The End and The Beginning

Today was the end as well as the beginning. I wrote The End on my first draft of my novel. It has been a long process but I've never felt more rewarded in my life. I've had this story swimming around in my head for years but never focused on it as much as I have in the last couple.

I've never written a novel before this one. The most I ever wrote on one thing was a essay my senior year in High School. I had no idea where to even start or what to even do. I've always been great at teaching myself things and I figured that this was something I could teach myself to do or at the least teach myself the creative and discipline parts. 

I have loads of work to do ahead of me. It very much is your typical first draft with notes in the middle of sentences and gaps in time but it is mine...my baby. I got it all out and now it is time to feed it and help it grow. 

Now onto the next challenge to learn.

And this is how I currently feel <3

My Writing Tools Part 1

Run on over to the lovely YA WAREHOUSE for my post on writing tools. This is part 1 of two so come back next week for the second installment lovelies!

Happy Dance! 

Subplots

Recently I began to watch Pretty Little Liars--I know I am a little behind, but what else is new.  I have never read the books but from what I hear, they are quite amazing.  (adds to my very large to-be-read-pile)  First off, the cast is perfect.  You have the rich brainy girl all the way to the popular girl.  I will try to leave out spoilers in this post in case someone is just as behind on this show like I was.


A group of girls find out their friend is missing.  It's been a year since the disappearance and what was a close knit group, is now more like strangers.  When they find their friends dead and kept more secrets from them than imaginable, a mysterious A shows up to haunt them, using their own secrets against them.


I didn't really know if I would like the show.  Usually I don't like seeing POVs from so many characters at once.  I just feel there is too much going on to really care deeply for them all.  Then out of no where, I found myself LOVING this cast.  Not only are these characters brought back together because of their past but they find a new friendship in each other while being tortured by A.  There are tons of subplots in this show that you would believe one would get lost, but alas, I was wrong.  Every show keeps me wanting more.  I can't wait to find out what A does to them next or what new piece is unraveled.


Watching the show got me thinking about Classified Novel.  I have a detailed main plot, but I think I am lacking in the subplot category.  I have all their back stories and junk, but I feel like there is some tension or something missing.  Pretty Little Liars keeps things fast paced through every episode.  I want that for my novel.  It's paranormal with a thriller side to it so there needs to be more action!  #headdesk  If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them!  Till next time!       

Where it all started...

Alright, you caught me.  As it seems, I’m not the best blogger.  I’ve been trying to get into the swing of it, but since I live in a freakishly small town at the moment and my parents only carry dial up, its been difficult to keep up on it.  I tried to write the posts with my phone, but that takes more talent than I posses.  The good news, though, is that I will be moving to a much larger area that is in the 21st century.  I know currently no one really reads this blog but I hope to get a following some point down the road.


I really would like to post my journey through writing my first book on this blog.  I’ve been taking it serious this year since I thought to myself “your not getting any younger” so you might as well try.


Reading has always been a huge part of my life.  For many years I have wrote down my little day dreams in notebooks and the Classified Novel was usually the center of those day dreams.  As time went by, I realized how much information I actually gathered up.  Not only that, but the Characters drove me absolutely insane.  Boy #1 (aka B1) constantly begged and pleaded for me to start writing the novel so he could meet Girl #1(aka G1)--sounds like we are playing BINGO.  Now that they have finally met he still speaks of course but not in a pushy kind of way.


I thought I had a good setting for my novel but it still didn’t fit what I saw in my head.  I wanted to base it off a place that actually existed as to ground the world better.  What I originally had was local to me and just wasn’t good enough.  When I moved to CA and did a movie in the Big Bear Mountains, the setting just fell right into my lap.  I had stepped right into my novel.  I have to say, it was the most overwhelming sensation.  Everyone talks about that “Ah Ha” moment.  That’s exactly what I had.  I’ve felt that a couple times while working on this novel but that was the first though.


Once I had my location, I talked to a few local High Schoolers who interned on the film.  They offered to take me around town after we wrapped and show me some of the popular places.  I took my handy dandy camera and took pics as I half hung out the window--not suitable for children.  While on the trip I found some of the most amazing, beautiful places that are now big parts of the novel.


