I realized something today. I have pretty much been the same person from the day I was born to the millisecond in time I spend finding the words to mean "right now."
I will still look at you funny if I don't know you.
I will still make a fuss if I'm hungry, but be totally silent if upset.
I still love stories and the people who tell them.
I still want to travel, learn languages, hit the lottery (and my backup plan is still to become an even more professional bum).
I'm still writing. I write stuff. But there's a pattern, you know, to what happens when I decide to be brave and share.
When I start sharing my words, I write more and more. I write chapter after chapter, notes upon notes, and I even want to blog.
I've been writing and sharing some stories. If you're interested in those stories, join me over at Storybird where I'm sharing something old that I keep going back to and something new, but bittersweet. Although I can't exactly say I'm "back from the dead," I am writing again. So you might hear from me more often than you have in the past year. That's for sure. Exciting things are happening for me. I'm moving to another country for a year, learning languages, and old enough to play the lotto. Plan A might be working out for me after all.
I've been staring at a blank Word document for ten minutes. The words for this story aren't even in my head, nevermind on the page. I know this story better than anything else--- know what I want it to do for me. And yet (and yet) the writing is hard.
I haven't written actual words in forever. I've written things in Korean (안녕하세요!) and in text messages, but not for rizzle WORDS.
You know what I mean, I think. The kind that knit worlds. That start revolutions and raise the dead. That build castles and save the day.
3,000 words. Over the past seven days, I've attempted to spin 3,000 of these words. And it's a start--- I have started--- but it's hard. It's. Hard.
It's hard to jump back into writing when you've been neglecting the craft. It's hard to jumpstart something that's sat and festered and idled forever and a day.
It's hard. But nothing is impossible. So I'm writing, or at least trying to. Although I'm not sure when MV will be a THING, I know I'm going to get it there. You guys helped me through PW. Here we go again.
At my school, there's a NaNoWriMo kickoff event happening tonight. For an hour, I'll be writing with a bunch of like-minded people, and making sense of the world one comma at a time. It's so strange that NaNo is here and that I don't feel ready. I don't feel like it's plunge-taking season or complete-a-novel month and yet, it's here.
When you wake in the morning, visit Sommertales. The first part of GOING SOMEWHERE will be up, and it's for you guys so check it out.
My sister used this song on her first blog post. It inspired me so much, I thought you might benefit from hearing it, too. Happy Halloween, Lovelies! And welcome to November.
Love,
Deserae
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Nicole- Eeep! So glad you like the twins. They are way too handsome for their own good. And I'm also glad you're excited for GOING SOMEWHERE. I am, too! Let's be excited together! Thanks for saying you like my voice, by the way. I'm so self-conscious about recordings because I honestly don't think I sound the same way in real life and it irks me. But I know what you mean about the tone of a voice letting you know something about a person... I like that my tone of voice tells you good things!
Sonal- Bombshells are cool when they're exciting bits of news like that! Love the new layout the "new you"... I hope you find tons of happiness at this new "location." Happiness, I hear, is good. :) Thanks for all of your kindness, Love. It's so good to be back. I know I don't say it enough but I miss you all as well. One more midterm this Friday and then I'm back to normal. Pinky promise; pinky swear.
I wasn't going to post today, but I wrote a song the other day for a book I'm writing. Of course.
The idea behind it came from one of my infamous mid-night thinking sessions. Sometimes, I'll wake up at three o'clock in the morning with a thought that just won't go away until I battle it out of my head. The other night, I was thinking about memory and--- well, to avoid going into the ENTIRE philosophical debate I'd had with myself I'll skip a bit--- I came to the conclusion that the person I call ME is only ME because of my thoughts and my memories.
We can definitely talk more about this in depth if you were curious how (or why) I just decided that randomly in the middle of the night, but the point, I guess, is that the revelation that I was merely memory made me think about that old nursery rhyme "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." If you don't remember it, here's the gist of it:
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream...
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
This sparked a whole other discussion with myself that started with me freaking out about existence, my place in the world, et cetera, et cetera, but ended with me thanking the Lord God Almighty that life isn't nearly as serious as we paint it to be. Believe me. I understand the importance of LIVING life. Why not? You only die once, after all. But if I'm just a memory, then that F I got in high school is just a memory and I can move past it. If yesterday was a whole twenty four hours but I literally only retained about five foggy facts, then nothing that happens today can actually touch me when tomorrow comes, can it? Not if I don't let it. Not if I can leave it in the past and walk away.
I know there are things we have to face, have to deal with. I'm not saying we shouldn't deal. I'm saying we shouldn't dwell.
Here are the lyrics to the song inspired by this crazy night of existential thinking. Perhaps one day, I'll work up the nerve to sing it for you.
"Life is but a Dream" by an opticALlusion
Row, row your boat gently down the stream
It's a good thing we all know that life is but a dream
Although it's fun while it lasts it was
fun while it lasted, yeah.
