A Royal Wedding To Take The Edge Off

I woke up bright and early this morning, turned the TV in my bedroom to BBC, and glued myself to it. I've told you before I'm not the most romantic person out there, but, believe me, I was excited for the royal wedding. (To give you a rough idea of just how excited I was, I watched nearly twenty minutes of the ceremony before realizing I hadn't even gotten up to use the bathroom yet. Luckily, the choir started singing soon after, so I had a moment to dash off.)

The love William and Kate have for one another is just beautiful. They're an adorable couple and I hope they have many, MANY wonderful years together.

With all the turmoil going on in the world, I think a big happy occasion like this is exactly what we needed. I know it did wonders for me.

It really took the edge off, even if it was just for a few hours.

As writers, we stress out about a lot of thing. It seems like there's always something weighing on our minds, be it writer's block, defiant MCs, or one of those pesky "I suck" moments that pop up from time to time.

I can't count the number of times I've come close to snapping my keyboard in half. (Figuratively, of course.) And every time, Travis turns my chair around so I'm facing away from the screen and tells me firmly (as firm as possible when it comes to Trav) that I "need to relax."

I'll fight him tooth and nail, saying things like, "Relaxing won't get my book written" and "That's not going to help anything!" Y'know what, though?

I'm wrong.

A stressed writer usually isn't a good one. (Unless you're writing a particularly violent fight scene, in which case, go for it!) When you're up in a tizzy, your writing will reflect that. I know--I've tossed plenty of scenes I pumped out under stress.

Don't try to push yourself through it. The best thing you can do is step away from your WIP for a while and find something that will relax you. Take a long walk (wear comfy shoes while doing so. I did this the other day and came back with three blisters on my heels from my boots...needless to say, it didn't help), soak in a warm bath, read a few chapters from a good book, watch your favorite movie or TV show. Hell, if you have to, just throw yourself down in bed for a little while.

Whatever it takes to untangle that heap of nerves.

When I'm feeling stressed, I take a few hours off and play the Sims 3 or watch movies with my family or just screw around on the internet. Once I've cooled down, I can usually get back to work without a problem.

What do you do when you're too stressed to write?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

P.S. I'm sorry for my being so absent from blogger lately. I'll be back on track soon.

Oh! And I was planning to write a post on Say Anything today, but the wedding distracted me. It'll be up on Monday!

What To Do With All These Ideas: I'm Still Learning

Do you ever feel like your head is about the split open from all the ideas you've got building up? I know I do.

I've got tons of ideas.

For DARK WATER.

For OPHELIA and BROKEN and their sequels.

For millions of new stories that are begging to be written.

Just the other day, I was watching an instructional video on YouTube and before I was even two minutes in, I'd come up with an idea for a new story. Before the video was over, I had a prologue and the first chapter outlined in my head. And the sad thing is, I was so excited about this new idea, I decided to write down everything I had so far and dedicate myself to starting it right after I finish DARK WATER.

Why is that sad, you ask?

I also planned to rewrite OPHELIA after finishing DARK WATER.

Yeeeeeah....

I want to get OPHELIA written, but this new story (its tentative title is CAGED by the way) is really calling my name.

And that's not the only thing I've "dedicated" myself to working on after DARK WATER.

In fact, here's what my "to be written" list looks like in no particular order:

-OPHELIA rewrites

-OPHELIA sequel

-BROKEN sequel(s)

-Possible DARK WATER sequel (and maybe a prequel as well)

-CAGED

-YA psychological thriller (tentative title: IN HER HEAD)

-YA dystopian (HOME BASE)

-YA fantasy (HOUSE OF DOGS)

I'm determined to write all of these one day--it's all a matter of finding the time.

But not being able to find the time right now is just killing me.

I blame it on all the instant gratification in our society. In the iAge, things happen now and they'd better do it quickly. I mean, I get huffy when there's a two minute load time on the Sims. Writing doesn't work like that.

