Staying True to Someone Else's Religion

I wish there was more religious diversity in the books I've read. Granted, they're only a fraction of the infinite-seeming books in the world, but when I read books that do feature religious characters, they're usually Christians (and usually white). There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but I want more.
I want to read about Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs. I want to read about people who grew up in a culture fundamentally different than my own, which was molded by their religion. Faith is obviously a big factor in many people's lives, and I think we, as writers, should do a better job of honoring that. From what I can tell, books are getting slightly more religiously diverse, but not by much. If you're committed to this, it can greatly expand your worldview, and will give readers something new, that I believe publishing still needs today. How does one write about a religion whose beliefs s/he isn't familiar with, without appropriating the character's culture?

1. Do extensive research. Read their sacred scripture(s) if possible, and study the religion's history.

2. Figure out the culture around their religion. Do people dress modestly? What do they talk about? What are their values? What separates them from similar religions or people? What's their daily life like? How much is their faith ingrained in their life?

3. Find blogs written by people actively practicing their faith. See if there's a place of worship anywhere nearby that you could visit for a service, if they're open to guests.

4. Talk to at least one person who is a believer about their religion. Make sure that your biases don't distort the information you get. Also, remember that it's only one person's view, and so that varies highly.

5. If possible, find someone from that religion who would be willing to read the book once it's ready to make sure it's an accurate representation of their faith.

If you have any other tips or suggestions for books with non-Christian main (or even side) characters, I'd love to hear them in the comments. 

7 Tips for Dealing with Rejection

You open up your email to find a form rejection, in simple black font. They thank you for submitting and wish you the best of luck with your writing. You glance at the email, slightly dazed. You'd anticipated this, but you had hope that they might accept it. Your rejections add up, a small pile of electronic apathy and "better luck next time". You wish it didn't sting, but it does. Because art is so often an expression of who we are and how we see the world, these rejections hit harder than others. Especially when you dedicate so much to your art, you feel insecure and overall not good enough. So, what do you do?

1. Delete the email and pretend that you never read it. As they say, ignorance is bliss. Okay, so this isn't the best coping mechanism. It works for a minute, though, until you start crying. (Good thing writers are never dramatic, huh?)
2. Remember that this is just one person's opinion. (Or one group of people's opinion, as it may be.) Just because they rejected it doesn't mean that it's awful and that you will never be a good writer and you are doomed to writing mediocrity all of your days.
3. Eat chocolate. Green tea also works well, although you could eat whatever you want if it makes you feel better. Exercising increases dopamine, which makes you feel happier.
4. Remember that while writing may be a big part of your life, it's not the only part of your life. So, try something different. Paint, or cook, or sleep more. Spend time with friends, or reading.
5. Accept that rejections are a part of a writer's life and hey, you might as well get used to it. Besides, you're one rejection closer to acceptance. Yay!
6. Remember that you are not your writing. You are not your writing. It's awesome that writing plays a part in your life, but it shouldn't determine your self-worth. It's okay to take a break from writing if it doesn't make you happy. You can always come back to it.
7. Read over said rejected work and see if there are any ways you could improve it.

Obviously, this isn't an exhaustive list, just tips I've gleaned from dealing with a glut of rejections in the past few weeks. If you have any other ideas, feel free to tell me in the comments!

Five Tips For Overcoming Jealousy

Recently, I've joined several online writing communities, comprised of Teenagers Who Are Serious About Writing. It's been really cool to read their writing, see how other creative people approach their work, etc. Lately, though, it's been getting to me.

It's not that they're shallow or self-absorbed or vindictive, from what I can tell. It's that their writing is consistently better than mine, in a way that mine simply doesn't match up. I love seeing them be successful, because who doesn't love other young artists doing awesome things and changing the world? At the same time, I wish I was that successful. Frankly, as a competitive, Type-A person, this stings.

Granted, I'm comparing myself to the people who are National Poets, the people who are Finalists in YoungArts (which means that out of 10,000 applicants, they're the top 1.5%), the people who start really cool literary magazines. They've been published in real literary magazines, (probably) been writing since birth, and been accepted to top universities because of their writing prowess. Obviously, these peers are a select few, and I know that most writers aren't up to this skill level at this age. However, I'm still jealous about how they seem to be doing all of these really amazing things, and I'm not.

The Internet has exacerbated this so that if you choose to, you can surround yourself with the highest-achieving, most mind-blowingly awesome writers. This is fantastic, but it can feel alienating when it seems like everyone else is getting traditionally published at the age of sixteen or has a literary agent or has, at least, finished more than one draft of a novel. This has made me feel inadequate, although at least I've kept writing.

In case you couldn't tell, this has been a personal struggle for me lately, so here are five tips about overcoming writer-jealousy (at least temporarily):

Congratulate the people you're envying. I'm sure that they'd like to know that you appreciate their work, since everyone likes compliments. Plus, as a young artist, you know that it feels like your voice isn't heard.

