Even When You're Done Writing, Keep Writing

So I'm still in the midst of editing... it's college finals time, y'all. But I'm sticking with the edits for several reasons:

1. I want to finish them with the goal of sending the manuscript to agents
2. I want to finish by January so that I can start the new year with an edited manuscript
3. I'm applying to graduate school for creative writing and the application is due by Jan. 1 and I'm hoping to use part of it as my writing sample
4. I'M TIRED OF EDITING

That last point is the topic of this blog post. Yes, I am tired of editing, but not really. That doesn't mean that I'm tired of writing, or that I'm tired of this manuscript, or that I'm tired of anything related to this. I have loved every step of this process and the editing phase is no exception. I'm just ready for the next phase of this. I want to edit it to the best of my abilities and continue on with this manuscript.

So I'm not really tired of editing, I'm just ready for the next thing. And I think that's a good thing.

However, my point here is that anything, even something you love, can become frustrating at times. I've heard some writers say that their favorite part of writing a book is the editing phase. They like polishing it and making it really good. Other writers will tell you their favorite part is the actual writing part. They like the creative word vomit phase, where it's just bursts of inspiration and chasing rabbit trails to see where they lead.

I can tell you that I'm in the second camp. I prefer the writing stage. So even though I have loved perfecting this manuscript and really making it more than just a stream of consciousness from my chaotic head, I kind of miss the writing phase.

So what's the solution? I just keep writing. 

I started writing the sequel to this manuscript as well as an entirely different manuscript. 

Now before you tell me I'm getting ahead of myself, let me tell you that even if that sequel never gets published, I'll still enjoy getting it written. I love writing. Of course the goal is to publish, but I write because I truly love it. There isn't much else I love more. 

But you see where I'm going here? Since writing is my favorite part of the process, I just keep writing. So when I get frustrated with my edits, I can remind myself why it will all be worth it. I like seeing the finished product that is edited and is much better than it was when I was typing anything and everything that came to my mind. Writing something different keeps me excited because I truly love writing, no matter what I say when I get frustrated. 

This works in reverse as well. If you like editing better and you are struggling to write something new, alternate it with editing something else. Mixing it up keeps it interesting and fun. You also get two projects done at once (Okay, not really at once, but you get my point). I love every phase of writing, but mixing them up keeps anything from getting the slightest bit stale.

How to Tell Your Friends about Your Book (Spoiler Alert: Just Do It!)

First off, a small update: I am still working on my second read-through and editing. College midterms got in the way...

Anyway, a conversation I had in class the other day sparked the idea for this post. I was talking with a classmate (who I talk to every class meeting) about my plans to go to graduate school for creative writing and she commented that she has often seen me scribbling furiously before class starts. We laughed, we chatted, and we had a pretty good talk. 

And then she asked me if I've finished anything yet. I told her that I had, that I had written a YA fantasy book and that I was currently editing it. And then she asked me THE question. THE dreaded question.

"So what is the book about?"

I hate that question. It always makes me super uncomfortable because I always feel pretty stupid talking about it. I didn't even tell my mom I was writing this manuscript until I was like 2-3 years into it. My best friend practically coaxed it out of me. I always feel really stupid telling people that I wrote a book about a mermaid. 

But I sucked it up and I told her, mostly because I didn't want to dodge her question like a weirdo, but also because I like talking about books and writing, even if it's my own.

And what was her response? Did she laugh at me? Did she ridicule my idea? Did she say it was childish or silly or pointless or weird or any of the things I always fear?

No. Of course not. She thought it was cool. She couldn't believe that I wrote a book, joking that she can't write at all. She thought it was impressive.

I always hesitate to tell people what my book is about because I fear a medley of responses, none of which I have ever actually gotten. It's a silly fear and I should get over it. Within the past 6-8 months or so, I've told several of my friends and none of them have responded that way. I've asked a couple of friends to read some of it (insert paralyzing anxiety here) and they have loved it. 

So let's bring it back to my classmate. I told her how uncomfortable it makes me to talk about it because I feel so stupid, and what did she say? "Well, J.K. Rowling must have thought the same thing at some point, considering the fantasy she wrote." 

Now I'm not even pretending to know what J.K. Rowling thinks, but the point remains the same. Who's to say that my idea is stupid? Someone had to come up with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Vampire Diaries, Narnia, Twilight, and about a million other examples. Fantasy is a freaking weird genre, and that's why it's so great. All of the great fantasy novels we have today started at the same place I'm at.

I'm not saying my book will become a massive hit like Harry Potter (though that would be awesome), but I should be confident in my book and my idea. It may take time, but I should learn to discuss my book with confidence and a healthy sense of pride because I came up with the idea for the book and then I wrote it down.

Talking with friends about this has actually made me much happier and confident, even when it is awkward. I like talking about it. I like knowing that I've let it escape from my head and other people know the story and it's not just me anymore. It's really liberating. 

So if you are living with the fear of telling your friends about your book idea, just do it. Seriously. You will feel a heck of a lot better.

Why Second Read-Throughs Are So Cool

So I have officially started my second read-through of my manuscript!

