Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Moving

So, I really can't stand the new Blogger and I'm tired of the issues I'm having here as well, so I am moving my blog. My new address is:

http://jesimarie.wordpress.com

I look forward to seeing you all there!!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Dear Blogger,

Dear Blogger,

I've been putting this off for a while now, but not you've forced it on me. This new look of yours... to put it bluntly, it's ugly. I don't like how it looks, it's not streamlined. It's just ugly. Please let me have the old look back. Please. I don't like this at all! :(

In other news, I hear that people may be having problems commenting on my blog. My dad said he tried posting twice and it didn't work. I'm going to see what I can do about this.

Laters!

Friday, August 31, 2012

Editing

Editing can suck. It can suck a lot to have to go through your manuscript and cut out chunks of what you wrote, chunks of what you think may be the best shizz in the whole damn book. But if it doesn't fit, it must go.

When my dad writes his stories, he always makes sure to write 10% more in word count than what he wants it to be in the end, because he says there some equation out there that says when you edit, you're supposed to lose 10% of your word count. For reasons of having wordy sentences, chunks that don't belong, extra words, etc.

I've never subscribed to that. How does taking stuff out make something better? Also, with the way I write, I don't put in things that don't help the story in some way. 

Back when I first did NaNo, I went into the plot help section and found the dares. For those of you who don't know what the dare are, it's like a real dare, but you have to put something into your story. Like one of the dares I took was to have a reference to Romeo and Juliet and how the two lovers would meet up a few times then kill themselves (I don't have the exact dare, for some reason). Hell, I had a whole damn list of these, but I wouldn't use them unless I could work it into the story.

Here's my excerpt for the Romeo and Juliet line. Keep in mind, this is four years old and never been edited. There's also a warning for language. (A little info: Carrighan is an Angel of Hell, well known Angel killer, and Lucifer's former best friend. Demetrios is an Angel who was sent to Earth to kill Carrighan, even though Deme has been in love with Carrighan since before Lucifer and his followers were banished from Heaven. They struck up a deal that Carrighan would give Deme insider information from Hell and Deme would let Carrighan live in peace).

“Kill me, Carrighan,” he said with sorrow in his voice. “If it’s what you want then kill me! If this is all you want from me then take it and let me be! But don’t tell me you can’t because I know you can!”
His voice was beginning to crack as he spoke and tears ran his face, mixing with the continuing rain.
Carrighan shook his head, backing away until he hit the house, pressing against it. “I can’t Demetrios!”
Thunder broke the sky as the Angel yelled “Do it!” The resolution of his decision was on his face along with the sorrow.
Carrighan couldn’t take looking at him any longer and another wave of anger poured through him, this time at himself for not doing something about this. He grabbed Deme by the shirt and pulled him close bringing the knife to his neck and pushing his head back. He stared at the one in front of him, his heart racing his anger melting away and turning to self-hatred and guilt as he did this.
 “I can’t do it because… I love you…” he let the Angel go as his hands fell to his sides, the knife hitting the ground.
Deme stared at him with a mirrored confused expression.
“I… love you” he whispered, the confession lifting his heart but sent a whole new wave of terror through him. He couldn’t love an Angel, that’s impossible, it couldn’t happen! And he wouldn’t allow it. His wings spread and he took to the air flying over Deme’s head and taking off into the trees.
Deme turned on his heel after a moment and took off after him.
“Carrighan!” he called after the dark winged one ahead of him.
The other man didn’t slow at all. The winds changed and pushed Carrighan back from where he was trying to go, though he had no destination in mind.
He just wanted to get away from Deme.
“No! No! No! No! No!!” he whined but the winds were too strong. He fell to the ground, landing on his knees. His wings fell around him and he looked down, hair hanging in his face.
“Carrighan…” Deme approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Why are you running from me? If what you say if true then…”
“Then what? Huh?!” He lifted his head and looked at the Angel some emotion in his eyes but it was undecipherable.
“Well… we can be like Romeo and Juliet.”
Carrighan scoffed. “What? We meet a few times then kill ourselves! That sounds like some great fucking plan, Juliet!”
Deme shook his head. “No, I meant in the star crossed lovers way without the whole death thing. We’ll just live our lives together.”
“No,” Carrighan tore his gaze from the face of the man he… he loved. “It’s not going to happen.”
He stood up and turned to stare at the other one, his eyes in slits.
“I will not going down as a fucking Angel lover!! I hate Angels and of all the fucking goody two shoe God loving fuckers I hate you the most!”
He was breathing heavily as his eyes opened to their regular size.
“No… I don’t hate you” he whispered once he saw the hurt look on the Angel’s face. “But I can’t love you. I can’t; I never should have started this stupid thing. If… If I had just told Lucifer to fuck himself I wouldn’t be in this mess with you. I could be living my life the way I want to not… not depending on love from you! You of all people in this fucking world!”
He had backed away.
“I… I have to go. Don’t come find me and don’t come after me.”
 Guh, I love these guys! But that's beside the point. I made the whole Romeo and Juliet thing mesh in with the scene. There was also a dare about going to an amusement park, that I made a HUGE part of the plot.