2. Do something different. Maybe paint, or take a walk, or scuba dive (okay, maybe not that last one). Try to stop focusing on the negative aspects of your work and take a break for a bit. It'll help, I promise.

3. Remember that not everyone is The Most Amazing and Prolific Novelist and Poet Goddess Ever by the age of eighteen. It's awesome if you are, and you're going to keep working on your craft, but if you aren't, it really shouldn't be the end of the world.

4. Come back to your writing. Again, you could try something different. Perhaps rhyming if you're into free-verse, or nonfiction if you mainly write poetry. I've written before about how poetry has helped me, even though I hadn't really thought of it as something I'd like, or something that I'd be good at.

5. Write a letter to yourself reminding yourself that you're more than your writing and your insecurities. Last night, I was really feeling the toll of this deluge of teenage writers doing amazing things I haven't done, and so I wrote myself a letter, on paper. Old-school, I know. I basically reminded myself that I'm still a good person, no matter what my literary accolades are, and that I write because I love writing, not out of sheer competitiveness.

Any tips I missed? How do you deal with jealousy so it doesn't cripple your work?

You Know What I Love? Waiting for Rejection

Every single person has a fear of rejection, including me. Despite this, in the last month, I've submitted to several journals and lit-mags, most of which are authored and edited by high-school or college-students. I've edited and fully overanalyzed my writing. I've perused the submission guidelines, even though they're all basically the same.  (Then to make sure, I perused them again.)

Last month, I entered the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and so I should hear back within the next month. Now, I get to wait. I'm going to focus on writing poetry, reading, maybe editing my novel, and writing some more creative nonfiction.

Deadlines are hard, but I'm fairly certain I submitted everything on time. Besides, the worst thing that can happen is that my writing isn't accepted into these certain publications at this exact point in my life.  Writing is incredibly subjective; one person's genius is another's stupidity. Even if it all goes terribly, I'll know that I tried, that I'm much better at writing than I was even two months ago, that there'll be some cookie-dough in the fridge if I need it.

Do you have any tips for not feeling bad about inevitable rejections?

The spaces between the words {poetry}

I've always found poetry to be bland. There, I said it. Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman: although these are all well-known, "good" poets, my exposure to poetry had always been in the form of memorizing poetry for school or from an anthology of "Great American Women Poets"; that is to say, unsettlingly bland. I'd never really understood their poetry, and so it felt impersonal, meaningless.

This past year, poetry changed for me. I read the daily poems on Poetry Daily, and browsed poets by subject on Poets.org. I listened to extremely awesome spoken-word artists. I tried to find a poem to recite for Speech (I'm in the Poetry category), something that I'd truly enjoy remembering. I read young poets' writing, like Peter LaBerge and Alicia Lai (seriously, go look them up, as they are epic). I began to love the poetry of poets such as Carmen Giménez Smith and Jorie Graham.

I internalized their poetry, read them over and over until they took on a meaning for me, until they embodied the listless minutes waiting for class to end, the ebb and flow of students rushing down the green-linoleum halls. Furthermore, as a Reader at Polyphony HS, I analyzed the poetry's inner workings, the tenuous -precarious- ligaments pulling together the poem, giving it structure and meaning.

  Poetry has such a capability to embody the human experience, even more so, than prose. As such, I decided that I'd write a poem every day, as a challenge. Only a few days in, I'm already scrambling for topics, ways to make the mundane interesting. This means yellow Post-Its littering my bookcase, handwritten fragments tossed in jumbled lines. This means a simmering realization that I'm writing in a style that's been used for thousands of years. This means I'm attempting an exercise in  understanding, to see just how well I know -and will know- myself and the world around me. A poem tries to define a moment, a life, a consciousness, which is exactly what makes it so powerful.                

Read a poem today; better yet, write one. You might like what you find.

Editing

I made a goal for myself this Christmas: to edit all of The Tinkers by the time I go back to school on the sixth. So far, I've edited about fifteen pages. This includes slashing scenes with blue and black pens, rewriting scenes, and feeling quite writerly. I've been using the Holly Lisle revision method, and so far it's been all right.

My writing set-up: pages unread on the left, my notebook in the middle, current pages on top of my computer' s keyboard.

The struggle I've been having hasn't been with the directions; those were quite clear and helpful. However, the beginning of the Tinkers is an absolute mess. It's understandable, as I wrote it nine months ago when I had no idea about what I was doing or, really, what my characters are like. As a result, I've been leaving myself notes in the margins and busily rewriting. 

A sample of what my pages look like after editing.

A few nights ago, I printed out my manuscript, some 110 pages, single-spaced. It's been slow going, but it feels good. Despite my avowed fear of editing (mainly revision) I rather like it. Now, back to my goal!

