Meme Monday, Expert Knowledge

As absurd as this sounds, I’ve found it quite accurate. I don’t know how many times I have found myself sitting at lunch, speaking with my friends as I turn to them, narrow my eyes, and blurt out twenty minutes of explanation on something I had uncovered the night before. I’m a great friend, yeah?

Maybe the new knowledge has to do with nationalistic features among men from the age of 16-25, or maybe it has to do with the suicide rate of young aboriginal children, the topic normally shifts, and is not the spotlight of my blog post.

What is important happens to be the lengths that many author’s go to keep credibility within their pieces. It’s to the point that many authors, especially those of darker themed novels, need to ‘clear’ their browsing history so people don’t think that they are going to kill them after reading an article titled “10 best ways to kill a man without getting caught” along with many side articles backing up the statements made within the first. And this joke is everywhere, almost more prevalent than the porn variant of it.

For my first novel, I had over one hundred pages of in depth research based on character flaws, setting, police interrogation techniques, and car mechanics. When one doesn’t understand how a clock works, but if one needs to write about a clock maker, you don’t want to get jargon and technical terms wrong. Disaster follows when one calls a wrench a plunger, and says you use it to put a screwdriver into a wall. Or, for the ladies, say you put mascara on your lips to make sure the skin doesn’t become dry.

I’ve read once, in an article whose name escapes me, that creating perfect scenes is nearly impossible without outside resources. For an EMT to read a scene where a man is being carted away, incorrectly, and against protocol, could completely destroy a book for them. At this point what does an Author do to adequately represent the people, the others, that will be reading their book? Does one skimp on reality to suspend it? Where is the line that one can say without issue that it wouldn’t matter if it was portrayed incorrectly and still get their message across?

Is it better to take the time, better to be safe and ask those within the niche you are throwing your piece at before it is torn apart?

As an Author, I can’t help but understand that knowing everything will never happen, and an extensive knowledge of how cars run, or why people drink liquor with gold flakes in it won’t be at the top of my to-read list (maybe the liquor thing, because that has to make shitting more worth one’s time). Finding the time to balance educating yourself on the necessary material and writing your manuscript can be hard, but dedication and truth will overcome the time.

Writing Wednesday, Manuscript musing

So for all of you that don’t know, I am a crazy plotter. Before I start a book, I have every scene plotted out, written down, and in an word document usually placed directly next to my open manuscript when I write. This plotting can take anywhere from a week to a month, depending on how well, or how detailed I decide I want to go through my manuscript. I plot like this because it keeps everything in one place. Instead of getting stuck on one chapter, and knowing what happens ten chapters past that, one without plotting could  regretfully forget exactly how they felt, how they desired the scene to flow, and move. I don’t lose these ideas, because they are placed in a document and saved. Now, It doesn’t seem to matter how fast, or slow I take my first draft manuscript writing, I will always have something to look upon.

Not to mention, if you deviate and don’t like it, you have a record of what it once was and how you originally wished the scene to go. I find it helpful if I ever get distracted, or need help with a scene.

My plotting is usually on a ratio of 100 words in plotting : 1000 words in manuscript. This can change depending on how I plotted, but it also allows for room when one adds description where you didn’t think that you would need it, or scenes that characters demand.

I am not saying that plotting is for everyone, but it surely does help me stay on track and give me a goal to focus in on. otherwise I will just float away distracted and start throwing in twists that the prose doesn’t need.

On the track of plotting, what kind of plotting, if you are an author, do you do? Even for school do you find it easier to write out what you are going to do before? or just wing it?

Teaser Tuesday, Books for the Future

Huh. I want to say that I am surprised that I have so much planned ahead, but I can’t exactly say that I am. There has always been something within me that pushes me to continue to make stories much faster than my fingers can type. (It’s an author thing) But for all of those interested in what is going on with my next novels, I have good news for you.

They won’t be stopping any time soon.