(This is completely off topic, but I just got the weirdest sense of deja vu while typing that paragraph. Dunno why.)

Of course, assessing blame doesn't help a damn thing. (It sure makes me feel better, though.)

It's up to me to fix...well, myself.

My mindset.

I've been writing for a while now and I've learned a lot.
But I've still got some learning to do.

I'm learning to prioritize and be patient.

Right now, my top priority is, naturally, finishing DARK WATER. Everything else has to wait.

When I do finish and get it polished up, I'm going to take a few days and think really hard about which project I want to start next.

When I was younger, I never finished stories because I didn't have any priorities and no patience to speak of. I'd start a story, write about thirty-five or forty pages in, then get sidetracked by a "fresher" idea and never come back to it again.

Over the years, I've also learned if you're going to start something, finish it.

And when that something is writing a book, you'd better believe you're going to put in a lot of time and hard work. You've got to be determined. 'Cause there are few things more satisfying than leaning back in your chair after you've typed that last word and taking what feels like your first real breath since you started.

And you know what? Despite how this post looks, I'm not complaining about all my ideas. Creativity is a blessing.

My mom (hi, mom! I know you're reading this) often says she's not the "artsy type." I see real amazement when I tell her my ideas "just come to me." I'm lucky to have that. (I'm definitely not going to complain about an over-abundance of ideas when so many other writers are suffering from crippling writers block and have no ideas to speak of.)

That being said, I've also come to realize that first idea usually isn't the "one."

I'm not saying you can't roll with a loose plot idea or small glimpse of the story/characters. If you're that type of writer, more power to you. But after you get passed the initial "just-jumped-into-cold-water" rush of starting a new story, take a step back, look at your plot summary (no matter how loose it may be), and ask yourself, "Can I do better? Is there a more creative route to travel?"

These last few months, I've spent a lot of time staring at my ceiling and digging down into my creative well.

I mean, a big part of the reason I love writing fantasy so much is because I'm free to break away from the reins of reality. Why not use that to its full potential? (While keeping the "just because it's fantasy doesn't mean it can slaughter logic" rule in mind, of course.) Not to say you shouldn't try to be equally creative if you don't write fantasy--you've just got to go about it in a different way. (I don't know what that way is. My creative process is pretty exclusive to fantasy/urban fantasy/dystopian right now.)

And that leads my to the last lesson I've learned recently. Never stop pushing yourself.

Writing is an art. The longer you work at it, the more time you spend practicing and pushing yourself, the better you'll get. And believe me, no matter how good you are now, you can always do better.

On that note, here's a little preview of my next Musical Inspiration post:

(It'll be along the same lines as Oh Boy, Do I Love Ludo.)

What about you?

What lessons have you learned over the years?
Do you ever have idea overloads?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES

This Post Is For The Lulz

Oh, look! Another post on Saturday!

Don't worry, this one won't amount to anything. I'm just hoping to make a couple of people laugh and maybe brighten up someone's weekend a little :)

First off, this video:

Here's a similar video the Air Force did a while back:

I really enjoy seeing the troops have a little fun.

Now for a little dose of cute:
(Skip to the 1:00 mark for MEGA CUTENESS.)

Ticklish penguins--that's so cute it should be illegal.

Here's another dose of adorable. A father and son are debating whether to walk or take a the car and...well, you'll see.
(It's in Spanish, but there are subtitles, so no worries.)

Teehee.

And here are a few more pictures from my Lulz folder.

ENJOY THE LULZ, LOVELIES!

Word Economy? What The Heck Is That?

I hope that's true...'cause I've been away from Twitter and Blogger for a while now. Sorry! :(

I don't like leaving the blogosphere for days at a time (which is why my last post was on a Saturday, even though I don't usually blog on the weekends), but things have been crazy-hectic for me lately. (That's a nice way of saying I was really, REALLY scatterbrained for a few days.)

Annnnnyway...

