Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:
1. Half marathons. Ok, not really, but I am happy I completed the half marathon yesterday! And now I never want to run that far ever again. Ever.
2. The Super Bowl. I don’t tend to care who plays or who wins, but it’s an excuse for a party, wonderfully horrible food, and loud yelling.
3. Watching a random episode of The Vampire Diaries with someone who’s never seen it before. Pointing out who’s a vampire, who’s a werewolf, and who’s a witch makes me realize how ridiculously awesome that show is.
4. A country sky full of stars. It never fails to take my breath away.
5. The smell of clean sheets, all cozy and fresh.
Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Five Random Thoughts on a Friday
1. Have you heard the talk that they want Alex Pettyfer to play Jace in The Mortal Instruments movies? I give that casting choice a big thumbs up.
2. My favorite coffee shop here in Houston, Agora, has already been rebuilt after a fire burnt half of it down around Halloween. Thank goodness! I get much more work done there than anywhere else, for some reason.
3. I’ve never liked golf. Watching it, playing it, anything. Maybe I just don’t get it, but I find it boring. Unless it’s on in the background: it’s perfect to fall asleep to.
4. Ever since I watched The West Wing (which you absolutely have to see if you’ve never seen it before), I’m much more invested in politics. I feel like I understand it better. Who says TV can’t teach you anything?
5. My new goal is to learn how to salsa dance. I’ve always, always wanted an excuse to salsa, and now I just need to learn how.
Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?
2. My favorite coffee shop here in Houston, Agora, has already been rebuilt after a fire burnt half of it down around Halloween. Thank goodness! I get much more work done there than anywhere else, for some reason.
3. I’ve never liked golf. Watching it, playing it, anything. Maybe I just don’t get it, but I find it boring. Unless it’s on in the background: it’s perfect to fall asleep to.
4. Ever since I watched The West Wing (which you absolutely have to see if you’ve never seen it before), I’m much more invested in politics. I feel like I understand it better. Who says TV can’t teach you anything?
5. My new goal is to learn how to salsa dance. I’ve always, always wanted an excuse to salsa, and now I just need to learn how.
Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Celebrating the Quirky
I’ve been working this week on fleshing the characters in my Birdie WiP, which I’ve been revising a few weeks now. It’s so easy to fall back on stereotypes, especially with secondary characters, and it’s got me thinking about how to make fresh, intriguing characters. How to make them human.
I know it’s a cliché to make your protagonist clumsy and awkward and feel out of place, especially in contemporary YA, but I think it’s cliché for a reason: that’s how so many of us felt in high school. I think there needs to be more to a main character’s personality, though. All of us have our own particular quirks. We have secret guilty pleasures. We have dreams we share with others and dreams we don’t dare speak aloud. These are the qualities that make us interesting and unique.
I’d rather read about a girl who collects porcelain pigs because her grandmother used to or who speaks with a lisp she tries desperately to hide. Something that sets her apart and makes her more real, not just another bumbling high school girl.
As for secondary characters, I try to stay away from the usual stereotypes: sassy best friend, nerd boy harboring a crush on the protagonist, etc. It’s fine for my best friend to be sassy, but she also needs to have her own interests and family life. The nerd boy needs to have some inner talent that may or may not impress the main character. No one fits into one tiny box.
What do you think? Do you think characters, especially main characters, need to be quirkier? Do you have any methods you use when creating characters?
I know it’s a cliché to make your protagonist clumsy and awkward and feel out of place, especially in contemporary YA, but I think it’s cliché for a reason: that’s how so many of us felt in high school. I think there needs to be more to a main character’s personality, though. All of us have our own particular quirks. We have secret guilty pleasures. We have dreams we share with others and dreams we don’t dare speak aloud. These are the qualities that make us interesting and unique.
I’d rather read about a girl who collects porcelain pigs because her grandmother used to or who speaks with a lisp she tries desperately to hide. Something that sets her apart and makes her more real, not just another bumbling high school girl.
As for secondary characters, I try to stay away from the usual stereotypes: sassy best friend, nerd boy harboring a crush on the protagonist, etc. It’s fine for my best friend to be sassy, but she also needs to have her own interests and family life. The nerd boy needs to have some inner talent that may or may not impress the main character. No one fits into one tiny box.