I have, right now within the next year an a half, the You’re Next Trilogy that hopefully will be published, early summer, around Halloween, and the beginning of 2016. Depending on how hard I polish them, the whole process may be shifted down like four or five months.

Quality > Quantity

That is what I’ve always been told. I would rather have four strong books in the next year and a half instead of six meh books that have been published in the next year and three quarters. As school and life tries to take over, it isn’t always easy to look at what needs to be done and devise time for writing, but it is happening, and it will be completed, hopefully sometime soon!

After You’re Next, I have another trilogy that may be co-written by one of my lovely lovely author friends. Depending on her schedule and how things go, that may be put off (or twined together) as I write another Trilogy which has been named tentatively “Son of Stars” It has been looking at a more Dystopian themed trilogy so if that is what you are into, you should wait for that. 😉

And three or four stand alone novels that are a mix of mystery/thriller/literary fiction/horror.

I easily have the next four/five years planned out. Now, with that shift and change depending on how my writing grows? Will it grow, shorten, become something else? Of course. I just wanted to let you know that things were coming, and you should be excited. 🙂

Meme Monday, Short Stories

Or can you?

While maybe he is talking about the content of the stories being bad, poor plot, crap characters, ect. I find something else hidden within the words. Was Bradbury speaking on the idea that practice makes perfect? I’m sure the overused cliche has been in our lives probably since the day we were born, but how much truth does it actually yield?

Within my own experiences, even if I fought against practice as much as I could, the last six years have only continuously expanded vocabulary, expanded character control, expanded themes, and easy plot arches that expand much further than the first stories that I have ever written.

So what I feel Bradbury is trying to say is that even though sometimes your writing won’t be what you want it to be, the ability to write and the action that you are partaking in is nearly as important as the story itself. Bad stories can always be rewritten, torn apart, mixed with others and molded into perfection. Good stories need a decent polish before they can be thrown out into the world as we know it.

You can’t do anything with a story you haven’t written except stare and wish that it had the words to speak for itself.

Weekend Wrapup, #Ishouldhavedonethisearlier

The procrastination hasn’t started, I swear! I actually was doing homework before instead of writing a blog post that wasn’t for a grade. So I believe that was probably a bit more important than something like a bloooooog. ;D. I think the easiest thing to do is to do a short recap of my week via day. Probably the best way to do it, easiest, and all together more streamline.

Monday

So I had my first classes Monday, which are seminars, easiest thing to explain about them is that you are sitting in a class larger than classes at Maryville College and talk about what you understood (or didn’t understand) from the readings. I would like to first point out that my seminar is ACROSS CAMPUS and i mean ACROSS CAMPUS.

 Connecting the dot’s isn’t really hard, but the lefthand dot is me, and the one across the street is my class off campus. Super fun, super cool, get to walk early morning to a seminar in that.

Fun times.

Tuesday

Tuesday is my sleep in day. I get to relax and sleep in. So I went to talk to my professor who teaches my aboriginal class on books that could help me with my thesis. Not only was she overjoyed that someone non-native was super interested in what was going on, but gave me so much information that I am drowning in it. I think I have over four books she just gave me, and then easily over 12 that she wants me to read. I would say that I am upset but I am not.

I also got my first writing assessment grade back from one of my professors. They were impressed by the way that I could analyze the story past what most students in the class could have done. I have to thank Maryville College for preparing me for that kind of work. I thought it was an easy read, apparently it wasn’t. Some people got twenties, and that was saying it lightly….

Wednesday

Wednesday is when I have my aboriginal history class, and I can’t help but love it. The professor is amazing, and I learn so much. I’ve found a passion that I didn’t know I had before, and i WILL educate everyone I know on the terrible misfortunes of aboriginal Canadians, and make sure people know just how badly they are treated, STILL today. Not too hard, overall a pretty good class.

Thursday

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!

I had promised not to go out, mostly because I had a class the next day, but I was talked into it anyway. AND Boys like to do crazy things when they can’t walk. Here is a short list of things boys thought were okay to do to me within the crowd.

