NaNoWriMo Day 7: The End of Week One

One week down, just over four more to go. It's an hour until the end of Week One of NaNoWriMo, and I am resting comfortably at nearly 12000 words. A quarter of my novel is done, or just about. 

Between school, our fall musical, and NaNo I have been working nonstop. Most of my classes are so mind numbingly easy that I just sit and write through most of them. So, most nights I hit my word goal before 10 PM. 

Week One has been the beginning of a whirlwind adventure. I found a novel idea and went with it, letting it take me where ever it pleases. Sure, my characters need a little more oomph, and the plot is slowly (but surely) unfolding, but, hey, I'm writing my butt off. I know where I want to go and I'm getting there. My main character, Rowan, the name sake of the book, still isn't sure exactly what she wants, and some of her opinions aren't clear, but the sass is strong with her. 

And from that we segue directly into the main topic of this post: Books on Fiction Writing. 

I avoid "How To" books about writing like they are ebola and I am America. Sorry, too soon? Most books about writing are so bad that they are not even worth cutting down the trees used to make them. I would rather eat razor blades than read some of the books about writing that are out there. 

Some people say, "Those who can't, teach."

Writing Magic
 By Gail Carson Levine

I say, "Those who can't, write books about how to." 

The first book about writing that I ever purchased was by Gail Carson Levine, the lovely author of Ella Enchanted. Her book on writing was titled Writing Magic, and I bought it because I thought it was an actual novel. To this day, it is one of the most well used books that I own. What I loved about it most was the way she talked about how she wrote and the fact that she didn't try to shove her way down your throat. To middle school me, it was a godsend. 

No Plot? No Problem!
By Chris Baty

A few years later, after two or three years of doing NaNoWriMo, I asked for No Plot? No Problem! A Low Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo. Even though I wasn't in the middle of NaNo, I read it anyway. The book is specific to NaNo, but offers tons of helpful tips and trick for any kind of writing. 

On Writing
By Stephen King

Probably the best book about writing that I have ever read is On Writing by Stephen King. On Writing is half-memoir, half-writing advise and completely and utterly fascinating. I've never been a huge reader of Stephen King, but I heard that On Writing was a must read. When I found it randomly at a Barnes and Nobel, I knew I had to take it home. I consumed the book in a matter of days. King tells his story beginning to middle (because he's not dead), describing how he became a writer and the events in his life that influenced his choice. In the second part, King tells how he writes, some rules of thumb for drafts and editing, and advise on writing and showing your work. On Writing is a little more strict about how writing should be done, but at the same time King understands that not every story will follow every rule and not every writer is the same. King is intelligent, witty, and downright hilarious at times. Read it. Read it now. 

So, moral of the story is: There are some good books on writing out there, they are just hard to find. Watch out for imposing bastards who try to shove their "correct ways of writing" down your throat. 

I hope you guys take a look at some of these. And, if you read them, comment below about what you think about them! I'd love to hear more. 

~snowie

NaNoWriMo Day One: Diving In

It's just past 11 P.M. where I live, and the great first day of NaNoWriMo is drawing to a close. The only reason I'm writing this post instead of my novel is because I'm exhausted and I put 2033 words in already. So, why not blog about it?

Last night, I decided to scrap the "first" idea that I had for my story. Something about it just felt off. However, I kept at least two of the characters, the title, and one character description: Rowan and Petra; Rowan; and Thief, respectively. I made myself go to sleep after fretting for an hour about not having a plot. I told myself that I would find one today, and I have.

I'm diving in. Nothing planned. Just an inkling of an idea. And, it's scary. It's nothing I've ever written before. It's something I know very little about. I have complete control and no control at the same time. And, it also makes me say this: take the phrase "write what you know" and set it on fire.

Writers who say "write what you know" are just afraid of the unknown. They don't have the guts to take an idea and jump right in. Nope, they prefer to stay in the safe zone, perhaps poking a toe outside the line when absolutely necessary.