So, so it goes we are tethered by these strings
Made from torn up pantyhose and some broken bits of things
But somehow we all manage we've
all seemed to manage, yeah.
And I plead with you--- don't you see the truth?
Who knew the sun was a lie?
Guess we always did. Chose not to notice it.
Oh, oh oh, oh oh oh oh... Yeah life is grand
Even when you're stuck in the middle.
Oh, oh oh, oh oh oh oh... It's all pretend
But we'll just dance up until the end---
Right up to the end.
Tap, tap your toes to the great cacophony
Of our long forgotten hopes and our dried up misery
Because we know it don't matter, no,
none of it matters, yeah.
Ha ha we're going so fast we cannot see
The blurry visions of our pasts, of the whos we used to be
Like a mirror they shatter, our
reflections have shattered, yeah.
Did we live at all, if the bluff's been called?
If we don't wake, at least we dreamed.
I can see the end; let the fun begin.
Oh, oh oh, oh oh oh oh... Yeah life is grand
Even when you're stuck in the middle.
Oh, oh oh, oh oh oh oh... It's all pretend
But we'll just dance up until the end---
Right up to the end.
Take care, Lovelies! Have a wonderful week,
Deserae
P.S. I love the song here. It's "The Man Who Isn't There" by Oren Lavie. If you love it, love it lots. If you don't love it, what is wrong with you?
P.P.S. I forgot! One more thing! If you like short story contests where each and every entry is judged and looked at, get a Figment account (or sign into your old one) and try your hand at their Defy the Dark contest. Entries are due September 1st, but that's so doable, and anyone can enter!
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Arianna- Haha! I am the Queen of Linkage. Do you think they will raise a monument to honor my linktitude?
Maya- Girl, get your YouTube account ah-sap! So many awesome things to get into. So much to see. So much to share with thee!!!
Robin- Aww, thank you for coming to see me! I loved your comments on the posts as well. Were you entered? Which story was yours? Personally, I'm not too thrilled about the thriller either! But that's just 'cause I'm a big ole scaredy cat. ISLA and this mysterious fifth Perkins novels are the projects I'm most looking forward to by her. I, too, enjoyed ANNA best, but is it horrible that I wasn't the biggest fan of Anna and Etienne? Don't get me wrong, I love the story as a whole. But whenever I think about THEM, about their relationship, about the process of them getting together... I don't know. I could never fully love them like everyone else did. Again, thanks for stopping by! I look forward to getting to know you via the glorious interwebs.
Arianna- Haha! I have music on the brain. What can I say?! I still like my zombie "Some Body That I Used to Know" rendition. Goyte would adore me, I think.
Ms. Elle Fredericks- I love you more than you could ever know. Thank you for the lovely comment and for being there for me on my bright days AND the ones in between. :)
Nicole- I'm so glad the post sat well with you and that you loved the song! Oh, my heart swells with joy when those words are uttered. :] Hey, Girl. Kick orientation's butt! You're going to have a great year if you remember to stay as beautiful as you are right now, but grow from anything Life throws at you to try to persuade you otherwise. You've got this!
I haven't posted for a while and that's because I'm finishing up my first year in college! YAY!!! This coming week is the last I'll have to spend here until the fall, so I've been writing again and as you know, I write songs for my books sometimes if the scene calls for a bit of musica. Welp! The one I was working on last night definitely needed a song and so ya'll get to see the lyrics to "I Asked the Clouds to Rain" by a group of mine named Evermore.
I Asked the Clouds to Rain by Evermore
I left this road as a
tear on a crowded street...
Left it behind, but somehow it has
found me again.
Looked to the sky and closed my
eyes— sorting thoughts in my head.
Let out a cry and realized this was
the end of the old me.
‘Cause now it’s time to find my
voice. Honey, I’ve run out of choices.
I’m tired of holding onto things
That only bring me down. It’s time
to learn to stand on my two feet.
So I asked the clouds to rain; I
asked the clouds to pour.
I asked them to erase the pain I
couldn’t carry anymore.
I already saw yesterday, so tomorrow
seems bright,
And was given a new today so as I
blew a kiss to the sky
I asked the clouds to rain.
I said goodbye to that old world
that I knew…
I said goodbye, but somehow it has
found me again.
It’s hard to fly when your mind is
stuck on dry land.
And old me tried staying behind but
now I’m tired of suffering.
I have to try to find my voice. ‘Cause
in the end I know all choices
Boil down to these two things:
You
can sit and burn under the sun or fight for liberty.
So
I asked the clouds to rain; yeah I asked the clouds to pour.
I
asked them to erase the pain I couldn’t carry anymore.
I
already saw yesterday, so tomorrow seems bright,
And
was given a new today so as I blew a kiss to the sky
I
asked the clouds to rain.
Love,
Deserae
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Prerna- Thank you! I will continue to power through because you're right--- I don't avoid edits because I think they're hard... I'm afraid of doing everything I can for a manuscript and having it be finished in a "The End" sort of way. That's crazy sounding to me!