There's a legend among writers that says Ernest Hemingway once bet a group of other writers he could pen an entire story--beginning, middle, and end--in only six words. The result?

For sale: baby's shoes. Never worn.

I'm not sure whether or not there's any truth to the legend, but it's awesome either way. Whoever wrote it is a freaking genius--be it Hemingway, or another writer whose name has been lost to time. My hat is off to you, Mr. (or Mrs.?) Mysterious Baby's Shoes Writer.

But what's all that got to do with today's post? Simple--today, I want to talk about word economy, a phrase I first heard back in February courtesy of a very helpful email from the wonderful Jodi Henry of Turning the Page.

Word economy refers to cutting away unnecessary words and phrases, leaving only those that add meaning and impact to the story. Baby's Shoes is the perfect example. Six words is one hell of a constriction--I know I probably couldn't write an entire story with only a handful of words. But Hemingway took six words and turned them into a very poignant story. (I had to explain to Travis why it was so moving. Hint hint, the baby most likely died.)

I think about that story a lot. Why? It helps me remember every word I write should mean something. If a word doesn't add anything, it needs to go. (The same can be said of sentences, paragraphs, and even entire scenes.)

So, what sort of things should you avoid?

--That
It was pounded into my head long ago to avoid "that" like it was a brain-eating alien from Neptune. Now, my skin crawls every time I see it pop up unnecessarily. (And it's not just in books. EVERY unneeded "that" gets to me.)

Example:
I didn't know that she was in town.
I didn't know she was in town.

--Very, Really, Totally, Slightly, and the likes
You can't see it, but I'm hiding my head in shame right now. (Man, those three years of keyboarding class are coming in handy.) I'm so guilty here.

Yeah, that's me right now. I throw these into my writing all the time, thinking it gives everything a nice, conversational tone, then end up thwacking myself in the face with my keyboard during editing. (For more on my editing antics: After A Moment, I Had A Little Bit Of A Headache -- Editing Hangover.)

Example:
She's really a great person.
She's a great person.

A slight blush rose to her face.
A blush rose to her face.

--Repetitive wording
Have you ever seen someone write "And also"?
I have. I nearly fell out of my chair.
I've also read "pale and white," "completely annihilate," and "crimson red." Pale and white are synonyms, as are red and crimson. To annihilate something means you've completely destroyed it. You only need one of those words to get your point across.

--Adverbs, Adjectives, and Modifiers
This ties in with "very," "really," and the likes, and let me tell you--I've pretty much (unnecessary wording alert!) withdrawn into my shirt like a turtle out of pure, unbridled shame. (See what I did there?) This is a sin I just can't seem to shake. They trick you into thinking they're helping your writing, when they're actually hurting it. They lend themselves to telling, and as we all know, telling is a writer's worst enemy.

Example:
She narrowed her eyes bitterly.
She narrowed her eyes.

He looked at her tenderly from across the room.
He gazed at her from across the room.

--Held in my hand/heartbeat in my chest
This is another thing I constantly have to remind myself not to do. "In my hand" and "in my chest" are empty phrases. The reader can assume if your character is holding something, they're doing so with their hands...unless your character was raised by monkeys and has been known to hold thing with their toes, or something weird like that.

--Just
I have a not-so-secret love affair with the word "just." I mean, look at my blog! I use it all over the place. I looked into it and I've got 260 mentions of the word "just" in DARK WATER. (Eek. Those are definitely getting cut in editing.) But it's usually an empty word. It doesn't do anything but laze around and take up space in your WIP.

Example:
Sarah just knew something wasn't right.
Sarah knew something wasn't right.

These things usually clutter up your writing. Sometimes, they're unavoidable, but more often than not, you can omit them, or better yet--replace them with something stronger.

Have you got anything I should add to the list?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

*Don't worry about word economy if you're working on a first draft. All this comes into play during editing.

**Also, I'm not saying you have to strip your writing of all these things. Y'know how I rant a lot about "finding the right balance"? Yeah, that applies here.

