Frustrated

So maybe I don't have a right to complain since I haven't posted in about fifty years, but this is my blog and I will do with it what I wish. And right, a little bit of complaining and letting out some steam sounds pretty darn good.

All right. So, this isn't a big deal or anything, but along with my original fiction, like my Altera novels, I write Harry Potter fanfiction. It's more a stress reliever than anything, and sometimes it helps me overcome a particularly frustrating writer's block, (except this current one - which I will get to later).

Okay, so there's a system set up over there where you can request a beta reader for your fic and then you get one, and it's pretty normal stuff for a writer. Being the kind, considerate, (and muse-less) girl I am, I offered to be this person's beta reader despite the fact that their fic isn't something I would normally read. I read and critiqued their first chapter and, yeah, there was a lot of red versus black when I was done with it - but it wasn't a bad thing...

Okay, I'm lying, it was a bad thing. Not because they had a ton of grammar/spelling/sentence errors. You know, the silly ones that once they're pointed out you mumble to yourself something about getting a better spell-checker. Or, well, at least I do that. -cough-

These were story, structure, characterization errors. I pointed them out as thoughtfully and kindly as I could, sent the chapter back, and waited for the author response.

It wasn't exactly friendly.

No, he or she (I'm not really sure as they never revealed their sex) wasn't rude, or mean, and they didn't say spiteful things, but they definitely acted defensive and cold. And hey, I understand that, we writers are touchy  creatures and if you say our baby is anything less than perfect... watch out!

But if you're asking for someone to be a beta reader, I think it's only fair that you're mentally prepared to have your work ripped apart. And I'm sorry if I'm too in depth but don't you want your story to have some depth to it and be the very best and shiniest it can be?

It's probably silly that this is one of the things that's frustrating me tonight/this morning, but it kind of hurt my feelings. I'm not getting paid to do this, I don't especially want to do it, but I felt bad because he or she had been waiting almost a month for someone to even answer their request and I thought, I've got some extra time on my hands, I'll give it a go.

But is it really to much to ask for a little gratitude? Because I'm certainly not getting anything.

And from this we move on to the even more frustrating topic of... writer's block. I have an extremely unfortunate case of it. I have a shiny new computer, a great version of word, all of my notes organized, pictures of my characters, chapters plotted, and... nada. I'm not getting anything, and what I do manage to force out sounds stupid. No, I'm not talking, 'oh, I'll be able to edit this later' I'm talking, 'this is total crap and I'm going to have to chuck it later anyway.'

ugh. It's enough to make a girl pull her insanely long hair out. ><

I literally can't write anything. I can just listen to classical music on repeat and have the urge to rip my hair out.

I hate writer's block and now I want ice cream.

Such is my life. Maybe you guys didn't miss me while I was gone - I'm such a mess. D:

-Julie

My Computer's Back!

Song Obsession: The Veldt (Radio Edit) - Deadmau5

So, anyone that pays attention this blog, (and I'm not really sure that's anyone at the moment) may have noticed I haven't posted in almost a week. Well, that's because my computer was in the shop to get more memory and a clean-out. But it's back! So, huzzah, regular blog posts again! :D

Anyway, I really wanted to write about this yesterday... but I didn't have a computer, so here goes. Every 4 years, the week of Prom, my school has a "mock accident". Now, for everyone who's never heard of that or isn't familiar with the process, I'll give you the lowdown. Basically, the school gets a wrecked car, students volunteer, and then they arrange for the police, EMTs, and lifeflight to come to the scene as if it was a real accident.

And I got roped into being one of the 'victims'. To be honest, it was one of the most interesting/intense experiences of my life. And I don't have to be in a car accident to know what it feels like.

I was one of five 'victims', one of my friends, Lexie, was 'thrown from the car' so she died, Zac was the 'driver' and he was basically okay, his face was just all 'cut up', Graham was in the back with me and Chelsey, but he wasn't wearing his seatbelt, so he flew into the window, his left leg was amputated from the knee down and he had glass in his cheek and stuff like that. Me and Chelsey, the ones wearing seatbelts, only had minor bruises and neck/back pain. (Just goes to show - wear your dang seatbelt!)

Then, once we started, it was like acting on stage. And I've been told I was scary-realistic. (I made people cry...not sure if I should be proud or concerned.)

I guess the point of all this was just to share this very different experience with ya'll. And the emotions/feelings I experienced are definitely applicable to my writing. If you've never been in accident, think about how that might feel. What you might be thinking, your first thoughts, etc. If you have been in an accident, (and it isn't too painful to think about) think about what you thought and felt. And then apply it to some writing. I think it's a good strong emotions writing exercise, which will help if you're like me and sometimes it's hard to get really, really in-depth.

-JR

A Book You Want to Read

Song Obession of the Day: Shake it Out (Glee Cast Version - originally performed by Florence + The Machine).

I say, "THE SARCASTIC GUIDE TO WRITING," (Laura Jennings) and you're probably saying, "Huh?"

Well, that's okay - but after reading this blog post you shouldn't be saying, "Huh," anymore. You should be saying, "Okay, where can I get this book?"

I'll begin with a story. A week or so ago I was surfing around the internet for fantasy world-building tips, (one can never have enough tips! That's my philosophy anyway) and I clicked on this link that said something like, "Five Rules for World-building." What I found was a very witty five rules that managed to point out flaws in Tolkein and Paolini, seemingly without the author breaking a sweat. And as I browsed her blog/website, I discovered there was more, so, so much more. Here's the description that made me laugh and cemented my decision to buy:

Looking for that spark of inspiration? Dying to know the secrets of what it means to be a successful author? Searching for how to drown the demons of doubt that keep you from putting your soul on paper?