You guys all know that I'm a writer who aspires to one day be AUTHOR. But you also know, by now, to accomplish that goal, I have to actually put my foot down and finish something. Revise it. Work on it until I CAN'T anymore.
If you've been with me for a while, you also know I don't finish things. Anymore, I should say. I have completed three manuscripts, two of which have potential, I think, but must undergo those hardcore edits every writer dreads, and the one that I adore conceptually, but the plot is lacking. Seriously, Deserae. You can do so much more with it, I swear!!!
So the million dollar question, I guess, is why does Desi keep starting NEW manuscripts? The answer isn't easy for me to say, but the truth of it is, I've grown lazy. It's true. I have turned into a lazy lump on a log.
It's not that I don't have the energy to revise, it's just that I have the tendency to get caught up on the fun part of the editing process (chocolate and sentence restructuring) that I never get around to implementing all those big picture ideas I thought would be so cool to change/add/destroy/etc. And while I'm zombie typing in a new thread, I'll suddenly remember that one cool thing I started a few years back. And I think, "I'm so much better, now. I could DO that!" And then I do that. Because at the time, I think I'm AWESOME.
But I've realized something and don't think I'm vain when I tell you what that something is. I've realized that all of my ideas are good--- like Sokka, I'm the idea guy! I can easily assess if something is good or not, and I see potential in pretty much everything--- most of the time, I can even EXPLAIN where the potential is and a few things we could do here and there to get it there.
And even he had to learn that just having an idea wasn't enough. Just putting the pieces together on the board, WASN'T it. During the Day of Black Sun, he kind froze when he realized he was in charge of the operation! But he finally learned how to take the reigns when he realized this thing wasn't getting done without him. He finally LEARNED that HE had to do something if he wanted to get his troops to the Fire Nation Palace!
And SURE he failed, but at least he did all he could do, right? I've figured it out. I don't finish things, because part of me isn't willing to go the distance--- to do all of the work! But like Sokka, I'm learning. And even if I fail, so what? At least I'll be able to say that I did all that I could do.
Prerna- I love Baz Luhrmann, too! That's why I'm so conflicted about this film. It looks good, but so dark and scary... I don't know. This isn't Fitzgerald's Gatsby, that's for sure.
Fre- Thanks! I knew you'd enjoy that beautiful face of mine.
Nicole- Definitely read Gatsby and then watch the trailer again. Let me know your thoughts as someone who saw the trailer first. I wonder if your enjoyment of the story will be increased or decreased having experienced Gatsby this way. The trailer makes it seem super exciting. And it is, but essentially, Gatsby is a love story! There are just gangsta-like people involved in it. Lol! Glad you loved the Avengers, and thank you so much. Ya'll are helping me reach my dreams every day. I'm so grateful. Thank you millions. :)
The Chapter of Evil is done. In fact, here's a screenshot of me being relieved about the fact that it is no longer vague thoughts and inclinations. Ya'll know how Twitter works. You must read from the bottom up to get chronological order (strange logic, I know).
I am... relieved, mostly. Relieved, and slightly exhausted. But I'm also confused. I'm confused because this chapter was supposed to kill me. It was TRYING to kill me, I swear, but yet... Here I am. And I'm also confused because I thought it was supposed to be my worst work yet. But it's... it's actually my most creatively plotted chapters, if I do say so myself. Like... for a chapter, it's quite plotty. It's quite a plotty chapter.
Meaning that although it SUCKS, there is good in it somewhere. It got me to think, stretch my imagination, broaden my mind. It made me envision things I never thought I'd explore, and it's prepared me to be ready to re-envision those things because the way in which I wrote them this first time admittedly SUCKS and they will need to be rephrased and retold.
I am so mad at this chapter. So very, very mad. Because it was SO hard. Why didn't it just finish me off? Why beat me? Strangle me? Wrestle with me? Why taunt and play with me if it weren't going to just be ALL bad? Why show me it had SOME good?
I think it's because this chapter is trying to get me to pay attention to one very important fact. That writers, write. No matter what, no matter... WHAT. No matter how bad their hair looks on the first day of school. No matter how bad their first drafts are. No matter if the apocalypse is supposed to be upon us. We just DO it. It's our jobs, and more importantly, it's in our nature.
And I'm a so-called aspiring author, and you know what they do? They write! No matter if global warming is killing off all the penguins. No matter what people say about their books or their hair (seriously... is it that bad?!). No matter WHAT. Writers write. Authors author. Evil chapters evil. And that's just how it works.
Thank you all so much for encouraging me. Seriously, Arianna, Maya, Prerna, I don't know how to thank you. I would not have gotten through this chapter if I didn't have your love and support. I would have given up and then what? I wouldn't have been able to do this post! And that's boring... So thank you for your love. Thank you for your time and your comments. And I'll have you know, I feel okay. Really, I do. I have to pee, is all, but you know what? I'm okay with that.
