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More new blogs to check out on the page over there >>>>
Food, paintings, and music this week. Does it get any better? Well, not really. That would be the point of a rhetorical question. Anyways, I'm off to go read some Janet Evanovich books as inspiration (on #4 now, obsessed much? I'm worse than Brianna and One Direction!) and work on my story. Oh and one more thing, I'd be willing to put you in my story if you bring me cupcakes...

Well This Went Well... Maybe.

Dear Blogger, 

I can promise you, I am not a robot. If I was, I wouldn't have to wake up every morning at 5:30 to get ready for school, two hours later. So, you can stop asking. Okay? Especially since those little words in the boxes are not legible. AT ALL. 

This week, I had several goals to accomplish. The goals I have for myself are only getting harder, and this is so not appreciated At times, I wonder if I can do this. Then I get random ideas and I think I'll be fine. It's a cycle that I'm not loving. I just wish all of this plotting and story lining etc. would just be done, but I actually have to write it and think of my ideas. Turns out, being creative and organized at the same time is a lot more difficult than it seems. For this week, I began writing my story outline and I planned on finishing the entire thing. What I found was that the process I mapped out was not going to work.  
This week I completed the following,

•  Style of the book, chapters, sections, etc.

My book will have several chapters, as you already know. At the beginning of every few chapters, there will be a newspaper article, similar to the one on the cover, that details the latest crime. This will allow me to introduce each crime nicely without interfering with the flow of the story. I think I'm going to write in first person. 

• Title the story and design a cover for it.

This story is about a journalist who is down on her luck. When she witnesses a crime first hand, she becomes thrown into the spotlight and the investigation. 

Since this is about a journalist, I have decided that the cover will feature a newspaper article with the details on it.

Basically it will look like this:

At this point, I'd like to say that the title is a work in progress and I plan on changing it. A lot.

In addition I have changed the main characters name to Katie Lawson.

• Freak out about how unoriginal and bland this whole thing is, and struggle a lot with outline writing and delving deeper than an overall plot. Great.

So yeah, that was especially fun. Even though I had this awesome website (featured in my mini post below), which was both humorous and informative, the outlining process was a disorganized wreck. What I ended up with this week was a basic outline for chapter one, and a small draft of it. The worst part was that I could think up a million details for this story in different places, but none all together, or I could think of an entire scene that didn't really have a place yet.

So hey, if you want to read my draft or take a look at my outline, let me know (HELP ME)! 
Oh, and... Big thanks to Mr. Perlman who sent me this source: http://www.openculture.com/2013/03/seven_tips_from_william_faulkner_on_how_to_write_fiction.html
It backed up what I have been doing so far and gave me some tips on how to move forward with the writing process.

Check Out My Other Pages!

 

Hey guys! On the side of my blog, well hopefully, because that's where I WANT it to be, is a list of other pages on this blog. There are two so far, one about books I have read and reviewed and the other listing some other fun blogs to check out. You should check them out and see what I have to say, after all, you are here anyway so clearly you think I'm funny or intelligent or something. Anyway, in other news, book writing is going well so far, I am mapping out my storyline and I should begin writing very soon. Oh, and I found this website to help me with the process: http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/09/14/25-ways-to-plot-plan-and-prep-your-story/ 

 

Now, as you probably have noticed, all of the websites and helpful guides that I put up have different options or several ways to go, for example this one provides 25 ways to plan a story. This is in fact done on purpose. As a writer it is not good to limit yourself to just one thing, that can only bind creativity. Each new method or experience will provide new insight to your personal writing style, story, or even your personality. I find it useful to have different options because it helps me organize the constant flow of ideas and amazingness floating around in my head. Um, also, is amazingness a real word? (Note: If not, GE, I made it up and I'm using it anyway so too bad.)

Ally, out.

Oh dear lord, sorry about that. That was awful.

Meet My New Best Friends, Or Rather, Worst Nightmares. We'll see...

