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
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