What do you think? Do you think characters, especially main characters, need to be quirkier? Do you have any methods you use when creating characters?
Monday, January 24, 2011
Baby Faces and Fuzzy Sweaters
Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:
1. The faces that babies make. Just the cutest things ever.
2. Train rides. Especially train rides with wonderful scenery out the window so you can sit and stare for hours.
3. Making a to-do list and being able to cross everything off of it at the end of the day. Nothing makes me feel more productive than that.
4. Choosing the perfect card for the perfect occasion. I don’t like cards that say a whole bunch on the inside, because I’d rather write my own note (I know, I’m a snobby writer), but sometimes I find a card that fits the person and the event to a T, and I love that.
5. A comfy, oversized, fuzzy sweater to wrap up in.
Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?
1. The faces that babies make. Just the cutest things ever.
2. Train rides. Especially train rides with wonderful scenery out the window so you can sit and stare for hours.
3. Making a to-do list and being able to cross everything off of it at the end of the day. Nothing makes me feel more productive than that.
4. Choosing the perfect card for the perfect occasion. I don’t like cards that say a whole bunch on the inside, because I’d rather write my own note (I know, I’m a snobby writer), but sometimes I find a card that fits the person and the event to a T, and I love that.
5. A comfy, oversized, fuzzy sweater to wrap up in.
Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?
Friday, January 21, 2011
Five Random Thoughts on a Friday
1. You guys! Jen from Unedited was a sweetheart and leant me her ARC of The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker, and it’s just as phenomenal as you’d expect from their blog (CLICK HERE to see their blog and start following them immediately)! It’s going to be big!
2. I want to start a book club. I love those movies where women get together and gossip and talk about their personal lives and nobody’s read the book—that’s my kind of book club.
3. I’m slowly introducing all of my friends to the movie Easy A, which is just the most hilarious thing ever. If you haven’t seen it, I promise you’ll love it, especially if you’re a YA fan.
4. I’m going to the rodeo! Houston has a big (the biggest?) rodeo every March, but I haven’t gone in years. I can’t wait to see all those animals at the livestock show. And, you know, all the cowboys. ;)
5. Anyone else having a ton of fun watching The Bachelor? Some of these women are just ridiculously unstable. And some of them are adorable. It’s just such addicting television!
Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?
2. I want to start a book club. I love those movies where women get together and gossip and talk about their personal lives and nobody’s read the book—that’s my kind of book club.
3. I’m slowly introducing all of my friends to the movie Easy A, which is just the most hilarious thing ever. If you haven’t seen it, I promise you’ll love it, especially if you’re a YA fan.
4. I’m going to the rodeo! Houston has a big (the biggest?) rodeo every March, but I haven’t gone in years. I can’t wait to see all those animals at the livestock show. And, you know, all the cowboys. ;)
5. Anyone else having a ton of fun watching The Bachelor? Some of these women are just ridiculously unstable. And some of them are adorable. It’s just such addicting television!
Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Struggling with my Protagonist
I’m having trouble liking my protagonist. I think it’s because she’s too much like the worst parts of me: risk averse, overanalyzing, shy. I want to reach into the computer and shake her and tell her to just go for the boy. Go for her dreams. Realize that she’s worth a lot more than she thinks she is.
So I’m working on making her less of a doormat, because though I don’t believe your protagonist has to be likeable, she does at least have to be interesting. She needs to be intriguing enough that you want to listen to her story, even if you don’t like her. And I’ve never been interested in the story of a girl who acts like a doormat.
I’m spending this week reshaping her character. She’s going to grow into a strong, independent girl, and so she can’t start out that way, but she can start out with more personality than she has now. She can have more of a voice than she does, more spark and fire.
Have you ever struggled with the personality of your protagonist? Do you have any tips on how I can change her to make her story more interesting?
So I’m working on making her less of a doormat, because though I don’t believe your protagonist has to be likeable, she does at least have to be interesting. She needs to be intriguing enough that you want to listen to her story, even if you don’t like her. And I’ve never been interested in the story of a girl who acts like a doormat.
