I’m planning on writing for the entire month? Even I don’t have an exact answer for that.
For now, I’m just going to pick and choose certain stories, write them as much as I can, and see where it leads. My biggest problem is that I’m experiencing “story idea” overload. It should be considered a good problem to have, having multiple plots/scenes in my head, but how do I choose which one to work on? Which one will unlock doors and keep me writing?
Answer: I won’t know until I actually sit down and try to form them into being onto a Word document.
Basically, my writing strategy follows my current life mantra: I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ll figure it out.
Mainly, I’m just hoping that I can succeed where I failed back in the spring. I’ll let you know the outcome in thirty-one days.
P.S. Two days ago, I officially finished reading my tenth novel of the year. I need to kick my game up if I plan on reading more than nineteen books before 2018.
Anyway, A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT by Sabaa Tahir is now sitting in my bookshelf instead of on my dresser. I enjoyed it greatly. However, I was tricked into thinking that the series was going to end with this book. But - oh no! - there are two more novels lined up. Of course, I’ll buy them all once they are published, but I was just frustrated at how Helene’s story arc was left off. You go get your revenge, girl! Destroy the Commandant!
Friday, June 30, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
When Books Surprise You (But in a Good Way)
Has this ever happened to anyone? (Because I’m sure everyone has experienced this at least once in their life.) You pick up a book and - even though you don’t know much about the author or its plot - you already don’t expect too much out of it. Maybe because you’re being forced to read it or you picked it up on a sale, so you bought it cheaply on a whim. Either way, once you start reading it, you find yourself surprised by it and discover how wrong you were about it initially.
Yeah, this is what I experienced this past week.
I chose a book from my unread tower last week, picking it deliberately because I wanted to read something that I could finish quickly. (The last book took me a month to complete. I didn’t want to dedicate so much time on another novel so soon.) This new book was slightly over 400 pages, so it wasn’t small in size at all. However, the author’s name was unfamiliar to me, despite having three other books published. I also have never seen/heard of my particular book in general out in the world, so I figured that she was more of an Indie author (which she was; my knowledge on Indie authors is limited). But the plot intrigued me, hence why I had bought it back in January during one of those Barnes & Noble online sales.
As I started reading it, I quickly fell into its charm. There were all sorts of twists throughout the story that I didn’t see coming. The parents were mentioned frequently (because parents tend to be absent in many YA novels, which is weird if you’re only a teen). There wasn’t any Insta!Love when it came to the protagonist’s love interest. And just as importantly, the writing itself was well done.
It was also a stand-alone book. I commend the author for that because, usually when I’m reading something fantasy or sci-fi, it tends to be part of a duology or trilogy. But, nope, this book was a complete story arc and I was satisfied with it by its end.
My only qualm about it is that the main antagonist started to get a little too villain-y at times. But that’s just me.
Anyway…it was nice to finish a book that surpassed my expectations of it. Too often I have picked up a novel and was disappointed by it due to its mediocrity.
Now I just have to figure out which book I want to tackle next…
Yeah, this is what I experienced this past week.
I chose a book from my unread tower last week, picking it deliberately because I wanted to read something that I could finish quickly. (The last book took me a month to complete. I didn’t want to dedicate so much time on another novel so soon.) This new book was slightly over 400 pages, so it wasn’t small in size at all. However, the author’s name was unfamiliar to me, despite having three other books published. I also have never seen/heard of my particular book in general out in the world, so I figured that she was more of an Indie author (which she was; my knowledge on Indie authors is limited). But the plot intrigued me, hence why I had bought it back in January during one of those Barnes & Noble online sales.
As I started reading it, I quickly fell into its charm. There were all sorts of twists throughout the story that I didn’t see coming. The parents were mentioned frequently (because parents tend to be absent in many YA novels, which is weird if you’re only a teen). There wasn’t any Insta!Love when it came to the protagonist’s love interest. And just as importantly, the writing itself was well done.