The Belgrave Daughter by Zara Hoffman

The Belgrave Daughter's about this sorceress, Fawn, who falls in love with a dark angel, Caleb when he's sent to attract her to the dark side.

This is the cover for TBG, surprisingly enough.

Although I don't like paranormal romances since what I know of that market's still swamped with Twilight knockoffs, I did enjoy this book. It was a light and easy read. All of the characters were well-developed, which I enjoyed. Caleb felt like a real guy, and Ivy, her best friend, seemed pretty realistic too. I also really liked how Fawn didn't act totally head-over-heels about Caleb, and focused on things other than her relationship during the story.


To me, the plot was bland, and I could basically predict the sequence of events. It seemed to me that Ms. Hoffman occasionally described the mundane parts of Fawn's life, especially in the exposition, but it picked up after that. However, TBG seemed like an original idea, which I liked. (I mean, who doesn't?) The writing was fast-paced, and it was a quick read. I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind paranormal and who wants an engrossing, older-YA-geared fantasy story about a teenage girl turned sorceress and her relationship with a "dark angel."  

I got an e-ARC from Zara in exchange for an honest review and book buzz.

If you want to connect with Zara, her website is here. She's a seventeen-year-old writer who, obviously, likes writing. She also likes singing, reading, hanging out with her friends and family, and playing with her dog.

Finishing NaNoWriMo and Editing

I won NaNoWriMo in 2013. At my lowest point, I was 13,000 words behind. The stresses of real life, extracurriculars, and more homework left my word-count lagging far behind. On the last day, a Saturday, I knew I was going to finish. I was 11,000 words behind, which would require 5.5 hours of solid writing. I was out all day doing family stuff, but I finally got to write at 9 PM.


I crammed, using Write or Die, and switched my time-zone so I could write past midnight without the server recognizing that and making me not a winner. (Tricky, I know. I can't take credit for this idea. A guy in my region helped me with it.) Finally, at about 2 AM, I validated and was victorious. My characters were messy, and my plot was basically nonexistent, as usual, but I wrote about 20,000 words more than I thought I'd be able to, so it's still a success. My reward for myself was these brownies. (Seriously, if you love chocolate, you have to try them. Store-bought will never be the same again.)


Since taking a break from my mostly-finished first-draft of BILC, I've been editing: creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. I'm submitting all of the above to the Scholastic Writing Awards, so that should be fun. I think I'll do well and, if I don't, there's always next year.


  When not writing novels, I've also had the pleasure to read Zara Hoffman's debut, The Belgrave Daughter. I'll be reviewing that tomorrow.

NaNoWriMo

It's that time of year again, where thousands of people try to write 50,000 words in a month. Again, I am one of them, with my YA semi-Christian novel, Before I Liked Converse. Cue the confetti! (No, save that for the end of the month.)

(As evidenced by the lightbulb thought-bubble, NaNo participants are just too awesome for words.)

This year, working on my novel hasn't been easy. I'm much busier, with extracurriculars several days a week, and several honors classes. It's the second day, and as of writing this, I'm 2,500 words behind. I'm just going to try to persevere the best that I can.

When I woke up this morning, I went downstairs and just wrote for about 30 minutes, writing 1,000 words in the process. Contemporary isn't easy for me, neither is writing pieces that take place in high-schools, so this has been a piece of cake. Even so, I forgot how freeing and incredibly fulfilling working on a long work of fiction can be. I'll be keeping track of my word-count with the word meter on the side in blue, cleverly titled "Before I Liked Converse." Because, you know, why not be original?

To novelling (or novelizing, as it may be) success!

Blog Tour: Becoming the Chateran

(Note: This is part of a blog tour. I've gotten to know S. J. Aisling through the GoTeenWriters Facebook group, and can wholly vouch for her awesomeness. Plus, newly published books are epic, so I wanted to spread the word.)

When will Becoming the Chateran be available for purchase, and where can I get it?

~ Becoming the Chateran will be available this December as an ebook and a paperback, and you can buy it via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the website of my publisher, Life Sentence/Aniko Press. In fact, you can preorder your own paperback copy now from the latter location - preordering it will up your chances of getting it in time for Christmas!

*Aniko Press, while a Christian-owned publisher, doesn't consider Becoming the Chateran to be Christian fiction (nor does Stacia), so it's not being marketed as such.



Where did you find inspiration to write Becoming the Chateran?

Years ago while studying medieval times in school, a friend of mine and I pretended we were knightesses (prince/princess, knight/knightess, right?). I was Rhea, and my friend was Hiylienea. We had so much fun with our fantastical adventures that I decided to write everything down so we could remember it all, and so doing created the first draft of Becoming the Chateran. The story has expanded and matured a lot since then, but all the major elements and characters of the original make-believe are still there.