Love,
Deserae
P.S. No I'm not hitting on you with this song! This is just my ghetto segue to introduce you to a cool, 18 year old author whose debut novel FALL TO PIECES is due this fall. Look for it! And go meet Vee! She loves this song, and, apparently, "you so much better when you're naked." :)
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Arianna- Thanks, Love. You have been my crutch, my first aid kit, my nurse, and my friend during this whole Chapter Thirteen debacle. I'm glad and honored that you'll be the first set of eyes to really look at it and see what's wrong with it. I need your brilliance. And a public congrats on finishing your own "Chapter of Evil!" I know your Ch. 15 was giving you trouble, but hey! You. Are. Done!
Prerna- I DO feel elation! Mostly relief, but there is some elation. One thing's for sure: the end is near. And that's always satisfying. Strange, but satisfying for sure. This fork is definitely different all the time. I'm just glad I WAS able to get over, under, around, past it.
Maya- I SAW YOUR COMMENT!!! Blogger is being incredibly mean, and I'm sorry for that. But I'm going to do a whole separate post on your comment because it made me so happy so stay tuned. I loved it, and I've saved it, and I have it, and yeah--- don't fret! Thank you for posting something so incredibly sweet, helpful, and inspiring. Love you lots!
If you're a writer, then you understand that writing is different for each individual AND for each individual project. There's no way to gauge which parts will be easy and which will kill you... there's no way to stop yourself from feeling a little angsty at some point in the process (unless you're this guy who just thinks he's freaking awesome and that writing a book is just a piece of apple pie).
I am literally three chapters away from finishing PW. Literally. Three chapters. Away. There is Chapter 13, and Chapter 14, and Chapter 15. And then it's done. I mean--- for realzies.
But THIS?!
THIS will be the death of me.
It's not Chapter 13's fault that it feels impossible. It's mine. It's mine because I KNOW what I have to do. I KNOW that this is just a draft (not the first, but, yeah). I KNOW that I have permission to mess things up. But I'm scared. Terrified, really.
Usually, endings and I get along really well. I know how I like things to be resolved almost every time I sit down to write a story, and things are no different with PW. The hows, the whys, and the whens are all very clear in my head, but, unfortunately, I'm afraid to put these things down on paper.
It's not... For once, it's not the fear of messing up that's killing me. This chapter, though, is going to set the tone for everything else that comes afterward and I am afraid that, for this chapter's unique setting and ideals and reveals and needs, I am not doing enough to explore these things.
I know what you're thinking. "Can't you just fix that in editing?" Of course I could fix it in editing, but I'm not editing right now. I'm writing. And I'm not doing a very good job at it. Do you ever have these moments where you have an idea in mind, and you think it's freaking BRILLIANT, but when someone asks you to explain your vision, you just... can't? Okay. I'm experiencing that. And I'M THE FLIPPING WRITER.
This... this feeling is ruining me. My confidence, my faith--- everything that I put into PW is fading. And that's why I renamed the chapter from "Eyes on the Prize" to "Everything's Not Lost" because I wanted to remind myself that YES! There is hope for you yet, Deserae.
But...
Here we are.
It's weird being here because it's taken thirteen chapters to back me into a wall. You guys don't know this because you've only been with me for PW and The Girl Book, but I don't really write sci-fi. PW is my first attempt at something extraordinary, and I thought that it would be a failed attempt because my strength is in dialogue, not really in kick-butt action.
But even though some things need tweaking, none of the writing I've done for PW completely and totally SUCKED. Not until now, at least. And I'm only three chapters to the end. All I can think of is, are you freaking kidding me?! Really, yo? REALLY?! The good thing about this revelation, though, has me on my toes. I'm ready for Chapter 13 to suck and I'm ready to hear what my Beta thinks can help lessen the sucktitude. And above all, I'm ready to get it written so that all of the fixing, chiseling, and polishing can commence. I know it's going to take all of me to do it, but this is my hope: moving forward will at least give me the momentum to cross the finish line and then cop a U to pick up the pieces I've let behind.
Wish me luck and please keep me accountable. Bug me on Twitter. Leave nasty comments like, "SOOOOOO, how's the book coming?????" KEEP. ME. SANE. Remind me that draft-suck is not novel-suck. Shower me with good quotes, good music, and good company for the next week or so, and I promise to love you forever.
Deal? Too late. You shook on it.
Hug me, you beautiful people!
Deserae <3
P.S. New Daily Dose is up! I might have to rename those Weekly Doses. Sorry about the inconsistency. Daily Dose is just SO catchy!
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Aria- Thanks! And it's good to see Blogger is working again for you! I'm definitely trying to keep my head above water, but I love that you have faith that I can do it--- having support makes me believe it, too. Haha! "...and look good doing it...." Well, Darlin'... You know how I do. Lol! :) May the force be with me, huh? Ay dios mio...