I know I haven't blogged in a while, and there are a couple of reasons for that. One is that I recently finished midterm week, so that was incredibly time-consuming. The second reason is that I started writing a new manuscript, and I felt like that deserved priority over blogging.

Now, that isn't to say that I've neglected my completed manuscript. I definitely haven't. I completed my first read-through and performed the necessary edits. 

Which brings me to the topic of this blog post: How is the second read-through different from the first?

The majority of my notes from my first read-through went like this:
1. copy edits / typos
2. deciding if I wanted to use present tense or past tense
3. making sure the story flowed
4. checking story line consistencies and date consistencies
5. looking for plot holes

Now I'm only about a third of the way through my second read-through, but these are the trends I'm noticing:
1. checking to make sure my protagonist's voice is strong
2. making sure the story flows
3. making sure the material I added to fill plot holes after the first read-through is successful and fits the rest of the manuscript

In many ways, the second read-through is far more enjoyable and exciting than the first. The first time, I was reading a raw manuscript filled with errors and inconsistencies. It was almost entirely unedited and it definitely showed. It was fun reading it for the first time all the way through, but it was also exhausting to catch all the many, many errors there were. 

But this time, it's different. It's still far from a perfect manuscript and I still have a long way to go, but it's already been edited a lot. Plot holes have been filled, typos eliminated, timeline inconsistencies eradicated. It's a complete, 80,000+ word manuscript that is a cohesive and well-constructed piece of writing. 

That's why the second read-through is so much fun. I feel like I'm reading what could potentially be a real book someday. It doesn't feel like a first draft anymore because it isn't. It feels real. For the first time in this entire process since I started writing, it actually feels like a book. And that's cool.

So while I continue down the long road of edits, I think this will be a good reminder. My manuscript is for real. It could one day (hopefully) be a real, published book. And that's really encouraging. 

So if you have a completed manuscript, no matter how raw it is, remember that it's an actual completed manuscript. It's a book. And that's pretty legit.

KMG

Writing a Novel is an Accomplishment... Seriously

So today I was scrolling through Twitter (procrastinating on editing), and I saw a quote from  Rose Tremain on the Twitter page +TheUnNovelist .... Great page, by the way, check it out for sure.

The quote was as follows: "The process of rewriting is enjoyable, because you're not in that existential panic when you don't have a novel at all." ~Rose Tremain

Let that sink in. It seems simple on the surface, but this quote really blew me away and I'll tell you why. 

I spent about a year seriously focused on writing this manuscript after spending a couple of years casually working on it, after years of letting this idea wander through my brain, developing into a complex story over the years. This has been a long time coming.

And now that it's actually done, I'm consumed by the editing and rewriting process. In some ways, it's just as hard as actually writing, and in other ways it's easier, but it requires a lot of work all the same. 

It's so easy for me, and maybe for some of you, to get caught up in how crappy I feel like my writing is. Oh, this scene is terrible, why is that dialogue so corny, why am I so bad at writing, etc. It's abnormally easy to worry about everything I did wrong and trying to fix it that I forget something so simple:

I wrote a book.

I have a 75,000+ word Scrivener file on my computer that entirely came out of my head, that I painstakingly typed out. 

It's written. It's out of my head and onto paper computer screen. 

And that's an accomplishment.

Sure, maybe that chapter is really poorly written, but it's written. Maybe this manuscript is really disorganized because I refused to outline, but it actually exists to be disorganized. Maybe that character isn't developed well, but that character has been taken out of my head and put into words.

The reason I have all these problems with my manuscript is because I have a manuscript. 

So even though that quote is so simple, I found it exceedingly encouraging.

So if you've written a manuscript, if you've even written just one paragraph of a manuscript, that's something worth celebrating. You conjured a new idea out of your head and put it into words. 

And if that isn't the most legit thing you've ever heard of, I don't know what is. 

Actually writing a manuscript is very impressive. Don't get so lost in your rewriting that you forget that.

KMG

Read, Read, and Read Some More

So I want to talk about something different today. This is still totally relevant to the blog, so stick with me.

I took a break from editing (and writing and schoolwork and sleeping and eating and... wait what?) to read a book* that I've been meaning to read for months now. It's a trilogy, so I figured it would take me a while. I started the first book on Thursday afternoon and now it is Sunday night and I am halfway through the third book. Like I've said before, I read fast when the book is good, and let me tell you, this book is good. I was afraid that reading would distract me from editing, which I've been slacking on the last week (school has been busy), but quite the opposite happened. I ended up taking notes on my phone for things that I need to work on that the author of the book did really well. There was a strangely high number of parallels that I could draw between the book and my manuscript. Sometimes scenes in the book reminded me of scenes in my own even though they were completely different simply because they made me think of things I could do better.

I know you've probably seen numerous people advise aspiring writers to read and I'm here to tell you that every single one of those people is absolutely correct. I had always seen advice like that and thought it was only applicable long term, like reading a lot makes you a better writer over time. While I still think that is true, I was not expecting to see the effects so quickly.

