Kick down some doors!!

Hey everybody!

First and foremost, you will probably be happy to know that I have been writing lately and that means that I am closer to finishing untitled book number 2.

So, this entry will be about something very dramatic. One of my favorite books is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. For all of you that haven't read it, it is over a thousand pages long. The first 400 or so are really good. Then, from 400-600 it is pretty boring b/c it has to set up for the end. And then, the final 400-500 is really good as well. It took a lot of effort to stick with the book during those 200 boring pages, but I am glad that I did. There probably have been many people who have read books (maybe even that one) and at some point they lost interest in it b/c it became boring. Well, for all of you writers out there, I have some words of wisdom.

Directly above where my desk sits, I have a poster full of writing tips and inspiration. One of my favorite is, "When things start to get boring, break down a door!" Now, I don't want a bunch of people walking around their houses breaking down doors. If you really have the urge to break down a door, do it in your writing. Say, you are at page 100 in your book. You have done really well with the first 80 pages but the last 20 you needed some back story, or setup and so it got a bit dry. Your solution for the problem. Do something totally crazy, unexpected, and absolutely abrupt!  Have a random car chase, have SWAT storm a characters apartment out of the blue, or throw a giant wrench into your story that makes it have a whole new twist to what is happening. Whatever it is, make it TOTALLY DRAMATIC. This may sound kind of crazy, but it works. After you settle down your story again, your readers will be more than happy to read another 20 pages (hopefully you won't need much more than that in setup) of not so dramatic writing. They will stick with your story to see if you have any more adrenaline filled moments at the end. I am sure when they read it, they won't be disappointed.

In my second novel, I decided my story was starting to fall a little flat. I decided some drastic measures were needed. My solution was to make certain, important characters be killed in a very dramatic form. I want my readers' heart rate to increase when they read what I have wrote. I want them to be entranced by the story. Killing off characters (especially important ones) really helps do that. What helps even more, is to do it in the middle of the story, that way you have the rest of the story to figure out what the other characters should do about it.

Whatever the case may be, spice up your story. Enthrall your readers with what you can make happen. Be crazy, be creative, make the impossible possible. People read fiction to be entertained, your one and only job as a writer is to do just that. Give it your all, and watch as it comes together in a dramatic way!

Roller coaster ride

The other day I got another rejection letter from an agent. That makes a total of three that have turned me down, and two that I haven't heard back from. I knew that I was going to have some rejections, and this is my first set of query letters that I have sent out. Did I know that there might not be any bites? Yes, but that doesn't mean that I didn't want one of the agents to bite. The one that turned me down the other day was my top pick, so that was a bit disappointing. Oh well! We get knocked down and we get right back up. It hurts, but we learn from it. What I have learned is that there is just a better agent out there. They are waiting for my manuscript to show up in their inbox. Now, all I have to do is find them. I hope that it is soon because, I would like this roller coaster ride to reach the best part--getting my book published!

And, yes, it has been a roller coaster ride. I was really excited about writing Calico's Gold. I had all the fun ideas waiting in my head for some time, and I was ready to get them on paper. Then, you get to writing and some days were hard to get things on paper. But, I persevered, and I got excited about finishing the book. I finished it and was excited to get it out to publishers. However, I hit another low when it came to editing, I didn't know how to really go about it. I did, however, find someone that was kind enough to help me, and I got really excited about hearing back from them. Editing takes time, though, and so it took a while. Finally, after getting it back, I polished it to a shine and sent out query letters. I was very excited to hear the responses. Two or three days after I sent them out, I got my first denial. It didn't dampen my spirits. I was still excited, but then, I waited anxiously for some time before I heard back from anyone else. One, day though, I opened my e-mail and found I had an inbox. The butterflies started in my stomach, only to be killed by the polite reply of no. Soon after that, I got my third one. Since, then the roller coaster has flattened out. My spirit is neither excited nor dampened by what will happen next. I only have sense of calm, for I know that whatever happens it will end up working out just fine.

For all of you aspiring writers who are on the same kind of roller coaster ride, like me, hold onto those words. They will keep you going when you think you can't. Again, best of luck.

I have been on vacation for almost three weeks and in that span of time I hardly got any writing done. My plan was to get a couple dozen pages finished, but as all things go, settings changed and I had ZERO time to write. I wish I had though, I am falling well behind on my goal of finishing my third novel. My first goal was May 1st, but I soon changed that when I realized I would need more time to edit CALICO'S GOLD. I pushed this novel back by one month. June 1st is the deadline that I set for myself. I have a few friends that are really looking forward to reading this sequel (the real Krista and Allison being the main ones) and, so I really want to finish it sooner than later. If I stay with the goal at hand, I will have to write just under two-thirds of the novel in seven days! That is ONE week! I can get a lot done, but I do think that that might be pushing it. Working non-stop for that amount of time, I think I could do it. Unfortunately for my fans, the handful of you(I can count them....on ONE hand. :D), I will not be able to do that. I do believe, that you will have to wait a bit longer. But, this, I do promise. I will finish this novel very soon(is an eon soon?). I will try to keep you updated with my progress of not only the novel, but also my search for an agent and publisher. Wish me luck! I hope that soon you will be reading a post of how I just finished another fantastical novel!!!

Writing

Writing is something fun that anyone can do. You probably are thinking to yourself, "except for me." But it is true. Anyone can write and make it fun. From magazine stories to novels to essays and stories, they are all something that you can write. It doesn't matter if you are the best writer on earth, all you have to do is relax and start writing what is in your head. You will be surprised at how well it will turn out. Find a topic that you like. For instance, if you are interested in cars, then write about what you think about a new car. Start with simple things and work from there. After writing some small stories you can graduate to larger ones and books. Take me. I am 19 years old. I have no college degree and yet I am working on writing my third novel. Do I have the credentials? HECK NO! Does it matter? HECK NO! I do it for fun. I haven't published one of those stories yet (although i am trying!) but i still write them. If anything I write them for my family and friends who gobble them down! For me it is a very fun process. Some days it can be hard for me to sit down at my computer and grind out a few pages but I do it and it turns out awesome. I have really been blessed by God with a gift of words. I know that I am not the best writer on the planet earth but I don't care. Everyone should write something (even if it doesn't get published) b/c it is all about the adventures of life. So here is my advice for all of you potential writers. Find something that you love and just write the first thing that comes to your mind. Don't worry about whether it is good or not, just write it. If you keep doing this you will find yourself becoming a wonderful writer. So much so, that you will surprise yourself. And if you are ambitious set a higher goal, try a writing a book. Don't be discouraged when it doesn't turn out like you thought. Writing is a funny thing. No matter how much you plan it out, whatever you are writing never turns out exactly how you thought it would. You would be surprised at how your characters may do something that you never thought that they would. My first attempt at a book was....pretty bad. The beginning was terrible but the ending turned out alright (I learned as I went through it). And it did not turn out like I thought it would. I won't ever get it published, but that is OK. I learned from it and then implemented it into my next novel, which turned out AWESOME! So what I am saying is take a chance and write. When it doesn't turn out like you planned, learn from it and move on. Good luck on your writing adventures!