Jesus. Being creative is hard. I don't know how long I'm going to last in the writing world if I have to do this much longer. I mean, I get all these ideas at the most inopportune moments. I'll be in my bed at like 12:45 sleeping, and all of the sudden I'll wake up with some genius idea that my brain couldn't wait  five hours to develop. Yesterday, I was sitting on the bus, half asleep with no paper in sight when I had the ideas for two of the major characters of the story. Oh, and during my biology test, I figured out how I am going to start off my TED talk. Although I appreciate the ideas, they truly couldn't be any more inconvenient. So, thanks brain, but you're on my list. Well, except for the whole keeping me alive thing. Anyway, I like that this process is easy for me, thinking of ideas etc. I just wish that these ideas didn't pop into my head in the middle of math class. Oh the struggles...

BIG NEWS! I have decided to direct my story to the mystery/thriller genre. 

As I said, I created character profiles. While the real story would include dozens of characters, I figured that the beginning would only include a few major ones. These profiles are subject of the beginning of the story, who knows what could happen? Except, oh wait! I DO! While I was creating characters, I wanted to get into as much detail as possible so that I really know my characters and how they will react to situations that occur in the plot. I found this website, http://www.squidoo.com/character-development-questions that helped me through this process. It lists multiple questions in each area of development and by thinking about these questions, I developed my characters even further. I got rid of some of them, as they weren't important to my story. Anyway, meet our main character, Charlie Kirland. I kid, I kid, that isn't really her name. Well, I hope not. The name is in progress right now...

BASICS: 

1. Name Charlie (Charlotte) Kirkland(SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
2. Age: 27
3. Approximate height: 5'5
4. Approximate weight? 135
5. Hair colour? Normally brown
6. Eye colour? Gray
7. Where are they from? Suburbs of Washington
8. Where are they now? New York

BACKSTORY: 

1. Who are their parents? Parents overprotective, annoying, overbearing, worried, don't approve of journalism career
2. What did they want to be when they grew up? An actress or a journalist
3. What did/do their parents want them to be? A Lawyer
4. Do they have siblings? Older or younger? Brothers or sisters? Nope, only child.
5. Do they or have ever had a significant other? Are they still with them? Why? Why not? Had a boyfriend, she asked him to move in after 6 years and he got freaked out
6. What were they doing right before the story starts? Just fired, out of work with no money
7. Up until now, what's the most noteworthy thing they've done? To them? To the people around them?high school valedictorian went to Oxford to get away from parents

TASTES:

1. What's your character's favourite colour? Teal
2. Do they/would they choose to wear a scent? What would it be? Men's cologne
3. Do they care about what things look like? All things, or only some? Used to care, not much any more because broke etc.
4. What's their favourite ice cream flavour? Moose Tracks
5. Are they a tea, or coffee drinker? Or soft drinks, or do they drink a lot of alcohol? What kind? Java chip frappacino with whipped cream and salted caramel every morning
6. What kind of books do they read? What TV shows and movies do they watch? Reads mysteries and celebrity biographies, also enjoys any book recommended by (...) the coffee shop guy, Watches Survivor (OBVIOUSLY!) and crime shows, especially Body Of Proof (Highly Recommended)
7. What kind of music do they like? Do they like music at all? Adam Lambert, Bon Jovi, and INXS
8. If they were about to die, what would they have as their last meal? (What the heck kind of question is this? No answer, this is so stupid. I mean, um, oh)

 So that you don't die of utter boredom, I'll stop there. The list goes on and on, but basically, the characters amounted to this: 
Meet Charlie Kirkland. With a name like that, her parents didn't really give her a shot. Charlie is an out of work journalist who can't exactly afford the New York City apartment she rents. In fact, the eviction notice on the front door seems to show that she can't afford it at all. Charlie is single, and miserable. She has hope still that her big break is coming, a feeling keeps nagging at her to keep an eye open. She lives alone, far away from the familiar comforts of Wichita Kansas. As a kid Charlie always felt like a bubble, lying low on the surface, always ready to pop up and explode her creativity all over, but eventually she came to realize that staying in the confines of her hometown would do no good. After all, one can only write so many stories about vicious cows and proper grass care before they're about to take a lawnmower to their head. When Charlie sees (x crime) occur, she knows that this is it. She calls up whoever will listen and finds herself thrown into what could become the most dangerous experience of her life.