I don't word fluff. I put in what needs to be put in there, so to think that I have to cut 10%... that's just stupid.

I actually amazed my dad when I ADDED almost 2,000 words to my first draft of The Doc Is In. And I think I still added more to it when I did the next draft.

So maybe editing isn't as bad as it could be, because sure, I'm making it better, but it's still a pain in the ass, lol.

I had something else I was going to say, but I forgot while going through that old manuscript of mine and falling in love again with my Deme and Carri.

How do you guys feel about editing? Do you adhere to the whole "take out 10%" thing? How does that make you feel, whether you do it or not?

Laters!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Until The End

It's been a while but... I've finally written something again. It's a short story that nearly made me cry.

I've written a story like this before, where Mikey, my Michael Dove, dies. I've always had it set that he was going to die just days before he turns 30 and that his final words are "Zachary, you moron" as Zack holds him as he dies. Well, I've fleshed it out a bit more, since my bff, who created Zack, made Zack's best friend an FBI agent.

So, to give you a little cap, Bill's real name is Rafael and he's an FBI agent. Michael Dove, aka Mikey, is a hit man and Zack, aka Zachary, is a hit man in training being trained by Mikey. Mikey and Zack are in love, though it's kept secret. Not going to go over their whole story, too much to put down.

Any ways, here we go! My story!
"Mikey, don't make me do it!" 
"My name is Michael, Rafael. Or should I call you Bill?" 
Bill's hands shook as he held the gun up. "Mikey, just put the gun down and come with me. Please. I don't want to shoot you." 
Michael straightened up, wincing as the pain from the bullet in his side shot through his body. The gun fight with Bill’s partner had left him wounded. But if Michael looked bad, the dead partner looked worse. 
"You won't shoot me. You lack the conviction to do it," Michael said with a smirk. 
Bill wiped sweat from his brow with his free hand. "Mikey..." 
"My name is Michael!" 
Bill visibly jumped as the door slammed open. Michael barely turned his head.
"Drop it, blondie!!" Zack yelled, gun raised and aimed at the offender. 
Bill, already on edge, spun. 
Michael never moved quicker, but as the explosion of the gun filled the room, all he could think about was protecting Zachary. He gasped as the searing hot bullet hit him, a new pain slamming through his body. 
"Mikey!" Zack yelled .His gun clattered on the ground as his arms wrapped around Michael’s torso to keep the man from falling. “What did you do, Bill?!”
“Zack I… I didn’t mean to!" 
Zack could feel the sticky warmth soaking through his sleeves as he sank to the floor, Michael held against him. 
"Mikey, Mikey please..." 
Michael's breath was shaky at best and not getting any better. 
"Zachary..." he managed. 
"No, no, don't talk, Mikey. Bill, call 9-1-1, god damn it! Call for help!" 
Michael shook his head as Bill fumbled for his cell phone. 
"No, Mikey, don't go, please! God, no!" His voice cracked. Tears were spilling down his cheeks and there was nothing he could do to stop them. 
Michael's head fell back against Zack's chest. His skin was pale and his eyes were distant. 
For a moment, they focused on Zack’s face and a faint smile formed on his lips. It was quickly gone and replaced with a scowl. "Zachary... you moron..." 
His lower lip shuddered as his last breath left him. 
"Mikey!" Zack cried, burying his face in the other’s dark brown hair. “You killed him, Bill! You killed Mikey!” 
Bill slowly back up, hands raised. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to hurt him…” 
Zack glared at what he thought was his best friend. “I’m going to give you five seconds to get out of here. If you’re still here, then I can’t be held responsible for what I do.” 
Bill nodded and was gone. 
--- 
The week passed like a blur. The funeral was like a movie on mute. Zack barely registered the thirteen year old boy stand by his side, shaking slightly with tears; the older man leaning heavily on his cane, the scar over his eye looking more vicious as no emotion passed on his face. 
The black coffin hovering over the hole was a simple black casket. It suited Mikey’s tastes. Zack had seen to that much. The rest of it he left to Kostya. 
He ditched out on the wake afterwards. He wasn’t that hungry anyways. And he had other things to do.
It was a short drive to the apartment he knew well. He’d first come here years ago, back in high school when he first met Bill’s older brother, who wasn’t really his brother, just some other agent there for the case. Who then left for college or something like that. The memories were bitter sweet. 
He found the door unlocked and entered quietly. Boxes were scattered around, things half thrown in them, half spilt on the floor. Bill had been in a hurry to leave. Had he been trained by any less of a hit man, Zack would have assumed Bill had left already, but he knew better. He’d seen that blonde mop poke out behind a tree at the funeral.
He was still here. 
“I’ve been waiting for you.” The voice almost startled Zack. He turned towards it origin and saw a few blonde curls sticking up over the top of a high backed chair. 
“I can tell. You didn’t even finish backing, dude.” He was surprised by how flat his voice was. Had he really come that far? 
Bill chuckled faintly. It was a sad sound and caused Zack’s heart to ache father. 
“I didn’t see the point.” 
“Why didn’t you run?” 
The curls shook. “You’d come find me. Might as well face it head on.” 
Zack took a few steps towards the chair. 
“I’m sorry, Zack. I didn’t mean for it to happen that way.” 
He froze, fingers wrapped around the cold steel of the gun. “Don’t say that, Bill.” 
“But it’s true…” 
“I don’t want to hear it!” he barked, a new wave of tears breaking forth. “You killed the man I loved! You’re my best friend! I shouldn’t be… I shouldn’t be here doing this right now. We should be… we should be out skateboarding or something, man!” 
The room fell into silence. 
Zack shook, trying to pull himself together. He couldn’t afford to get all emotional, that was how mistakes were made. That was what Mikey always said, anyways. 
“I killed him,” Bill said in a dead pan. “I killed Michael Dove, one of the best hit men in the world.” 
Was his voice shaking? Or was that just Zack’s ear drums? 
“My name is going to be everywhere. I’m going to be a hero.” 
“Shut up!” 
“I’ll be all over the news, Zack. They’ll praise me!” 
“I said shut up!”
“I killed him, Zack!” 
There was pain in Bill’s voice. Some part of Zack’s brain picked up on it. Bill wasn’t gloating. He was trying to make it easier on him. 
“I shot Michael Dove!” 
The quiet hissing of the silencer was the last thing Bill would hear. Zack shook, the gun still aimed at where his best friend’s head had just been. He’d just killed his best friend. 
He pulled the gun back and placed it back in its holster. 
“Good bye, Bill.” He turned and left, locking the door behind him.
And... end. I like it. I didn't edit it or anything. Just went with it. *sniffles*