My point here is if you're getting stuck either while writing or editing, put it down and read something. Not only will this give you some distance from your own manuscript which is sometimes necessary, but it will also remind you of what you like in books when you read. I have been so caught up in my own story and words for so long that I forgot what I like to read. I forgot how much I love it when a book actually makes me laugh out loud. I forgot how interesting and frustrating it is to have a narrator that second guesses herself. I forgot how much I love sarcastic, sassy characters. I forgot how much I like confident but vulnerable love interests. I forgot how much I love when you feel a character's pain so strongly that you actually physically cry with them. And I forgot how much I love a book that forces me to read at every possible available minute because I just can't bring myself to part from the story. 

I think it's hard to remember your favorite parts of a book when you are writing one. It's easy to get caught up in the technical craft and trying to pander to what you think your intended audience wants. Taking the time to relax and read a book made me realize that I am the audience. I am a reader and ultimately, I should be happy with the final product. If I write a book that I don't enjoy reading, then I'll never be happy with it. If I write a book that I enjoy reading not just because it's my story but because it is genuinely pleasurable to read, then chances are other people will like it too. 

So take some time to read. Read books in your genre or books with similar elements. Read books that are drastically different too. Don't forget that the joy of reading a truly good book is what inspired you to write a book in the first place.

KMG

*The book series I read was The Selection by Kiera Cass. Definitely check it out if you haven't. It's incredible, as is The Siren by Cass.

Why Creative Word Vomit is a Good Thing

So I'm currently in the read through part of the editing process and it's... different. 

Let me clarify.

When I was writing, I was so focused on getting words onto paper (or computer screen) that I didn't bother with anything other than grammar. This resulted in just about every chapter being in past tense (it's supposed to be present tense), some major timeline consistency problems, characters dropping off the face of the earth for like ten chapters at a time, and the realization of something rather interesting. 

The story that I set out to write is not the one that came out on paper.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of it is the same, but I ended up changing a major part of the story. I had started out writing about a siren who pursues a music career despite her mother trying to kill her. What I ended up with was the story of a siren whose mother is trying to kill her while she struggles with the realities of being a siren, like the desire to kill. 

I liked the idea of the irony of a siren being a professional singer and how that would play out. I wanted to explore that concept. But the more I wrote, the more the music career fell by the wayside and this alternate concept of a siren who doesn't want to kill, but that's against her nature. That second concept was always intended to be in the story, but I never thought it would become a main plot point and major conflict in the story. 

So why do I say all this?

As I was writing, I read more writing tips than I probably should have. I kept seeing all these posts about writing the story that wants to be written and just sitting down and letting the story flow out and all I have to say is that those statements couldn't be more accurate. So many times I sat down to write something specific. I had a complete, detailed scene in my head ready to be written. But an hour later, I looked up from the keyboard to find a completely different idea on the screen. 

Sometimes your subconscious writer knows better than your logical mind. I ended up with a far better story (I think) kind of by accident, but I'm so glad for it. Now I can confidently edit, knowing I wrote the right story. I know it's often hard in practice to relax and just be creative, but sometimes impromptu creative word vomit is better in the long run.

<3
KMG

An Original Short Story! Titled: Cheated

Hey guys!

So I realized something today. I sat down to start editing my newly completed manuscript first draft (*squeals*), and my mind was buzzing with ideas for a potential sequel and ideas for a completely different book, and it occurred to me that I have never actually posted any of my writing.

Since my manuscript is still in the early stages, I won't be posting any of that. However, I do have some short stories and other things like that, so here goes nothing.

This is a story that I wrote almost two years ago. My freshman year of college, I took a creative writing class that I absolutely adored. Our professor encouraged us to try all styles, including nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. This is a fictional (very short) short story that I wrote for that class. The writing prompt was to write a short story based on one very simple but intriguing line. The first assignment was to write that line. The second assignment was to write the story based off of that line. 

The story I wrote follows below. The first line of the story is that initial prompt. Please read and comment and let me know what you think! Even though this is a few years old, I still really like it.

Cheated

The rustling trees brought back the ache of that day.

He remembered how beautiful she looked. Her glowing ember hair cascaded down her back, bouncing over her shoulder, springing back as she twirled the curls. He remembered what she wore. A blueberry shaded dress, strapless, that was longer in the back, only reaching the top of her pretty knees in the front. She wore black stilettos, one foot forward, one foot back. She was sitting on the bench, reading a book, looking like she had stepped out of a painting. Frankenstein. His favorite book. He had never seen such a stunning woman reading Frankenstein before. Every woman he had ever seen reading such a book was incredibly frumpy and unconcerned with her frightful appearance.

           

The wind blew, rustling the leaves, both those still clinging to the trees and those scattered on the ground. The breeze tousled her hair and she flicked a piece away from her face. Her silver bangles tinkled as she flipped her hair, chimed as her fingers delicately turned a page.

           

She was fully engrossed in her novel and oblivious to her admirer who sat several yards away from her. He was trying desperately to work up the nerve to talk to her. She was the ideal woman for him. No, the perfect woman. He loved red hair, adored science fiction novels, and there was nothing in the world he enjoyed more than sitting under the trees and listening to the persuasive breezes sway the trees. In fact, that is precisely why he was here in the first place. Going to the park was his favorite thing in the world because he dearly loved nature. He was enjoying the beautiful day and watching the trees dance under the wind’s power. She glanced up for a moment to observe a curious squirrel that had been observing her. She caught him staring at her, smiled, and went back to reading. He sighed. Her stunning green eyes captivated him and made him swoon. He just had to talk to her.