1. kiss me
2. hug me
3. give me a back massage (which was mostly him hitting my back)
4. touching my hair and smelling it
5. dancing on me (which was fine.)

I did enjoy the drinks that I got, but I think it confirmed my declaration that partying isn’t for me, or at least that kind of partying. I wouldn’t mind doing it again with a bunch of people I knew, but too many canadian’s grinding on me at once, and a good handful weren’t boys.

Friday

My book was featured on a promotion site and blew up! LITERALLY! I had so many downloads I almost pooped my pants. I can’t wait to see how the thousands of downloads will help me, Here is even a pic of the ratings that I got from it. If I could have this luck happen to me again, I would totally do it again.

This weekend was spent with my boyfriend having fruity drinks and doing nothing. Oops, I got my homework done, so that’s all that matters right? I hope, that this becomes weekly, so until next time, READ MY BOOK, ha, jk, have a good week.

Writing Wednesday, Quick Quip

WRITING PROMPT: I looked up from my breakfast and saw them. With my heart drumming in my chest, I managed to say, “We’ve got company.”

---

I looked up from my breakfast and saw them. With my heart drumming in my chest I managed to say, “We’ve got company.” But I barely recognized my voice as it fell from my tattered lips.

The problem was, I couldn’t tell if they were real; at least at first. It had been years since I had seen another, months since I had spoken. And as his warm breath fogged up the glass around its rugged mouths, I slowly pulled myself from the chair and take a step back.

Is that what we looked like? So much malice, pain, tortuous anguish left behind in his eyes, a twisted sense of amusement and desire lingering somewhere between his ratty hair and broken teeth.

When did the human species become so broken, so angry, so malicious.

I wanted to scream, but I knew no one would hear me among the snow covered pines and ice glazed branches. There was no one left, not within a hundred acre radius. 

That was when the second came from the wood, just as dark, damp, and dangerous as the first. The radio once spoke of men, coming from nowhere to take people from their homes—but it had been ages since word of any human left to even bring these men out. I had been deep enough into nature to hide the essence of myself, hide the essence my humanity among the creatures of the thick forest.

They weren’t supposed to come. They were supposed to be done. They weren’t supposed to find me.

The world was recovering, thriving without the existence of our kind. Their people were made to protect this planet, to ruin the destroyers, to contain us.

“Hello.” He breathed, toying with my essence, an acrid stench of him filling my nose. “It’s time to go.”

Teaser Tuesday, You’re Next

For those of you that have read Languish, you will remember the short varied chapter lengths. I purposefully perfected those chapters to act in the way that they did. This time, with my new manuscript which deviates from the ideas that I placed within Languish, I have written pages of prose, surprisingly not coming to the end of chapters as I normally would.

This manuscript begs for longer chapters, and when I say longer chapters, I mean chapters that have a normal length. Maybe a handful of them contain less than a thousand words, but easily each chapter within my manuscript is around 3-4k just within the chapter.So at forty pages and in the middle of chapter six, I can’t help but smile at the strides that the Descent is making. Cora is fleshing herself out to be sassy and quirky, exactly how I had envisioned her. Vincent, a character one has yet to meet, makes me laugh just thinking about some of the things he says, while keeping his role of being somewhat wise and thoughtful within his grasp.

Best way to describe him? Think Scar from the Lion King, with a bit more ego, and a lot more humor.

And as deep as we are, there are only three or four characters introduced that are important enough to stay within the confines of what You’re Next: the Descent is. My Alpha reader is already in love with the way it is spiraling out hopefully their input will further my grasp of some of the weaker characters that have yet to be introduced.

But, for those interested, I have decided who will be doing my cover art!

DRUM ROLL.

dkjakfjdkajfldksdasklfjls <- thats my drum roll

JAY AHEER!

You should totally follow her, she’s absolutely amazing. Fabulous work, and I can’t wait to start getting things ready with her talented hands.