Meet (Estelle). Estelle works as the evidence locker security desk worker. A glance at her will take you back to the sixties, her beehive hair reaching so far up that it was comical. She looked like one of those characters in Horton hears a who, a whovian. Estelle has a raspy, deep voice that could only come as a result of a serious cigarette problem. Always trying to quit though, estelle promises to change. As the research journalist that she is, Ethel always finds new "cures" for addiction that Estelle can try, and the two have developed a bond over the years. Where as most people won't let reporters anywhere near the scene of the crime, Estelle calls up Ethel with any promising case. 

I am still ironing out the details for the final main character, who will become a love interest for Charlie. So far, I have this: 

Meet (James? no... Phil? Nope. Jake? WHY IS THIS PART SO DIFFICULT? IT'S A SINGLE WORD!) Shawn: Shawn is a love interest, he works at a coffee shop, likes Charlie, offers to help her with the case, proves to be very helpful.

Other Possible Names: Zack, Ian, James.

Over the next week I will write out a detailed story map of all events and plot details including crimes for the story. In addition I will begin the drafting process. Here's to hoping it goes well! Oh, and if you are up for a challenge and would be willing to edit my drafts, comment below and let me know! Until next time, keep it creative! I'm sorry, that was terrible. Anyway, Sayanora! Okay, I should just get off the internet before I ruin everything.

Why I Hate Incompetent Fools (aka YOU HAD ONE JOB)

When I read I book for fun, I expect two things. Only two. Seriously. It isn’t that hard. In fact, only one is up to the author and publisher. Since I expect so little from these people, when my expectations aren’t met, I find it really annoying. The ONE THING that I ask is that the book is properly edited. This isn’t a 7th grade paper, it is a professional, published story and I expect that BASIC writing rules and grammar, spelling and typing are up to par. I recently found though, that sometimes it’s a little hard to differentiate professional writing from my own language arts homework.

Last week, I started reading a book by Josh Kilmer Purcell, who has led quite the interesting life so far. The man led a double life as both an alcoholic drag queen and successful advertiser. I read his memoir about that earlier in the year, and while I wasn’t exactly comfortable with the storyline, I appreciated his humor and writing style. I looked up Purcell and bought his second book, “Candy Everybody Wants” and judging from the fact that this was “a fiction novel based off of how I would want my life to have gone” I figured I was in for a ride. 

I’m sure you’re wondering a lot of things right now, why on earth I would read Purcell’s first book and especially his second, and mostly how these two things go together in the slightest. First, I’d like to say that the initial decision was thanks to Tyler Oakley, a youtube persona, and that I chose to read the second book quite honestly because it has a shiny silver cover that reflects light like a rainbow. Second, well I’ll just let the story explain itself.

I was reading my book with an open eye, or as open as I could be. However, I found the story boring, and kind of unrealistic. I sort of hated it. Or rather I hated it after what happened next. On page sixty, the main character Jayson (whose “y” is self imposed because of the “flair” it adds) is talking to a woman named Franck. With a C. I get that the story is supposed to be outrageous and the author wanted the characters to match, but come on. Franck? Either way, it isn’t up to me, what’s written is written, you know? Even though I abhor the idea of characters with odd spelling names, I was willing to accept it. Until of course “Franck” became “Frank”. This one mistake really bugged me, I mean if you are going to go as far as changing a normal name to some weird rendition of what it is, GET IT RIGHT. 

I get it, I was being a little judgmental. I figured I wasn’t being fair, it’s probably a small misprint that could happen to anyone. I gave it another shot. What a mistake that was! Now, I don’t know who personally edited this book, and I don’t think I should know, because if I ever find them, I am going to literally slap them in the face. Or get them fired. It depends how I’m feeling that day. I’ve found TWO MORE ERRORS so far in the book, both stupid, easily solvable mistakes. In one, a “directly” gave orders to actors. I’m sorry, but I was not aware that hollywood came to a decision that all directors are now called “directly”s. Oh wait, that’s because A DIRECTLY IS NOT A THING. The other involved a character “our” foraging in the night. It may seem unreasonable for me to be so angry, but this is someones job. They literally have one job. ONE. And they can’t even do it right? If you were an engineer, and you screwed up one little piece of a machine, people can DIE. So really, this incompetent person is a FAILURE. 

