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Random Writing Thoughts
Fun backstory: In 2008, I spent the entire year writing and editing one story. It was the first new novel in 5 years, and even though I knew the story would likely be terrible, I put my tiny amount of creative energy to work and did it anyway. That may not sound like a long time, but spending an entire year on one project was actual torture for me. I felt like I was trying to dig for treasure with my bare hands in the driest soil on earth. It was painful. Needless to say, that book wasn’t great. But it was the first time I had written a novel…
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Let’s Talk
No big deal, but let’s talk, hmm? ^_^ So, I’ve debated on whether I should talk about this and how much to say, but this blog is, in part, a chronicle of my writing journey, and I want to be able to talk openly about writing-related things and not tip-toe around stuff or pretend like everything is okay. Long story short, I’m not self-publishing anymore. In a nutshell, it’s a stress issue. I never intended for writing to become an expensive hobby that I get little joy out of, but it happened. I underestimated the toll being responsible for everything would take on me. And I also thought I would…
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Writing Thoughts: Not Settling
Why do you write? Seriously. Do you know why you write? There are people who write for entertainment. There are people who write to explore some kind of theme or message. Some writers want to go on an adventure. Me? I’m a very emotional writer. I’m not trying to “say” anything. I don’t make decisions based on things like “logic.” I had a writing friend point out last week that some people chase a “feeling” when they write. They want their stories to feel a certain way. Excuse me while I wax dramatic for a second, but I have never felt so understood in my life! It reminds me of this…
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Writer Life: Pocket Worlds
For a long time, I’ve tried to make sense of the stories in my head. What kind of world do they exist in? Are there shared worlds? And I’ve come to the realization that there’s a shared universe, with intersecting branches, but each book exists in it’s own, independent world. I think of it like a tree, with the tree being my brain, or at least the part of my brain dedicated to storytelling. Everything flows from a single source, the ground the roots are in, and up through the powerhouse of the trunk, but once we get to the branches, everything is on it’s own. So, a story in…
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Writer Life: Outlining & Worldbuilding
There are words on the page!! My official story notes are organized, and I has words on the page!! 😀 I finished the Neil Gaiman Masterclass, and the last few lessons really bolstered my spirit. ^_^ I decided to start tackling my notes, took me three days, and in the process, I started a document and got words on the page! Basically, it’s either going to be good or it isn’t. That’s all I have to worry about. Or rather, not worry about. It fits my current philosophy on life about not making things too difficult. Instead of giving myself seven options, I give myself two. I can give myself two…