Do you think that J.K. Rowling knew everything about Wizardry when she wrote Harry Potter? No. Did James Patterson know anything about human-avian hybrids when he wrote Maximum Ride? No, probably not.

I guess what I trying to say is that writing is an art. Art is what gives life meaning. When you write about something you don't know, you are helping yourself as a writer and a person, and you are adding your own little twist to something that might have been written a thousand times before.

Experiment. Expand your mind. Expand the mind of your readers. Write what you don't know.


Have a Happy NaNoWriMo!

~snowie

Biting the Bullet: NaNoWriMo Begins in 3… 2… 1...

People often ask me why there's a picture of a bird as the header for my blog about writing. Actually, no, they don't. I ask myself that, and then I tell myself it looks badass. But really, I'm too lazy to change it.

It's been a while since I have posted anything, and for that there is no excuse. However, as November 1st draws near, and I get more excited and nervous, all I want to do is blog about it.

For those of you who don't know, this is my sixth year of National Novel Writing Month. By the end of the month, hopefully it will be my sixth year of winning. Unlike the last two years, this year I had no clue what to write about. This scared me a little. Last year, I wrote City of Stone, a dystopian tale that I am pretty proud of. The year before that I rewrote my baby, The Night Stalker. This year, I feel that I have some high expectations which is intimidating. This NaNoWriMo will be my last NaNo in high school. Next year in college, everything will be different.

So far, I know my novel will follow a girl named Rowan. I had something planned out, but now that I look at it, I'm not sure if what I had is Rowan's story. Yes, a buddhist futuristic Robin Hood-type character sounds awesome, but since the day I first thought of that idea something always felt off.

There are two types of writers: the ones who have to plan every single detail out and the ones who don't. I fall into the later category. I have always believed that there is no write or wrong when it comes to writing. Writing is the one place where the rules of language can be twisted until they are unrecognizable, as long as it is done well. What works for one writer may not work well for another. This is no different.

Both types of writers have their pros and cons, just like everything else. Detail oriented authors have less writer's block because they know exactly what happens next and how to get there. However, this type of writing can be very restrictive.

I prefer to not plan out what I write. When I write, I feel like I am reporter watching the action and writing it down in vivid detail. I have an idea where the story will lead, but I'm not quite sure. Characters, scenes, and plot develop and often have surprising and amazing outcomes. I like to use the analogy of an archeologist. I'm digging up bits and pieces, uncovering them, and I sort of know what will be there, but there's always a surprise or two. I found that the more I plan out a story, the faster I get bored with a story. I don't want to write a story where I already know what's going to happen. That's why I can't read the same book twice.

But, like I said, just because I do it doesn't mean you have to. Every writer is different. Every mind works in a different way. It's taken me years to figure out how I write, and even now I'm still not sure. It's all about experimentation. Don't let "experts" tell you what to do. Find your own way.

There is no write way to write. You just have to write.

Happy Halloween and Happy NaNoWriMo!
Let me know how your novel is going in the comments…

~snowie

UnNecessary Censoring of Fairy Tales

The Snow Letter

Hello to all!

This is a short film my friends and I made for speech this year. I hope you enjoy it!

~snowie

Creative Writers United 2014

Hello, hello, hello!

And welcome to the annual Creative Writer's United convention where coffee is king and adverbs don't matter. My name is Emily and I shall be your wonderful, amazing, stunning, perfect, and ever humble host. 

On a more serious matter, writing is nothing to be trifled with. No, no. We are the few and the mighty who truly understand how words shape the world. Writers create worlds and people and new ideas. Writers can influence what a person thinks of the world. Writers inspire imagination and innovation and other 'I' words that escape me. Can any other profession say all of that? 

No matter. But, we must not let our heads explode with how awesome we are. Because above all, we writers must stay connected to humanity. Can we bake a beautiful cake? Probably not. Can we hold our breath underwater for more than thirty seconds? Probably not. Can we run a full marathon without walking once? No. We can not. But we can write about it!

