Sunday, May 26, 2013

Excerpt

{Note: Life's been crazy lately so sorry for not posting yesterday. Writing has also been worse than I'd like. I miss NaNo, the rush of enthusiasm, the relative ease. After this week I'll post regularly again. The spacing is weird, so try to ignore it.}

The man looks up at us with a glassy stare. We're behind schedule. I forgot about that.
"Look, we've got to go. Now." My tone is tempered steel.
"Fine." She walks ahead of me, despite the fact that she has no idea where she's going.
"Stupid job," she mutters.
"Luria, what's wrong?" Her face is pale.
"Nothing," she says brightly. "What would possibly make you think that anything is wrong?"
"Hmm. The tearstained face and bloodshot eyes rather give it away there, don't they?"
She walks faster, her shoes beating the floor. She stares at her feet, her head bowed.
"I don't want to tell you."
"Have you always been this informative, or is this a recent development?"
She shrugs. "Tell me how it feels to have your life ripped from under you so then I can laugh at you, too. It's only fair, you know."
"That's a bit melodramatic. You know, just a bit."
"Why do you work for the system, Dem? Do you go to your apartment at the end of the day and think back on your day, remembering how happy you were when you paralyzed those tens of people? Feels great, doesn't it?"
"Don't mock me," I mutter.
"If you're ashamed of your work, don't do it. If you secretly feel like you don't want to do it, why do you stand for it?"
"It's not that easy."
"Oh right, it's never that easy. I forgot how the rules didn't apply for you."

Sunday, May 19, 2013

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green


The Fault in Our Stars follows the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old teenage girl who quotes philosophers, watches America’s Next Top Model, and has a ton of cancer in her lungs.

Due to the latter, she undergoes a bunch of treatment, doesn’t really have friends, and has to go to a weekly Support Group, where the kids with cancer congregate in a depressing church basement to talk about how their lives are awful. At one such meeting, she meets Augustus Waters, a handsome teenage guy who’s in remission. And then they fall in love.

                I loved this book. A lot of contemporary YA romances all sound the same; the fake characters, bad dialogue, plots even I could predict. But TFIOS is different, at least to me. It felt real.  I loved the characters. The adults were actually realistic, for once. Hazel and Gus were witty, profound, and honest.  They were a bit cliché at times, with their dramatic speeches, but I can’t really fault them for that. I don’t open teen romances looking for realism. Besides, this is more than a love story, at least in my opinion.  

The setting was awesome; I loved the descriptions. Her life seemed real. From her mom celebrating every possible holiday (“It’s your thirty-third half-birthday, Hazel!”) to Patrick, the support group leader going on and on about how they were in the Literal Heart of Jesus.

Most of all, I loved Hazel’s voice. From the moment I opened the book, I was entranced. She is sarcastic, honest, and genuine. She sounds like me, or like I would if I had cancer. She’s relatable and engaging, with a super-dry sense of humor. As Hazel says, “cancer books suck.” And I’m happy to report that for me, this wasn’t one of them.

TFIOS doesn’t have a perfect ending. It’s pretty awful, actually. But since their lives are basically about trying to survive cancer, isn’t that to be expected? For me, that made it better. John Green doesn’t sugarcoat cancer.

Maybe in a few years I’ll look back and realize that it was all manufactured and contrived and not worth my time like a hundred other YA books are. For now, though, it's one of my favorite books ever. If you haven't read it for some reason, I'd (very) highly recommend it.
Okay? Okay.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

10 Writing Prompts

I've been feeling uninspired lately. To ward that off, I created 10 original writing prompts.
  • It killed her heart, but not her mind.
  • Sunlight streamed down the hallway to where a figure lay.
  • Her smile was patched with sadness.
  • "At least we're not being attacked by a cannibalistic gorilla who throws.... flaming torches, right?" Something stomped down the hallway.
  • "I'm the politest thief you've ever met. Doesn't that count for something?"
  • The dog's eyes glowed.
  •  His eyes were agates, set in a bitter, lustrous face.
  •  He stared at me lifelessly, pleading for help.
  •  It licks its lips. "You go first."
  • The chair spoke.
Let me know what you think in the comments! If any of these helped you or sparked any ideas, I'd love to hear it.
Katia

A Series of Unfortunate Events (The Bad, The Ugly, and The Good)

The Bad

On Wednesday, I wrote the final scene for The Tinkers' first draft. On Thursday, I was reading it, playing around with Pages a bit on my iPad, and accidentally deleted it. All of my 60,000-word opus. (Of course, at this point, opus is relative. But still.)

I sat numbly at my lunch table, a bubble of silence unfolding around me. Of course, I couldn't tell my friends; they wouldn't understand. To make matters worse, it was my birthday. I had ruined months of precious writing... on my birthday. Sweet fifteen, right?