I’m spending this week reshaping her character. She’s going to grow into a strong, independent girl, and so she can’t start out that way, but she can start out with more personality than she has now. She can have more of a voice than she does, more spark and fire.
Have you ever struggled with the personality of your protagonist? Do you have any tips on how I can change her to make her story more interesting?
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Golden Globes and Flickering Sunlight
Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:
1. The Golden Globes! Well, really, the Golden Globes pre-show. I don’t really care who gets the award, but I care way too much about what people are wearing! I’m coveting Olivia Wilde’s princess dress, because it would be so much fun to twirl around in.
2. The word “cozy.” It sounds so much like what it means, doesn’t it?
3. Finding new subjects that I want to learn everything about. Right now, I’m becoming more and more interested in the evolution of country music. I know so little about the old artists and singer-songwriters. Also, turn of the century Irish culture. Hey, who knows where a story could come from?
4. Sunlight flickering through trees. There’s just something magical about it.
5. Falling asleep to the sound of rain pattering against the windows.
Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?
1. The Golden Globes! Well, really, the Golden Globes pre-show. I don’t really care who gets the award, but I care way too much about what people are wearing! I’m coveting Olivia Wilde’s princess dress, because it would be so much fun to twirl around in.
2. The word “cozy.” It sounds so much like what it means, doesn’t it?
3. Finding new subjects that I want to learn everything about. Right now, I’m becoming more and more interested in the evolution of country music. I know so little about the old artists and singer-songwriters. Also, turn of the century Irish culture. Hey, who knows where a story could come from?
4. Sunlight flickering through trees. There’s just something magical about it.
5. Falling asleep to the sound of rain pattering against the windows.
Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?
Friday, January 14, 2011
Five Random Thoughts on a Friday
1. Even though I’ve been living in my apartment since October, I haven’t put anything up on the walls. I bought the stick-on hooks and everything I need, but I’m just too lazy! For now, my Japanese lantern lights and beautiful wood painting will rest on the floor.
2. Um, new favorite show? Off the Map. Grey’s Anatomy meets Lost with some Matt Saracen (from Friday Night Lights, best show ever) thrown in? Sheer brilliance.
3. I want to keep up with my French (I used to be proficient, though never quite fluent), and I’ve decided to do this in the best way possible: by reading Harry Potter in French. I’m so excited.
4. I twisted my ankle a few days ago, which has put a wrench in my half-marathon training. But it’s getting much better. Note to self: don’t run on old, cracked sidewalks in the dark. It’s just never a good idea.
5. I’m about to start cutting large portions of my Birdie WiP now that I’ve revised my outline and have a new direction I want to take it in. This is always the hardest part of revision for me: I hate watching the word count go down by the thousands. I’m saving all of my cut work in a separate document, though, so it won’t truly be gone!
Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone else becoming a fan of Off the Map? Anyone have any advice on how not to stress out as I cut large portions of my manuscript?
2. Um, new favorite show? Off the Map. Grey’s Anatomy meets Lost with some Matt Saracen (from Friday Night Lights, best show ever) thrown in? Sheer brilliance.
3. I want to keep up with my French (I used to be proficient, though never quite fluent), and I’ve decided to do this in the best way possible: by reading Harry Potter in French. I’m so excited.
4. I twisted my ankle a few days ago, which has put a wrench in my half-marathon training. But it’s getting much better. Note to self: don’t run on old, cracked sidewalks in the dark. It’s just never a good idea.
5. I’m about to start cutting large portions of my Birdie WiP now that I’ve revised my outline and have a new direction I want to take it in. This is always the hardest part of revision for me: I hate watching the word count go down by the thousands. I’m saving all of my cut work in a separate document, though, so it won’t truly be gone!
Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone else becoming a fan of Off the Map? Anyone have any advice on how not to stress out as I cut large portions of my manuscript?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Crossing the Finish Line
I’ve finally, finally started training for the half-marathon that I’m going to run at the end of January. I’ve always been a runner, but I haven’t run in a race since high school, and it’s strange going for a run with a specific goal in mind. I’m up to eight miles now, which I never would have thought possible, and I’ve found that this training is a lot like writing. Let’s see if this makes sense:
First of all, if you want to do it, you have to make yourself do it. There’s no one telling me that I have to wake up early and go run eight miles, just like there’s no one telling me that I need to spend all of my free time writing and revising and thinking about the story I’m creating. It’s all about self-motivation and self-discipline.