My dear, dear writers. That is what we can do. We may not be able to climb Mount Everest, but we can stay up writing until four a.m. And we may not be able to figure out how to do our taxes, but by golly, we can fix a plot hole like that. We can whip up a short story in two seconds flat and make our reader's cry at two in the morning. 

Why? Because we. Are. Writers! My dear friends, Writers! Writers! Writers! Recorders of the world. Thinkers of the universe. We can make you believe that a giraffe is exactly like a teacup, that couches can talk, and bookshelves have feelings. We know why a raven is like a writing desk. We are grammar nazis, typo terrorists, and plot bunny collectors. And our only arch-nemesis is the dreaded Writer's Block. 

Oh... Writer's block... Thou unmuzzled base-court measle! You leave us staring at a blank page for hours watching that little line no one knows the name of blink-blink-blinking. You are the reason we don't write for months at a time because we simply can't. Because of writer's block, we are up at four in the morning surrounded by empty cups of coffee, staring at that silly white page with the blink-blink-blinking. We are so desperate to write something that we will do ANYTHING. And by anything I mean anything. My go to is always a cat-eating taco, sorry, a taco eating cat. And, trust me. The worse the writer's block is the crazier things we do. I had this one friend who once hung upside down for an hour because she believed the extra blood in her brain would kill her writer's block. That did not end well. 

So, when you are curled up in a ball at four in the morning, know this dear writers, that you, indeed are awesome. As awesome as light-up socks and glow in the dark tic-tacs... If those exist. 

Before I let you go to better yourself and your writing, I leave you with this. May your word counts be large and your characters believable. And above all, have a wonderful Creative Writers United 2014!

~snowie

The Reading Pandemic

Imagine a world where books are pirated. I mean legitly pirated on a scale as big as music, movies, and TV shows. How amazing that world would be....

Wait. What? What is seven hells is wrong with you, snowie? Pirating books? How is that even the least bit good?

Okay. Okay. Okay! Calm down. Let me explain. 

Everyone hears about the problems with illegally downloading music and movies, but who hears about illegally downloading books. Well... It's probably because e-books were practically nonexistent until a few years ago when the kindle got big. But come on. Who hasn't read the majority of a book on Amazon preview? Oh. That's just me? Hmm. 

Alright, just stick with me and imagine for a moment a world where illegally downloading books is an epidemic, nay, a pandemic. We download book after book, reading as fast as we can so we can move on to the next book. A world where no one can get enough of reading and five people go to jail a year for illegally downloading books. A world where people look down at you for not reading more than two books in the last week. A world where books are a go to conversation piece. A world were everyone loves reading so much that it is classified as a drug. A world where doctors prescribe books to cure ignorance. That's a world I want to live in.

Sorry for being gone so long. 

Love, 

~snowie

Live Long and Write

Sources:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/book-gif

http://beautifullyred.co.uk/2012/12/02/5-united-gifs-from-the-reading-win-feat-evans-evra-and-rvp/

http://gifsoup.com/view/3563373/cat-reading.html

http://mrwgifs.com/emma-watson-opens-a-book-in-harry-potter-gif/

http://gifling.com/picture/664-girl-reading-book


http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/reading-gif

Are You Tired And Unmotivated? Check This Out!

For the low, low price of nothing at all, I bring you the Ultimate Guide to Getting Over Writer's Block and Procrastination (UGGOWBP)!

It's fun! It's sparkly! And it's not guaranteed to help you in any way, but, hey, we'll try!

Drumroll, please...

Close enough.

Step One
Stop staring at that blank page. It's not going to move. It's not going to fill itself with beautiful, crappy writing. And that blinking bar (also know as the insertion point) will just drive you into a deeper form of insanity.

That's right. Stand up. Walk out that door. Continue walking for... I don't know... An hour. Or until people start staring at you because you haven't bothered to change out of your pajamas. 

Step Two

While walking, acknowledge this simple fact–

Writing is hard!! And not all people are cut out for it. You, however, are a mighty warrior who will fill all sheets of paper with drama and tension and death. Ok. Maybe not death. 