Let me know what you think!

Laters!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

I Can't

Weight loss is hard. Writing is hard. As I'm prone to seeing, "if it were easy, everyone would do it." And it's true.

But I've learned some things, sitting here, staring at the blinking black line of the page, examining my life as I wait for something to strike me.

I've learned that I can't do either of these things for someone else. I have to do them for me.

In the past, I've tried writing for other people. And I've done good with it. Writing for pay (Gaia gold, to be specific) worked nicely for me. I improved my writing. I became better at my craft while writing for others. Being pressed into writing because people think you can't stick to it, well, that's just a stupid thing to write for. I have to write for me.

Just like with weight loss. I can't do it for a future lover (because if they love me, they'll love me for everything I am, plus size or not). I can't do it for a friend. I can't do it for my mom. I have to do it for me. I have to want it for me and me alone.

I've always heard that "I can't" is a phrase you should never use. But sometimes, you have to. Because sometimes you can't. There is no changing it to "I can write for other people and not for myself." Writing doesn't work that way.

What are some other things you can't do? (keep it a positive can't. Or even a 'I can't whistle' works, lol)


Laters!


PS, if you're interested, I have a second blog about costuming and cosplay. Check it out! Costume Me

Monday, June 4, 2012

I am very proud of myself

This post has NOTHING to do with writing or stories or anything, but I feel very good about myself today.

Since February, I have lost almost 20 pounds and have gone down about 2 pant sizes.

Feels totally awesome :D

Just felt like sharing.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Better Than Thou, I laugh at you, hahahaha!

warning: the following post is kind of jarbled, because I came into this post with an abstract idea but no real plot to it. It turns into a bit of a rant, too. It's also full of gifs and videos and such. Move forward at your own risk.


Throughout everything and every where there are always people who think they're better than someone else. Or they're just gunna straight up hate.
found on tumblr
And the best you can do is sit there and laugh. I mean really, half the shit people say is ridiculous. Stephenie Meyer said of Anne Rice and any other vampire writer out there: "...I can't read other people's vampires. If it's too close [to my writing], I get upset; if it's too far away, I get upset. It just makes me very neurotic...I've seen little pieces of Interview with a Vampire when it was on TV, but I kind of always go YUCK!" (got this from Alice Marvels, I do believe. I don't remember, I had to find it in an email I sent to my friends). Oh boo hoo, other people write vampires and they're too similar/different! I'm sorry but, this is just drivel. And of course, Anne Rice came back with something more eloquent: "Lestat and Louie feel sorry for vampires that sparkle in the sun. They would never hurt immortals who choose to spend eternity going to high school over and over again in a small town ---- anymore than they would hurt the physically disabled or the mentally challenged. My vampires possess gravitas. They can afford to be merciful."

