School tomorrow

        I tried going to bed last night around 4am when I realized I'd be going to school the next day. Last night I had 44K and bumped out another thousand quickly before bed. Today I'm doing 5K to reach 50K and make my goal of finishing my novel before school. I'm not actually finishing it though, I'm just reaching a wonderful milestone. The week after that, The first week of school, I need to get out 15K to finish this awful word war.
      I'm going to be so tired trying to go to school tomorrow after having worked until 11 tonight and staying up to write more if I haven't reached 5K by then.
       Sorry for the short post, but I want to get writing...

Holy stinking Crap!!!!!

         So I just realized I've got three days until School starts! OMG!!! I feel like this has crept up on me because I've been so busy with working. I AM going to make my goal of finishing my manuscript before school starts. I'm currently at 43K and I want to be at 50K before Monday. I'm probably going to keep going to 65K because of the Word War I'm in until the end of August. I've also got to finish my summer assignment, and change my schedule, and to make things worse my tummy hurts :(
     I'm sure if I had just one solid day off before School starts I could get most of it done but I don't so that's not going to happen. I think I can manage all of this with Microgoals!
    Basically I'm going to set myself up goals, per hour tomorrow and the rest of the week and weekend for writing. It'll be like write 500 words this hour and such. I won't be able to work that out until I wake up in the morning because I don't know what time I'll wake up.
       This whole having a job thing is pretty much awful. Sure I like having money for a computer, and other things, but I'm having no time for writing between work and school. I guess there've been hundreds of people who had school, and work, and Writing to deal with and they still got their manuscripts done. I guess I'll use that to motivate me. I need like pep pills or something right now, I'm zonked :/

Should I be a Good Writer or a Popular Writer?

I've resorted to some plotting in the standstill of my first draft. I've heard you're really not suppose to plot to much while you're still barfing up the first draft. (I've always liked that comparison to a first draft...Barfing:P) anyway, in this plotting I'm realizing two things. One, my story is getting WAY to big. Seriously I wrote out all my plot threads and let's just say I have around twenty stories going on in this book. Second is I'm realizing I've got these massive plot holes...
       It's like I need to decide wether to have a magnifying glass on my POV character or if I want to pan out over all my characters. Honestly my POV character isn't feeling like a POV character and I'm thinking about switching to an Omniesant style of writing so I can make these extra plot threads cleaner and in a better braid.
      I think I've said this before, but I like thinking of my story as a braid. I've got all these plot threads that need to be woven together to make an amazing story. Right now my braid is looking like a frayed rope though. I'll be relieved when I'm done with this huge project. I've been thinking a lot about my first writing project and have kinda been wanting to get back into that one, which is good because come October it'll be six months sence I've finished it and I can offocially start editing.
      Editing is a whole other ball game that I haven't even stepped into yet. I'm wondering if having my first writing project being connected to the one I'm working on now is good or not. I feel like I've got a better understanding of how I want things to connect between the two books, but I'm wondering if I'm looking at this way to huge. Know what I mean? Like I don't want to make it where you HAVE to read the first to enjoy the second and the other way around. I want to finish the story for my first, then have a new story with the second that is still connected and interesting.
      Cassandra clare wrote an amazing series called the Mortal Instrument series. I loved it so much! But then she introduced her prequel, and I realized even though the setting has changed completely it's still basically the same story. Even the ending is pretty similar. I don't want to ruin the books because they are good reads, but looking at them from a writing perspective I'm finding some to Don'ts.
      It's like she has a cookie cutter plot for all her books. The lady who taught that free creative writing class told us about an author who always published books where someone's terminally ill, and they are in love and they find strength in their love and end up living. Seriously and the chick's published around ten books exactly like that.
      There comes a point where we need to decide to be good writers or popular writers. Popular writers seem to make the most money. Look at Twilight, I can a I don't think we should ever write for the sole purpose of getting an emotional response from our readers... In other words I don't want the dog to die in the end of all my books.