Step Three

Once you've returned home, shut the computer off. Yes, you heard what I said. SHUT IT OFF. NOW.

Good. 

Now pick up a pen/cil and some paper. That's right. We're going old school.

Step Four
Write. About anything, anyone, anywhere. Write about a memory of yours or a distant land. Write about a girl you've never met. Good, bad, disgusting, I don't care. Just write something. You don't have to finish it. You don't even have to like it. Challenge yourself to write one page, then two, then three.

If you still have Writer's Block at this point, return to Step One. If you still have Procrastination, well, you probably haven't made it this far yet. 

Step Five

Now that you have successfully reached Step Five, repeat Step Four for a couple of days until all is right in your world. At that point, you may return to the computer and fill that blank sheet of paper with joy and sadness. Should Writer's Block ever strike again, just return to step one. 

Now, may the force be ever in your favor, Mr. Potter. 

Love, 

Gandalf

That's pretty much it. I hope UGGOWBP really helped you because I know it helped me! Just follow these steps and you'll go from this:

To this:

In very little time!

The Best of Writing,

~Snowie

P.S. Sorry for the long vacation. I guess I needed a break. I couldn't think of anything to write about.

Nothing Worth Saying

For the past week or so, I have been racking my brain for ideas for blog posts. So far, my ideas are nonexistent. I also thought about talking about my new typewriter.
I don't want to do an update or a rant or anything that doesn't help and interest you in some way.

I've been reading the Writer's Digest, hoping to discover some information that I could use in the publishing field. I read twenty or thirty articles from authors who had gone through revision, editing, and, eventually publishing. Many of them have multiple books published and are full-time writers. You could probably fit every article into 3 categories: Publishing, Platforming, and Editing. Editing articles contained lots of helpful tips to make your plot and characters more enjoyable and publishable. Platforming explained ways you could expand your audience. Publishing articles tried to explain how to get published. And, failed.

The Publishing articles commanded the reader to find an agent, not how or where; to ask questions about things, but not what questions to ask; to be involved, but at the same time stay out of the publication team's way. Reading them, I came back more confused than ever.

For "rounded" writing minds, both analytical and creative, Editing articles are rather enjoyable. Usually, the author explains the problem, what to look for, and how he/she fixes it. Nice, simple, easy. Although, most of the tips can be taken with a grain of salt, because not everything will work for all writers and writing styles.

Platforming, or rather an Author's Platform, is one of the greatest assets any author can have. For example, this blog is considered a part of my platform. It is where I reach out and contact people. A good author platform includes, but is not limited to book readings, blogs, websites, social media (Facebook, Twitter, ect.), and tours. It's an author's fan base. The majority of John Green's author platform has evolved from his and his brother's youtube channel, Vlogbrothers. In a sense, Vlogbrothers is the reason for John Green's success in the writing world.

As an aspiring writer myself, this need to have a huge author's platform is quite scary. Social media has never been my thing. Writing novels is easier than writing a Facebook status or a Tweet on Twitter. One of my newest goals is to work on self promotion. Just this morning, I woke up my Twitter account that I never used and started following writers and editors. I'm planning on making another Youtube video soon, and start commenting on other people's videos. Perhaps I'll get back on Figment. I'll contact real, living authors and ask them questions. I would contact Shakespeare if I could, but unfortunately a time machine hasn't been sent to me yet. This blog has been around for four or five years, and I want to help it thrive and grow.

I have to get over this fear of social networking and find something worth while to say.

Live long and write prosperously,

~Em

The Life and Times of the Undefined
Instagram
Tumblr
Figment
Twitter

The Completely Unabashed Egotistical Promo

I'm not one to brag. For some reason, I always end up feeling guilty and disgusted with myself. This, of course, makes me about the worst self promoter ever.

Every once in a while posts like this one will come up because of my lack of self promotion. Might as well rip it off like a bandaid.