So last night, I wrote another 1,260 words for The Secret Project, and today, I wrote another 1,280 words for The Secret Project. No words went toward The Girl Book, though, so I can't give any treaties, BUT it is Christmas Eve so my excuse is that I've been running around doing things like last minute shopping.
And OH MY GOSH! Last minute shopping sucks! Why are there so many procrastinators in the world? I'm supposed to be the only one!
But that's another tale completely. All that I have left to say to you guys is Happy Merry Christmas! and do enjoy the holiday as well as five of my favorite Christmas songs.
1. Nat King Cole "The Christmas Song."
2. Donny Hathaway "This Christmas"
3. Eartha Kitt "Santa Baby"
4. George Winston "Carol of the Bells"
5. Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas"
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Deserae <3
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Nikki: It's still Christmas Eve here so Merry Christmas Eve to you, too! I'm glad you like Mari and thanks for your love and comment! :) Have a very merry Christmas indeed.
Today was exceptionally brilliant writing wise. Cumulatively, I belted out a little more than 2,800 words and it was spread out to three different things.
500 went to an outline I was working on.
1,7hundredandsome went to a super secret project I'm working on and can't wait to tell you about (but will have to. Sucks! But hey! I invented a new number for you so, shh!).
545 went toward The Girl Book and those were written a little after midnight in a weird "MUST WRITE" craze.
So I think I'm getting back into this writing thing. I should've written more toward The Girl Book, I know, but I was very productive today. So productive, it hurts, okay? So in honor of that, here's a few of Faye's faves. Music is really special in this story so I don't feel bad doing another whole blog post about it. Hehe! These, by the way, are in no particular order. And neither were Lynette's. Side note. Sorry!
1. The Summer Set's "Someone Like You."
Faye is a sucker for upbeat, "Girl, I love you!" music. So as an example of that here's one of the ones she likes most of all. "Someone Like You" songs hardly ever miss the mark (*cough, cough, Adele! cough*)
2. Panic at the Disco's "Ready to Go."
When it comes to Faye's favorite real-life band, it would have to be Panic at the Disco. They're the closest thing to her favorite "in her world" band called Just Kidding! and the way that both bands create both positive AND sarcastic music really appeals to Faye for some reason...
3. The Civil Wars "Tip of my Tongue"
Even though Faye doesn't sing country/ folksy music, she still enjoys listening to it every once in a while. The Civil Wars make music that Faye loves. The lyrics are meaningful, beautiful, and haunting in nearly every song they write, and she wants to make music JUST like that.
4. Parachute "Kiss Me Slowly."
If only a certain boy named Christopher Laidlaw would perhaps want to dance with her to this song... Then, and only then, would her life be complete. Or, you know, that's what she thinks.
5. Adele's "Tired."
This is Sarah's favorite song by her favorite female artist. So that's something worth listening to.
BAI!!! Deserae
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Maya: So glad you liked the Daily Dose! And the song! And that you're going to come to the movie night! Sorry. It's almost midnight so I'm rushing to post. But I agree with you about all of your fave movies... You have awesome taste, Girly!
There are only five more days until Christmas. When the heck did that happen?!
Tonight was a pretty successful writing night. Not as successful as I wanted, but I plowed through it and the result was 1,350 words toward The Girl Book and me getting out of a Lynette scene that, for some freaking reason was killing me to write. But I owe you guys something big (or biggish) and so here is a scene from Faye's perspective. As usual, the scene will only be up for a limited time, so if you read it, be sure to tell me what you think! It's kind of hard to give you guys a Faye scene that's not very spoiler-y, so forgive the lack of exploding cars in the background--- I do try to keep the casualties in my contemporaries to a minimum (aka zero!).
Thanks for sticking with me this long guys! This WriMo thing is beating me up. And oh my goodness gracious, do I need the company.
With all my love!
Deserae
P.S. Charlie really is so cool like. Just thought you ought to know...
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Prerna: Thanks, Love! And yes, I like doing character profiles, too, but that's usually when I know I haven't quite figured out the plot yet... I obsess over characters until they drive me up a wall and I have to just begin.
Maya: Glad you like Faye :), it's cool that you can jump right in (I tend to but end up pulling out and having to start again and again), and thanks for your Lynette support. We'll just stick with the one 'n.' Over thinking this spelling thing could result in disaster. I LOVE that song by Linkin Park! And just for the record, I say "eye"ther. Lol!
Aria (from email): I finally surpassed 20K today! I am sort of on track for my WriMo. And you know how pleased I am that you like my sassy Sarah (I meant, Faye! Honest!).
I know the day's still young, but I just agh! I can't write anymore! I think I need to take a creative break and write a song or do jumping jacks. I don't know. Everything in me is just rebelling against hitting the 20,000 word mark and I KNOW why I do this. I KNOW I'm just scared of this story going anywhere. But...
