The Writing Process

Welcome, again, to the rambling black hole that is my mind. So today's topic is... How to write a story. Or at least, the way I approach writing.

So, different writers have different ways of approaching this. However, the way I see writing is like a pregnancy. This has led to a number of inside jokes, but that is just a part of being a writer. My metaphor (of writing being like a pregnancy) might seem a little strange. Obviously it is not one that everyone can understand. Now, don't go thinking that I have been pregnant and, therefore, know exactly what pregnancy is like. I have never been pregnant. However, as the oldest of four kids (and the oldest of almost 14 cousins) I have seen my fair share of pregnant women, and I know the basics of pregnancy, which relate to this metaphor.

So here's how it works: a story is like a fetus. You, as the writer, are the mother. You nurture and care for it. You try to support the story as it grows within you. Until one day it is born! Oh how glorious! But your work is not done yet. Not even close, now you have to raise it, continue to care for it until it can survive on its own. Then, you are done, and you can live out your life happily watching your story succeed on its own. It lives beyond you to carry on your name and your legacy. Happily Ever After, right?

But sometimes stories don't make it to the Happily Ever After. Sometimes stories fail when you let them go. Sometimes stories don't even make it that far, the ones I call 'miscarriages.' So, what do you do with them? You bury them. Plain and simple. You have to be the tough love on a failed (or failing) story. Once it is gone, don't try to bring it back, because it is just dead, so let it rest in peace.

Frequently, my ideas die in my head. I have to just let these 'miscarriages' die. I bury them, and then I don't worry about them any more. No one (should) feed and nurture a loved one that is just rotting in the ground.

Now, please do not think I am atheist, or sacrilegious. I do believe in the Christian God (I'm a baptized Catholic, but I have some opinions that go against Catholic Ideology) and Heaven is a very real thing to me. Life after death, Salvation, the whole thing. However, once you die, your physical body will rot on this Earth until judgment day.

Keeping that in mind, feeding the bones is going to do nothing to bring back the one lost. I have seen enough TV, and read enough stories, about what happens when you try to go against the natural order of things. Pretty much: dead things should stay dead, so you have time to take care of those still living.

So, once you understand that metaphor (the whole 'writing process equals pregnancy' thing), you can learn the how part of writing.

This, to me, is the fun part. But also the most difficult. Mainly, because it is the part that requires the most time. Like a mother's body just knows how to care for the fetus, a writer just knows how to write a story. My biggest pet peeve is when younger writers ask me to 'teach them how to write a story.' Because there is SO much more to writing than rules and a real "process" to follow. Let me put it to you this way;
Things that have a process are things like:
1. Baking a Cake
2. Calculus
3. Science
Things that can be done in any order and still reach (pretty much) the same goal:
1. Party Set-Up
2. Sports
3. Dance

Pretty much there are some things that have to be done a certain way, with a certain order. These things must be done EXACTLY the same every time, or else you have just a big mess. Other things can be done in a slightly different order each time. Setting up for a party has no strict code for how it has to be done. You can set up the bouncy house first, or you could set up the DJ table first. No matter which way you do it, you come to the same results.

I feel the writing process falls under the latter category. Because writing has no hard and fast rules. There is nothing that says that you must sit down and write a book in chronological order. There is no law against writing more than one story at a time. No one will know if you wrote the whole book on sticky notes that you had tacked up around your bedroom. You see? The writing process is just two steps:
1. Write the story
2. Edit the story

That's it. There is no big secret that you can follow to be a successful writer. I say that practice is great. Just
write things for the Hell of it. I also feel that reading is a key part of it. Having places to draw inspiration from, probably a plus. And being friends with other writers is, again, helpful. But none of these are rules at guarantee success.

So, basically, there is no one way to write. But this is the way I write. I will toil over many stories at a time, because that helps me. If I get stuck, I just force myself to keep writing. I have other people read thru my stories as I go along, and I take every piece of critique with a grain of salt.

There you go. I will post more about the writing process and how I "learned to write a good story." But this is enough for one day.

Ciao!

I'm still here!

Hey guys, sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to my blog, but my Aunt gave birth on Sunday. My mom and I drove 6 hours to Maryland to see the new little bundle of joy. His name is Alexander, and he is SO CUTE! Anyways...

So what have I been up to? Besides cooing over the new baby, I have been working on a  bunch of college applications, and stories. That list includes a vampire paranormal romance, a 'Nicholas Sparks' type novel, and a distopian novel. Yes that is a wide range of genres.

In conclusion, Sorry about the long absense and a short post, but it has been busy.

Ciao!

Things I Read

So, if any of you have ever met a published writer one of the most common things they say is that you have to read a lot in order to write well. I believe this 100% on top of that I am just an avid reader, so that totally works for me. I have expanded my horizons to include many genres when I read. Because, while I may not enjoy a Nicholas Sparks novel, it exposes me to a whole new area of fiction; and shows me another place where I might be able to draw some inspiration from.

Recently, my English Teacher had a book published. I am so proud of him! I bought his book from him right away. I wasn't expecting much, but I started reading it this weekend and... OH MY GOD!