First things first. If you are a lover of everything healthy and fitness-y, check out my totally rad 100% nerdtastic FITNESS BLOG!! Results may very. Cats available while memes last.

And for you people who love hearing about other people's life stories, check out my super duper awesomely epically incredible personally pint sized, available in neon colors, thoughts on my life blog BLOG!

Welcome to the fitblr side of Tumblr! We have cookies... In moderation. Not to mention Sherlock, Supernatural, and Doctor Who fandoms galore. TUMBLR!

If for some reason you have stumbled across this and happen to be a musician or band director, check out this duet I wrote for clarinet and bass clarinet. And BUY IT, well.... Sort of. It's not on the site as of yet. But, here's the publishing company's website. My piece is titled Emerging Pirates by Emily Haywood.

So, yep. That's pretty much it.

Fun stuff.

~Snowie

28 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming A Writer

28 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming A Writer...

1. Nothing will ever be perfect... Ever.

2. Even if you don't outline the plot, have a rough idea what you're writing about. 

3. Words are messy things...

4. And you won't always make sense. 

5. Find someone who loves writing as much as you.

6. There is no set way to do anything... Only Suggestions.

7. You will try and fail, try and fail, try and fail, try and fail.... Then maybe succeed. 

8. 3 AM is the best and the worst time to write. 

9. NO ONE (Unless they, too, are a writer) will understand why you write.

10. Friends and family will be the most and least supportive of you. 

11. If anyone asks you what you are writing, the easiest answer is to lie and say, "I'm writing an essay."

12. Coffee, Coffee, COFFEE followed by copious amounts of tea. 

13. Good music is the key. I recommend anything not written by Nicki Minaj, Justin Beiber, or anyone who has been featured in Seventeen Magazine.

14. Putting words on paper is easy. Making them make sense is not.

15. Don't procrastinate. In fact, procrastinate on procrastination.

16. You're still going to procrastinate.

17. When Writer's Block hits, try writing in a different room, house, or city.

18. Cafés are, in fact, one of the best places to write and edit. This is not just something Hollywood made up.

19. Writing is like exercising, you have to make time for it.

20. Writing everyday is the only way you get better.

21. Writing is like air- unpredictable, but constant, and without all of the calories. 

22. Read. Read, read, read, readreadreadreadreadreadreadread. Read as many bestsellers as you can get your hands on. Read bad books. Read good books. Read short books. Read long books. Just read!

23. Sooner or later, finish everything you write.

24. Nothing you write is crap. Ever. Even the bad stuff. The bad stuff teaches you what not to do.

25. Tell the truth when you are writing, and never write what you don't believe, even if it's not what everyone else thinks. 

26. In one way or another, little pieces of you are going to weave themselves into your work.

27. Never be afraid to say what you need to say. Sometimes words are better said on paper than from lips. 

28. Finishing something feels like this....

~Snowie

P.S. Love my use of gifs?

Late Nights With Snowie

Good god, allah, yahweh, babaganoosh, great spaghetti monster in the sky. I really should be in bed right now.

But I can't.

Wanna know why?

Because I feel like a freshman. And that's a terrible thing to feel.

Why, You ask? Because I keep waiting for someone to message me, and I know they won't. Hello, last semester of freshman year again.

On the bright side, I finished a novel just in time to start another.

Yeah, that's right. I wrote "The End" on the Night Stalker about five minutes ago. In all truthfulness, the last two chapters suck because I just wanted them done. But, that's just it. They. Are. Done. What, what!!! Four months for one complete revision. Hell, yeah. I'll take that any day.

More to come real soon.

Best of writing!

~Snowie

Another Video???

Seeing that this is the third video post on my blog in a row, I thought that I should talk about something writing related.

That is.... Camp NaNoWriMo! Yes, Camp NaNo is just around the corner, and this time you can pick your own word count! In other words, you don't have to write 50,000 words. You can write 500 or 100,000 words or 18,670 words.

The first Camp NaNo is in April, and the second is in July. This is fantastic because there is a two month break in between for editing and resting.