This sucks........

        Sometimes I feel like I'm not up to this whole writing thing. For a while there I loved it, and keeping track of my word count and everything, but recently I've been avoiding it. I'm not going to say I don't like writing anymore, It's just starting to lose the fun like it did for my first Manuscript. I think I've spent too much time in this story I'm on and I'm starting to get exhausted.
     Stephen King says first drafts of manuscripts should only take three months. That's why I've set a goal for myself to be done with this one by the 22 of August (The first day of school) That'll be around three months.
     I think it's kinda sad I've got this all planned out...but I'm finishing this manuscript this month, then I'm going to spend September getting use to my new schedule and working on some short stories, then come November it's time for NaNoWriMo. Where I'll hopefully blast through a third manuscript. I've got some running to do lists of things I want to do before NaNoWriMo or things to prepare myself. The list has things like Make an awesome Writing Playlist, and stock my mini-fridge with junk food. I'm really hoping I'll be able to get most of my writing done during the week or so off from school I have for Thanksgiving.
     I'm just really feeling like I'm at a stand still. I know I've been this way before, Hell you could run back through my old blog posts and see when this whole writing thing got hard for me and I was really close to calling it quits. This time around I know I can manage through this and I'll get it done so It's not really worrying me so much.
     I think my solution to this whole "Writing is boring" thing is to change up my routine. Right now I chill on my bed and time myself. Maybe I need a new location or new music. I guess I'll spend this week trying new things out and seeing what works.  Until next time :)

An odd Thing

      I'm currently in day three of a second self inflicted WriMo. My last WriMo in July failed horribly, because of lack of motivation, and lack of consistency. I feel like this month will be different.
    Not only do I want to have my novel finished the 22nd of August, because of school, it would also be really nice to finish this so I can start working on some short stories.
     I've gotten myself into a massive Word War with an author I meet off Twitter.  A word war is normally what WriMo contestants do to boost their word count. Normally two or three people set a time of say twenty minutes and see who can write the most words in that time. Me and James Tallett, author of the Four Part lands series, have erupted into a WriMo challenge of 50k words by August 31. I will say it's been giving me some super motivation to keep writing.
      While I'm writing I can already tell all my scenes are out of order, and I have these huge plot holes, and I can just tell editing is going to be a mess. It's really killing me not having things better organized. I've been trying to stop myself from going back and editing things because right now I know there's just to much for me to fix to not have the whole story written. If I start editing, I'll never finish, leaving me halfway with a story. I was up late reading all the pep talks on the WriMo site from the past years. I'm a total Nerdfighter, so I really loved John Green's pep talk. He talks about how we have follies, and writers will give up on a story half way through because they get bored, or the suckiness of their book tells them to stop writing. While I'm not at the halfway point just yet, i feel like that's what went wrong on my first WriMo challenge.
     I'm totally gonna finish this time, and It's going to be amazing, and after I write my 50k I'm going out to celebrate with bowling or something. If I don't finish I'll probably just sit in my room and hide for a few days while James soaks up the glory of winning, But I'm not gonna let that happen!

Writers are Like Whores

This is something from my Journal I wrote on the 21st. 

     "I've realized something about this writing thing, it's that I want to do this for the rest of my life. That's a very scary thing when you think about it. I feel like writing is what's really important to me, and I love it.

      It's like I know I'll publish a book one day. It may be a long while from now, but I know It's going to happen. That gives me motivation to keep writing, making a blog post, and skipping hanging out with friends to write."

  One Part of realizing I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my life, is that it gives me a sort of easiness about everything else. Like I don't have to worry about what I'm going to do when I grow up, or any of that. I mean sure I'll get some job to pay bills later down the line, but It's a comfort knowing I've got writing.

      Writing is like a tool I have, It relaxes me, makes me get excited about something. It's the best anti-depressant. It's a bigger gush of power, and freedom than what comes with having my own computer, and my own license and my own car. Honestly I don't see how people are getting through their days without writing something that they put themselves into. 