But everyone's hit the twihate bandwagon at some point. Save for the twitards, which then was a hate on the twihaters wagon. But it's all hate!
again, found on tumblr
But it's not always people hating on books/writers. Like Squidward hates Sponge Bob.
more tumblr
And Sponge Bob is only his really annoying neighbor (I can understand his point of view, though! lol).

Some people just think they're so high and mighty that it's laughable, cause you can see through the paper thin argument.

But this post isn't about why haters hate, 'cause we all know that they do. And there's no real explaining it. Because usually it's just a pointless way for people to try and feel better 'bout themselves.
tumblr
No, this is about what you do when those haters hate on you.

Haters can be random people we don't know, like the anons on tumblr (for those of you who don't know, there are people on tumblr who like to go around and send anonymous messages to people telling them they suck, they're ugly, they should kill themselves, and much more gruesome things). Then there are people we do know, like co-workers or customers who come in a lot. And there are those who are/were close to us who do it (I've heard of people whoa re still friends with people who hate on them, god knows why though. I've even heard of people's PARENTS being their haters, da fuq?).

No matter how self confident you are, no matter how much you can laugh things off, no matter how many times you chant that sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you, they still hurt. And depending on how close that hater is or was, it may take longer to get over.

Personally, this is my take on it:
do I really have to say where I found this one?
People come, people go, the pain won't last forever. And that's why there's no point it gettin' all upset over it. They're good for a laugh. And you have to remember that they're just jealous of what you got.  You are better then all them haters out there. Haters are going to rip on you left and right, because you can't make everyone happy. Someone is always going to be upset. Always. You don't live your life the way they are? Ooo, you're such a child, you need to grow the fuck up! Hell, I am a child, let me live my life my way while I still have the chance to be young. Or maybe you're not their idea of skinny. Fuck it, enjoy that donut! And make sure their mouth is watering as you orgasmicly eat that donut! You are you, there is no better you out there!

Be proud of who you are, and those haters out there, all they can do is fuel your drive. You must be doing something right if they're so damn upset!
source
So, to any of my haters out there, I am better than this. I am better than you. Obviously I'm doing something to piss you off, and good! I enjoy my life, I enjoy the way I'm living, 'cause this is the only life I'm going to remember living (unless I come back as the Dalai Lama, which I highly doubt). You have a problem with it, good for you. I'll live my way, childish or not, and you live your way, as old as it makes you. I'm 23! I am a child! And I'm not in any rush to grow up! I have my goals and ambitions, and I am working towards those faster than you even know. You have no idea. You can't even fathom.

I have a connection with an agent, I have a connection with a costume designer, both of which really, really want to help me. What have you got?

Keep trying to bring me down, I will only come out stronger, and laughing!
mmhmm, tumblr
I am Jasmine, I love who I am, I love my life. I have the best friends in the world who will continue to laugh with me until the day I die. I'm a nerd, I'm immature, I'm mature, I'm a big sister, I'm a daughter, I'm a helper. I work hard at what I want. My dad supports me and has done more in 5 years than most dads do in their whole life. He even takes care of my brothers, and they're not his. My mom supports me. She's always been there for me and always will. She's my biggest role model and I will never be half as good as she is, but she's behind me no matter what I do and that's all that matters. My best friend supports me, no matter how slow I can be at doing things. My bosses love me because I'm a hard worker who never argues back and do everything I can to  make the job go quicker and easier. My co-workers love me because I'm fun to be around. My customers love me because I'm sweet and a hard worker and do all I can to help them with what they need. This is my life to live, my life to fuck up,  my life to better.

And I am better than you. I don't care what contests and little things you can stick to. They're pass times that can be ignored. What matters is what I do stick to, and that's all. So go suck an egg.
Rise above their shit, my readers! Remember that you are better than them, no matter how much what they say hurts. You are bigger than them. You are better than them. 

Comments will be disabled at this time. May decide to open them up later. Just don't feel like dealin' with the comments *shrugs* 

Friday, May 18, 2012

New Desktop

It's surprisingly good at it's job. Or at least for making me feel bad for not writing, lol

Laters

Monday, May 14, 2012

Welcome Graham Parke!


Unspent Time Launch Party




Get free books and win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch








Warning: reading this novel may make you more attractive and elevate your random luck by about 9.332%*
(* These statements have not been evaluated by any person of consequence!)



From the award winning author of ‘No Hope for Gomez!’ comes a collection of impossible tales. Permeating the cracks between the past and the present is the realm of Unspent Time; time that was allotted but never spent. This is where we find the stories that could have been true.