This year, I really hope to write three novels using Camp NaNo and regular NaNo. Just a few minutes ago, I had an epiphany about what I was going to write in April. My friend, M.L., just self published the first novel she ever wrote (I have no idea if you can buy it or not. If you can, I will hot link THIS). This got me thinking about the first novel I ever wrote called Arya Poisonhold. Arya Poisonhold was about an elf named Arya who finds a dragon... It was basically a rip off of Eragon. I love this novel to death, and tried to rewrite it multiple time. I never could get it perfect. I think I might try writing Arya again in April. It would be fun. I haven't written fantasy in a long time.

In July, I'm thinking about finishing my TNS sequel- Light. And November is still unknown.

Right now, I still have two more chapters in The Night Stalker. Speaking of the Night Stalker, I drew this....

It's Gail! From the Night Stalker! Just imagine orange hair and green eyes. I've wanted to draw her for a very long time. 

Best of Writing!

~Snowie

Nine Truths and A Lie

Just Can't Wait To Be King

Hello People Of The Interwebs!

Went Skiing. Kicked Butt. 

Well, hello again. You look quite lovely today.

It's roughly 10:45 P.M. on Sunday and I have school tomorrow. Not the most exciting thing in the world.

I just finished watching Radio Rebel which is a Disney movie about a shy girl who secretly has a radio show. Very moving. Not really. It was moving enough to make me want to blog something.

Well, I almost never do an Info Dump on what I've been up to in the past few weeks because that's not what this blog is for. I guess I just sometimes have to talk to someone, even if they are basically mute.

This probably sounds really, really cliché for two reasons- 1) When I am tired, I start to over think and tend to get a bit too emotional. I then end up regretting what I've said. 2) I'm listening to Mike Tompkins A Capella arrangement of We Are Young by Fun. We Are Young fills me with nostalgia probably because I listened to it all the time when certain events of last spring were playing out. Some people say that We Are Young is a terrible and crappy song, but I love it. I like a lot of music that people don't like. Or, at least, music people my age don't like. I think I have a fairly decent taste in music. My parents addicted me to music from the 70s and 80s. John Lennon alone, The Beatles, Billy Joel (It's Still Rock and Roll to Me), Elton John, Gary Wright (Dream Weaver), The Proclaimers, Roberta Flack. This love of old music is fueled by the only radio station that the radio in my bathroom can pick up. And yes. I do sing in the shower. My fifth grade teacher got me into Pop and Rap, and my cousins got me into Techno and Punk Rock. Green Day is amazing. I've been into country music for all of my life, and I've always had a deep love of film scores. Right now, I'm really into alternative music like Of Monsters and Men and Coldplay.

When I get a new song, I listen to it on repeat for hours. Somehow I manage to not get bored. Weird, right? This entire post is being written with We Are Young repeating over and over.

Well, where I live, we do this little thing call Speech. There two types- Large Group and Individual. My large group (Choral Reading. We read chorally.) went to State and received a 'I'. Individual districts just ended yesterday. I went with two pieces in the categories of Spontaneous Speaking and After Dinner Speaking. Not as easy as they sound. I managed to get a 'I' in both, so I'm headed to State. My After Dinner piece was about Socially Awkward People. According to the people who've seen me preform, it's really funny and I'm an adorable person. I was the perfect person for the speech because I am about the most socially awkward person you will ever come across. I'll have to put it on Youtube, but I think I'll have to wait until after State is over.

Last night was also our school's Cabaret program. The theme was Disney songs. I love Disney songs. I didn't actually sing, I worked in the Sound Booth. I don't know what it is about the sound booth. It's one of the places I feel most at home in SH, that and Narnia. SH drama people know what I'm talking about.