Second, the idea of having a goal and finding a sense of accomplishment in completing that goal just for yourself. I’m doing this half-marathon just to prove to myself that I can, which was the same reason I started writing my first novel. I’m running and writing for me and me alone, and there’s nothing more satisfactory than reaching a goal I’ve set for myself.
It’s hard to sit down and stare at your computer sometimes. Hard to ignore your friends and family and concentrate only on writing that critical scene or building that character profile. You have to want it, and you have to make yourself do it. But in the end, when you cross the finish line, you know it will be worth it.
First of all, if you want to do it, you have to make yourself do it. There’s no one telling me that I have to wake up early and go run eight miles, just like there’s no one telling me that I need to spend all of my free time writing and revising and thinking about the story I’m creating. It’s all about self-motivation and self-discipline.
Second, the idea of having a goal and finding a sense of accomplishment in completing that goal just for yourself. I’m doing this half-marathon just to prove to myself that I can, which was the same reason I started writing my first novel. I’m running and writing for me and me alone, and there’s nothing more satisfactory than reaching a goal I’ve set for myself.
It’s hard to sit down and stare at your computer sometimes. Hard to ignore your friends and family and concentrate only on writing that critical scene or building that character profile. You have to want it, and you have to make yourself do it. But in the end, when you cross the finish line, you know it will be worth it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Fireplace Mornings and Mapping Out My Life
Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:
1. Winter mornings that call for a fire in the fireplace I do not have.
2. Dreaming of living in Paris. Croissants and the gardens in springtime and walks along the Seine and people-watching in cafes.
3. Country music. I’m turning into a good little Texas girl.
4. Mapping out where I want my life to go. It makes me focus on the important things. It also makes me feel like I can do anything if I work hard enough.
5. Pajamas! I'll wear them all day if I can. So snuggly and relaxing!
Happy Monday, everyone! Anyone else been mapping out your life recently?
1. Winter mornings that call for a fire in the fireplace I do not have.
2. Dreaming of living in Paris. Croissants and the gardens in springtime and walks along the Seine and people-watching in cafes.
3. Country music. I’m turning into a good little Texas girl.
4. Mapping out where I want my life to go. It makes me focus on the important things. It also makes me feel like I can do anything if I work hard enough.
5. Pajamas! I'll wear them all day if I can. So snuggly and relaxing!
Happy Monday, everyone! Anyone else been mapping out your life recently?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Five Random Thoughts on a Friday
1. I’ve spent a good part of my week at a coffee shop on the college campus here in Houston. I love Rice: it’s small but beautiful, and always makes for good people-watching.
2. One of my New Years resolutions (I’m still working on compiling them) is to pay better attention to the news. I’m going to listen to NPR as I get ready in the mornings and browse various news websites until I feel like a functioning member of society again, because I’m tired of never knowing what’s going on. Writing can put you in such a bubble! I haven’t been this out of the loop since college.
3. I got to see The King’s Speech last weekend! It was as great as everyone says it is: simple, uplifting, hilarious, beautifully shot and acted. I’m just in love with it, and I hope it wins every award out there.
4. I’ve been working on revising my character profiles and arcs this week, and so I’ve been thinking a lot about personality quirks. Like, one of mine is that I love asking random questions as conversation starters (only to people I know well, I promise—I try not to freak people out when I first meet them). Like, if you had a frog, what would you name it? If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, what would it be? If you were a US state, which state would you be?
5. To answer my own questions: Hoppy, Friends (it makes me laugh every time, and I can’t live in a world without Chandler Bing), and New Hampshire (I don’t know why, but it fits).
Happy weekend, everyone! Any fun weekend plans out there? Anyone know what state they would be if they had to be a US state? :)
2. One of my New Years resolutions (I’m still working on compiling them) is to pay better attention to the news. I’m going to listen to NPR as I get ready in the mornings and browse various news websites until I feel like a functioning member of society again, because I’m tired of never knowing what’s going on. Writing can put you in such a bubble! I haven’t been this out of the loop since college.