           

But he couldn’t do it. He tried, oh, he tried desperately to stand up, put one foot in front of the other and walk over and speak to her, but his fear of rejection kept him seated in his bench.

           

But he had to. She was a goddess, she was perfect for him, he could just feel it. So he stood. Slowly, but he rose to his feet. He took one step and paused. One more step, another pause. He heard someone walking behind him. He turned to see a man behind him. The man passed him without a glance and moved toward the girl. She smiled when she saw him, stood, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He picked her up and spun her. She picked up her book and they walked away together.

           

He was shocked. Sickened. Crushed. He felt as if he had just been cheated on. He had never spoken to her, didn’t even know her name, but he loved her as if she had been his wife. He sat dismally, empty handed. In his imagination, he had found his soulmate, but in reality she was just a stranger and would never be anything more.

It had been more than ten years since that day, yet here he was, sitting on the same bench he sat on the day he was cheated. He’s married now, to the supposed perfect woman. All his friends are jealous of her. She is beautiful, charming, and hangs off of him adoringly. She is the perfect trophy wife. She is the perfect woman. But she isn’t his perfect woman. She cares more about her appearance than she does about him, hates reading, and her idea of enjoying nature is when he brings her flowers. He still comes to this park, even though she hates it when he goes.

The wind blows and the trees shake. He watches the squirrels scurry around in search of food and he listens to the children play together. He looks up at the three girls walking in his direction, though still a ways off. They are about thirteen or fourteen and they talk frivolously about boys and clothes. As they get closer, he takes notice of the one on the end. When she laughs, she shakes her auburn locks and smiles beautifully. He is startled by how much she looks like the woman from his past. He blinks quickly, trying to expel the hallucination from his eyes. Her mother catches up with her and hands her a worn copy of Frankenstein before watching her walk off with her friends. It’s her. The woman is standing only a few feet from him after nearly fifteen years. She takes notice of him, smiles familiarly, and walks off with that man.

He was left with only the old memory of her reading and the sound of the rustling of the trees.

KMG

MY BOOK IS DONE!!! (Except it's not...) 5 Tips

First things first: Drumroll please....

I FINISHED MY BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so obviously I still have a ton of editing to do, but the writing stage is complete! I officially have a completed manuscript at 69,000 words!

 (Giphy.com)

So I'm super excited about that. SUPER EXCITED. 

But let's take a moment to discuss things I learned while writing this. I am by no means a professional, but these are my own personal experiences.

1. Writing a book is hard

This seems obvious and SO many writers will tell you this, but I don't think I really believed any of them. Some days, the writing is easy and it flows out of your head and your hands can barely keep up with your thoughts. But other days, it's like trying to move a mountain. I had weeks long episodes of lying face down on the couch moaning about how my brain was useless and I couldn't write a single word and I was a failure. My mom tried to tell me that it would pass (and of course it did- moms are never wrong). You've just got to take those days in stride. They always pass. Writer's block is for real, guys.

2. Writing advice is great, but ultimately you should ignore it

I spent many hours browsing writing websites and reading writing tips from published authors (usually when I was procrastinating on writing) and I tried almost every tip I read, but ultimately, whatever I was doing originally was best. I tried different things, but I always ended up with my same old techniques I was already using. So I would say that if you're stuck, take the time to try out those tips, but remember what worked for you in the past.

3. Write the story you want to write

This sounds obvious, but don't pander to an audience or try to emulate another writer. The world already has a Suzanne Collins, a J. K. Rowling, a Veronica Roth, a C. S. Lewis. The world doesn't have you. Write the story that you want to write, regardless of the trends or anything else. If you write true to yourself, the final product will be far better than if you tried to be someone else.

4. Take time to do things other than write

Sometimes when you're stuck, it pays to stop and step back and do something that doesn't involve writing. Go to the movies, read a book, play a musical instrument, start a Netflix TV show marathon, read ALL the Twitter posts, bake a cake, whatever you feel like doing. It gives your brain a break.

5. Celebrate the little victories

When you finish a chapter, celebrate. When you reach a word count milestone, celebrate. When you break through your writer's block, celebrate. Enjoy the little successes along the way. It makes the journey of writing a book much more enjoyable.

Now I am going to take a few days to relax and celebrate the victory of completing a manuscript before I start editing (and editing will take a while).

KMG

Why Girls Need Young Adult Novels

Something has been weighing on my mind for some time now, but I hesitated to blog about it because I didn’t feel like it was really relevant to the topic of my blog. However, I’ve reconsidered because first of all, I do think it’s relevant as a related topic, and secondly, I think it’s far too important to pass up.

The Young Adult genre of books has gotten some flack in recent years. Some of the criticisms are reasonable and some are not, but that’s not what I’d like to explore here. What I’d like to point out is why the YA genre continues to have value and should continue to maintain an important place in the literary world.