Writing Romance--It's My Kryptonite

It's no secret that I'm not the most romantic person out there. I watch my fair share of sunsets while sighing and saying, "Isn't that beautiful?" but I'm about as romantic as this panda.

(Bad pickup line panda, everyone. *applause*)

Anywho--the point is, writing romance doesn't come easy for me. And when I say romance, I mean dreamy talk and gazing into each other's eyes and stuff like that. I'm fine with "raunchy." (As raunchy as YA gets, anyway.) Writing make-out scenes and piling on the sexual tension are a cinch for me. But actual romance?

Pssh...

In fact, a scene came up in DARK WATER recently that was full of romantic talk and I was stuck on it for three days. I was practically banging my head on the keyboard by the time I finally finished. (Every time Travis asked me what was wrong, I told him "mushy crap.") When I finally got through it, I didn't like what I had, but I was so happy to be done with it, I left it as is and moved on to bigger, more action-packed things.

When writing romantic scenes, I should feel like this:

(Lol. I wasted a lot of time doodling this crap for you guys.)

But this is actually how I feel:

And when you feel like rage-quitting all over the place, you're definitely not writing good romance. I blame the fact that I don't have a romantic bone in my body. Okay...that's a lie--I've got a couple romantic bones, but they're small and spongy.

But that's not going to cut it if I want to write love stories. (And I do.) So, I guess I'm going to have to up my calcium intake. (In a weird, metaphorical sense, anyway.)

What does that entail, exactly?

Well, for starters, I'm going to learn to pay close attention to the romantic parts. Not to say I skip romantic parts or throw them out immediately after reading them or anything like that. I'm just more interested in...well, we've been over my intense love of action scenes before. From now on, I'll be all but taking notes on the romance I read.

I'm planning to reread a couple old favorites and at least one I remember being not so great. This will help me get an idea of what kind of lovey-dovey stuff tugs my heartstrings and what makes me want to gag myself with a spoon.

I'm also going to buy a few new romance novels. I don't think an explanation is needed here. We all (should) know a little fresh reading is always a great thing. (Seriously. Read. All the time.)

To work myself out of the crippling corniness that plagues my romantic dialogue, I'm going to get Travis to read it with me in script form. Basically, I'll play one character, he'll play the other, and the every piece of dialogue that makes one of us bust out laughing gets some major surgery. This will probably help my little melodrama problem too.

Drabble, drabble, drabble. Drabble is defined by most (the greater interweb community, anyway) as a story, usually a piece of fanfiction, that's only 100 to 200 words long. I define drabble as "those practice stories I type up that are usually complete and utter crap, but it doesn't matter because no one will ever have to see them." I'm going to take every one of my characters that's ever been or will ever be romantically involved with one another and write random practice scenes. (Should be fun for my characters.)

All in all, I'm pretty sure this little regiment should really help me not suck so much at romance.

Now! Back to my action scene!

Have you got any tips on writing good romance?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Wait?! I'm Allowed to Make Up Words?

I saw THIS VIDEO recently* (I'd post it here directly, but apparently Yahoo's videos hate me) about how Shakespeare supposedly made up an estimated 1,600 of the 17,000** words he used. (I saw 1,700 quoted on another site and 3,000 somewhere else, so I'm not really sure about the exact number. 1,600 is just what they say in the video.)

Some of those words include:

-Amazement

-Bloody

-Critical

-Dwindle

-Exposure

-Frugal

-Gloomy

-Hurry

-Indistinguishable

-Lonely

-Majestic

-Obscene

-Premeditated

-Radiance

-Suspicious

I've done a little bit of looking into the matter, and while I can't be sure if Shakespeare actually coined these words or if his usage was just the earliest written record of them, it seems to be commonly accepted that he made them up.

So that's what I'm going to talk about today.

Now, not only did I stare in awe of the long list of words ol' Billy (allegedly) came up with right off the top of that glorious bald head of his, I also burned my dictionary in the kitchen sink while laughing hysterically and cheering, "Why didn't anyone tell me that was okay?!"