Any hints as to what awaits in the rest of The Chateran Series?
Most of the characters from Becoming the Chateran will reappear throughout the rest of the series, as well as many new ones. I'm personally really excited for this second book of the series to come out, as it will tie up a several loose ends/foreshadowed events from Becoming the Chateran… as well as introducing new conundrums to tease you with. This second book features a shy minstrel girl, an awkward archer, a talking White Stag, revengeful Sídhe, enchained jewelry, and a civil war.



The Chateran Series is medieval fantasy. Have you been doing much research for writing it?

~ For the past seven years and counting I have lived half in this world, and half in that of this series. I've been walking around with a notebook all but attached to me, stuffed with notes about food, geography, clothing, character sketches, scene descriptions, and snatches of poetry and ballads. Tailoring myself costumes based off those my characters wear was one of the most amusing and insightful things I did, as I'd dress up in full rig to act scenes out in my back yard or parks before I wrote them, to make the action and descriptions as accurate as possible. I also tried my hand at archery and horseback riding, proudly became the owner of several encyclopedias on world costume and armor, and studied heraldry and the cultures of multiple medieval cultures. My father is a research scientist. I think it rubbed off on me.



Do you have any tips for fellow writers on staying focused on a story?

~ To me, staying driven to write a book depends on finding the happy medium between planning out what will happen and what they characters are like so you start out with good solid ground under you, and leaving enough out so that even you, the writer, is chaffing at the bit to find out what happens next.

Also, I feel too many writers start out by trying to write what they don't know about, and their lack of knowledge and interest is crippling. But do more than simply write what you know. Write what you are passionate about – readers are smart people, and they'll notice the conviction ringing through your story, and it will touch them as only fervent honesty can. And as a side perk, you're more likely to actually WANT to write, as it will be something you feel/believe strongly about. This automatically makes the whole process a lot easier.



 What did you find surprising about working with your publisher?
~ Aniko Press respected me fully as the illustrator and cover designer/creator. Writing and art have always gone hand in hand for me, so the thought that I might not be in control of the visuals of my book was frustrating. But this was not the case at all. They heard all my ideas and suggestions, and gave me plenty of freedom to illustrate my characters and scenes in the way they appear in my mind. I couldn't be happier!




 Who are some of your favorite literary characters (from which books) and why?
~ I'm just going to have to go with the first two who popped into my mind, because otherwise we'd be here a while. Puddleglum from C. S. Lewis' The Silver Chair (Book 5 of The Chronicles of Narnia): He's brave and hilarious, and ever the optimistic pessimist, always mentioning the worst thing that could happen in a failing attempt to make any bad situation somehow feel better. Another of my favorites is David Balfour from Robert Louis Stevensons' Kidnapped and it's sequel, Catriona. He's honest, somewhat awkward, always tries his best, and is just so utterly human. Not to mention he's Scottish…



Could you give a summary of other books you're working on?
~ Aside from the books following Becoming the Chateran in The Chateran Series, I'm also working on a stand-alone science fantasy/steampunk story called The Phoenix Thief, and Conductive, a sci-fi/paranormal trilogy.

The Phoenix Thief  is about a boy whose only key to his past is in an old notebook, a girl who knows everything about a world she is separated from, a man who lives for revenge, and a friendly automation of armor; a story of a city of machines, a forest of Reavers, and a very special bird.

 Conductive is mainly in it's planning stages, but I'm already quite obsessed with it's characters, the Conductives themselves. Conductives carry enough of the recessive Conductivity Strain to gather energy and store it in their bodies. But unless they learn to control and release the energy, life becomes a struggle, waiting for when the next big shock might come. The rise of visionaries intent on exploiting the Conductive condition to further their goals certainly doesn't make anything easier.

You can learn more about both The Phoenix Thief and Conductive at sjaisling.com.


 What's a crazy thing you've done in the name of writing?
~ I injured myself a while ago, and went into shock. Instead of freaking out and moaning for people to help me, however, I disregarded my bleeding limb and tried to haul myself to a pencil and paper, in order to write down what shock felt like so I could aptly describe it later in a book. As I was also laughing weakly at myself the entire time, I'm afraid I rather frightened everyone who saw me. I'm certain they thought my shock had escalated to delirium.

When Princess Rhea's actions inadvertently condemn innocent knights to death, she wakes to the hard reality that not even royalty is above the law. All her attempts to remedy the situation only complicate it, until she finds herself a fugitive in her own kingdom, having dragged her best friend into the trouble as well. Their only hope for pardon? To accompany Sir Paladin and Sir Zephen in serving their sentence:

Slay, or be slain by, the Dragons of Sama-Ael-Fen.