        Isn't that what writing is? Putting bits of our self into these stories so other people can experience us. It's like writers are soul whores.

        A lot of times I feel that I write for a future me, especially in my diary. I write so people will know about me, my family, the people I love, and the times I live in. I've always had this idea that we're suppose to leave this world better than we found it, and writing is my way of doing that. I'm always at my best when I'm writing. 

      On a lighter note, one of my good friends asked me if I like this one girl. Apparently every girl I sorta kinda know thinks I hate them because I'm such a loaner. Literally I've had someone ask me if I didn't like someone because I'm apparently not friendly or something like that.

Half Way Point

                                                   My 2010 Writer Resolutions and Goals:

1)Write Every Day

2) Finish and Submit a Manuscript

3)Read one book I don't think I'll like per month

4) Get a 90 in English

5)Journal Every Day

6) Read Everything I can get my hands on and stop complaining about how boring it is

7) Find something everyday to inspire me

8) stop drinking soda

This is literally my goals from my first ever blog post. Seeing as it's July, the halfway point of our year, I think It's a good time for some self evaluation.

Hmm, very interesting. Seeing as school is over I'll cross off four. Recently I've been writing everyday. Probably not as much as I should be but it's a start. I have finished a Manuscript, but have yet to submit it. (I think I'll scratch the last part of that goal because no where in there does it have editing.) I haven't been reading books I don't like at all so that one's out the window. Read everything hasn't happened either. Find something to inspire me every day. Yeah no. and stop drinking soda. I have done that one. 

    Ok so thus far this year I've done nothing but stop drinking soda, finish a sad excuse for a manuscript. Written a but load of blog posts, Journaled Everyday (Most days) and complain about how I'm not a writer yet. It's time to adjust these goals baby!!

My 2010 half way point Writer Resolutions and Goals:

1) Write at LEAST 1,000 words a day, preferably 2,000

2)Finish and start editing a manuscript for Submission

3) Read one NonFiction book about something that interests me.

4) Do my Summer reading assignments before school starts on the 22 of August

5) Continue journaling every day, add length to my entries, and start holding on to keepsakes for my journal

6) Categorize my time into Writing, Personal, work, and free time. Then spend two thirds of free time reading.

7) Find something Everyday to Inspire me, and post it online to a Tumblr or second blog or something.

8) Set up a normal sleep schedule again and stop eating fried foods. 

9) Grow my personal Library by spending a set amount of money on Books per paycheck. 

Now the question is how am I going to make these goals unlike I did the others? Well I've already taped these goals on my mirror so I don't forget them. I know it's a dumb trick but I've seen it work. I'm also starting a separate notebook dedicated entirely to my goals. 

     If anyone has any other tips, or they want to share their goals hit me up:) Ya'll rock.

Plotting

      As far as plotting for my second Novel, I want to make sure I'm keeping a record of how I'm doing it so I don't forget next time around. I'm using Note cards cut in half so save on cost. I started out buy writing the major things that I know I want to happen then spread those all out in order. Then I started filling the spaces with new note cards with new scenes or ideas.

     Secondly I've started a chart very much like JK Rowlings for the Order of Phoenix. A chapter column, a month column, then across the top I listed all my plot lines. Then I just filled things in. Coming up with my plot lines wasn't that hard. After having thought about my story for so long I pretty much know where I want this to end up.
     Another thing I did was lay all my note cards out on a huge wipe board in order, then use a marker to draw my plot line, labeling my catalyst, climax, and other things. For that thought I mostly worked out the months of things.
     I'm really motivated to get this first draft over with before August 22, the first day of school. Stephen King says in his book "On Writing" that First Drafts of Books shouldn't take more than three months. I feel like that's what went wrong with my first manuscript. I spent so long on the first half, that by the time I got halfway I was just tired of my story and just wanted it to be over with. Besides that I like starting fresh with the new school year, I think I'd want to get back into my study habits before I really get into writing my third manuscript, just so I don't completely fail tenth grade.
      It's getting to a point where all I'm thinking about is my novel, or getting it published. I'm a little embarrassed to say all I've done this morning is wake up, put my contacts in, and write this blog post. Next I'm going for breakfast and a shower, then I'll be writing until I have to go to work tonight. Is this obsession normal?

