I think I might be using this blog to procrastinate!

Sometimes I don't feel like writing, but know I HAVE to, so I end up writing a silly little blog post as a warm up of sorts.

Today I'll warm up on the subject of writing something that has a life of its own and pulls away from what you intended for it. This happens so much with me, I have to constantly slash and burn stubs as they try to sprout. If you can imagine the super slobbery, intimidating, downright ugly thousand heads of the Hydra, that's pretty close to what my WIPS look like.
















Out of those thousand heads, only about four are what I originally had planned for the story. About 986 are heads the story thought up all on its own. The remaining ten are sort of the compromise between what the story wants and what I think is okay. It's a matter of chopping and chopping and rewriting and starting from scratch until that scene WORKS, until that scene becomes one of the scarce ten heads that are alright with both parties.

I could plot and write outlines all I like, but at the end of the day these limitless possibilities will spring up, and it'll be my job to stop them before they go too far or encourage them to grow more. I would say it's like a garden, but that's if you like your gardens with dismembered hydra heads sticking out of the grass.

WHICH I DON'T.

So far, I'm working on two simultaneous WIPs, the descriptions are in the sidebar over yonder.

DEMON CLEANERS just recently hit 20k, which I'm so psyched about. It's taken an awesome turn and I'm just going with it. TWDNB is at a measly 6k, but it's coming along! Both of them haven't turned Hydra yet, but it's only a matter of time.

*sharpens sword*

Why YA needs to be written by more young people.

I don't want to bore you with a lot of words, but I do wanna get this off my chest.

There is a whole new culture out there being formed AS WE SPEAK. It's full of things like street art and dubstep and french electro pop and raves and just messing around in abandoned lots and cigarettes and booze. It's the party life, but more than that, it's the young life.

And it's being obscured in our literature. Or, there isn't nearly enough of it out there to begin with.

I want to read more real things. I want to read about messed up kids and their messed up lives and how in the end things are still messed up but at least they've changed. I don't know when YA became about MC teens who belittle their peers for living different lifestyles. It sucks.

Young people should write more, or old people should write more authentic young people stuff. There's just gotta be more honesty in YA, period. But that's just me having an opinion!

And now I leave you with the song that embodies everything young and everything awesome.

Sometimes a writer just needs to cry.

Yes!! Yes! yes. It's been one of those days.

I'll say this again; everytime I get a rejection on a partial or full I FRICKING LOVE the feedback I get. It inspires me to do better, write better, write and plot and think harder, longer, faster, stronger, that one Daft Punk Song Kanye Sampled, etc.














Just the fact that agents are actually reading my stuff - MY STUFF - is surreal. Sometimes I have to go; OKAY is that really a request for more material in my inbox? Really? Am I just tripping on Dayquil again? NO?! WHOA SO IS THIS LIKE FULL BLOWN REALITY OR SOMETHING?!















So, man. I totally understand when I get rejected. I do. It's a tough world out there. I do my best. We all do our best. At the end of the day, as long as you honestly did your best, that's all you can do. My writing isn't exactly really awesome. It's got a long way to go, sometimes I just kinda wish I had an agent to help me along in that process, you know? I feel like I can't do it all on my own, when everyone says you SHOULD be able to.

So, I love rejections because they seriously give me the best writing advice.

But they also make me cry.

And that's swell! I think crying is just as important as like...breathing. Espeically with writing. As soon as I get done crying (THIS ROUND LASTED ALL OF FOUR MINUTES THAT'S A LONGEVITY RECORD) I get up, determined to write more, faster, better, harder, see above with that one crazy picture.

I think writers should cry a lot. I think if you don't, that's kinda like you're missing out on the best parts. Like a cake without the ice cream, or the chili without the rice, or the pasta without the sauce...can you tell I'm hungry?

If you have to cry, CRY. I'm giving you permission! (:D) It's a tough freaking industry! You wrote an awesome book! You did your best! You've done what not many people even have the time to do! You sacrificed lunch hours and free time and friend time just to do this! You worked really hard! You are good! You are the best! Go ahead and cry, damnit. You deserve a quiet moment to yourself to appreciate your works and accomplishments, no matter how small, with tears. Someone, SOMEWHERE out there will love your book! They won't just say 'it's not my cup of tea', it won't just be another mediocre disappointment for them, they'll actually LOVE it! Can you imagine that?! Neither can I, but it will happen one day for you lovely writer people!

Oops - was supposed to be catching up on backlog at work. :P



OH TIME WHERE DOTH YOU FLY.