Travelling incognito, they meet with more malicious Phoenixes than could be coincidental, discover the mysterious disappearance of numerous citizens, and come face to face with a reawakened evil power. With the kingdom of Gemworthy oblivious to the connection of these dangers, it’s up to Rhea and her outlaw companions to stop the rising threat and redeem their names – if they can survive their quest.

~

As the rest of The Chateran Series progresses, the affect of Rhea’s actions and the battle with the Dragons of Sama-Ael-Fen reaches beyond Gemworthy’s borders. The Dragons’ mistress seeks revenge for the damage done to her plans of conquest. Amidst the chaos, Rhea and her companions join forces with a motley troop of other brave men and women, all united by their call to protect their countries and their loved ones. They must learn to overcome their differences, pasts, and fears, and take up the quest of the Scintillatearian Swords to answer the challenge of evil as the Order of the Chateran.

An encouraging tale of friendship, true nobility, and coming of age that young adult readers can relate to, Becoming the Chateran also features over forty illustrations created by the author.




Stacia Joy has always loved to tell stories and invent fictional lands and characters. But she never considered becoming a writer herself until age thirteen, when, inspired by a pretend play she invented with a friend, she wrote the first draft of Becoming the Chateran. The story has since expanded into what will become The Chateran Series. Stacia Joy also writes in several other genres, including steampunk and paranormal/science fiction, and occasionally writes poems about buffalo.

Wanting to show others what her imagined universe looks like, Stacia Joy taught herself to draw by studying the work of illustrators like Alphonse Mucha, Arthur Rackham, Kate Seredy, and Jan Brett. She also received training in illustration and graphic design at Madison Area Technical College, and plans to become a full-fledged freelance illustrator.

When not immersed in writing or art, Stacia Joy spends her time playing the piano and folk harp, composing music, Irish dancing, singing at the top of her lungs, and learning new things. She also enjoys helping with children's ministry at her church, and currently resides in the Madison, Wisconsin area with a kitten named Lord Peter Whimsey.

If you want to contact her, or learn more about her, you can use the following links:

Blog: sjaisling.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SJAislingAuthor

Twitter: twitter.com/sjaisling

Tumblr: sjaisling.tumblr.com

Writing Wrap-Up

You may have noticed that I haven't blogged recently (or rather, for about a month). However, it's been because I've been busy with other enticing writing. I've been working on my memoir, planning my NaNoWriMo novel, and sort-of editing The Tinkers ... But that's not all.

I'm on the NewsTeam of this awesome publication, ThreeSixty Journalism, a Minnesota-wide youth journalism nonprofit, operated out of the University of Saint Thomas. With the NewsTeam, I'm learning how to be a journalist, taking a once-a-week class on reporting basics from interviewing to personal essays. Eventually, I'll be published (and paid for publication) in their print (and online) magazine, published four times a year.

        They also have an Editorial Board, where all of the contributors meet once a month to pitch ideas for the next issue, which I could join in a few months. I've found the contributors' articles to be informative and accurate, so I'm really looking forward to joining the team. ThreeSixty's quite professional, with several editors, who have all worked in journalism themselves, a dedicated team of teenage journalists, and an outreach of more than 10,000 teens, through libraries, schools, and other youth organizations.


Additionally, I'm a first-reader with Polyphony HS, an international literary magazine written and edited solely by high school students. I read submissions that are assigned to me, and write comments, both positive and negative. Although most of the writing submitted is typical high-school writing, there's some pieces that are excellent.

        In finding specifics about what makes a piece excel or fail, and explaining those ideas in a diplomatic matter, I understand the craft so much more, and it's definitely helped my writing. In submitting to Polyphony, all writers get three different students' detailed feedback, much more than I've found at other literary magazines, as well as the standard chance for publication.

Here's to growing as a writer!

Writing Can't Always Happen

I've come to a startling realization, one that may surprise many of you: I can't do everything. I've accepted that, within school and other activities, I can't be perfect. As a total Type-A, I've grown used to juggling school, and sports, and writing, along with food, reading and sleep, and making it seem almost flawless.

This isn't so much an apology as an explanation. Right now, I only have myself to answer to; there aren't any editors or agents making sure I get the next part of my novel done, the next section of my memoir mapped out. Until now, this has worked well. I would just sit down at my clunky computer and write, or edit, and then it would be done.

After all, I've always had very high expectations to myself; if I tell myself I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. I'm normally very determined, passionate, and reliable. Lately, there hasn't been time.

Until this year, I didn't really realize what the words "college-preparatory" and "honors" actually meant. It's not that I've lost my passion; writing, and seeing as a writer, is so often on my mind. When I get home at seven at night, after playing tennis for two hours and being in school for seven hours, I still have a full load of homework to do. At this stage of my life, choosing writing over sleep isn't feasible right now. The other duties in my life don't just stop because I want to write for a little longer. I wish I had the luxury to write whenever I pleased, but I don't. At least I know what a full-time job and writing on the side is like.