Such as the story of Kiala, whose caretaker disappears one day, leaving her as the sole Huntress to battle the giant octopi to feed her village. Or the revealing tale of Goki Feng Ho, the ancient Chinese art of decoding the meaning of car license plates. And the heartbreaking story of the man responsible for choosing the colors of the insides of your shoes. And let’s not forget the story behind Unspent Time itself, the metaphysical ramifications of which will leave the scientific community feeling mostly indifferent about it for decades to come…
Unspent Time is nominated for GoodReads Laugh out Loud book of 2012

For the launch of the new novel I decided to discount it to $0.99 for today (PC and eBook), give away some exclusive content, and raffle off two Kindles. All entrants will get:


  • An exclusive spin-off novelette (not available for purchase anywhere!)
  • Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook
  • Signature for their paperback or kindle edition
  • Chance to win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch


(Prizes can be traded for Amazon gift certificates if you already own them.)
Just email your receipt to nohopeforgomez@gmail.com to enter.
Each purchase counts, so stock up on birthday presents (for people you don't like that much, for instance) The discount ends today, but be sure to send the receipts no later than June 1st.


(Or order the books from any bookstore.)
Coupon code for today: ZB77D

And then get by ing about your purchase and another by mentioning it on facebook

Sound bites from Unspent Time:

“I'm looking into my past lives. I'm convinced some of them still owe me money.”

“I'm very polite by nature, even the voices in my head let each other finish their sentences.”

“I didn’t actually want to do it,” Kiala told the boy. “The universe just kind of conspired to force me to make a fool of myself. It does that quite a lot, actually.”

“Sadly, my socks are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike.”

Here's what reviewers had to say:

"A veritable page turner of nonstop laughs!" -- Reader Views
"An unputdownable read. a Coens Brothers' film in book form." -- BookReview.com
“Extremely witty and clever writing.” -- California Chronicle
"A Party for your Brain!" -- Warren Baxter


Bio:


Graham Parke is responsible for a number of technical publications and has recently patented a self-folding map. He has been described as both a humanitarian and a pathological liar. Convincing evidence to support either allegation has yet to be produced.
No Hope for Gomez! was voted GoodReads Funniest Read of 2010

www.grahamparke.com
www.grahamparke.blogspot.com
GoodReads
Facebook


Sunday, May 6, 2012

Hey, what's this?

A blog party? A chance to learn about a hilarious new book, and even win some stuff?

And it's coming here? Really?

Yes! Yes it is!

This month, award winning Graham Parke, author of No Hope for Gomez will be stopping in here to answer your questions, live, in the comments, as well as raffling off two Kindles, free books, and more.

So stayed tuned, keep your eyes here, and join in on the fun!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Stockholm Syndrome

I may or may not have mentioned this before, I'm not sure. But if I have, I'm sorry. If I haven't, then I'm going to talk about it again. Cause that's how I roll.

I have some weird likes. Serial killers, psychopaths. The top of my list, though, is Stockholm syndrome. I don't know why, but I am in love with this syndrome. It's kidnapped my heart and I have become it's slave (see what I did there? No? Aww...)

For those of you who don't know what Stockholm syndrome is, here's the wikipedia page. In short, it's when the kidnapped person begins to relate to and may even fall in love with their kidnapper. Doesn't even have to be a kidnap situation, a hostage situation can give the same results. I do believe that's actually how the syndrome got its name. A guy robbed a bank in Stockholm, Sweden and took all the people in there hostage. They were in there for a few days, I think, and when they were finally released, they all had nothing but nice things to say about the criminal.

I have always wanted to write a story about the syndrome, just never found a way to do it. But oh, it sounds like such a great topic to write about. Makes my heart do little flip flops to think about it (see? I told you it was a weird obsession). But back in 2008, there was this person who held a contest on deviantArt for NaNo. The premise was to write a 50,000 word fanfiction. I didn't hear about this contest until afterwards and all the winners were being announced, which is fine cause I don't write fanfiction anyways.

But that's off topic. When I looked at the news article on dA, the winner was a story called Stockholm. I went LE GASP! clicked on it like there was no tomorrow and began reading. It's a Frerard (Gerard Way and Frank Iero from My Chemical Romance slash) story and while I'm not a big fan of Frerard, I read it anyways, cause come on! It's about Stockholm syndrome!

So I read all 50,000 words in like, 3 days. Just ate it up (I then went to read the girls other Frerard stories and I will say, she makes me like Frerard, but I think it's because she makes then like her own characters rather than in the band and all that jazz). And it was so awesome! I'm still in love with it to this day.

After that, I still wanted to write a Stockholm story, but after reading that pile of awesomeness, how could I? And would what I wrote turn into basically a copy of hers? And if it didn't, could I even write something and think it any good when standing it next to hers?