This is not the book for you.

This caustic guide to writing offers a scathing look at why so much bad writing exists. Why the most annoying tropes show up again and again, and how to correct them. Elements of world-building, character, and dialogue are examined, along with tidbits like how to write animals, medieval warfare, and convincing magic. It also includes a special section on how to write fanfiction. Or rather, how not to write it and why doing so is a god-awful waste of your time.

Sectioned off in easy to read list formats, The Sarcastic Guide To Writing offers quick tips on how you're doing things wrong. Read it, and you will be enlightened. Not necessarily happy, but enlightened. There are other books out there on writing that will hold your hand, but they won't tell you the truth.

This one does.

If you're a crybaby, you probably shouldn't read this one.

Now imagine roughly 133 pages of this, and you have one of the most helpful and eye-opening books on writing that I have ever had the priviledge to read. Ms. Jennings gives tips, explains why she believes these things are important, (and they are - no doubt about it) and then gives examples of well-known books that either got it right or got it wrong. (Warning: If you're a die-hard Paolini fan, such as me, some of this will be hard to hear. But it's still worth reading, so suck it up, cupcake).

I finished reading it yesterday, having to take a few minutes at a time to read another set of five rules/tips. (The entire book is set up in that format, except for the very, very back where she has thoughtfully included a starter guide for world-building/character-building). The one section that isn't as strong as the rest would be the grammar, but she does have some good tips and for the hard stuff she suggests other books.

Overall, I loved the style in which she wrote because it's very relatable and I learned a lot from this, and am sure I'll keep this around throughout my entire writing process.

Want to know where you can buy it? So far it's only on Kindle, but even if you don't have one, you can always download the app on your phone or computer - trust me, this book will be worth it. Some of the best $8.00 I've ever spent.

-JR

THE SARCASTIC GUIDE TO WRITING

It's 12 am.

And just in case anyone was wondering what sort of crap I write this early, (late?) here you go. A special look inside my mind at 12 in the morning. (Warning: It can be a scary place - I would know).

(Still Working on the Title): “Ahem,” she coughed. The man twitched violently before a snore erupted from his cavernous nostrils.

I really don't know, sorry. I'm 99% sure that won't make it into the final copy, it's just one of those fun, wacky sentences that magically appears in the first one.

-JR

Rare Weekend

Song Obsession of the Day: Tonight (Best You Ever Had) - John Legend ft. Ludacris

This weekend was really great. Why? Well, for one, it was what I like to call a, "writing weekend." Basically, a writing weekend is one where all I do is write, or plot, or build, etc. I don't go out with friends, I don't normally have to do homework on this weekends, I generally don't study. Everything is put on hold for writing. I've finished almost three chapters this weekend.

Now, don't I wish I could do this every weekend! I really do wish that I didn't have to pay attention to real life, projects, homework, friends, and just do this all the time - but I would probably go insane. And get a lot of work done in the process, of course. There are pros and cons to everything.

Anyway, update on the writing: Still no title for sure, but I have a bunch of options, some stupid, some sort of make sense, and all of them need a lot of work. Once I get it narrowed down more, I'll probably post some for opinions, but right now there are just too many. Especially when I have to consider what aspect of the novel I want to portray.

Which brings me to a major issue with writing this sort of fantasy. I guess it's sort of what George R. R. Martin dealth with when he wrote Game of Thrones. I have main characters and I have plotlines, but that's where I run into issues. See, I have three major plotlines, and while they all fit together, I haven't quite managed to get a good enough handle on them. I hope that will come with time, and more thinking. Because this isn't just a problem to deal with when titling this monster, I need to think about it in terms of my pitch and for my future query letters to agents.

I'm probably over-thinking (again) and looking too far into the future. After all, once I finish this thing, it's going to require a lot of revision. So, by the time I'm really done with it, you never know, it could very well be a completely different story altogether.

Don't you just love writing?

I do.
~J.R.

The Big, Bad, World of Fantasy

Fantasy is kind of like a dragon. It's big, it's bad, and the idea of tackling it scares the crap out of a good 99.9% of the population.

And yet... here were are! Or rather, here I am, attempting the mostly impossible. Yeah, I'm writing a fantasy novel. It requires world building, a massive plot chart with many, many plot lines, character arcs, and God only knows what else. (Right - gotta make up a religion too still.)

Is this stressful? Well, I suppose it will be eventually, but right now I'm still in the honeymoon phase and feeling pretty good. It won't last.

Anyway, I'm Julie, I'm almost two weeks away from being 18, (RWA, here I come!) and I've finished two novels, both in the Contemporary Romance genre. Neither are published, but I'm working on that too. I'm sure I'll write more romances eventually, but for now the fantasy bug has bitten me pretty hard, so that's what we're stuck with for the time being.

Oh well, it's not like my fantasy doesn't have romance in it... -cough-. Don't judge me! I'm a lover at heart. You know, when I'm not writing a battle scene or whatever. :)

Things I enjoy besides writing are: Reading (duh), acting, singing, shopping, hanging out with friends (c'mon guys - I'm a teenager), and baking, (not cooking).

If you have a twitter, feel free to follow me @JRMann2013, I tweet more than I blog, so if you're interested in daily ramblings or updates on how frustrated I am - you should probably follow me. And if you have any questions or would just like to chat, one can always email me at j.r.mann2013@gmail.com

As I'm a Junior in high school still, school comes first, but I will try my darndest to keep up with my writing and this lovely, shiny new blog. (I had another one, but, well... let's not talk about that one.)

So, feel free to introduce yourself, or wait until I write a real blog post about my writing. Toodles!
~JR