It was also a stand-alone book. I commend the author for that because, usually when I’m reading something fantasy or sci-fi, it tends to be part of a duology or trilogy. But, nope, this book was a complete story arc and I was satisfied with it by its end.
My only qualm about it is that the main antagonist started to get a little too villain-y at times. But that’s just me.
Anyway…it was nice to finish a book that surpassed my expectations of it. Too often I have picked up a novel and was disappointed by it due to its mediocrity.
Now I just have to figure out which book I want to tackle next…
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Summer Writing Project(s)?
Tomorrow is already the start of June, which pretty much marks the start of summer. (I don’t want to hear about how summer doesn’t officially happen until June 21st. Here in Michigan, Memorial Day usually signals the beginning of summer.)
Similar to many people, I’m excited to take advantage of the warm weather and do summer-like stuff. Activities such as riding my bike or heading to my local metropark. And eating more ice cream than usual.
Unlike other people, though, I also use the summer months to work on a large writing project. I’ve only just started thinking about it, but there a few questions I have to answer before I embark on this year’s project:
1.) When should I begin?
Obviously, I’m not starting on June 1st, simply because I’m not ready. Two years ago, I began in the middle of June and wrote all the way until the beginning of August. Last year, I commenced on July 1st and only wrote for the month.
I guess it all depends on…
2.) What should I write?
If I plan on writing a story with a manuscript length, then I’m going to have to start early (aka: sometime in June). But if I’m just doing something similar like NaNoWriMo (where I just write a bunch of stories and see where they all go), then I could probably repeat what I did last year and begin on July 1st.
I haven’t written anything in almost two months, though, so my fingers are starting to itch on my keyboard. If I work on any stories in the next week or two, will that throw off my “groove” for whatever ends up being my summer writing project?
But if I wait until July, then I can spend some time brainstorming some ideas in June. Maybe pull out my handy dandy plot chart.
3.) Should I concentrate on having a word count? If so, what should it be?
Judging by how well my March and April writing projects went (yes, this is sarcasm), I think I need to impose some kind of total word count. If I don’t, I’m prone to skip days and not write, ultimately sweeping the whole idea away.
Really, it comes down to how ambitious I feel. If I want to have a more laidback approach, I try to write at least 1000 words a day. But if I’m really serious about working on a particularly long story, then I tend to kick it up to 1500 words/day. (Not like I’m doing anything exciting this summer, anyway.)
Yes, I really do think about all of this. As you can tell, I’m very much a Planner of Things. It’s a wonder that I actually do anything at all, haha.
P.S. And in case you were wondering, I did indeed finish reading AS I DARKEN by Kiersten White. I finally completed it last Thursday. Since I’ve mentioned it in my last three posts (yes, I am aware of it), you should know by now that I highly recommend the low-fantasy/alternative history novel.
Similar to many people, I’m excited to take advantage of the warm weather and do summer-like stuff. Activities such as riding my bike or heading to my local metropark. And eating more ice cream than usual.
Unlike other people, though, I also use the summer months to work on a large writing project. I’ve only just started thinking about it, but there a few questions I have to answer before I embark on this year’s project:
1.) When should I begin?
Obviously, I’m not starting on June 1st, simply because I’m not ready. Two years ago, I began in the middle of June and wrote all the way until the beginning of August. Last year, I commenced on July 1st and only wrote for the month.
I guess it all depends on…
2.) What should I write?
If I plan on writing a story with a manuscript length, then I’m going to have to start early (aka: sometime in June). But if I’m just doing something similar like NaNoWriMo (where I just write a bunch of stories and see where they all go), then I could probably repeat what I did last year and begin on July 1st.
I haven’t written anything in almost two months, though, so my fingers are starting to itch on my keyboard. If I work on any stories in the next week or two, will that throw off my “groove” for whatever ends up being my summer writing project?