When I returned home I made a book bible for the series and got to work on figuring out my characters.  When NaNo came around, I thought I would give it a shot.  I tried the previous year but started half way through the month and didn’t win.  This past year I did win, writing the most words I ever have in one document.  I felt stressed but the moment I made the finish line I felt so amazing I accomplished the goal I set.  After NaNo I took a break and put the work on the back burner.  I may have won the word count but I was quite stuck in my story.  Months went by while I tried to figure out where it was going.  I made a wrong move with putting it off.  I should have kept writing through it, but its too late for that now.  Still LESSON LEARNED!


A few weeks ago I got back in the swing of the story.  I sat down with my Sister to get her input on the plot.  Before long, ideas were flowing so fast I had to use my voice recorder to catch it all.


So, that’s where I am now.  Now that I have were the story, also series, is going, I am able to continue writing in my Classified Novel.  I did write within those months but only on my class projects.  Some writings pertained to the novel and some didn’t.


Moral of the story, at least for me, is that I need to know where the story will end before starting.  It doesn’t have to be concrete, but enough for me to plan my scenes to head that way.  Now that I am focused, I believe I can finish what I’ve started.      


*If you would like to learn more about NaNo click the link below.
National Writing Month's website

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Packing...and more Packing

Today was packing day.  You never realize how many things you have collected until you decide to move.  We, my sister and I, haven't been in CA long, 4 months, but we did unpack our things while we were here.  I have to say that it has been way easier packing this time around than the mess of moving here.  We left half our things from our other apt at our parents house, only taking what we could fit in our own cars.  This time around, we have less stuff and a smaller apt, meaning less junk strung about.


I am quite surprised at how much I think I am going to miss it here.  The last month I have been begging to go back home and get away from all these crazy people (nothing bad for all you Cali people).  I felt like I failed in my other career if I went home though.  I didn't want to go back to everyone and say that only after 4 months of being here,  I just up and came back home.  But being here has changed me drastically.  I love my other career, of course, but being here has made me realize how much I love to write.  I have met new, exciting people, plus wonderful places I never would have seen if I didn't come all the way here.


Before, I felt this was a worthless trip here, then I thought about it, and I never would have seen what would be my setting for my novel.  The first week of being here, working on a gig, I found the exact location I dreamt in my head.  Half the things I thought about for my novel would have never happened unless I was standing in the exact places I was in.  It just shows you that even the negative, crazy moments in life teaches you the most about living.

Blogs, Blogs, and MORE Blogs!

So today has been quite uneventful as usual, who would have guessed that.  In other news, this blog thing has seemed to have taken over my world.  I am not meaning my own blog, but reading other blogs.  I knew this is the new "In" thing to do but I didn't realize how much valuable information there is on these things.  And, who would have guessed they would be as entertaining as they are.


There are Blogs on everything you can think of, but for the moment I really enjoy hearing about the lives of Authors.  In a way, I guess you could say, that I am one of those Blog Stalkers.  I am constantly keeping eyes on certain Blogs in hopes they will post something at that very moment I am checking on them.  I never figured that I would be so obsessed with them (blogs that is, not authors, or am I...).  I love to read how other writers get their thang on.  It's interesting to hear the trials and tribulations from each author as well as the crazy other things that happen in their daily lives.


Speaking of obsessions...this book I am writing is all I seem to think about for the last couple of months.  I have mapped out certain aspects of the story, plus I have done all the character sheets for each person.  They, the characters, bug me every waking, even un-waken, moment but when I sit down to write, it seems they just shut up.  I am not quite sure as to why this is happening.  Maybe I need to skip ahead of what I have already written and see if I can catch them in the story there.  I feel I am describing things a little to much in detail and its even starting to bore me to the point the writing has just stopped.  If I skip ahead and come back to that section or break that section up throughout the story, it may seem a little easier to handle.  I love detail but I think there is a drawing point I need realize before I, as well as other readers, hit the snooze button.


So onward I trek into a fast forward scene in the book.  Pray that it helps!!  *fingers crossed a lil' to tightly*