Alright...I didn't do that last thing. But only because I'm not sure how the market (that's what I pretentiously call the writing community. Lol at my lameness) reacts to made up words these days. Do any of you know?

If I were pressed for an answer, I'd say it isn't cool. I mean, can you imagine if a bunch of writers were throwing words they just came up with into their stories? I guess you could try to go off context clues, but I still see that being very confusing.

Was it confusing when Shakespeare did it? Did some of the people in his audiences raise their eyebrows at those words?

  

And just how did those words go about becoming a part of day-to-day vocabulary? Is it like the weird-ass slang that gets used today? (Y'know, one jerkwad says it and it catches on with all the other jerkwads in a 30,000 mile radius. I think they might have a special newsletter just for douchebags...)

Also, if he did coin all these words, can you imagine a world in which he didn't? Would those words not exist?

As you can probably tell, I've got a lot of questions about all this.

Oh, hey! Look at that--I just stumbled onto a fairly recent word someone made up.

Refudiate: v. to reject or refuse.

You can't see it, but my right eyebrow is raised so high it's pretty much off my forehead. I probably won't be using that.

Now, who did you say made it up?

Pfffffft.

Now, I never speak politics with anyone...which is good, because Sarah Palin isn't a politician. She was obviously a reality TV star trapped in a politician's body. And since all that's been cleared up and she's now sitting on her rightful throne as queen of ***the worst thing on TV Sarah Palin's Alaska, let me just say...

Pffffffffffffffffttt.

And I only "pft" because she went on to compare herself to...

William Shakespeare.

Yeah, that pretty much mirrors my reaction perfectly.

Friends, please believe me when I say, DON'T DO THAT! Never, ever, ever, EVER compare yourself to one of the greatest wordsmiths to ever live. It makes you look incredibly pompous.

Now, for the record, all Mrs. Palin said is "Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!" So she didn't actually compare herself to Shakespeare.

Nope--technically speaking, she played the very old and very tired "he did it, so can I" card.

Don't do that either. Just because a master did something, doesn't mean you can do it. We're all still apprentices, grasshopper. Maybe when you're a huge hit and your name is known worldwide, you can use that card. (Maybe.)

But that's a topic for another day! For now: made up words.

Recent additions to the Oxford Dictionary include: LOL, OMG, and <3. (Yes, <3 is now in the dictionary as a verb meaning "to love." I'm so going to start saying, "I less than three you.") Wow...the "words" we're coming up with kinda suck. Shakespeare gave us "rant" and all we can pump out is freaking LOL?

Maybe we don't need to try making up words after all...

Buuuut...in one of the drafts of BROKEN, I used the word "douchebaggery." Yeah, not a word. It's not in the current draft, but if I could find a way to fit it back in, I would. I didn't invent this word (it's pretty common gamer slang) and the meaning is...fairly clear, so I think things like that should be okay.

All in all, if you want to use make up words in your WIP, I say go for it under the conditions that it A) is easy to pronounce, B) sounds pleasant when said aloud, and C) has a clear meaning.

Have you ever used a made up word in your WIP?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

*I realize this Shakespeare stuff isn't anything new...but I'm just finding out. Don't blame me, blame my crappy high school English teacher for never telling me.

**Am I the only one that thinks 17,000 is a ridiculously low number? Is that right? Only 17,000?

***I've got nothing against Sarah Palin. If you happen to be Sarah Palin, I KEED, I KEED! Really, though, I've never seen a single episode of the show and therefore can't pass true judgement on it.

Skye, Ophelia, Vidette, & Me--Best Frenemies Forever

Do you ever feel like your relationship with your MC is on a roller coaster designed by Charlie Sheen? (So...it's winning? No! It does speed, of course!) Tell me I'm not the only one out there who loves their MC one day and wants to choke the ever-living shit out of them the next? I'm not...right?