               

Let me preface this by saying that YA is my favorite, so I’m a little biased. But I think my point still has merit.

               

Even though YA has a wide range of readers and fans, I think we, as writers and/or readers, can agree that it is written about teenagers for teenagers. Most YA books feature a teenager who faces a crisis in his or her life and must overcome it. Depending on the storyline, these crises can be very simple and relatable or very complex and extreme. Either way, the reason these books are so popular is because they possess emotions and experiences and thought processes that everyone has felt in their youth.

                

So why am I pointing this out? For a very simple reason: Girls need YA novels.

                

YA novels are unique not just because of the age of the protagonist, but because the protagonist overcomes a great obstacle. As an avid reader, nowhere else have I found such a strong positive female role model than in YA.

                

Let me give you a very famous example from one of my all-time favorite books: Katniss Everdeen.

               

(Side note: If you haven’t read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, you’re doing something wrong. If you are currently reading and not finished, no need to worry, there are no spoilers in this post).

               

The Hunger Games is one of the most popular YA books right now and there are many reasons for it. Collins tells a compelling story through excellent writing and superb character development. Her writing is top notch. But what I like most about this book series is not any of that (though I have an unhealthy appreciation/obsession of her writing chops). What I like most is Katniss Everdeen. From page one, Katniss Everdeen is a bad-ass who doesn’t let anyone push her around. She isn’t perfect and she makes mistakes, but she’s not about to let anyone control her life. Katniss never lets anyone dictate her actions or come anywhere near hurting the people she cares about. She’s brave even when she’s terrified, she perseveres when she thinks she can’t go on, and she finds the beauty in life even when she’s in a fight to the death. She recognizes injustice and doesn’t let anyone intimidate her into backing down, and that is very honorable.

               

Katniss embodies what I think YA books do so well: they remind people that young girls have the ability to do great things. Repeatedly throughout the series, many people doubt Katniss’s ability to succeed. Even Katniss doubts herself, but she never backs down from a fight. Katniss is underestimated because she’s a girl and at times, emotional, but she always gets the last laugh because she is far more powerful than anyone, including herself, ever thought she was.

                

I think that young girls need that. All young people need to be reminded that they have the ability to achieve greatness, even when people don’t think they can. All young people need these great examples, even fictional ones, that show just how powerful they can be.

                

Girls especially need these kinds of examples. As a twenty year old girl, I can tell you firsthand that I have experienced and witnessed a prejudice against young girls with big dreams. It’s sad that in the 21^st century, girls are still treated as less than boys. Girls are considered less intelligent, weaker, and all around inferior to boys. Now, don’t take this to mean that I’m a man-hater. I want guys to pursue their dreams fervently and become successful young men who don’t let anyone discourage them. I want guys to be encouraged to be all that they can be. But I want girls to have the same treatment. I want the world to tell girls that they are just as capable. If girls were ever treated like they deserve to be treated, I think we would see a vast improvement in our society.

                

Unfortunately, girls don’t hear the encouragement they desperately need. That’s why characters like Katniss Everdeen are so vital in literature. If Katniss can achieve what she does even under the most extreme of circumstances, then girls who are reading can believe that they too can succeed.

                

If girls continue to read about characters like Katniss Everdeen, Tris Prior, Lucy Pevensie, Lena Holloway, etc.,* then we can inspire young girls to seek greatness because they will believe they can achieve greatness, despite others trying to hold them back. YA books are filled with excellent role models for young girls and guys in a way that is unparalleled. This is why YA is my favorite genre. YA books are inspiring to the youth of the world, and that is priceless.

KMG

*Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games, Tris Prior of Divergent, Lucy Pevensie of The Chronicles of Narnia, Lena Holloway of Delirium

5 Scary Truths of the Mind of a Writer

First off, a quick update....

I'm dangerously close to completing my manuscript!!!!!! *squeals of glee* This is such a surreal feeling. I've had this idea for as long as I can remember and I've been working on it in some form of discipline since about junior year of high school or so. It's so weird/exciting/relieving/scary to think that I'm this close to finishing. Plus, I already have the basics of book 2 mapped out so yay! Just a little ways to go to finish...

Celebrations to follow once I am actually done

(Google)

So anyway, on to the actual topic of this blog post. Because I'm so close to finishing, the procrastination force has been especially severe. To procrastinate, I like to read blogs and articles by published authors, publishers, agents, etc. I've read several along the lines of how writers feel about their manuscripts, and while some of them really hit on some great chords, I thought I'd contribute my own two cents on the matter.

1. I'm constantly thinking about my manuscript, and I do mean CONSTANTLY. From the moment I wake up, to the moment I fall asleep, I'm thinking about it. (I've also been known to dream about it) As soon as I wake up, I'm evaluating everything in my head. Is that character developed enough? Is the ending finite enough? Is the beginning interesting and attention grabbing? Should I take out that minor storyline? Is it long enough? My chapters aren't equal lengths, is that a problem? How am I going to develop that relationship? Do I even need that character? Do I even like that character? This is my mind at all waking hours. I'm always thinking and obsessing and overthinking every aspect of the story. 