I know, you shouldn't compare your stuff to others because sometimes, you just won't make it that far. Or you could be better, surpass the master and all that. But... her story is so damn awesome! I'll give you a link to it: super awesome fantastic story link. Just as a heads up, the prologue is at the bottom, then chapter 1 is at the top, then chapter 2 is at the bottom. You'll understand when you get there.

Anyways, it's like I've got stage freight. I want to write a story about this subject but... I don't know if it would be nearly as awesome! So what do I do... do I write one anyways, throw caution to the wind and say 'fuck it'? Or do I back down and just enjoy the stories like that around me (which are few, but I haven't actively looked).

What do you guys do when this happens to you? Has it ever happened to you? What was the situation? If it hasn't, what would you do, theoretically?


Laters!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Writing Bug

As I've mentioned before, I fell for writing when I was in kindergarten. I wrote a story (or more like dictated it to my mom and she wrote it down) about a cat who was friends with everyone but the dog. And I kept writing from there on. It was always short stories I wrote back then. I always tried to write a novel, but I'd get a paragraph in and never get beyond there. The two I remember trying to write were about a taxi, and the other about a baby buffalo. Like I said, a paragraph in and nothing more. It wasn't until high school that I wrote more than a paragraph, but never completed a full novel. I didn't do that until my first year of NaNo a few years ago.

But this blog post isn't about where and when I got bit by the writing bug and who I would thank to all hell for it (my kindergarten teacher, in case you were wondering).

This is about my brother. I have two brothers, one is more gaming (well, they're BOTH more gaming) but my youngest brother, who's only 11, seems to be getting into writing. Not seriously, like it's what he wants to do, like I was at that age (kind of. I also wanted to be a secret agent, an artist, an English teacher).

Now that he's in middle school, his teachers are letting him free write for him assignments. He can come up with his own storylines and write what he wants to write. I'm watching him write his story right now, and he's flown through the 500 words he has to write, where normally it would take him all day to do something like that. He's even been writing while watching TV!

If he does get into writing, I think he's going to be a historical/AU writer. He seems to like to write stuff about wars, but it's got robots and stuff in it. Like I said, AU. Right now he's writing about the Pearl Harbor bombing about a kid who snuck onto one of the boats to find his dad and make sure he was okay, then finds a robot who's actually a nuke set to go off in one hour and the kids saves the day. At least at that moment in time. There's supposed to be a kamikaze pilot in there somewhere, but I think he got cut.

It makes me so proud :) He's doing something other than gaming and watching TV. And he seems to be enjoying it this time around.

Have any of you ever seen one of your siblings, children, friends, etc, get bitten by the writing bug? How'd it make you feel? How'd you get bitten?


Laters!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Zombie Jesus Day!

And happy Easter! And happy Passover!

Hope your Sunday is going better than mine. Got food poisoning from bad ham that we were told was good. :/

Laters!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

If I could sum it all up with a song

If I could sum the relationship between me and my sequel (or at least me and my muse) in a song, it would be Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert. Specifically the mashed up version between Adam Lambert and Pink, just so it's a duet, lol


What song would you chose to sum up your relationship with your muse or novel? Do you have a song? Maybe it's a poem? Whatever it is, share it!

Laters!

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Lucky 7 Meme

I was tagged by Megan over at Paws, Fangs, & Smiles. Looks like fun to me, so here I go!

Rules!
1. Go to page 77 of your current MS
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written. No cheating
4. Tag 7 authors
5. Let them know



This is from The Doc Is In, because The Doc Is Out doesn't have 77 pages
“Hmm… that’s a hard one.” Mrs. Taylor lowered her bowl, scrunching her face in thought. “I would investigate. Find out which was telling me the truth. Sometimes your brain sees only what’s on the surface while your heart tells you what’s on the inside of the problem. Sometimes your brain is right, sometimes your heart is right. Gather all the facts you can, then make a decision.” She nodded then put a spoon of rice in her mouth.
Lauren smiled and uncurled her legs. “Then that’s what I’ll do.” She nodded, a new resolve coursing through her. “Can I use the phone to make a long distance call?”
“Long distance?” Mrs. Taylor asked, confused. “I guess, sure. Who do you know long distance, though?”
“We met a kid while we were on our trip. He gave me his number.”
“A he?” The older woman smirked. “Go ahead darling, but don’t forget about Bryan.”
“I won’t.” She couldn’t. And depending on the outcome of this call, it could save Bryan’s life.
CHAPTER 7
Three days passed. Three days of no Bryan at night. Three days of going to the warehouse and not finding Bryan there, either. Three days of no one knowing where Bryan even went during the day, just that he got up before the sun came up and didn’t come home until late.
I ran out of paragraphs, so I went into Chapter 7! Obviously!

Now, on to tagging 7 authors. Sadly, I don't have 7, so, here we go!

Qzie
Gil Miller
PK Hrezo
Madeline Jane
Dominique

Laters!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

So much stuff!!