Additionally, I have no idea what I'm doing. This is the first novel-draft that I've actually had the heart to edit, and the first memoir I've written. Although there are resources, both of these steps definitely aren't a one-size-fits-all. There aren't many memoir resources online, and editing is quite peculiar. I'm so glad I'm doing this, and it's harder than I thought.

I've been doing the best that I can, and it still isn't good enough. No matter how many times I switch my time-zone so it looks like I have an hour or two to write (tempting, I know), there are still only 24 hours in a day. (Yes, I am in honors math. Can't you tell?) I'm trying to avoid burnout, because that wouldn't be good for anything, or anyone, in my life. Sometimes, writing has to be on the back-burner.

Right now, I can't devote much time to writing. I've been taking an unintentional break, and just trying to see the world for whatever it is. I've never been one of those madly-holed-up-in-room writer types; I've been writing for almost two years, and it's always been something I've done late at night, once the day was done, typing out my thoughts and then sleeping. I don't continually isolate myself to write; I've always loved being busy in real life and then stepping back to write, to gain a further understanding of myself and the people around me.

As I've been delving into my memories, I've tried to take breaks and really get into the moment. Last night, on a walk I took, I made sure I noticed the glow of the lampposts on the streets, the jingle of my dog's leash, the pebbled texture of iron-wrought gates (yep, I touch other people's fences. Who doesn't?). I also found out that evergreens are really awful at high-fives. Who knew?

In all seriousness, in the past few weeks, I've realized that there isn't time for everything. More importantly, though, I don't always need to be writing or editing something to be in a writer's state of mind. I get so focused on achieving my goals that sometimes I don't realize that realistically, it doesn't always happen, at least not with the time constraints I give myself.  I've got time, just not now. For now, this is the best I can do. (In the meantime, don't expect any quality writing or planning from me. And just so you know, I shirked finishing a history assignment early to write this. Case in point.)

The Virtues of Imagination: My New Book, Revealed

While I've decided to take a break on my much-beloved novel, I've started a new chapter in my life. As you may know, towards the end of my first draft I get a Brilliant Book Idea, and the last draft was no different. So, this one's pitch is: A Midwestern girl finds herself in the midst of adjusting to her newly-adopted brother, her twin sister's medical issues, and her relationships as she finds out where she can truly put her trust. (Barely functional, current pitch.) Sound familiar? It's about me! Its a bit of an adjustment to write. It even involves remembering, for extended periods of time. Who comes up with this stuff? Crazy, isn't it? Anyways, I digress.

In addition to starting sophomore year, I somehow concluded that I would be the perfect person to write a memoir. Of course, if you'd asked me at that time, I would've given some answer like, "I think it's cool. Plus, life is awesome." Which, of course, is still true, but it's not the full truth.

I've lived an interesting life, but it's been hard. People struggle more than you'd think, whether physically or mentally, and I've only lived fifteen years. However, those years have been fraught with death and  life and love and tears. I've learned just how crazy adoption, and its resulting uncertainty, can be, the meaning of a fresh start (wanted or not), and how to force-feed my twin sister sugar so she stays alive. All of those, by the way, are true. I did tell you I was unconventional.

I've begun writing my memoir, but it'll take me a while. So far, I only have about 3,000 words, though I am working on it, diligently enough for the GTW (Go Teen Writers) 100-for-100 challenge. I'll work on it between edits and drafts for my novels, and the first draft should be completed within a year. Through all of my life, there have been defining events, though the past few have been particularly formative.  I hope as I continue the narrative, a story will take shape. It always has in the past. (You know you're a pantser when you don't know how the story's going to go in your own memoir.)

Although I'm still a novice at the art of memoir (and how well I've learned that in the past two weeks), I've realized one key difference: writing becomes a lot harder when you can't just make stuff up.

Katia

P.S. Isn't my wisdom so brilliant? By the way, once I start editing, I'll be interspersing novel- and memoir- posts, as well as the very occasional book review. Enjoy!

Something Like Hope

                17-year-old Shavonne has been in juvenile detention since the seventh grade. Mr Delpopolo is the first counselor to treat her as an equal, and he helps her get to the bottom of her self-destructive behavior, her guilt about past actions, and her fears about leaving the Center when she turns 18. Shavonne tells him the truth about her crack-addicted mother, the child she had (and gave up to foster care) at fifteen, and the secret shame she feels about what she did to her younger brother after her mother abandoned them.

Meanwhile, Shavonne’s mentally unstable roommate Cinda makes a rash move, and Shavonne’s quick thinking saves her life—and gives her the opportunity to get out of the Center if she behaves well. But Shavonne’s faith is tested when her new roommate, mentally retarded and pregnant Mary, is targeted by a guard as a means to get revenge on Shavonne. As freedom begins to look more and more likely, Shavonne begins to believe that maybe she, like the goslings recently hatched on the Center’s property, could have a future somewhere else—and she begins to feel something like hope.