That isn’t even the best part! This happened in ANOTHER book I read, by Janet Evanovich. It was a characters name again, and I just want to say that as a writer, I will always keep a close list of my characters names so that I don’t screw them up. If I do, please knock on my door, and just punch me. I honestly can’t deal with this. I thought books were professional writing. I can tell you right now, my book will be edited properly so that I don’t make the horrendous mistakes of these authors. I took it upon myself to read up on grammar issues and mistakes that people often make in writing so that I do not fall to this unprofessional, super irritating level of writing.

Grammar and style: 

These articles discussed common mistakes in grammar that I, amongst most others are privy to making. 

http://litreactor.com/columns/20-common-grammar-mistakes-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong

I also bought this book, which I should be receiving in three days, to further inform myself of how to write better.

The Elements of Style by E.B White and William Strunk

Here's to hoping that I can do this properly, because I'd really prefer not to get punched.

What's this all about?

  Hey everyone. My name is Ally. I've been alive for quite a while now and I've lived through many experiences both good and bad. I have found over the years that no matter what I am dealing with, I can always count on a good book to distract me from reality. If times are great, everything is going well at school, my family is happy, I can hole up with a book and really enjoy the entertainment value that it provides. When things aren’t as peachy keen as they could be, books allow me to escape these harsh times, absorb myself in their pages and become part of the story. Ever since I was little, I knew that I wanted to give others what many great authors have given me. I decided that one day, I would write a book that could influence me as I had been influenced so greatly.

The current experience in my life has allowed me to begin this project, not just for me, but for others as well. This blog will bring you through my journey as an author, the high points, the low, the ones that want to make me rip my hair out. I hope that through this blog, you will be inspired, not just to read my book, but also to write your own story. Writing a book, or even reading one for that matter has helped me find myself and it is my greatest hope that through this blog, I will be able to help you find yours.

The saying goes that one should not judge a book by its cover, and I am a steadfast believer in this philosophy. Instead, one should give the book a chance, read the beginning. If it speaks to them they should continue on and read the entire story. As an author, this personal belief has shown me the value of the first few chapters. They are what hooks readers, reeling them in and selling copies. Even if the rest of your story is comparable to the work of Edgar Allen Poe, if the beginning isn’t interesting than it will not be successful. For the next seven weeks, I will begin the process of writing a novel. At the end of this time period, I hope to have the first 3 to four chapters of my novel complete as to me this is what can make or break a story.  Along with these chapters I will have a detailed timeline and story map. In addition, I will mock up a cover for my book that comes with a short 250 word summary/ hook on the back. 

Seven weeks is a long period of time, and in order to stay on track, I will keep a list of small goals that must be completed in order to write a book. 

I will have to...

• Create character profiles on the main/recurring characters 
• Decide what genre the book will be
• Decide on the style of the book, chapters, sections, etc.
• Create a detailed story map with all aspects of the story, setting, plot, etc.
• Title the story and design a cover 
• Write and revise chapter 1
• (Repeat with chapter 2)
• (And, SURPRISE, chapter 3 as well!
• Have several others revise the chapters
• Edit the chapters one more time and create the final product.

Along the way, I will most likely run into some problems. I may suffer a creative block, or become unsure of what to do next. I believe that by reading published works on the art of story writing, creativity, and overall success in the writing world, I will be able to solve any issues I come across. Each aspect of my story will be improved with these readings, plot, setting, and character development. I will also look at blog posts and interviews of successful authors to see what they have done that I can do as well.

When I have completed this seven week process, I will know everything about my story. After all, it is all in my imagination, each aspect my own. Doing so will make writing the rest of the novel much easier for myself, and hopefully, I will be able to turn what was once a dream into a reality. It is my hope that I can help you as readers of my blog to one day write your own story, or follow your dreams in the ways that I have begun to do so. Thanks for reading!