It still doesn't change the fact that I'm not writing right now. No matter how long I keep my eyes on this computer screen, the words just AREN'T going to come out. So I think I'm going to take a break. I think I'm going to think ahead and plot out what's going to happen beyond this scene. And we'll try again a little later. That's fair, right? I'm sure it's at least fair enough.
I've already got 253 words out today, though, so just in case I never return (aka go to bed without opening The Girl Book document again until tomorrow), I thought I'd introduce you to girl number two.
She's the oldest of the bunch and she's my Southern Belle. Sarah's character is so much fun to write because she's this no-nonsense, go-after-your-dreams type person who hails from New Orleans and is not afraid to get down. Too bad I'm not working on a Faye scene (you have to call her Faye, folks. If you don't, she will kill you); I would've been done yesterday!
Oh. And you see that weird "ear piercings" thing? Please ignore it. I make notes on my character drawings so that I can remember certain things like eye color, hair color, and things like their goals and hometowns and what nots. So yeah. That's what that is.
Do you guys do character profiles before you begin writing? I don't do it all the time, but sometimes (ESPECIALLY when working with multiple MC's) it helps. How do you go about doing it if you do and what information do you count as relevant?
Until next time, Loves. Here's a song of my little sister's favorite "college" boy singing an original song of his. Ignore the talking in the beginning. The song is actually quite lovely when you give it a listen.
Ciao for now,
Deserae
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Maya: Thanks, Lovely. I had a great time and seriously loved the movie. I'm a little biased, though, because when you put Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. together in a film... that's... that's just not fair. :) My dear little Wondercat is now shaved and skinny. But she's clean! And that, my friend is a beautiful thing. I was glad I chose Lynnette too until my sister was like, "You've always just spelled it with one 'n.'" And I was like, "Did I?" And she was like "...Yeah." So... I'm confused once again. I guess, we'll see what happens. But spelling aside, her name is still Lyn(n)ette. And I mean, that's pretty awesome. Lol!
Because this week seems to have been Lynette-centered, I thought I'd keep that theme going by treating you to her class schedule to celebrate the fact that TODAY, I wrote 1,777 words AND I am not. finished. writing. Yippee!
I would just outright tell you what The Girl Book is about, but I feel like you guys are SO smart and SO clever, you've probably already formed some sort of idea of the themes and ideas this book is wrapped around. If not, that's alright! The month is young and there are plenty of chances for me to give myself away. But until then, I must admit I'm having too much fun giving you guys seemingly random teaser things and then talking to you guys about TV and things that have absolutely nothing to do with them.
So in the spirit of how we've been doing things, I thought I'd take a minute to propose a semi-dialogue with you all about something that gave me a bit of a shock as I was writing today. Last night, I made myself hold off on writing Lynette's next scene even though I was itching to get it down in writing because I thought it was probably going to be pretty fantastic once I saw it on paper.
And... I mean, in my opinion, it was. It wasn't the BEST Lynette scene I'd ever written, but I'm a pretty harsh critic of my own work, and even I was laughing and smiling and cringing at my dear girl's awkward shyness and the inter-workings of her conservatively wired mind. It was cool to see come to life because, I mean, I had been away from this project and these girls for SO long, I was literally frightened to try to jump into their heads again.
But... after rereading the material I already had... After getting nice responses from you guys about the excerpt and my WriMo in general... After going through the folder I have that has all of GIP's goodies... I was shocked to remember how much I loved this project, and surprised to realize I'd purposely stepped away from it because I didn't think I did. I mean, what the heck?! How could I not love this project?!
And then today, when I was writing, the strangest thing happened. I wanted to write. I didn't want to stop writing. I was mad at myself for needing food (but, Boy, did I need food), and I was mad at my mom for asking me to wash the towels (but, Man, did we need towels). Because I thought, if I stopped once I was in the zone, I was going to lose that zeal I had at the beginning of the day.
But I didn't.
It was still there when I returned an hour and a half later.
And you know why? Because I was loving what I was writing. And I realized the difference between the days that I hated writing and the days that I loved it wasn't me or my story or my ideas or whatever other nonsense I'd blamed it on that day just to cut myself some slack... It was that I didn't LOVE what I was writing. I didn't love what was going down on the page, you know?
What little things do you notice about your own writing habits, good days, and bad days? This post has gotten a bit massive but that's alright; I want to know! Lynette's schedule shows what a typical day at BMA is like. You'd probably hate going there, or maybe you'd love it depending on how sadistic you were as a high school freshman. Personally, I would've welcomed the challenge. At least it would've given me something worthwhile to complain about.
Lynnette Highmore's Schedule of Classes
7:30- 8:45: Orchestra--- Classical Music
9:00- 9:45: Honors American Literature
10:00- 10:45: Geometry
11:45- 1:00: From Swing to The King: 1920's- 1960's Music (A Course in History)
1:15- 2:00: Earth Science
2:15- 2:45: Extra Curricular Environmental Studies
2:50- 3:30: Yoga
So do you still think you want to go to BMA? I... didn't think so...