So, my friends are amazing people. I actually have friends this year! It's exciting. Two of them are seniors, and they are going to leave in a few months. I'll miss them a lot, but I don't think this will be the last year I'll see them. There's only really one Freshman in our group. Pretty sure he has a little crush on me. I don't mind. He's a nice guy. There are a lot of things that are different from last year. I do miss last year's seniors a lot. They were really amazing people. This year there is one senior- J. He's a nice guy. I guess I consider us friends... Sort of. We talk some. I think he's had a rough year. Things with his first girlfriend didn't workout so well. And, his schedule didn't workout well so he had to drop band. The band teacher wasn't very happy and now they aren't on very good terms. Not J's fault. Now Js not going to prom. Not any of my business. I was just being a wallflower. I saw, and now I think I understand.

I can't remember if I told you guys, but I now compose music. The music teacher said I have lots of natural talent. Actually, he said I have good phrasing, which is uncommon for a person of my experience. Which brings up my dilemma. Music and writing are my life. They are the only things that have ever made me really happy, but at the same time I want to know what makes stars rotate and why black holes eat light. So, which do I do?

Well... I guess I should go to bed. It's nearly 11:30 PM and I'm supposed to run with S tomorrow. I could talk for hours, but this post seems really long already. Tell me what's up in your life down in the comments. I would love to know. Really. Good, bad, happy, sad. Just get it off of your chest.

DFTBA

Best of Writing,

~Snowie

P.S. Go check out this BLOG and convince him to keep posting. 

the perks of being me (A Book Review)

the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Book

Book Cover 

I've been meaning to write a book review on this book since the beginning of January when I first read it, but I wanted to wait until the movie came out on iTunes. 

I just want to say... Wow. This is one of my favorite books in the world, right up there with Harry Potter. 

For me, there are three main reasons for this book's amazing-ness-

1) The Characters. The characters make the story. Don't they? The three main characters are Charlie, Sam, and Patrick "Nothing". In the beginning, Charlie is a quiet freshman with no friends except for an English teacher named Bill. Charlie has trouble fitting in, and no one really pays attention to him. Then he meets Sam and Patrick who are step siblings. They are wild and slightly insane, but very lovable. All of the characters are extremely life-like and so sad. 

2) The Psychology and Philosophy. the perks of being a wallflower seems like a really easy read (I read it in less than three days), but the book gets into some very deep topic like rape, suicide, drugs, drinking, and the question "what is considered socially acceptable?" One of my favorite parts was Patrick's story. Patrick is gay, and he is in love with a guy who pretends to be straight. His story shows the effects of society thinking that gays are socially unacceptable and "unnatural". the perks of being a wallflower isn't all bad though, Stephen Chbosky also discusses feeling "infinite", like nothing can stop you and time has stopped; true friendship and relationships, love, and when someone should or should not speak up. There are two quotes from the perks of being a wallflower that I love- "We accept the love we think we deserve" and "And in that moment, I swear we felt infinite." There was also one sentence that completely sums up the entire book- "So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be." 

3) How the story was told. The story is told through letters that Charlie writes to an anonymous Friend. In his first and last letters to the Friend, Charlie tells the reader that "she" said the Friend would understand. I always thought that the "she" might be Sam. If you've read the book, please tell me who you think "she" was. I really want to know. At first, I thought reading letters would bother me because I thought the who story would be a tell not show situation. Charlie (or rather, Stephen Chbosky) actually gets very descriptive and the story comes to life. If I was the person receiving Charlie's letters, I would feel very special. 

There is only one part that I didn't like about the book. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. Throughout the book Charlie keeps mentioning his friendship with his Aunt Helen who died in a car crash. He also says that he's getting "bad" again, but Charlie never outright says what "bad" is and why it is happening. This "bad" thing makes up the majority of the last few letters, too. I was very confused and I didn't get what "bad" was until I watched the movie. I mean, I knew there was something wrong with Charlie mentally, I just wasn't sure what or why. 

Despite my inability to understand the "bad", I would still give perks of being a wallflower-

Since this was becoming a very long post, I'll probably review the movie next week.

Best of Writing, 

~Snowie

Why Write It?

The final installment in The Night Stalker Q&A series is brought to you by Banana (TM). Bananas are good!