2. When I'm not actively obsessing over my own story (albeit I'm still thinking about it in the back of my mind), I'm thinking about other stories. Other books, TV shows, movies, whatever. If it has a storyline, I'm evaluating it. I used to not think about anything except the plot, but writing actively and frequently has caused me to analyze all aspects of storytelling. 

3. The characters I've made up in my head are just as real to me as the people in my life. Now before you think I've totally lost it, let me explain. Like I said before, I've had this idea for years, for a good portion of my life, and I created the characters, so I know them as well as I know myself. I know how they think, how they feel, and their entire life stories. This is especially true of my protagonist, Jade. I know Jade as well as myself. I know every detail of her entire life, even details she hasn't yet learned (because I haven't written them yet). I know what she looks like, what she likes and doesn't like, how she feels, and how she would react to any situation. 

4. The setting of my story is as real to me as my current surroundings. My story is a fantasy story and I often catch myself applying fantasy elements to real life. Again I sound crazy. 

5. I am probably both my manuscript's and my own biggest fan and its greatest critic. Sometimes I'm so proud of the story and the fact that I came up with it that my happiness escalates quickly into arrogance. Other times I find myself unable to write a single word because I feel like it's so stupid and no one will ever publish it. It will probably always be there. I, more than anyone else, want the story to succeed and be popular, but I also, more than anyone else, worry that it is the worst thing ever written in the history of the world. 

The writer's mind is a complicated thing. My mind is constantly racing with writing-ish thoughts. I still feel weird even calling myself a writer, but I guess it's okay when you have a 60,000+ manuscript in progress that's almost complete... 

Well, off to more writing... Leave me a comment and let me know what your crazy writer mind does... I'd enjoy reading it.

KMG

Help! I Have Writer's Block!!! (No I Don't...)

So here's a personal update:

I've been writing pretty intensively since summer started and I realized the other day in a conversation about my writer's block that I don't actually have writer's block.

Let me explain that.

I know that, if I get the chance to publish more than one book, this concept is a multi-book series. I'm looking at 2 or 3 books total. My first book (which I'm currently writing) I divided into two parts. I had an epic ending for part 1 and I was struggling to write part 2. Basically I reached a point in my writing of book 1 where all my story ideas were ideal for a sequel. I couldn't come up with anything to fill the gap between where I had left off and everything that I had in my head for book 2. I thought it was just the worst case of writer's block I had ever had. 

Turns out, I was wrong. So wrong.

I realized that the reason I couldn't fill the gap between where I was and book 2 is because there is no gap. What I was considering part 2 of book 1 was actually just book 2. I had written a great ending to part 1 not because I'm really good at writing part 1 endings, but because it was the end of a book. I had actually accidentally started book 2.

But don't get me wrong. I haven't finished book 1.

The basic structure and bones of the book is done. It has a beginning and an end. But it isn't done. What I've been doing lately is filling in some scenes where there are awkward gaps in the story or where it seems like the story moves too fast. I've also been doing a lot of editing to fix the huge, glaring problems I have with the order and construction of the story. (Little detail editing can come later). Even with taking out that "part 2" that's really book 2, I am still looking at a 60,000-70,000 word book. But it's a weird feeling to think that when I finish that, the book, barring some major editing, will be done. 

My point here is that sometimes talking through your problem when writing can really help. It might have taken me forever to figure out my problem if I hadn't talked about it. It was only through talking about my writer's block with my mom and a fellow writer friend that it came to me. I was literally mid-sentence when explaining my writer's block that I realized that I didn't really have writer's block.

It's two birds with one stone: I can successfully finish book 1 now and I already have the first 4 chapters or so of book 2 and know where I'm going with it. 

I probably could have preemptively solved this problem by creating an outline or story arc, but I didn't. I've never outlined anything in my life. I never do drafts or outlines with school essays. I just don't think that way. If outlines work for you, hey, more power to you. They probably help a lot. But I never use them. When I started writing this book, I had no idea where the story was going, so I just started writing. Trying to outline would have discouraged me and even if I came up with a good outline, I would have been petrified of deviating from it. That just doesn't work for me. The way I see it, it was either do more planning in the beginning, or more editing later. I don't feel like I'm ending up doing more work in the end, just doing the same amount of work at a different time in the writing process.

So basically, if you're stuck, try talking to someone. You don't even have to get into specific plot points. Just explain your problem to someone else. Chances are, you're not really stuck, you're just coming at it from the wrong angle. It's hard to recognize that when you're so deep inside your own head. It's like stepping back from your writing for a week or so before editing. You come back with a clear head..

Anyway, back to writing...

KMG

Reading/Writing Speed May Vary

So it's been a while since my last blog post and here's why.

I'm out of school for the summer, so aside from two online summer classes, I've had a ton of free time on my hands. At first, this meant a lot of sleeping.

And I do mean A LOT.

But after a week or two of sleeping approximately 18 hours a day (I'm not kidding), I devoted my time to reading and writing. I've written an abnormal amount on my manuscript and I read several books.

(Honorable Mentions: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem by Lauren Oliver and The Siren by Kiera Cass... currently on Panic by Lauren Oliver, to be followed by The Selection by Kiera Cass)

I went on a shopping spree on Kindle (let's hear it for the Amazon Kindle android app!) and downloaded a ton of books that looked even remotely interesting and just started reading. I read each of the Delirium books in a day. I read The Siren in two days (I was lazy with that one).