But if I wait until July, then I can spend some time brainstorming some ideas in June. Maybe pull out my handy dandy plot chart.
3.) Should I concentrate on having a word count? If so, what should it be?
Judging by how well my March and April writing projects went (yes, this is sarcasm), I think I need to impose some kind of total word count. If I don’t, I’m prone to skip days and not write, ultimately sweeping the whole idea away.
Really, it comes down to how ambitious I feel. If I want to have a more laidback approach, I try to write at least 1000 words a day. But if I’m really serious about working on a particularly long story, then I tend to kick it up to 1500 words/day. (Not like I’m doing anything exciting this summer, anyway.)
Yes, I really do think about all of this. As you can tell, I’m very much a Planner of Things. It’s a wonder that I actually do anything at all, haha.
P.S. And in case you were wondering, I did indeed finish reading AS I DARKEN by Kiersten White. I finally completed it last Thursday. Since I’ve mentioned it in my last three posts (yes, I am aware of it), you should know by now that I highly recommend the low-fantasy/alternative history novel.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Appreciating Power-Hungry Female Protagonists
One of the themes I have been noticing lately with YA fantasy books is that the female protagonist could basically be seen as an anti-hero. They thirst for power; woe to any character that gets in their way. I find their journey quite fascinating. (What are they willing to sacrifice to get what they want?) Obviously their authors and readers must feel like this is an important story to tell if it’s popping up everywhere.
Yes, I’m still reading AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White. (I’m on page 246. I’m gradually getting there. Don’t rush me.) Although I’m not finished with it, I can see where Lada’s story is heading based on her goals and personality. And I can’t wait to see her rise to power.
Because of this theme of ruthlessly focused female protagonists, I decided to scour my bookshelves and make a short list of novels that could be categorized within this category. Even if these girls may go about obtaining power through cruel ways, perhaps we should all admire their determination, strength, and perseverance.
Side note: As always, I may have included some mild spoilers. I want to say sorry, but since I keep doing it in my posts, I’m obviously not that sorry. Sorry?
What kind of list of power-hungry female protagonists would be complete with Adalina? Through her entire story arc, she did everything she could to become queen. And even after she got her status, she still wanted more. More territory, more power, more subjects. She was unstoppable…until her otherworldly powers began betraying her.
First off, you’ll have to forgive me for not reading its sequel yet. It’s been sitting on my dresser since it came out in August. I haven’t been putting it off because I dread it or anything; I just remember how awestruck I was with the first book that I’ve been intimated to pick up the second one. And Helene isn’t technically a protagonist in AEitA, but she has her own chapters in the sequel. Is this considered cheating? Probably, but it’s my blog, so I can bend my own rules.
With the above said, I don’t know how Helene’s character arc is in the second book, but she definitely kicked butt in AEitA. She gave Elias a run for his money, ultimately becoming the Blood Shrike instead of him. Personality-wise, she isn’t hardened by the world or even considered a tyrannical character, but I admired her extreme focus and grit, hence why she made it on this list.
Okay, this one I’m on the edge about including onto this list. I give Emelina credit in that she led her broken kingdom, decided to marry an enemy prince in order to gain information, rescued her captured younger sister, and tried to win a battle against her enemy kingdom. And she did all of this despite not being a Ruined – a person with powers, which her entire kingdom is known for.
However, I kinda want to include her sister, Olivia, instead. She’s not the protagonist - and we only meet her finally at the very end of the book - but she is definitely out for revenge and to reclaim her throne. I would not mess with her.
Its sequel, AVENGED, just came out two weeks ago. I haven’t bought the book yet, but I’m certainly intrigued to see how the conflicting ideals of the two sisters play out.
And there you have it! I wish I could include more characters to this list, but all of my other possible candidates only pursued power because it made a sibling (usually a sister) safe. They were doing cruel tasks in the name of being a protector, not because they genuinely wanted to.