Vlogging, Classes, and other things

     I've thought about starting up a youtube channel where I vlog about writing and share tips and things. I actually tried one video and let me just say vloging is very different from blogging. Much like blogging and writing, Vlogging takes a lot of time and planning, not to mention editing. I tried, but I just don't think I want to spend my time making videos when I could be writing. Maybe later down the line I'll start some videos but I'm just not sure I want to invest into that while I still need to spend so much time practicing my craft.
    I went to my first creative writing class tonight, held by my public Library. It was originally suppose to be for teens, but there were so few people that they let the two adults who came stay. It was literally me, my friend I forced to come with me, this old Asian lady who ended up only wanting to know how to write a how to book on dealing with your adult children, and this other lady who didn't talk much but took notes the whole time. There was also this little girl, maybe ten, who I think came with the teacher so she doesn't count.
    We started with an exercise where they had "After dinner our host told us the house was said to be..." and we had to finish the sentence. We all got sharpies and wrote our answers on the butcher paper. I said built on an Indian burial ground. Most of the answers had to do with ghosts and hunting's and things. After we did a character exercise where they showed us an old lady smiling with her dog. We all decided she was a Psychology professor who went crazy after the loss of her son in 9/11 and is soon diagnosed as cancer. After that we did a flash fiction about our character we created and all shared ours. People went very different ways.
   My friend had the lady in a assisted living center for crazy people and the dog was brought in to help with therapy for the patients. The Asian lady had the woman start her own business selling dog accessories, and the little girl had her have no friends, her dog die, her house burn down, and her be diagnosed with cancer all in the first few paragraphs.
    We didn't really write much, but we all got a general idea of how our story would play out. After we talked about plot: the three act structure and climaxes and that sort of thing, we spent forever talking about the best form of dictionary and the troubles of using a Thesaurus and other obvious questions.
    I don't really feel like I learned anything I couldn't have from my "Writing Fiction for Dummies" book or on the Internet, but it was free so I suppose I can't complain.
    After everyone else left, my friend and I stayed so I could ask them some questions about the publishing company who talked to me. They said if they ask me for money I should walk away, they also said before I send them a Manuscript I should send one to myself so I can have it post marked and unopened if any question does arise. They also advised I read over anything they have me sign very carefully, and maybe even have a lawyer look over it. Apparently the lady who wrote the Vampire Diaries signed away the rights to her entire series because she didn't look things over well enough.
    Some time next year, either first semester or second, I'm taking a creative writing class. I'm hoping it's not going to be like this one. I'm also kinda hoping my teacher will let me use his room during lunch so I can bring my laptop and write during lunch. Honestly I'd much rather do that than sit and talk with my friends for an hour and a half. I just realized how much of a loaner I'm becoming haha.

A whole New World

     So It's completly diferent having my own computer and license. I've got this weird thing called freedom and can I just say it's awesome. I feel like I've been more productive in my writing the last two days I've had my computer than the last month.
     I'm trying to get into this thing called Evernote. It's like my writing notebook, on the computer,and cell phone, and ipod and stuff. I'm not sure if I like being dependant on my internet access, or the battery life of my phone (Something no one would have a right mind to rely on) But so far I'm really liking it for organizing my writing notes.
      I've been sick the last few days so I can't wait to have things back to normal so I can actually start planning some more writing time. Till next time :)

So this how it feels...