That's my average reading speed when I'm really into a book. I read the entire Hunger Games series in a matter of three days and that was during senior year of high school. I literally didn't take any notes for three days straight because the fate of Katniss was waaayyyy more important than AP tests. 

I read Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis in a day each as well, and that was in like the fourth grade.

This is an around-the-barn way of saying that I read really fast... when I'm interested. 

Ahh, there's the hitch.

My reading speed is directly correlated with my interest level in the book I'm reading. If I love it, even if the book is slow or long, I WILL finish it in a day and nothing will stop me.

So here's my problem: When I'm not interested, I become literally the slowest reader in the world. 

Right now I'm supposed to be reading a political book for my online class, but it's some of the driest material and it took me an hour to read like four pages. Seriously. 

I can read a 700 page novel in a day, but hand me 20 pages of a textbook, and I'll be there for days (and probably give up and never finish). When I have zero interest in something, my reading speed slows way down to practically a crawl.

So right now, I am supposed to be reading 36 pages of writing from a political thinker, and it's taking me forever (hence the blogging to avoid productivity). I literally read a 500 page novel in a day like a week ago.

This applies to writing as well. 

Some days, when I have a burst of creativity, I can sit down and write 5,000 words on my manuscript in about two hours. This is pretty average for me when I get inspired. Since summer started, I've been writing 3,000 words about every 2 or 3 days (I don't write everyday). I didn't realize how unusual that was until I shared this with a writer friend and she was stunned. 

But hand me a 400 word school assignment, and I'll be here all day.

This might be the most frustrating thing in the world for me. I can understand an assignment perfectly, do all the research, know exactly what I'm going to write, and it will still take me hours to write a two page paper. But that night, I'll write 3,000 words on my manuscript in an hour when I didn't have the slightest clue what I was going to write before I started.

Don't get me wrong: I can B.S. a pretty quality short paper in a small amount of time (thank you timed writings in high school), but that really only works in lower level college classes. In the upper level ones, I have to actually put in a good deal of effort to write a good paper.

I think that is how creativity works. I really think that some people are just born to be writers. Writing creatively comes easily to them. I can sit down, stare at a blank Word document for half an hour, plunk out a crappy sentence, and the next thing I know, I've written 1,000 words. Creativity doesn't follow rules and is often spur of the moment. When the time is right, the words will spill out and it's often difficult to contain it. But a research paper lacks spontaneity. It requires calculation and planning, and when you have a due date, you can't sit around waiting for inspiration.

The same goes for reading. Recreational reading is casual and on the reader's terms. Reading for school is restrictive and often not of a subject of interest to the student. 

I wish I could harness my reading/writing speed for school, but alas, I can't.

Although, not blogging when I should be reading Karl Marx might be a start...

KMG

10 Things Every Reader Knows About Last Book Syndrome

I have a really bad case of "Last Book Syndrome."

What is Last Book Syndrome, you ask? 

Last Book Syndrome is when you read a really awesome book series and through the whole thing you're just dying to know how it ends, but when you finally get to the last book, you just can't finish it. It isn't that the book isn't interesting or just as good as the others in the series, but for whatever reason, you just can't finish it. There are many reasons that this conundrum happens. Here are 10 things every avid reader knows about Last Book Syndrome.

1. You've devoted a lot of mental and emotional, and maybe even physical energy- because who has time to sleep when your fictional characters are in peril?- and there is literally nothing to do when it's over. Like what? What? How do you go on?

2. The series was really emotional and the ending was even more emotional and OHMYGOODNESS HOW WILL I CONTINUE IN LIFE.

3. You've been holed up in your room reading this series for who knows how long and you've literally had no social interaction, so what are you supposed to do when it's over? Friends? What are friends?

4. What do you do if it doesn't end the way you wanted it? What if character A doesn't get together with character B and instead gets together with character C? I mean character C is perfectly nice and there's really nothing wrong with them, but I JUST LIKE CHARACTER B BETTER. WHY DOESN'T THE AUTHOR GET THAT??

5. What if it DOES end the way you wanted it? What if everything goes the way you wanted it and you didn't fully appreciate it because you were worried it wouldn't end the way you wanted it?

6. That major problem when you're reading a series as it comes out so you have to wait in agony for the next book to come out and your entire life has been preparation for this moment and you just can't finish the book because then it will be over. 

7. You started this series to take a break from your life and now it's over and you have to go back to reality. Like, why can't I stay in Narnia forever?

8. When you finish an amazing book/series at a really inopportune time. When I finish a book, I NEED to talk about it. NEED TO. (Confession: I have woken my mother up on more than one occasion in the middle of the night to talk about a book...)

9. Heaven forbid one of your favorite characters dies. There is no depression like your favorite character (or main character) dying. Like, why does the author hate you? On more than one occasion when one of my favorite characters dies, I have spent the rest of the series in denial, POSITIVE that they will come back because THAT CHARACTER CAN'T BE GONE. NO. IT CAN'T BE TRUE. I CAN'T GO ON IF THEY'RE REALLY DEAD. (Also, there is no greater joy than when you were totally right in your denial and that character came back. Literary rule: if you didn't actually see the character die, they can totally come back... and if you're talking supernatural, that might not even be enough to truly lose a character.)