All in all, I realize how difficult it must be to create such abhorrent characters. To make them harsh, but not too evil so that they lose their humanity and become completely unlikeable. We readers want to root for these people, after all.
But I love reading how these characters claw their way to the top.
P.S. This September, when ONE DARK THRONE by Kendare Blake comes out, I’m hoping to include Katharine into this list as well. Judging by her last chapter in the previous book, I can see her brutally trying to cut her two sisters down in order to become the queen.
Yes, I’m still reading AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White. (I’m on page 246. I’m gradually getting there. Don’t rush me.) Although I’m not finished with it, I can see where Lada’s story is heading based on her goals and personality. And I can’t wait to see her rise to power.
Because of this theme of ruthlessly focused female protagonists, I decided to scour my bookshelves and make a short list of novels that could be categorized within this category. Even if these girls may go about obtaining power through cruel ways, perhaps we should all admire their determination, strength, and perseverance.
Side note: As always, I may have included some mild spoilers. I want to say sorry, but since I keep doing it in my posts, I’m obviously not that sorry. Sorry?
Adalina from The Young Elites series by Marie Lu
What kind of list of power-hungry female protagonists would be complete with Adalina? Through her entire story arc, she did everything she could to become queen. And even after she got her status, she still wanted more. More territory, more power, more subjects. She was unstoppable…until her otherworldly powers began betraying her.
Helene from AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir
First off, you’ll have to forgive me for not reading its sequel yet. It’s been sitting on my dresser since it came out in August. I haven’t been putting it off because I dread it or anything; I just remember how awestruck I was with the first book that I’ve been intimated to pick up the second one. And Helene isn’t technically a protagonist in AEitA, but she has her own chapters in the sequel. Is this considered cheating? Probably, but it’s my blog, so I can bend my own rules.
With the above said, I don’t know how Helene’s character arc is in the second book, but she definitely kicked butt in AEitA. She gave Elias a run for his money, ultimately becoming the Blood Shrike instead of him. Personality-wise, she isn’t hardened by the world or even considered a tyrannical character, but I admired her extreme focus and grit, hence why she made it on this list.
RUINED by Amy Tintera
Okay, this one I’m on the edge about including onto this list. I give Emelina credit in that she led her broken kingdom, decided to marry an enemy prince in order to gain information, rescued her captured younger sister, and tried to win a battle against her enemy kingdom. And she did all of this despite not being a Ruined – a person with powers, which her entire kingdom is known for.
However, I kinda want to include her sister, Olivia, instead. She’s not the protagonist - and we only meet her finally at the very end of the book - but she is definitely out for revenge and to reclaim her throne. I would not mess with her.
Its sequel, AVENGED, just came out two weeks ago. I haven’t bought the book yet, but I’m certainly intrigued to see how the conflicting ideals of the two sisters play out.
And there you have it! I wish I could include more characters to this list, but all of my other possible candidates only pursued power because it made a sibling (usually a sister) safe. They were doing cruel tasks in the name of being a protector, not because they genuinely wanted to.
All in all, I realize how difficult it must be to create such abhorrent characters. To make them harsh, but not too evil so that they lose their humanity and become completely unlikeable. We readers want to root for these people, after all.
But I love reading how these characters claw their way to the top.
P.S. This September, when ONE DARK THRONE by Kendare Blake comes out, I’m hoping to include Katharine into this list as well. Judging by her last chapter in the previous book, I can see her brutally trying to cut her two sisters down in order to become the queen.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
A Weird Month
For one thing, after the failure of last month’s writing project, I figured that I’d try again for April. My goal was to write every other day. It went well the first three times, but then I skipped the next two times, and then only wrote one other time. So all in all, I only wrote four days during the entire month. How sad.
Also, as you can tell, I did not post anything during the middle of April like I’ve been doing the last three months. Honestly, I was drawing a blank on what to write about and then I got caught up with Easter festivities.