    So I've finally got my computer and can I just take a second to say this this is freaking amazing! But back to more important things. I got an e-mail from someone interested in publishing my manuscript. They haven't asked for money, or anything else that sounds specious so me and my parents are thinking this is the real thing. They found my manuscript on Inkpop I think, because it's the only place I have it up at, and they're looking at publishing it.
      I'm just in a state of complete and utter amazement at the moment. They haven't said they will so I don't want to set myself up for a letdown but they said they'll review my manuscript and decide if they want to publish it. I've found only one problem...
     I've got to finish the darn thing.

My Own WriMo

        July is my Wri Mo! Last blog post I talked about how I would wait until my birthday but I sorta jumped the gun and started ten days before that. Today is day four and I need to get my word count from 5,001 to 6,668. I love the momentum that's coming along with this.
      My story seriously has no plot so far but I can see it going pretty far. I want to keep this post short so I can get to writing. I just wanted to give ya'll an update on how this is going. Hard times ahead. See ya later

The standstill

I feel like noting of importance has happened in the past week or so. It's one of those things where I know I'll forget this week completely. I like to think of things like that, knowing I'll never remember them. Like my biology class last year, me saying I'll forget it made me remember it. I don't know if I will remember anything about anything this summer because this is the summer I worked and wrote (OK fine now it's working and writing but you know what I mean) I haven't written as much as I would have liked, but I think the stuff I'm writing is better than most other stuff I write, Quality not quantity, yeah let's go with that.
    I read that article "10 things teenagers should know about writing." and a LOT of young writers are pissed because the guy says our writing sucks. I don' care, let my writing suck. I'm in a learning phase right now. I'm learning how to make a story, how to create characters, and how to make myself do something I care about. As young writers we don't like telling people we aren't good, or that we haven't written in four days, or that we decided to completely give up on a story we've been working on for the past three months. It's all a pride thing. Until I'm able to admit my work needs editing and time I won't be a writer.
    I've always kinda wished there was a sort of daily checklist of becoming a writer. I think when I'm old and all my readers want to know how to be a writer I'll write a book with a kind of daily devotional. I'm a checklist kind of person, I like knowing what I need to do in what time and how I'll do it. I thought I was getting that with a book called "Novel in a Year" by Louiese Doughty but it's more of a week by week thing. Don't get me wrong it's a good book, it's just not as In-Depth as I would have liked. If you know a good book like that please let me know.
  Anyway, have a good one and if you have any tips or tricks or just wanna chat hit me up a follow.the.journey.now@gmail.com

Where am I going?

      So with my new story idea I've started the same old problem as my last one. Where do I go from here? I'd hate to plot things out like I did in my first manuscript because that destroyed the whole thing for me. At the same time though I don't exactly know what I'm doing here. I've got characters, and motives and little things that happen along the way, I just don't know the big idea, the central conflict.       It seems like I'm getting lost again and I'm to scared to go forward or backward or any way at all. I'm still sure that's what killed my last project and I'm worried that fear is about to kill this one too. Is it OK if I keep going with a story when I don't know what it's going to be about? Or should I sit down and brainstorm and plan conflict?
     There are a lot of differences with this project and my last one. My last one I did on the computer. This one I'm writing it all out in pencil on the back of my old manuscript and it's in first person instead of third. I've seen a lot of successful books written in first and I've just never tried it. I'm not really sure how I'm doing with it but I guess we'll see. I'm wondering if I should switch POV characters like Kathryn Sockett did in "The Help" but I'm just not sure how to go about doing it.
    On a side note can I just say "The Help" is an amazing freaking book. I really hate bandwagon books but I read this and oh my freaking goodness. I judge good books on if I could see myself writing them and I could never see myself writing something this dense and awesome. You should read this, like right now.

What's This?

       I feel like Jack when he's discovering Christmas land in "The Nightmare before Christmas" I just started writing on what ever paper I could find when this Idea came into my head, then I continued writing for the next three hours. I'm not going to plan plot anymore than I have to make this like a discovery, I'll try and see where the characters take me. I think that was the I'm pumped. I think this is my outside force. We'll just have to see how far I can keep this up.