Love! Deserae
P.S. Sonal totally featured this song on her blog. And I lalalalove it! I need to start featuring Christmas music. We'll see what I can do in the near future.
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Maya: Oh, you've totally brightened my day. Thank you for reading and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I wish Lisi had written more books, too, because, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't pleased with how it ended. I wanted... something else. I wish her publisher would've let her have more time to expand the series. I love the last name Daniels, but I'm not feeling either name. Maybe if I knew his character better. Of the two, though, I prefer Hart. Hart Daniels actually DOES have a bit of a ring to it now that I put it altogether like that. :) I can think of some guy names tonight and post them when I respond to your new post! Yes I see there's one there and yes, I'll be responding, soon. Love ya much!
I'm not doing a very good job at tracking how many words I've done compared to how many words I SHOULD have done, but today I finished (575 + 198...) 773 words for The Girl Book. And I'm still writing! So that's always a good thing, I think.
I told you I had some things I wanted to link you to so first! Here's the exclusive content I promised you--- it's another excerpt because, well, you saw one of The Boy Book so I think it's only fair you see one of The Girl Book, right? So click here to read a scene from Lynette's perspective after you check out all of these cool thingamabobbers. This excerpt will be taken down in about a week so read it and let me know if you like it before it... gets taken down in a week! Yeah!
Thingamabob #1: Prerna's blog, The Sands of Writing, always has really cool writerly type things. And it's actually encouraged me to talk more about writing, than to just talk about writing (if you visit her blog, you'll see what I mean). So click up above to just check out her blog or click here to read a post that I HAD to comment on because I loved it so much. I think as writers, it's good to support one another. ESPECIALLY if you meet a writer who not only has marvelous things to say, but also likes Once Upon a Time. Just. Saying.
Thingamabob #2: So speaking of encouraging and supporting fellow writers, Adam Heine just landed an agent. Now if you don't know who this guy is, don't worry--- I didn't, either, until I fell in love with Natalie Whipple. But he's been submitting for a couple of years, now, I think, and I just think it's very inspiring, epicanarious, and frickin' awesome to hear that he's finally got someone on his team. So yay for Adam! If you want to read that post of postiness, please click here.
Thingamabob #3: If you haven't decided you're going to see this movie, or this one, or even this one sometime in the near future, decide to do all of the above RIGHT now. Well... not RIGHT now, but, you know, as soon as you can, okay?
And that is all from me. I hope all of my links will edify you in some way or another. Edification is needed across this entire nation. And yes I just added that because it rhymed, and no I will not delete it, thank you very much.
Love!
Deserae
P.S. Sigh... I love OkGo's music videos... Do you guys even listen to the music I post here? I do from my phone because I don't have a great YouTube app. so I cheat by coming on here and playing these songs. Lol!
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Prerna: Gosh, I wish we could discuss it without spoilers, but let me just say that I think I said all I needed to in my comment to your post. Although, I have to admit, I really wasn't mad at them for going that route! Shocked, maybe, but not at all phased. I am going to--- agh! Spoilers! But I wish that the thing that was done didn't have to be done because I liked the thing that was happening before it was done and wanted to see more of that even though, now, it's impossible. I should stop ranting now.
Maya: No worries, Love! I'm just happy you comment at all! I like responding to you guys. :) Thanks for saying you like Aiden's name! I was worried about it, at first. But yeah, it's starting to really grow on me. And I honestly think it's perfect for him the more and more I think about it. The thing about choosing boy names is to not over-think it. What I do is I think about my guy friends and their guy friends and pick out the names I like. And if one clicks, then I use it like it's nobody's business. Because it's not! And because I can. :) Charlie WAS my fave charrie in Alphas, but in the end, I think my favorite was... Allie... Maybe... Toward the end of the series, I found myself finding faults in all of them. But I THINK Allie came out my fave. I THINK... Thanks for the luck! I'll need it.
Aria (from email): The Boy Book will return probably around Valentines Day. When you can't get a real date... write up your own! Lol! Thanks for your support of The Girl Book, though. That means a lot. And I didn't finish PW Ch. 13 tonight. I know... I'm a failure, like Larry!
In which I type a report from my phone and therefore have no content to share..
I wrote about 300 words today. Not much, but not bad. Because I was able to edit and coment on a few chapters of Alex's baby as well as read Ch. 9 of TLOATH which I'll be commenting on tomorrow. The Girl Book has some pretty stiff competition vieing for my ateention, but no worries, Folk. All will be accomplished in time. I have links to things I wish I could show you. I'll just wait until tomorrow, I suppose. But I hope you still had a wonderful Monday. Who saw Once Upon a Time this week? Ohmagosh, ohmagosh, ohmagosh...
So the good news: I wrote today!
The bad news: it wasn't for The Boy Book.
I'm not giving up on that project. Really, I'm not. I just... I'm not feeling it. And since it's so early in my WriMo, I figured I should change projects now, before I fell too far behind in this thing.