But instead of writing, you were doing a lot of reading, right Amanda?
Yeah….no. After reading McGee’s book, I couldn’t bring myself to tackle another book. I finally did on the 27th, which means that it took me a whole thirty days before I reached for a new book. (AS I DARKEN by Kiersten White, in case you were wondering. I’ve only read 88 pages in it so far, so I can’t say too much about it just yet.)
I did spend twelve days binge watching a series on Netflix, though. Does that count for anything?
I guess you can say that I just spent the month “absorbing.”
I was excited to witness all the trees in my neighborhood bloom two weeks ago. The Michigan temperature has been subtly increasing, but not enough for me. Nonetheless, we’re in the middle of spring and I’ve been enjoying it. (Can’t wait to bring my bike out of storage in May.)
I’ve also had somewhat of a social life this month. And by that I mean I’m getting out of the house at least twice a week and seeing people who I’m not related to. It’s been great.
But overall, I get the sense that I wasn’t as productive as I should have been during April. (I wish there was a way to function without sleep.) Hence why I need to reorganize my daily life priorities.
A new month is on the horizon, so at least I can get another fresh start. How a third of the year slipped away is beyond me, though. I gotta work harder on my New Year resolutions.
Randomness: Remember how I mentioned waaaay back in Feb 2016’s post how I wanted to do something different with my hair? Well…I finally did it on the 22nd…
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
It’s so short now! I chopped off five inches. My hair is now ready for the summer. (Not that the impending warm weather was the reason why I cut it.)
Friday, March 31, 2017
March Writing Exercise - Fail
On the last day of February, I made the decision to try and write every day for the month of March. I didn’t create a set word count that I wanted to reach by the end. My only rule: I had to write at least one hour a day. As long as I was not distracted during this time, it didn’t matter how much words I conjured up in a day.
Based on the title of this blog post, I’m sure you can take a very good guess on how it went down.
During the first five days, it went great. I wrote 5,348 words during this time. I was pretty much pulling the stunt that I do for NaNoWriMo – just write about any vaguely interesting idea and see where it takes me. For two or three of my stories, I didn’t even finish them because I couldn’t quite commit to its ending (and figured that I’d write its conclusion another day).
But then I didn’t write the next day, which was my downfall. I started writing either every other day or every two days. Writer’s block had its grip on me and I had difficulty shaking free from it. And I chose to do other leisure things (like reading or watch Netflix) instead of facing it head-on.
The last day that I actually did some creative writing was back on the 18th. Basically two weeks ago. I only wrote 11/31 days this month (about 35.5%, for you math nerds) and only wrote a total of 10,187 words.
Here’s what I learned for the experience, though:
Hopefully this doesn't mean that I'm screwed. I have to find a way where I can compete against myself, but at the same time, not sacrifice the quality of my work.
But knowing all this now, part of me wants to create an April Writing Exercise. Round 2 of trying to write regularly. Kinda create my own version of Camp NaNoWriMo (which actually takes place during the month of April). Maybe I should set a rather low word count and just write every other day so I don’t burn out?
Part of me also wants to attempt a second draft of the main story that I worked on in NaNo ’16. But then my project from last July is also tugging on me as well.
Basically, I don’t know what stories I’m going to focus on in the near future. But, hey, I don’t know what I’m doing with my own life, so why would this be any different? (It all works out in the end, right? Please tell me that it does.)
P.S. On Monday, I finished reading THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR by Katharine McGee. Guys, I highly recommend this book. It’s set a hundred years in the future, but it’s not a dystopian, and the world-building was fascinating. I typically don’t like drama/high society novels, but the interconnectedness of the characters and the world itself drew me in. I’m so happy to learn that it’s the first in a trilogy (the cover of its sequel was just released the other day).
Also, the book cover is extremely pretty. So there’s that, too.
Based on the title of this blog post, I’m sure you can take a very good guess on how it went down.