Her facebook page is here https://www.facebook.com/JaysCoverDesigns
Her deviantart is here http://simplydefinedart.deviantart.com/
And her website is here http://www.jayscoversbydesign.com/

Monday Meme, Should I Write Today

As funny as this looks, it actually means something.

Shocker, something put on the internet actually has something meaningful to it. ;D Then again, I could be plastering some form of my own meaning upon the piece. I see this and think about my own writing and experiences within the years that i have started to reap the benefits of my cultivation.

If i would see this four years ago, or maybe longer, six years ago, I would laugh as a fifteen year old would do and say 1) you cant make me do shit and 2) I don’t have to write everyday. So I wouldn’t. Writing was my hobby, something I did in my spare time and when people wanted to read something. So I didn’t have to write every day.

Now, I wish to further myself, get into area’s I never thought possible. Should I write everyday?

The answer is an overwhelming YES.

As an author you MUST write everyday, no matter what it is for you must continuously go and work on completing manuscripts and meeting deadlines. This dedication is what gets books finished. Its what gets someone through the thousands of words poured upon a page, and what ties every loose end that you accidentally write while going much to fast on your first draft. Becoming lackadaisical about your prose will only generate prose on the level that you work; not to mention it won’t really get done in any sense of the word.

One has to treat writing as a job if they strive to become an author. Find a daily goal and hit it, every day. That could be a page, 1,000 words, a chapter, what have you. If you can reach this goal every day, you could have a full length novel in less than a month and a half. First draft. And thats ONLY if you hit your goal. Those that participate in NanoWrimo understand the constant writing to get to their goal.

It isn’t always easy, and sometimes you might not have all of the time that you wish to use, but writing is your job. Just as going to school, classes, into the office or being a parent. Take time for your manuscript, nurture it, love it, and make it grow. That is the only way I believe a writer can not only get over Writersblock, but can essentially meet deadlines they didn’t think they could meet.

Should you write today? Yes? Get to writing. No? Yes you should, Get to writing.

Weekend Roundup, What I missed

School is crazy, or maybe that’s just me. It’s rather amusing, and I can’t help but wiggle in excitement for the classes that I am taking. Not only are 3/4ths of my chosen courses literature based, but 3/4ths of them are culture based, and one of them is solely based on Aboriginal Studies and the culture behind Canadian Indigenous people. All of them are looking to be rigorous but I’m ready to learn in a new way that is not only beneficial for me, but for all of the others that I get a chance to meet. I guess I have to represent my home school yeah?

Moving in was pretty easy. NOT. I’d just like to state that the residence that I’m living in probably has more students in it than the whole of my college campus. I walked around my residence DeCrew four times before I even had a chance to figure out I was on the wrong side of the building. OOPS.

There is the semi-weird way that it is set up, although it is very nice on the inside. They don’t primarily live on “floors” like we do back home. Say, I lived on 3rd floor Gibson back home. WELL, here at Brock I live in Stairwell 5 (which is connected to stairwell 4) On floor 5. I believe we have around 50 students in each stairwell and around 17+ stairwells. Not to mention that this gets even deeper when the stairwells have houses, We are Cruickshank House with the mascot of a Dolphin.

Rock on.

But the rooms aren’t small (that may be because I luckily got one of the rooms that has a sloping ceiling because i’m on the fifth floor) and all of the people on my floor, and stairwell, are super nice.

Let me continue on to speak about how large this residence is. Within the residence, we have our mailing system, AND we have our cafe. Yeah. This means I don’t have to leave the building unless i have class. THANK GOODNESS FOR THOSE COLD DAYS.

As for food, I miss new Pearsons, but the soup here is flawless, so I will probably miss that. The only think I think I’m going to have an issue with is trying to find my community service sites. After talking with the man over it here, he not only looked at me like I was crazy, but seemed concerned that I needed to do 10 hours a week. He said something along the lines of “If they don’t want you WORKING that much while you are here, how do they expect you to do that much service?!” Well look at that my Bonner peeps, people excited about how much community service that I am doing.