(Someone tell me I'm normal!)

I mean, I love them all to pieces. But sometimes I could just...grrrr--I wanna--

Yes! Exactly! Well said, BluntCard.com.

(That website is hilarious. And vulgar, so if you mind that kinda stuff, you probably don't wanna click that link.)

Let's look at these one at a time, shall we?

First up, Skye Hatton of BROKEN, standing tall with "first WIP" status.

Sasha Pieterse

(Why, yes, I am showing off my celebrity inspiration again >:D)

Me and Skye go way back. The two of us have walked a long road of self-discovery together. She stood loyally by my side through my craptastic attempts at a first draft and the dozens of edits and rewrites that followed. In a weird way, we're like best friends. ('Cept one friend isn't real and the other's sole purpose is to cause the first pain and suffering for the good of "the story." Yeah, y'know--best friends.)

But because she's been around so long, she has a tendency to pop up where she's not wanted. She influences poor Vidette from time to time. Translation: I slip into the habit of writing her with my other MCs. This isn't really her fault, though--it's mine. I guess after you've been working with a character as long as I have with Skye, writing them becomes like second nature. I've got to work myself out of that, especially since Vidette isn't anything like Skye.

Another complaint I have with Skye is...well, she's bitchy. And not just in the "I wanna take control of your story" way. Nooo--deep down in the core, her character is kind of a bitch. She's got what I guess you could call a short fuse and it doesn't take much to light it. That's my one real worry for her. She might come off as too...sandpapery. That could make her unlikeable in the long run.

(I don't find her unlikeable, but I could be biased...)

Stepping up next, Ophelia Kierse of OPHELIA, wielding the "first creation" card.

Taylor Momsen

Me and Ophelia go even farther back than me and Skye. I created her way back in 2006. (That's practically ancient in internet years, you know.) Besides the twins who are taking over narration of the sequel to OPHELIA, she's probably my earliest creation. But, unlike Skye, I've only been writing Ophelia since last year. Strange as it seems, she's just been living in my head, waiting for her time to shine.

Because she's been waiting so patiently for so long, I almost feel like I still don't know her yet. I know her story, I know everything that's going to happen to her. But she's still a stranger, despite having called my mind home for the last five years. I'm thinking the total overhaul I've got planned for her story will help sort all that out. I'll have more time to work with her and get to know her true character. I'm especially excited because I've always wanted to do a dystopian and tackling it with one of my first creations should extra-fun.

Last, but not least, here comes Vidette Reichhart, wearing the coveted "favorite WIP" medal.

AnnaSophia Robb

Vidette is my newest creation and--sorry girls--one of my favorites to boot. She's very different compared to Skye and Ophelia. She comes from a completely different world, was raised to abide by different morals and customs, and views herself and the people around her in a different way. Whereas Skye and Ophelia wouldn't think twice about spitting in your face, Vidette would only wrinkle her nose and say something snarky, because spitting is "very unladylike." And I find that delightful. (Don't ask why--I don't know.)

All that being said, the romance element is more prevalent in DARK WATER than in BROKEN and OPHELIA combined. And let me tell you, I SUCK at romance. So, when dealing with Bren and Shaw, Vidette can get a little...overly dramatic. (Again, technically, my fault.) That's definitely something I'm going to have to tone down in revisions.

She's also a little wishy-washy with the boys. A few chapters ago, she begged and begged and begged me to let her kiss Shaw. So, I let her. And now she's guilt-tripping me about it. Translation: Bitch needs to make up her mind! Everyone (including me) wants her to get it over with.
(Don't you just love it [and by "love it" I mean "want to kick puppies"] when your characters run amok?)

For my non-writer readers (do I even have any of those?) who are out there saying, "If you want her to make up her mind, make her! You're the freaking writer! Take some control!"

Believe me, I'd love to take some control. But that's easier said than done when you're dealing with characters. They have this uncanny ability to grab the steering-wheel and push you out of the car all together. They're pretty much their own separate person. Nine times out of ten, there's no way for a writer to force their will on a character without it coming across as jarringly out-of-character.