During the first five days, it went great. I wrote 5,348 words during this time. I was pretty much pulling the stunt that I do for NaNoWriMo – just write about any vaguely interesting idea and see where it takes me. For two or three of my stories, I didn’t even finish them because I couldn’t quite commit to its ending (and figured that I’d write its conclusion another day).
But then I didn’t write the next day, which was my downfall. I started writing either every other day or every two days. Writer’s block had its grip on me and I had difficulty shaking free from it. And I chose to do other leisure things (like reading or watch Netflix) instead of facing it head-on.
The last day that I actually did some creative writing was back on the 18th. Basically two weeks ago. I only wrote 11/31 days this month (about 35.5%, for you math nerds) and only wrote a total of 10,187 words.
Here’s what I learned for the experience, though:
- I like structure. I should have known this about myself already. But when I set a strict goal for myself, I do everything I can to achieve it because I hate the idea of failing. (Gotta love being a perfectionist.) I do better at actually sitting down to write when I’m trying to complete a certain word count rather than setting aside a set amount of time. Nothing like imposing a deadline to force me to take my goal seriously.
- Despite the fact that I type more when I feel pressured for a word count, I write better when I stop worrying about how much words I need to accumulate. My syntax feels less choppy and I become more descriptive when I take my time. Which is good to know because the ultimate goal is to be able to improve my craft, after all.
Hopefully this doesn't mean that I'm screwed. I have to find a way where I can compete against myself, but at the same time, not sacrifice the quality of my work.
But knowing all this now, part of me wants to create an April Writing Exercise. Round 2 of trying to write regularly. Kinda create my own version of Camp NaNoWriMo (which actually takes place during the month of April). Maybe I should set a rather low word count and just write every other day so I don’t burn out?
Part of me also wants to attempt a second draft of the main story that I worked on in NaNo ’16. But then my project from last July is also tugging on me as well.
Basically, I don’t know what stories I’m going to focus on in the near future. But, hey, I don’t know what I’m doing with my own life, so why would this be any different? (It all works out in the end, right? Please tell me that it does.)
P.S. On Monday, I finished reading THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR by Katharine McGee. Guys, I highly recommend this book. It’s set a hundred years in the future, but it’s not a dystopian, and the world-building was fascinating. I typically don’t like drama/high society novels, but the interconnectedness of the characters and the world itself drew me in. I’m so happy to learn that it’s the first in a trilogy (the cover of its sequel was just released the other day).
Also, the book cover is extremely pretty. So there’s that, too.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Go Check Out My Guest Post: Part 2
Today is another very short blog post day. And as you can gather from the title, I have another guest post! Like last time, I wrote a little something for the Oakland Arts Review (OAR). In case you forgot, OAR is Oakland University’s international undergraduate literary magazine. I became involved with their team back in the autumn and, despite being a graduate now, I’m still giving them a hand with various tasks.
This time, I wrote about how to write without getting distracted. Because let’s face it. Sometimes you will find anything to do except to actually write. (My tips could also apply to homework in general or just trying to get stuff done on the computer.) You can find my post HERE.
Shameless plug: If you’re an undergrad and also a writer of fiction/non-fiction/poetry/comics, we would love to receive a submission from you. It’s totally free and it’s a great experience to get your work out there. And who knows? I might be one of the people reading your work. ;)
This time, I wrote about how to write without getting distracted. Because let’s face it. Sometimes you will find anything to do except to actually write. (My tips could also apply to homework in general or just trying to get stuff done on the computer.) You can find my post HERE.
Shameless plug: If you’re an undergrad and also a writer of fiction/non-fiction/poetry/comics, we would love to receive a submission from you. It’s totally free and it’s a great experience to get your work out there. And who knows? I might be one of the people reading your work. ;)
But in the meantime…head over to the OAR blog and read my post there. And then, if you feel inclined to do so, read some blog entries from my former classmates as well. They have great things to say, too.
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