3. I got to see The King’s Speech last weekend! It was as great as everyone says it is: simple, uplifting, hilarious, beautifully shot and acted. I’m just in love with it, and I hope it wins every award out there.
4. I’ve been working on revising my character profiles and arcs this week, and so I’ve been thinking a lot about personality quirks. Like, one of mine is that I love asking random questions as conversation starters (only to people I know well, I promise—I try not to freak people out when I first meet them). Like, if you had a frog, what would you name it? If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, what would it be? If you were a US state, which state would you be?
5. To answer my own questions: Hoppy, Friends (it makes me laugh every time, and I can’t live in a world without Chandler Bing), and New Hampshire (I don’t know why, but it fits).
Happy weekend, everyone! Any fun weekend plans out there? Anyone know what state they would be if they had to be a US state? :)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The Beginning of Revisions
I’m diving back into revisions of my Birdie WiP, and I’m having trouble deciding where to start. I need to focus characters’ motivations and desires. The plot is a mess, and I need to reorder it completely. I need to hone Birdie’s voice. I need to regulate my subplots and figure out which contribute to the story and which detract.
Right now, I just need to take a deep breath and work on one issue at a time. I’ve done revisions before, and I know I feel this overwhelmed every time I start. So I know I will get over it, and everything will start making sense again. I’ll make a reverse outline, where I outline everything that I already have, and then start switching things around as needed. I’ll refine my character profiles and get to know my characters even better.
Basically, I’m just wishing for patience. I’m excited for these revisions, and I’m excited for this WiP as a whole. I know with a lot of hard work, it can become the novel I want it to be.
Anyone else diving into revisions? Anyone need some patience out there?
Right now, I just need to take a deep breath and work on one issue at a time. I’ve done revisions before, and I know I feel this overwhelmed every time I start. So I know I will get over it, and everything will start making sense again. I’ll make a reverse outline, where I outline everything that I already have, and then start switching things around as needed. I’ll refine my character profiles and get to know my characters even better.
Basically, I’m just wishing for patience. I’m excited for these revisions, and I’m excited for this WiP as a whole. I know with a lot of hard work, it can become the novel I want it to be.
Anyone else diving into revisions? Anyone need some patience out there?
Monday, January 3, 2011
Impulse Road Trips and Nighttime in the Country
Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:
1. New Years and New Years resolutions! I love the idea of fresh starts, and I'm working on a list of ways to become a better person and a better writer in 2011. Anyone have any resolutions they want to share?
2. Random, spur-of-the-moment road trips. I love the idea of rolling out of bed and hitting the road just to see where I end up. Today, I'm heading out into the Texas countryside and hoping to find a story to tell.
3. Coming back to a manuscript eager to tear into it again. I'm about to start revisions on the Birdie WiP, and I've missed it! I've got so many ideas for how to improve it rolling around in my head that I can't wait to dive back in.
4. A country night sky, when you can see all the stars and the whole world feels at peace. That's the closest I get to transcendence.
5. This blog. I took a holiday break to spend time with family and friends, but I've missed blogging and reading everyone's blogs, and I have a lot of fun catching up to do!
I hope you all had a wonderful start to 2011, and here's hoping that it proves to be a productive and beautiful year! Anything making you happy this week?
1. New Years and New Years resolutions! I love the idea of fresh starts, and I'm working on a list of ways to become a better person and a better writer in 2011. Anyone have any resolutions they want to share?
2. Random, spur-of-the-moment road trips. I love the idea of rolling out of bed and hitting the road just to see where I end up. Today, I'm heading out into the Texas countryside and hoping to find a story to tell.
3. Coming back to a manuscript eager to tear into it again. I'm about to start revisions on the Birdie WiP, and I've missed it! I've got so many ideas for how to improve it rolling around in my head that I can't wait to dive back in.
4. A country night sky, when you can see all the stars and the whole world feels at peace. That's the closest I get to transcendence.
5. This blog. I took a holiday break to spend time with family and friends, but I've missed blogging and reading everyone's blogs, and I have a lot of fun catching up to do!
I hope you all had a wonderful start to 2011, and here's hoping that it proves to be a productive and beautiful year! Anything making you happy this week?
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