Yes, it was that good. As a matter of fact I told him this morning that I expected it to be mediocre and was pleasantly surprised when I realized that it was good. My exact words to him were: "I have come to the conclusion that there is no way you wrote this. Because it is SO AMAZING!" At this point he laughed so loud that we got the evil eye from the people trying to enjoy the daily mass in the school chapel. It was totally worth it.

I have to share this with the internet. In the hopes that someday someone will read my work and be curious enough to look back at this sorry excuse for a blog. And, by reading this blundering prattle, might feel compelled to read his book. Thereby extending his audience and making me feel better that I have expanded someone's reading horizons.

Fair warning: this is NOT a children's book. There is swearing. There is innuendo. It is Horror. And I have not finished it yet. However, as my English teacher has told me, I have to "go through the dark to reach the light." So right now I have only encountered sadness and mind-blowing horror (physiological, not slasher). He promises it gets happier. However I doubt it will end with happy fuzzy kittens and unicorns dancing on rainbows. I mean, JUST LOOK AT THE COVER!

It just LOOKS SO EPIC and CREEPY! Yes I am fangirling a little over here. Yes I did squeal just a little when he handed it to me Friday morning. And yes, I am VERY proud to call him my English teacher and a role model. 

I have met nearly a dozen authors in the last three years (all thanks to my English teacher, who arranges for authors to come in and talk to us about writing). I have really honed in on my writing, getting critique from professional authors and peers alike. I have seen the work that goes in to taking a story from the mind of the author to the shelves of Barnes and Nobles. And I have to say that all of this is thanks to my crazy English teacher. The man who introduced me to the wondrous worlds of The Twilight Zone and Ray Bradbury. Who showed me that TV can be analyzed like books (and hooking me on Buffy The Vampire Slayer). I have been critiqued so hard but learned how to take it all with a grain of salt. 

Mr. Kevin Lucia, you are a role model for me. You are an inspiration. I have no words to describe how much I appreciate what you have done for me. The doors you've unlocked. The pathways you've uncovered. You have taken me from an unsure closet fantasy writer to a confident dark fantasy/dystopian writer. How can I say, without sounding cliche,that you have really done a number on my life? That I will never forget every piece of advise you've given me? Maybe, if I ever get published, you'll open one of my books and see that I have acknowledged you; but that still can't show enough how much I appreciate what you've done for me.

So, dear lovelies, remember this: English teachers CAN make a difference in your life. As a matter of fact, any teacher can change your life for the better. So take the advise. Run with it. Because teachers usually speak from experience. 

This post may seem stupid, or too personal for the internet. But I feel that this needs to be shared...and once again: my blog, my rules.

In short: Mr. Lucia, If you happen to read this blog, GREAT JOB! Any fans I might gain: GO READ THIS BOOK! and everybody can expect more posts about things I read and authors I've met.

Ciao!

Let's talk about Time Management

So... My sincerest apologies to anyone who actually reads this, but life happens. Stuff comes up that has to be taken care of, and I am human. I need some time for eating and sleeping. i know, total shocker to anyone that has ever heard a writer say "I live to write." That is so true. So let's talk about that.

How to manage your time so that you don't go completely bonkers.

Now, perhaps I am not the most experienced person on this topic, however, I do know how to manage my time. Sometimes, I just choose not to. Also, it takes time to build another habit into your day. I have spent so much time (in the last three or four years especially) writing and trying to make that a part of my day. everyday I sit down and write a little more and that has made me both a better writer and a better friend.

Wait, how does my writing affect my friendships? Great question! You see, I feel like the biggest part of my friendships is my ability to communicate and support my friends. However, if I have characters cooped up in my head, and I'm focusing so hard on keeping them there until I'm in 'the right mood" to write their story. I can hardly be a good friend. So, yes writing every day helps me be a better friend.

I have also learned that sometimes you just need to ask yourself what's actually important. Often I would love to sit down and write (I've been dieing to get back on here for a week!) but other things (namely school and work) get in the way. Let me take you through my last week: work on Saturday from 2PM until 945PM (I did have to babysit prior to that), Sunday I worked from 10AM until 1PM at which point I went to school for my chorus class until nearly 630PM, then I had to do the grocery shopping until 10PM. Monday through today I have had school and homework out the wazoo! So, forgive me for neglecting my blog for a few days.

but now let me just say that the way I handle my time is not the best. After all, I may be a straight A student (yes I am bragging a little there) but I am not a grade A friend. often I bail on my friends in favor of writing or doing homework. Most of the time I do ignore the school functions (like dances, sporting events, etc.) simply because I prefer to stay on top of my grades.

Now I am not saying that good grades are more important than friends. but also friends (and any type of social life for that matter) are not more important than good grades. So, what is the most important thing?
Not jsut being happy. Certainly not YOLO, or anything else even close to that way of living.

BALANCE.

Yup, that's it. Learn to weigh the good with the bad. Old with new. Social with Academic. Tr4ust me it's hard, but you learn, little by little, how to build a schedule that is not every second of every day planned out, but it is also not so loose that you are just going with what everyone else tells you to do.

Flow with the current, but at your own pace. Go to the party on Saturday night, but study on Sunday. Don't live each day like your last, but don't watch life pass you by either.