So I wrote 3,000 words. The project has been called GIP for as long as I can remember. But, because it's fitting in more ways than one, you and I can call it The Girl Book. I promise to give you more details tomorrow if I get some words down on the page. I told you! If I get words down on the paper, you get some exclusive content! Well, here's your content for today. It's a sneak peek of a drawing I did of one of the main characters many moons ago.
I hope that the fact that I attempted to draw these girls is enough to win you over for my abandoning The Boy Book. I just know that I'm not ready yet--- not for something THAT big, at least. I'd need more than a month to do Aiden's story justice. But these girls? Their story has been waiting to be told, and I'm pretty convinced that now is the time to tell it. Thank you all for your love, advice, and support. I will tuck it away and dig it out when I'm ready to start that project again. But for now... The Girl Book awaits!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. And have a wonderful Monday! How are you guys, anyway? I do love to hear good things.
Until tomorrow,
Deserae
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Maya: Third person FEELS like cheating because, you're right--- I want this to feel real. Not that third person eliminates a sense of reality, but it does separate readers from the direct thoughts, emotions, and feelings of the MC. And I know in my heart Aiden needs to tell this story. Not me as a narrator. Him, you know? I'm so glad you loved the excerpt. It's being printed out and put into a folder labeled THE BOY BOOK. I do this to all the ideas that I get. They get their own folders, you know? And they sit in there until they're ready. I'm glad you think I do well with dialogue! I love dialogue so I'll keep this in mind when I go back to it. Thanks, Love!
Posting from your phone is not fun, but such is the way of a gal whose mom doesn't have wireless capability in her household. I'll make this brief: I didn't write today. But I don't have to start panicking yet... Do I? Should I cheat and make this a third person, or should I stick to my guns? Idk, Loves. Idk.
Love!
Deserae.
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Prerna: I do have someone who could help... But is it weird to admit that I'm kind of afraid to ask? Why do guys have to be such... guys?!
And Aria, thanks for reading and responding to my excerpt via email. Love ya much, Girly.
So I did it! I started my WriMo today! But what I didn't do was get 1,000 words. Boo!
My day was fairly productive, though.
I moved out of the dorm and into my sister's place.
I packed up a small duffel and printed out my boarding pass.
I ate well. Really well.
And I took the best nap in the history of the world.
Not to mention I started looking up internships and got to email some very important people (gosh... I love email...). And I snuck some writing in! How cool is that?!
Loves, I've got a lot going on. And I'm not really good at this whole male POV thing. And I'm not feeling very confident about how this is going. So for today's yum-yum, I'm just going to let you see what I've got. Click the picture to get a better view and oh my gosh, guys--- if you hate it, tell me now. Although... there's not really much to go off of, so that's probably not fair of me to say. Can you tell I freak out easily? I'm an incurable freaker outer.
By the way! If you didn't get to read the fun facts about my other WIP, PW, please click here to do so, and be sure to check out the excerpt I posted here before I take it down late Sunday night! Love ya'll! Thanks for putting up with me.
My goal for today was: 1,000 words
The recommended NaNo count would be: 1,667
My actual word count: 403 words
Love!
Deserae <3
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Maya: I'll definitely tell Eva you wished her a happy birthday and thanks for your support! I know I say that all the time, but I really appreciate it. You're awesome. Beyond awesome. And yay! I'm glad you're inspired. Oh, I wish you luck on your writing, too. Keep us posted, okay?! You know I love talking about writing with my homies (aka you guys because you don't laugh when I say that. Teehee!). Ciao, Bella!
Every good WIP needs a good working title. And I have one! But the only people on the entire world who know it are me, Alex B., and my darling little sister.
I want to give it a good fake name, though. So far, I've just been using the first letters of every word to do the job (ex. Planet Weird= PW).
But Victoria Schwab has some pretty snazzy WIP names. VAGABOND PUPPIES is the fake name for her adult novel. ANGST KITTENS is the moniker of her Near Witch related project. So I want to give this project a random name. And that's why, from now on, whenever I refer to it, you'll hear me call it...
The Boy Book.
Yeah. I'm not very creative when I'm trying to be. When I'm not trying to be, I'm full of yummy names, ideas, and random details. I don't know what my brain wants from me.
In other news, I took my last final tonight. AND it was my friend Eva's birthday today so here's a happy birthday to her! And... oh! I'm going home tomorrow! Yay! Man. Good things are happening. Don't you love when that happens?
Wish me luck on my WriMo! It starts tomorrow!
~Deserae <3
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Maya: You're very welcome, Love! I loved your responses. And, thank you. I've never really read too many pure romances but I love the idea of a real one for teens. A real story of falling in love and falling out of it... I am ready to get over my fears of realistic relationships. Buh-ring it awn! And haha! Thank you kindly. you know I can't give up on anything or anyone. I just can't. Defeat is SO not in my vocabulary. Well... it wasn't until now. Lol! Love ya, Chickadee. Thanks for your love and support!