                I don’t normally read books like this. That is the understatement of the year. After all, who mostly reads about messed-up teenage girls in juvenile detention facilities? Anyway, I digress. The characters were amazing. Even though I have no personal experience with this, Shavonne’s voice captivated me. She was a really strong protagonist, and the side-characters were good as well. I empathized greatly with several of the characters; when you’re in there, everything can, and probably does, seem hopeless. The plot wasn’t predictable, and it was a page-turner. Also, for a middle-aged white guy, he writes black teenage girls really well. The voice was completely accurate. (I assume his background as a school psychologist helped.)

                This isn’t an easy book to read. There’s a lot of swearing, and they all had pretty rough pasts. The characters were so real.  This is a book that makes you think. If you like contemporary or books about detention centers (or even if you don’t), I’d highly recommend it. SOMETHING LIKE HOPE gives an amazing glimpse into the struggles that people nationwide face every day.

The End

This morning, I finished the first draft of The Tinkers. It’s 63,950 words, and 110 pages of single-spaced awesomeness. I’m so glad to finally be done with the first draft, since I’ve been working on it since January and towards the end, I was ready to be done. Still, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic.

Even though at the beginning I had very little plot and cardboard characters, by last night some of the problems were smoothed out and it’s a better read. Not good yet, maybe, but better. I’ve spent so much time in Dem’s head, being sarcastic and grown-up and awesome. The Tinkers was my go-to project; whenever I had a few minutes or an hour to spare, I’d sit down and tell a little more of his story. I’m sure it’s been subconsciously shaped by whatever I’ve been going through as well, so that’ll be interesting to see.  Good thing none of my betas are psychologists, eh?

This is a plot web that I made when I was nearing the end.

As I’ve said so often, writing isn’t easy, especially when you lose 30,000 words due to not backing-up, but the sense of accomplishment one gets is crazy. I’ve been focusing on finishing so much that I’ve neglected blogging, and while I do enjoy blogging, I think the story’s stronger for it. Sure, there are still plot holes and bland characters, but at the end of the day, I wrote a novel, running mainly on chocolate and adrenaline. Now I just have no idea what to do with myself until I can go back and edit it. I’m missing my characters so much. I may have to write my own fan-fiction just to keep myself occupied. J

I will resume blogging this week, and share more character posts and excerpts from The Tinkers in the next few weeks, while I’m giving it a break. I’ve learned a lot about myself through writing this, and whatever happens to it, I’m a better writer for it. And I’ve learned that paralyzing drugs do, indeed, exist.

The Tinkers Excerpt

I haven't posted an excerpt in a very long time, as I've been preparing to finish my novel. Now, with only 10k left, my secrets can be revealed.
Ahem.
I'd love to hear what you think, but keep in mind that this is a first draft, so I will be making it better in the next few months.

***

"I'm--"

"What, Luria?"

"I'm not going to be a Captive," she vows.

"Well, neither will I." We run faster, faster, until we can't hear [the Guards'] footsteps anymore. We dodge through hallways and offices, hoping they won't find us. My heart races. Finally, I see the exit sign glowing in the distance. I sprint towards it, my sides burning. Luria pants, sprinting beside me. I reach the door and press on it, my muscles weary and nervous with adrenaline. Luria's pale eyes glow. We run through the door into a shock of bitter fall air, and then the alert comes.

My watch buzzes. I stop for a minute, just to look at it. I read the message.

"No."

Luria smiles bleakly. "It's true." She pulls her hair back, her face red and flushed from the ride.

"Guess we'd better turn ourselves in."

"I won't."

I nod. "Well, I won't either."

"I knew you wouldn't," Luria says. She shudders, slightly. Goosebumps rise on her arms.

The fear hangs in the air, almost tangible. What if? They'll be coming for us soon. We've got to hide, do something. It doesn't matter. They'll find us anyway. But still. Still.

Overcoming Temptation

It’s easy to succumb. Too easy. Just like it’s easy to get distracted with social media, blogs, reading, and checking your email. Some days, writing feels like it’s the worst thing in the world. You sit down at your computer and suffer from yet another case of blank-page syndrome. Plus, your keyboard is completely unreliable and most likely misses several letters. You have no idea if a plot even exists, the characters seem bland, and the story doesn’t seem to matter.

But it does. Those minutes spent hacking away at your novel are painful, yes, and maybe you do have plot deficiencies, and your characters could be more multifaceted, and right now that’s not going to happen. That’s disappointing, true, but you should still continue. Yeah, Facebook can be a lot more fun than trying to outline a coherent plot, but at the end of the day, Facebook doesn’t matter like your story does. It can be incredibly frustrating, but when you look back at what you’ve done a year from today, Farmville won’t matter. Your novel will.