Let's do a bullet list!

  • In total, I've sent out 16 queries, 10 of those I sent last night (which is suicide, I know). I've gotten 5 1/2 'no's so far.
  • So, I decided to re-write my query. It's a little more poppy, and the summary is a little more grabby. I'll send out some more letters and see if this one works any better.
  • I've, sadly, had to drop out of the 60k/60 days, because I hate my characters. When I designed my new set of kids, they were supposed to be one way. Well, they've just turned into little monsters! I want to just kill them all! So I'm going to delete most of what I have, redo my characters, and re-write it. This makes re-write number 5, or something like that.
  • I have an account on quertracker.net, so if anyone wants to be my pen pal, add me! My sn is PiratingYourDreams
  • School sucks, end of story, lol
Okay, so that's about it. Doesn't seem like so much when it's written out like that, but it feels like more. *huff huff pant pant*

All right! Let's get to this!

Laters!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

That's Amore!

I won a beautiful copy of Cinder by Marissa Meyer and while I'm only in the first 100 pages of it, I'm loving it! I definitely suggest you pick it up and read it.

But that's not the point of my post!

Upon reading the beginning of Cinder, I found myself missing something.

Romance.
Working on my crime is fun. I love it, and it has hints of a blooming romance in the background. But it's not the all in-your-face-this-is-LOVE! kind of thing. And yes, I know that's not really how a romance is, and no, I don't think Cinder is a YA romance, it still hit that longing in me. When Cinder first sees the prince and she's all star stuck and in love but NO! She must hide it! She must deny it!

That's amore!
I need to come up with a romance plot, after I finish part 2 of my crime, and finish my futuristic sci-fi dystopian, then! Then I will have my romance!

Or maybe Valentine's Day just gave me indigestion.

Either way, I will have it!

Anything giving you indigestion--I mean, inspiration lately?

Laters!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Lets try this on for size

by Hot99@Source
Back when I first started writing part two of my lovely Doc books, I had to rewrite it about five times. Because it NEVER turned out right. None of them would work for what I wanted.

I'm sure that's nothing new to any of you writers out there. It's a fact of life.

As a note, I hate re-writing. I feel the first try is normally the best. i hate having to re-write a whole scene. Adding things to make it better, sure. Expanding on something, sure. But completely changing it? That sucks.

Funny thing, my dad is a firm believer that your second draft is 10% shorter than your first draft. He was amazed that when I sent him my second draft or more edits, that I UPPED my work count by over a 1,000 words. Made me laugh, lol.

But I'm getting away from the point of my post! I think. I'm not even totally sure what the point is any more.

Oh! Right! I remember now!

In one of the first tries at writing this part two of my lovely part one, I had a scene where Delilah, my main character, meets the main-ish bad guy (he's the main bad guy's lackey) but she doesn't know it's him. She never even learns his name throughout the whole thing. Well, the story takes place up in Washington where it's rainy all the time, so it's pouring and he offers to buy her some hot chocolate, which she accepts.

The scene was so cute as he's being nice to her and they're talking, but then he has to leave because he got a call from his boss. Now, this lackey is really hot and she's got a crush on him, but thinks she'll never see him again, so on and so forth.

Such a cute scene!

But it had to be cut, because when I rewrote all but my prologue, it just didn't fit with the new story line. My favorite scene had to be cut! Le sigh!

Well, I decided I was going to keep the scene, but I'd have to redo it to fit...

It's not bad, but it's not as cute as the first one was. She obviously know's who he is now and he comes across weird, for some reason. Not like typical weird, just like... subtly off in the head or something. But-- OH MY GOD! My subconscious just let out a little nugget of golden information! But I won't tell you. Because it'll ruin things for you. Hehehe.

Any how. That's my dilemma. My poor, adorable scene.... I guess I'll just keep holding on to it and use it as a bonus thing when I get published.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. All pun intended. :P

This happened to any of you guys out there? How do you deal with it?


Laters!

PS, I just realized that I have more outtake from this first 13,000 words than I did for my whole 65,600 words of the first one. That's messed up.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Today's the Day!!

I have a new banner!! Look how bloody awesome it is!!!

I can't say enough how much I LOVE this! And Dominique is so professional, she kept me in on every stage, made sure I liked what she had before moving on, and she's an awesome artist!

So go look at her stuff: http://dgamm562.daportfolio.com/ Send other people to her site. Commission her, cause she's awesome. Awesome I tell you!

I also got a caricature from her, which is lovely, too! I'll show ya now
I'm gunna go snuggle my art now, lol

Laters!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

60k / 60 days

There's this thread on the NaNo boards about a challenge called the 60k in 60 days challenge. It was supposed to start January 1st, but I didn't see that thread and the person who made this new thread didn't either. So it's from February 1st to March 31st, a total of 60 days. That's 1000 words a day! Not too bad. Less words a day than NaNo!