I have about 20,000 words saved in another file. However, it's only the last third of the book. I looked it up, but on Apple's help forums, it says there is no way to get it back.

The Ugly
I'm going to literally rewrite everything. Not changing the structure and personalities of a novel, but fighting blank-page syndrome for a few more months on a novel I've already written. I tried to talk to the tech guy at school, but I've already backed it up, so the damage can't be undone, as far as I know.

I don't want to lose my idea. The characters and world have been amazing for me, and I think I've got to give it another try. In the process, of course, it'll be awful. I'll probably hate it, but I've got time and there's nothing to lose, right? (No, this isn't some big scheme just to put off editing... I promise.)

I've also been bored with writing lately. I've been writing short stories, but for me, novels are much more enjoyable than short stories. I love short stories, but novels really make writing worthwhile (and of course, are more salable, but I'm not considering that right now).
Additionally, I haven't been inspired much, which leads to the next segment of my week on writing.

The Good
I had this novel idea a few weeks ago and was going to save it for Camp in July. However, I really like it, and so I'm writing it now. I haven't been writing much because the end of the school year has been insane, but once school ends, I'll be working much more on it.

It's called When I Liked Converse. You can read the blurb here. (You all can be proud of me. Last night, I actually came up with seven whole bullet-points about the plot, so I kind of know the climax and how it ends.)

Writing is unpredictable. It's frustrating, mind-boggling, and hard.  However, it's amazing. At its core, it's an art. However dreary it may sound this week, it's an incredible skill. It's provided so much richness, creating new characters and perspectives I'd never dreamed of. It's given me a different, more complex worldview. And, of course, it's fun.
Katia

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Social Commentaries in Literature


Social commentary is everywhere, especially in literature, whether we notice it or not. In novels from Animal Farm to Pride and Prejudice, the time period plays a part. Although I dislike the assumption that every snippet has a significant meaning, because it doesn't, writers are aware of the world. And we reflect that in our writing, both consciously and subconsciously.

I didn't set out to write a novel providing political or religious fodder, to showcase my feelings on controversial issues today. I'm a fifteen-year-old girl. I don't do that. I do, however, notice what's going on. I notice news, politics, international relations, social issues, the schisms of society.

Writers may not become great politicians or activists, but they show the current events of their day. Jane Austen illustrated the importance of marriage for women in the 1800s, even though not all women wanted that. George Orwell showed that uprisings from Communists generally don't succeed and are harmful in the process.

As for me? I don't write intentionally with topics in mind; I don't write a certain scene to show how homelessness affects us (that doesn't work very well in my kind of dystopias anyway). If it fits the work, I write it. Someone may see strains of the recession in my writing, another may see something entirely different.

For me, these issues will be a second-draft sort of thing; as I wait until editing time, I'll listen as the world speaks, through news plastered on newspapers and the sides of buses, by word of mouth and email.  By the time my novel is done, hopefully the world will be ready to listen.

Friday, May 10, 2013

11 Questions... I think. A tag of sorts


Today, I'm posting a tag from the Notebook Sisters, from my blogger friend Cait. She gave me 11 questions to fill out. Having nothing better to do (just kidding), I did. I hope you'll enjoy the answers.

1.Favourite character in your work-in-progress?
Okay, if you've been reading this blog at all, you've got to know this. It's Dem. Why? You may ask. Because he's awesome and smart and intuitive and stubborn and sarcastic, essentially me in a futuristic-guy form. That sounds rather weird, but I think you know what I mean. If you don't, I sound really bad. I'm not, though. I promise.

2. Does music influence your writing? What's a song that's inspired you?
Not particularly, as I don't listen to songs with words while writing because most don't fit the scenes that I try to write. However, I listen to my classical Pandora station all the time and so I've been influenced by Phillip Wesley, especially Dark Night of The Soul. Plus, I love its name. Don't you?

3. Do you prefer writing in present tense or past tense? Why?
Present, because it allows me to better convey what my characters are going through. And it makes it seem more real.

4. Name a random fact a book taught you.
Do not eat bananas before sailing on a boat on Lake Lachrymouse, because then the eels will get you. Also, don't be afraid of everything, and never trust anyone named Olaf. (Now I'm going to feel really bad if I do meet someone named Olaf, so I'm really hoping that won't happen.)

5. Favourite foods to snack on while reading/writing.
A lot of these "questions" are actually commands, but whatever. Water, and dark chocolate. However, once I've gotten inspired and get into the zone, about 200 words in, I generally start typing quickly and forget all about the chocolate.

6. Name 3 books you can't wait until are released.
I don't really notice books until they're released (read: have no clue they exist). So I'll name three books authors I want to read more of.
In no particular order:
-Jill Williamson
-John Green
-Ray Bradbury
And so many more that I've forgotten.

