I’ve been away so long that I had a hard time remembering my user name and password! :P
I’m still around.. and working on a new story. 
I don’t know if anyone is still checking my blog since it’s been months since my last post.. but if you’re still there, rest assured that I am still here as well! 
I haven’t given up yet!
This weekend, my husband and I went to the bookstore and while I was perusing the Teen/Young Adult section, something happened. I found two books that were eerily similar to two of my manuscripts. One was a YA fantasy involving fairies and the main girl’s name was the same as the name of the main girl in my YA fantasy manuscript involving fairies (and it isn’t a very common name). THEN.. I was looking at a new book by another author whom I’ve read and liked and her new book is almost identical to the story I’m writing at the moment! (At least from what I can tell going by the little blurb on the back cover).
I guess it’s good to know that I had good ideas. Also, to know that there is a market out there for the types of stories I want to tell.. that’s great!
But now I have this fear that I’m going to get a manuscript all polished up and feel really good about it, only to have an agent and/or publisher say “Sorry, but someone else has already written this story.”
So, to sum it all up, it’s reassuring and completely discouraging all at the same time. Blah.
Anyway.. sorry for the prolonged absence. If I blogged everyday it would probably go something a bit like this: “still here.. still writing.. still trying to figure it all out, and sometimes wondering why I bother.” :P
Of course, I know exactly why I bother.. because I LOVE it!
I’ve probably spent just as much time researching the writing/publishing industry as I have actually writing and it just occurred to me that I haven’t posted a link to my favorite website!
Several months ago I came across the blog of Nathan Bransford – a literary agent in San Francisco and have been addicted to the site ever since. He provides lots of great tips (especially in regards to finding an agent to represent your work, as well as tons of other great stuff), and there is always a lively discussion in the comment section.
I have found the site to be extremely helpful, so I wanted to be sure to share it with you all!
I’ve been away from the blog for a bit, but I was on vacation last week so I actually have a good excuse this time 
I finished a chapter while away and got some ideas for some new things to add to my work-in-progress. I mentioned a few blogs back that I was thinking about trying my hand at writing fiction and that is what I have been doing. So far, it is working out wonderfully! Plots and subplots are coming to me much more easily and dialogue seems to be flowing a lot better… So far, I’m really pleased with the switch from fantasy to fiction. Not that I don’t still LOVE fantasy, because I certainly do! It just seems that as far as writing goes, fiction seems to be a better fit for me. We’ll see! Off to write some more!
It’s funny, there are so many little things that make-up a story that I never thought about until I actually started trying to write one. There is one thing in particular that I’m trying to work through at the moment and that is – what is the best way to skip over a chunk of time? My work-in-progress covers a period of several months. One chapter may take place over the course of one day, with the next chapter taking place the following day, etc. But I obviously can’t write out every single day that passes in my story. SO. What is the best way to handle that? Is it okay to end a chapter one day, and then the next chapter pick up a few weeks, even a month or two later? Does that feel clunky? As a reader (and watcher of movies and tv shows) I really don’t like that. I always wonder if I missed something good. But I don’t really have a choice but to leave out chunks of time, unless I want a 1000 page, extremely repetitive manuscript. 
Well, I managed to miss another couple of blogs last week. Sorry. I don’t have an excuse. I just sort of forgot. :P But I am still here! And still writing.
Oh, and in the post on books/authors I adore, I talk about how I’ve always loved reading and I mentioned the two books that I received for Christmas (about bunnies and Easter eggs) when I was two years old, etc. etc. Well, this past weekend I was going through some of my old stuff at my mom’s house and found those little books!!
I also found a school journal from 5th grade containing some of my very first stories. One in particular was about a magical rose which was linked to the survival of all the unicorns in the world. When the rose was plucked, all of the unicorns vanished. All but one, anyways, (I’m not really sure how she managed to survive….), and the remaining, beautiful creature spent all her days searching for the rose so that she could bring the unicorns back.
I got a good laugh out of it. :P
Seems I’ve been falling behind on my blogs.. Sorry! I’ve been having a little bit of a writer’s crisis over the last week or two. Not only could I not think of where to take my story, I just haven’t been happy with the plot in general. So, I’ve been working on another little story which seems to be pouring out of me faster than I can type. I typed approx. 8 pages of just the outline yesterday, 2 pages of the first chapter, and still feel like I’m going to be on a roll when I pick up on it again after I finish this blog. :P I actually woke up this morning really excited about working on this story! It seems that when I’m writing something I’m really excited about, I don’t feel the need to procrastinate quite so much. Who would’ve imagined
This new story is much different from my other 2 manuscripts because this one is young adult fiction while the other 2 were children’s/young adult fantasy. But it seems to be flowing so much easier so I’m going to see where it takes me. I may find that fiction is more my niche or I may decide that I want to go back to fantasy, we’ll just see!
Thanks again to all of you who are reading along with me
I’ve been thinking about the differences in telling a story using first person perspective versus third person perspective. Most of my favorite stories are written using third person but I just finished Twilight last night (WONDERFUL!!) which is written in first person.
I was completely engrossed in Twilight (finished all 498 pages in about a 27 hour time period) and I think that part of the reason for that was the first person perspective. I was reading the story as “I” looked over and saw such and such… and “I” did this and that. It totally sucked me in.
So now I’m left pondering the pros and cons of each perspective. I just can’t stop thinking about how much I felt like I was part of the story while reading Twilight. I mean, I’ve never finished a book of that length in such a short time.
Anyways.. just something to think about. I don’t think my current manuscript would feel right if it was written in first person but for my next manuscript (whatever and whenever that will be) I am seriously considering trying it.
Do any of you have a preference? Do you like one over the other, or both equally? I’m curious.
I forgot to post yesterday! Sorry about that! I don’t really have anything new to report. I’m currently about half-way finished with chapter 6, though I’m still struggling with strengthening my plot and subplots. I also decided to do a little research by reading Twilight (a #1 New York Times Bestseller in the genre of YA fantasy/romance) to see how Meyer weaves a plot and subplots together, and creates a young romance in a way that keeps people (like me!!) turning page after page.
I read 150 pages within a few hours last night.. and I didn’t want to put it down. And now, the book is on the table right beside, calling my name. And I must answer. Hey, it’s for research!
Rain is great for writing! Tornadoes, however, are not really conducive to the process of creative expression. Go away Fay and take your spin-off tornadoes with you! The weather radio alarm going off every 20 minutes is slightly distracting, not to mention unsettling.
On a positive note, I finished chapter 5 this weekend! (The first draft of it anyways)