      I had plans to go to six flags today with some friends but the call of my new project is keeping me from the heat.

First day Horray!

I woke up around 6:30 this morning, ran with dad, had some coffee and took my dog (Chloe) on a walk. I won't say I'm excited or anxious to get writing after having not done it in so long, but I might feel differently after I start. Tomorrow I'm going to six flags and a baseball game with some friends and Wednesday I've got work noon to four.

It's going to be hard staying on track, I've looked things up called muses and I'm still really confused as to what they are. I know about the nine muses from Greek mythology (Thank you 9th grade English) but I'm not sure exactly what they are and how to pick one for me. Could someone please explain or recommend a book or something?

Schedule as Follows...

So here is my summer schedule! Obviously if I work things will be shifted around by importance but on the days I don't work I'll be golden. I'm really resolving to sticking to this.

6:00 am wake up, with no alarm because I'll actually go to bed early. Brush teeth, shower, get dressed (including shoes). I don't know what it is but having shoes on makes me think it's time to work.
7:00 breakfast with my normal multivitamin and junk. (real breakfast, not just granola bar or something)
8:00 Make a daily To Do list, daily goal list and keep it on hand so I stay on task.
8:30 Start writing toward Novel, that's with no getting up for more coffee, no I'll just take a ten minute break or anything, this must be solid writing.
11:00 Quick little snack while I write, something healthy nuts that I'll probably keep close to my desk or bed or where ever I decide to write.
11:30 Take a walk with the dog (I say three hours of writing because that's what I can normally do without becoming totally brain dead before a break)
12:00 Read over what I've written and NO EDITING
12:30 Lunch, Maybe something healthy
1:00 Head to the gym for a 30 min workout on the good old elliptical machine
2:00 run any errands, if none back home for some reading.
3:30 snack it up
4:00 work on some reviews for inkpop or blog posts or some kind of writing not related to my novel
6:00ish dinner with the fam, little TV, texting, calling, reading what ever to chill
9:00 shower clean up a bit and get ready for bed.
10:00 I had better be asleep.

cool.

Ugh.

I know it's just starting to sound like I'm whining, but school jut needs to be over! My schedule is worked out and It's actually pretty realistic. I really really am just waiting til I get my own computer and I start driving because that is going to be amazing. I won't waste your time with my complaints so I'll keep it short.

I hate YA

I think I'm getting to where I hate reading YA books. The stories are always kinda predictable, and the language doesn't give me that OMG kind of ideal. I judge a book on it's goodness on whether or not I could see myself writing it. Things like The book Thief, and Middlesex I could never see myself writing. But now I'm reading this book called wither by Lauren Destefano and I'm really not seeing much difference from this and the stories I read on Inkpop. I was recommended this book a lot of times by friends but halfway through I'm really not liking the plot, characters or how it's written.
This is kinda a problem because my first book is a super YA book. I read that you should write the kind of book you'd like to read, and when I started this I liked to read these frilly books that I can now finish in an afternoon. Now I'm liking these deeper, more complex books so I suppose my writing style is changed. This might be interesting when it comes to editing my manuscript in October. I have a feeling my manuscirpt will end up being a really complex YA book like the Book thief Was suppose to be. We'll just have to see.

2,000

Every day for the past five days I've MADE myself write 2000 words toward my second manuscript, and to be honest it's really not that hard. I've found If I can make myself close out inkpop and not get up a thousand times I can pull it off all in about two hours. Normally it takes me three with a blog post, nap, and a few snacks between. Steven King says he writes 2000 but it's OK to start out a 1000 with a day of break. I say hecks naw! I'm jetting toward my ending with a get er' done attitude. This summer I plan of bumping my word count up but I'm not sure by how much. I think the first week of summer I'll try sitting down to write for as long as I can possibly take and just write then see how far I get, then average all those word counts together to make up my daily goal.