7. Name a sequel that outshone its predecessor.
I don't read many sequels, to be honest. Most of the ones I've read aren't better than the original. No comment. I was going to say Chasing Fire or New Moon, but I don't actually believe those are better.

8. Best side-kick/secondary-character you've read this year?
Um, not written by me?
Most of the characters I love fall into the category of main characters, so I'm really trying. This was last year, but I love Clarisse, from Fahrenheit 451. One of my inspirations for Luria from The Tinkers, actually. She is so awesome in a cruel world.

9. Favourite quote!
Ah, non-American English. On writing, or...
Okay, my favorite quote about writing is, "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." Ray Bradbury, author of one of my favorite books.

10. Do you have any reading goals for 2013? Are you on track?!
I don't keep reading goals. I mean, I set one up for Goodreads, but since I never use it, it's not very helpful. Other than reading The Odyssey, my goals would simply be to read more and read some of the long list of books I wish I've read.

11. If you were a superhero would you wear a cape?
No, because then they would be able to tell that I was an even more amazing person than they already thought I was, so that would ruin it for them. I've heard capes aren't allowed in my school's dress code.

Seriously, how does anyone get to know me? I'm way too sarcastic for my own good. I think they get used to it, but still. At least I can channel it through my writing...

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Flightless Bird by Paulina Ulrich


Olivia (better known as Livy) Eckels is just your average teenage girl; she's entering senior year, she's quiet and studious, she has an outgoing best friend named Gracie. Her parents are getting divorced, she doesn't really like school, and she's not good at anything. Oh, and she's a major klutz. When she falls riding her bike around her neighborhood, her new neighbors, Gregory, a good-looking guy about her age, and Cecelia, his older sister, help her.

As she struggles to figure out what's going on around her, she becomes friends with Gregory. As they become better friends, Gregory's perfect yet slightly suspicious facade begins to dissolve, and she finds out that he has some secrets -and struggles- of his own.

I don't read romance, generally. Teen romance, especially paranormal romance, bores me. I don't need more of the teenage-girl-going-crazy-over-attractive-guy stuff--I see at least five examples of that every day. In the beginning, Livy was bland. I mean, she had no friends, and she met her soulmate by falling off of her bike? Add to that the fact that her boyfriend showed up every time she wanted him, at the exact moment? I don't care if the zombies are sparkly; in my book, they have to be realistic. (Spoiler alert: zombies don't exist in this book. Sorry!) Livy got better, though. She turned into (drumroll) an Actual Human Being, which is always nice to see.

However, Flightless Bird got better as it went on. It was a bit long for my taste, with some needless descriptions, but it was a very enjoyable light read. The characters developed into having actual personalities (yes, I know. Such a thing exists) and seeming real, and the plot progressed nicely. The romance was nice, and they were friends at first, which I liked. It was refreshing to see Gregory as a guy who isn't a vampire or werewolf. Towards the end, it's a page-turner. Overall, I'd give it a four out of five stars, especially as a beach read.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Khattam Shud


Khattam Shud means "it is finished" in Hindustani, one of the few useful things I learned from Haroun and the Sea of Stories (apart from the quote: "The world is not for fun! The world is for Comptrolling!" [I plan to shout that at someone I'm micromanaging someday. The books I read in school...]). The Tinkers is finished. With a completely awful synopsis on the "My Novels" page, and 59,500 words of prose, the first draft is done. I finished it on Tuesday, along with winning Camp (with 28 spaces to spare). It's been hard. I was at the point on my story where I really didn't know where I was going, and it took a lot to sit down every day and keep writing, hoping that Dem would work himself out of trouble. For the most part, it worked.

Once The Tinkers was done, I realized that I really like writing novels. And I had no idea what to write next. So, one inspired-poem and two half-baked short stories later (including a modern-day fairy-tale--two words: gingerbread apartments), I've realized that I'm stuck. For the next four weeks or so, I will not be working on any novels. I want to, but I know I've got to take a break. Patience for most things has never been my strong suit, though.

Writing novels is incredible. Sitting down every day or so and pouring out a story, filling it with adventures, your deepest thoughts, personality traits you may not have realized you have. Making your characters go on a journey and find themselves until they are so real you're surprised they don't really exist. (And wishing they did.) For me, this never happens with short stories. As much as I may try, and ultimately enjoy them, it's never the same. And I just really love Dem as a character.

Overall, I'm happy. I've guided new characters through a world "laced with sharp-edged medical equipment, needles to inject you, syringes to fill your skin with poison." (Yep, I'm quoting my own first draft here.) I learned about their endearing quirks, how they all embody parts of my personality, some more than others. Most of them survived. I have 60,000 more words written than I did a few months ago, and a science-fictiony dystopia that I love, at least. That's something, right? Now if only it wasn't so rough around the edges.