10. Knowing that when you finish this book, you have an enormous list waiting to be read. But this author was amazing, so of course, you have to read every single thing they've ever written as well. Oh, and everything from their favorite author(s). And those book recommendations from your friends. And that series that is really popular and will probably be a movie by next year so you might as well read it now because you'll read it eventually. And wait, your favorite author who has already died has an unknown short story collection that was published under a pen name? Well, better add those too.

If you have other examples of Last Book Syndrome, please let me know in the comments (no spoilers, please)   :)

KMG

The Pain of Cutting Your Favorite Sentence

I know, I know, you spent a good portion of your time writing that one sentence or maybe even two sentences that are just so magnificent that you absolutely cannot eliminate them no matter what. And even though they don't contribute to the story whatsoever and may even detract from what you are trying to say, you just can't dare to hit that big scary delete button because that magnificence might be lost forever and heaven forbid you should lose those beautiful 20 words.

Trust me, I understand. I have several of those. 45,000+ words and I have at least 10-15 of those "perfect" snippets that I just can't bear to cut.

They are just so incredible and you can't even believe you wrote them because they are just amazing so you can't cut them. I get it. I feel the same way.

But I've been reading a lot of revision tips from writers and agents (this is how I procrastinate actually finishing the manuscript when I have writer's block) and I came across some great advice from novelist Monica Trasandes. She wrote a lovely post for Writer's Digest about how to revise fiction (I'll post the link at the bottom). She says 

"Revisions can be brutal: you’re killing good material in order to make the excellent material shine. I tend to trick myself into thinking that no edits are final (or nothing good is lost) by creating a document called something like 'BestLeftover,' where I put everything I like that didn’t make the final cut. When do I access these documents of beautiful leftovers? About as often as I access the bag of clothes tucked away in the back of the closet 'in case I need them again.'"

Incredible advice. It's the perfect way to cut those beautiful phrases without actually deleting them. Once they are out of your story but not deleted forever in cyperspace, then you will be able to really see if they are necessary or not. I never would have thought of this, but it is an excellent tip that I will definitely use.

I was always that kid in elementary school who would save every. single. "artwork." I ever. created. All of those homemade ornaments, doorhangers, mother's day cards, drawings, paintings, EVERYTHING. I kept it all. I still have 99.9% of that stuff to this day and I'm 20 years old. I've always been a little bit of a packrat and I can't bear to get rid of anything, and that translates to my writing as well.

So like Monica Trasandes said, I need to trick my hoarding brain into eliminating things I don't really need. Who knows? Maybe I really do need that magnificent sentence or maybe it is totally useless. But I'll never know if I cling on to it. Simply moving it to another Word document will help me step back and see things for what they are. 

So if you too are a writing packrat, try this, and even if you're not, all of you should check out that post about revising fiction (link: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/6-keys-to-revising-your-fiction-2)

Because let's be honest: revising feels pretty much like this:

KMG

Physics in Fantasy Stories

So I am writing a fantasy novel and the problem that I've had lately is that I can't make a fantasy novel realistic. 

I know. That sounds really stupid.

But think about it: I'm writing a fantasy novel and I keep running into this problem where I can't make the physics work in the story.

Take this example: if I write a story that takes place underwater, then I have the problem that furniture floats, things like books can't exist, and if a person bleeds, where does the blood go? So many things just don't work and you don't think about it until you try to write it. 

Now an easy solution to this problem is when the story is somewhat juvenile or silly. Take the Little Mermaid. No one questions the fact that Ariel hoards paintings and books and they never get damaged. Of course, that story is also about a girl selling her voice to an evil sea witch in order to get legs to win a man.

Not exactly realistic.

Another perfect example is Spongebob Squarepants. No one thinks it's at all unusual when Spongebob lights a fire, or that there is an underwater ocean called the Goo Lagoon, or that he lives in a pineapple. No one questions this because it's just silly and it isn't supposed to be serious.

So what do you do when you try to write a serious young adult fantasy novel? You can't just ignore physics because it makes the story sound cheap and silly. This is the problem I've been wrestling with. I'm trying to write this serious, intense, somewhat dark fantasy novel, but I just can't ignore the physics anymore. I've been trying to figure out what to do. 

But then I realized something: What's the point of writing a fantasy novel if you can't bend the rules a little, so to speak? If I'm writing a story about a mermaid who is also a siren and is in a struggle for her life against her mother who wants to essentially change her race, then I am already suspending reality, so why not go all the way?

Go big or go home.

But seriously, why am I worried about perfectly following the rules of physics when I am already writing a story that defies the natural world?

So the conclusion I came to is that if one day this book is published and people choose to read it, they are already suspending reality to read a story about mermaid. It isn't too much to ask to expect them to suspend general rules of nature as well.

Of course, I'm not going to go as far as to light fires underwater or live in a pineapple.

That's just silly.

~KMG