Not to mention everyone here is thrilled about my book. i can’t help but smile and wink and show it off at every chance I get. Hopefully at some point I will get more people onto reading it, and Maryville College should soon, if not already, have copies of my book within the store. And as soon as I come in contact with Hastings, I will get everyone involved as knowledgeable about how much the books will be and when they will be in the store.

Things I’ve found out about Living in Canada alone for a week.

1. Snow happens. And I don’t like it.
2. Salt happens, and it stains everything.
3. don’t leave anything liquid in your car unless you want it to explode.
4. Driving with Canadian friends will only result in them giggling at how you scrape your windows.
5. the joke “Are you from Tennessee, because you are the only Ten i see” actually is funnier when you are NOT in TN.
6. Alcohol is much more common. MUCH MORE COMMON.
7. Zed = Z and it makes me giggle
8. I need a good hat or my ears will fall off.
9. It’s strange living with everyone younger than you.
10. If you want to have a good time, you go to fourth floor.

Eventually, Hopefully, Something, I should be keeping these up. Once a week, at least at some point. Those here for writing will find this somewhat amusing, and all my International friends will giggle at my cold pain.

Thursday Reviews, Book….#0

Wooooohoooo! The most exciting post of the week, probably for more people than myself, but exciting none the less. I am hoping to try and read/review at least one book a week. These books can be anything from the 16+ books I am reading for my University classes this semester, or it can be from a list of authors looking for a bit of promotion, or just a tiny bit of light reading on my own (yeah right, like i will have time to read for fun). Unfortunately, this will probably be the only blog post that may/may not be every week.

Depending on my schedule, I might just not have the time to throw something extremely well thought up and planned out for you guys. I also am writing my book, as well as studying abroad AND trying to make sure I don’t go crazy sitting in my room instead of enjoying all of the snow and negative degree weather.

But, in any case, if you have a book, or a series, that you think I would be interested in (it can be your own or another authors) you can post it in the comments for me to look at. I’m not opposed to buying books, but on a college/author budget that might not always be the best way to get a review out of me. But if you really want me to review it, you can send an email to my author email, and we an chat about ARC or Exchange for R&R.

Be warned, I won’t fluff and say the book is good lovely or has great plot if it’s not or if it doesn’t. Reviews ARE opinions, and  I would rather point out mistakes I see, or things I don’t like, so others including the author are informed. While it is sometimes unfortunate that I can’t finish a book, or I can’t get into it, It wouldn’t be the first time that things like this happen. Anything from poor editing, to unrealistic characters (as in personality mary sue, not as in Science Fiction), and unbalanced plot structure could result in a poor review.

I won’t outwardly attack you, or your book, but instead I will try and as PC as possible tell you what things are unsavory, and if I know how, ways to make it better. Remember, you are asking me to give an honest review of what is going on. As an author I know how much your manuscripts can mean to you, but you as an artist won’t grow if I pat your head and say it’s good.

Right now I am open to about anything to read, but I enjoy:

• Distopian Fiction
• Mystery, thriller, suspense
• Horror
• Contemporary Fiction
• Classics (depending)
• Light Science Fiction (I haven’t found many I like)
• Fantasy
• Epic’s of all sorts
• Paranormal

Usually I’m not a terribly big fan of these, but if the characters, plot, and structure are fabulous, normally I will love them

• Romance
• Erotica
• Heavy Science Fiction
• Children Literature outside of Picture books
• Teen and YA and some NA

I am sure that I am leaving some things out, but if I have, its probably because I have no strong opinion on it. That hopefully leaves it right in the middle of the two lists. As for today, I don’t have anything to review unless you want me to review some of the South African Essays on oppression that I am reading for a seminar later today, and I’m sure that literature like that won’t excite very many aside from myself.