So, if it isn't obvious, I'm going to be joining in the fray! It'll be a nice kick in the bum to get my book done!

I can't wait!!

So, here's my word count bar. I'll try and make a smaller one for the side of the blog over there, somewhere. but for now, I like this one



In other news, I'M SO CLOSE TO GETTING MY NEW BANNER! I was going to wait to gush until the day i got the banner and put it up, but MY GOD! I love her art! I'm in love! And she's so professional, keeping up with showing me the progress, making sure I get it the way I want. Go check her site out now! Her name is Dominique Gammage and her art is so beautiful! Yes, I'm fan girling! Was introduced to her through my best friend's friend's little sister. You know what, just go check her out.

I can't wait to show you guys the new banner! Shouldn't be too long now! I am so excited!! *flails around* 

Okay, okay, enough for now. Good luck to all of you in your writing endeavors!

You guys doing any kind of writing challenges? Anything you want to brag about, like a new layout, new shirt, new anything?

Laters!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

The best time to do stuff...

...is when you're trying to write.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Rejection!

I got a rejection letter. I actually got it back on the 11th but never shared it here. When I sent out my first round of queries, I only sent four. I got the first rejection letter two days later. I kind of wonder if they really read it, but oh well, I can't prove otherwise so I just have to believe.

It kind of stung but hey, did I really expect to get an agent right off the bat? I'm not THAT crazy! So it didn't sting so bad after that thought hit my mind. Doesn't mean it doesn't still suck.

But, a few years ago, I read Stephen King's On Writing. I'll say that this is the only writing book I really liked and could read without getting annoyed with the author telling me how to do what I do, but that's off topic. Anyhow, there was a part that really stuck out to me.
When I got the rejection slip from AHMM, I pounded a nail into the wall above the Webcor, wrote "Happy Stamps" on the rejection slip, and poked it onto the nail. ... By the time I was fourteen ... the nail on my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on writing. 
I loved the idea of that nail on the wall for all the rejection notes. I don't know if it was the thought of being able to see them and use them as a drive to keep on it, or the therapeutic aspect of stabbing the rejections on a nail that I liked, still have no idea which one. So I decided that when I got to the point of sending out queries, I would have my own nail.

Then, I found this on a site called pinterest:
 I saw that and I was like "Hey! I could totally make that into a rejection board! It'd look so cool!!"

So I did.
I love my little rejection board. I based the REJECTED stamp off of a picture I found on google images.

Here it is with my first rejection letter on it:

I think it looks so cool! And it's right above my head as I sit here on the couch. A lovely reminder. I will continue to print up  my rejections and stab them onto those nails until they get full. Then I'll tear them out and get longer nails. 

I'll post more pics as they fill up more.

And as a bit of a bonus, I found this kinda cool quote from MaryJanice Davidson (an author I really like) while I was looking for the quote I posted above:
"I've got a folder full of rejection slips that I keep. Know why? Because those same editors are now calling my agent hoping I'll write a book or novella for them. Things change. A rejection slip today might mean a frantic call to your agent in six months."

How do you guys deal with your rejection letters? Would you ever do anything like this?

Laters!

Monday, January 9, 2012

My baby

This is probably the deepest post  I will ever write.

I've always seen my manuscript as my baby, but I've always wanted to get it out there, too. To have it see the big wide world, have people enjoy its company, unable to leave it alone for longer than a trip to the bathroom. Hell, take it to the bathroom with them!

I am so proud of and in love with my manuscript.

Now, I've always thought I'd be a bad mom because I'd be too over protective, not wanting to let my kid go out alone, even when they were old enough. I know this because I act the same way with my brothers. They're 11 and 13 and the oldest is going out with friends and staying out for hours with them. it scares me. When they don't come home on time, I start to worry and freak.

I'm feeling this way about my novel right now.

I still want to send my baby out there. I've made it awesome, now it's time to be sent out there. I have the first round of query letters ready to send, but...

I'm afraid of my what will happen to my baby once I send those letters to the agents. The anticipation of whether they'll like it or not. Whether they'll want it or not.

Will they love it like I do?

Will they see the potential that I see in it?

What will happen?

That great unknown... The waiting through it for a reply.

I want them to love it!

I want them to see the wonderful that I see, that other's have seen!

All right.

Time to do what my best friend said: "Take a breath and hit send."

And then proceed to freak the freak out!

Ahhhh!!

I've been MIA for a while, and that's for a few reasons. One, I haven't really had anything to write about. And two, I've been editing like mad.

But I'm here to make a short post to announce something awesome:

I feel I've edited enough to start querying it. I have to write up the queries, etcetc. But zomg!!

I'm just kind of freaking out here!

In summary,

Laters!
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