Perhaps the most important thing to know about any story is why the author wrote it. Why did they put the time and the effort in to writing, editing, and publishing this particular story? What's so important about it?

As I was growing up, I always felt like there were more books for boys with manly, handsome action heroes and ditzy girls. The girls were princesses who wait in towers to be rescued and can hardly pick up a pillow. I was never that girl. Ever. I was the strongest girl in my grade and could beat all of the boys at arm wrestling. Perhaps that is why my imaginary friend and my first ever not stollen from another story character was a B.A. elf named Arya Poisonhold.

I'm still probably one of the strongest girls in my grade, but all of the boys can beat me at arm wrestling. Karma.

For much of my childhood, I longed for the strong, heroic female characters that I was missing. I felt out of place because to be pretty, you had to be Barbie. And Barbie wasn't strong or B.A.

When I started writing The Night Stalker, I think I was trying to fill the void of a strong, female role model. If you look at everything I've written up two about a year ago, you'll find that all of my main characters are strong, heroic females. The first book I wrote where the protagonist wasn't a strong female was Loving Amelia Perfect, which I wrote last summer. The two main characters are Amy, a shy girl who is secretly agnostic; and Ben, a social outcast with major family and relationship troubles. Ben was the first time one of my narrators was a guy.

Now, books are changing. More and more protagonists are heroic females like Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games and Tris from Divergent. Writers are saying that girls don't have to be skinny to be pretty. Any shape or size is beautiful. People don't have to be perfect, they just have to do the right thing and be strong. Don't let people push you around. Make your own decisions.

This is exactly what I'm trying to get through in The Night Stalker. I want to tell girls that they can be independent and make their own decisions, go after dreams, and kick fear in the butt. Gail isn't a perfect person. She's stubborn and very independent. Gail doesn't take orders well and will decide to go off and do her own thing in the blink of an eye. But, at the same time, she knows when to be smart, when to stay, and when to help people. She doesn't try to act stupid around guys, and she repeatedly doesn't do what they want her to do. Though there is romance in The Night Stalker, the romance isn't a huge part of the storyline. Gail is focussed on other things like finding her mother, defeating the Alliance, and deciding, as the Night Stalker, if what she is doing is right. I wanted to show that there is more to life than romance, and that you don't need someone to love you in order to be a good and amazing person.

That's all I have today. Take it away, Banana (TM)!

Banana (TM) because bananas are good! Free fez with a purchase of thirty bananas. 
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Best of Writing!

~Snowie

Physics, Physics, Physics

Interlochen School of Creative Arts

Back a while, in the first week of December, right after the madness that was NaNoWriMo, I was still typing like a mad man. For the first couple of days, I was fervently trying to finish the Night Stalker. But, a week before December the 15th, I was killing myself. During NaNoWriMo, I had decided to enter the Virginia B. Ball Contest. The winner would get a 30,000 dollar scholarship to Interlochen.

I just barely managed to enter myself on time.

And I waited and waited and waited some more for that email or that phone call.

The email came yesterday. And I..... Wasn't a finalist.

Oh well. There are plenty more contests and a whole lot of writing to do.

If you would like to read it, click here. I let my English teacher read it, and she left a lot of notes, but I haven't gotten around to actually editing the thing yet. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it!

In other news, the Night Stalker is nearly finished. I am currently working on Chapter Seventeen out of Nineteen. I'm getting to the really good part after bawling over a really sad part. I cry every time.

I am working feverishly on Loving Amelia Perfect. Last night, I did a complete read through and now have a list of things to fix on the over all plot. Tonight, I will be working on the outline and hopefully character dynamics. Fun stuff!

For a while, I have been thinking about writing a book called something a long the lines of Diary of an Atheist Christian. It will follow the life of a Atheist who is raised in a Christian family and the hardships he/she went through. It might also follow two or three other people. I was hoping to do this for Camp NaNoWriMo, but I feel like starting it earlier... Hmm...

That's all for now!

Best of Writings,
~Snowie