So, maybe you’ve been procrastinating. No one’s going to force you to write, so you have to make yourself. You have the willpower, so why don’t you write? My characters aren't good. I'm too busy. So many other writers are better than me. Excuses. It doesn’t have to be good, and it doesn’t even have to have a point. If you’re a writer and you’ve read this far, you’d better write something down.

You say you write novels, so why are you stopping yourself? It doesn’t take much, just a few minutes a day. You say you’re a writer, so you should write.

 That is, if you think it’s worth it. I think it is. Make the choice today. 

2013 TeenInk NYC Writing Camp

When I signed up for this camp, I thought it was going to be a bunch of teenage girls geeking out and writing for two weeks at Juilliard, which was true, but it was so much more. Most of the girls I met (and got to know) were really cool and unique, as well as awesome writers. I mean, how often do you meet amazing people your age who read and write for fun?

It was so cool to connect with them, whether through sharing our writing, writing together (and laughing and telling stories and dancing in the rain), or having nightly discussions about life, philosophy, and the crazy world of professional ballet. I didn't get too much sleep, but I already knew that going in, and everything that we did was really cool (with great company) so I didn't mind.

The writing classes were really thought-provoking as well, and I got some good writing done while at the program. Although I'm not a big fan of sightseeing, it was still cool. After all, we were in New York. The chaperones were all very nice, while strict. We were chaperoned constantly, which did feel stifling at times, but it worked out well, and it was definitely a safety thing.

The plays we got to see and the writers we got to talk to were so inspiring. The New York Times visit was my favorite. We got to talk to five different editors/ journalists, and then listen in on a "Page One" meeting, where the heads of each department talked about the article they thought should go on the front page, and made the decision towards the end.

In case you're wondering, the furniture in the dorms possesses the amazing ability to creak every time you breathe, let alone move. As for the food, well, Juilliard isn't exactly a culinary school. However, everything else was awesome, and I loved it. The trip is expensive, but I’d highly recommend it. For me, it was the trip of a lifetime.

Au Revoir

                For those who don’t know, I’m going to an amazing writing camp for the next two weeks, and flying in this morning to stay with my aunt until the program starts. I was one of about 40 girls who was chosen for the program, the awesome Teen Ink writing camp in New York City. There are girls from all over the country, and several international as well. We’ll be going to plays and talking to authors and having hours of writing time every day, basically my dream camp. I’m psyched.

                However, because we can’t have computers, this means I cannot blog. I’ll update you all once my exciting adventure has passed (hopefully with photos, too), and I'll resume blogging once my life has returned to its normal orderly chaos. Thanks for listening!

Selling Out

A few weeks ago, my aunt and I were listening to the radio. A popular song came on by a former American Idol contestant, and she was telling me how she liked the song. I replied, “Yeah, but I wish he wrote his own songs.”

            Their main role as singers is to perform, true, but if they’re being called artists, it should be about the art. It seems sad to me that the vast majority of singers don’t even write their own songs. If you’re given a song promised to be a top hit and you sing it without meaning, wouldn’t it feel inauthentic?

            I have a heightened respect for those who actually take part in writing their own songs. Even though they evoke the same emotions, there’s a difference. The songwriter actually feels those emotions and has participated in those experiences; they make it real. Although I know you can coax emotions easily, and many people do, wouldn’t it be better to feel the emotions that you’re singing about, to have poured out your thoughts in a song?

As I ranted, my aunt looked at me and said coolly, “People sell out in writing, too.” As she explained it, I saw the truth in her words. If you go traditional, once you get an agent and editor, you’re going to have to make changes, some of which you won’t necessarily like. Maybe your characters need to be less direct . Maybe the moral of the story gets dumbed down. This isn’t always the case, but publishing is a business. And as much as the publishing team wants you to succeed, they also want the book to sell. This is commercial, after all.

            Or maybe this isn’t the case. Maybe you hire a ghost-writer because you don’t want to deal with your drafts anymore, and they change the story too much, but then it sells. Maybe your first book goes really well, but when you propose a new idea for the next book, they change it until it isn’t yours. Or maybe when you self-publish, your readers don’t like the plot and urge you to write something that would be easier to read. Or they want the love interest to change to reflect current trends, as opposed to being the strong character you’d created.

            Any road you take, it’s not easy. There will always be someone who wants to change who you are, what your book is, as my aunt showed me. Sometimes, it’s easy, too easy to go with that choice, the choice that will make it salable. But don’t sacrifice your story. Of course, it’s easy for me to say that, when I don’t have to make this decision. Maybe I will sacrifice my writing to get published, but as for right now, I’m going to write the best book I can and keep my novel’s message intact. As Shakespeare wrote, “To thine own self be true.”