This is normally NOT a bad thing. Characters that are allowed to act on their own come off more like real people, instead of a dancing marionette.

Sooo, all in all, I've got a turbulent relationship with my characters. Sometimes, I can overlook the things they've (I've) done "wrong" and love them like my BFF. But other times, those things get under my skin and make me want to bring a flood of near-biblical proportions down on them.

Like I said, Charlie Sheen roller coaster....

OH! And before I go!




I want to throw a shout out to Rane over at The Lit Express, who will be starting her EPIC blogging event in three days. Are you all as super excited as I am? The recent release of the cover has gotten me especially hyped. Just look at THIS COVER and tell me it doesn't get you excited to read it.

If you don't know what I'm talking about (for shame), click here. And! You still have time to sign up for the giveaway that goes along with this EPIC event!
Click here to do so.

KayKay out!
(Trying the Seacrest thing. Don't like it.)

Do you sometimes hate your MCs?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

WANTED: Plastic Surgeon PURPOSE: Total Overhaul

Guess who's having lots of ideas for her on-hold WIP?

This chick!

That's right, everyone. A holy light has shined down upon me and blessed me with new ideas for OPHELIA. Buuut...
(Why is there always a 'but'?)

They're "total overhaul" ideas. Right now, it's pretty much contemporary YA, but with my new ideas, it's going to become dystopian YA. (With hints of steampunk :D) Yeah...I'm looking at some major surgery.

*sigh* Time to get a surgical degree.

Naturally, all this is going to wait until after I've finished DARK WATER.
(I'm having too much fun with it to distract myself with another active WIP.)

But hey! You know what this means? I've channeled that 50k Itch (THIS POST) into something useful. Instead of thinking up a million ideas for completely new stories, I used the sudden upsurge of creativity on a project I already have in the works.

Woot woot! Yay me!

I think I'm going to have more fun with OPHELIA this time around--contemporary just isn't my thing. Maybe one day, but for now, I'm too grounded in unreality (is that a word? I don't think it is) to write stories about the "every day" world.
(Strange, considering I love reading contemporary. Hmm...)

So yeah! Once I'm finished with DARK WATER, I can get right back to work on OPHELIA. Yay for...keeping busy?
(Lol.)

Do any of your WIPs need major surgery?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Some Unfortunate News

Hi lovelies.

I have some rather sad news.

I'm afraid I'm giving up writing.

Yes, you heard me correctly. I'm done. See--I read the first chapter of Snooki's book, A SHORE THING, and no longer have the will to put words on paper. I just...can't do it anymore.

Not after reading what I read....

Looking back, it was silly of me to think I could be a writer. I should've known better. Not when things like A SHORE THING are hitting the best seller list. Le sigh.

I had a good run.

I met some wonderful people along the way and came away with a lot of good memories...but alas, I won't fool myself any longer.

You know what, though?

Of course I'm not giving up writing! Not even the horror of A SHORE THING can chase me away!

(Tell me you saw that coming. You had to.)

Now that I've got my lame April Fool's Day joke out of the way, I can get to the actual post...

Wait...crap.

I don't have a post planned.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh....

Oh! I know!

Watch this clip from the biggest budgeted Bollywood film to date:

Oooooh yeah. That's some serious action right thaaaaar.

What else...?

How about this fight video? Yeeeeah, normally, I wouldn't put something so tasteless on my blog, but I think this one is special.

(WARNING! Contains strong language and violence. Totally worth it though.)

DID YOU SEE THAT? No, not that thing at 0:10. Keep watching, silly.
Yeeeeeeeah, you saw that.
That was awesome.

And here are some random pictures from the "Lolz" folder on my computer.

And for super laughs, here's a picture of Ke$ha:

That's too funny for words :D

Hope you all have a great April Fool's Day!

HAPPY PRANKING, LOVELIES!