Highlights of 2014

Boy, what a year!

Here are the highlights of 2014:





• Last year, my niece, Sadie Lorraine, was born 2 months premature, weighing only 3 pounds. 













Tomorrow she turns 1! 



She is a very happy and a perfectly healthy kiddo! 



I'm grateful that she is doing so well!















• I graduated from college! 

• I started an Etsy shop!

















• I attended a prestigious writing workshop at Interlochen and have made great strides with my manuscript!

• I read some great books and discovered new and amazing authors! Kasie West, Morgan Matson, Stephanie Perkins, Tahereh Mafi, to name a few. 







Looking ahead to 2015:

• I'm planning to remodel my sewing room! I'm so excited about this!!!

• I have so many ideas for new items for my Etsy shop and I need to restock some of the most popular items. I was fortunate to sell out of many of the items in my shop this holiday season! 

• There are great books coming out on 2015! The one I'm most excited about: Liars Inc. by Paula Stokes. Oh, and, of course, Kasie West's new book, The Fill-In Boyfriend. And the sequel to Sara Shepherd's series, The Perfectionists. And so many more!

Let's Chat!

What were your favorite moments of 2014? 

What books or authors did you discover this year? 

Unnecessary Dialogue

Writing unnecessary dialogue can be a lot of fun. It's a way to get to know your characters. You can see how they might react in a different situation. Although, boring readers with unnecessary dialogue is never a good idea. I have cut so many scenes from my manuscript because they were unnecessary and that was much more challenging for me than I care to admit. The writing in the scene might have been great, the characters could have been witty and very entertaining, but it ultimately did nothing to advance the story so it had to go.

Still, I don't regret brainstorming or writing scenes with unnecessary dialogue. If anything, thinking about and writing those scenes helped me grow my character and practice my editing skills. Realizing that those types of scenes were unnecessary and a.) learning how to make the scene/dialogue relevant or b.) cutting the scene, helped me become a better writer and editor.

So, don't worry about writing unnecessary dialogue. Write it anyway, if you realize it doesn't work later, scrap it!

What's the best scene you've ever cut from your novel or short story? Tell me in the comments!

How Soon is Too Soon?

My writing has been on standby since I finished editing my manuscript. I've been writing prompts and little stories, but nothing substantial. I've been waiting for the responses and hopefully offers (to represent my book) to roll in. However, so far, I have received a partial request and a whole lot of rejection letters. I didn't want to start something new until I felt like my manuscript was finished. Now, I am convinced that my manuscript is finished, but I still feel apprehensive to move forward.

Yesterday, I started thinking of starting a more serious writing project. I've come up with a couple of ideas for sequels to my first book. I feel like my characters have so much more to tell, but at the same time, starting a sequel to a book that doesn't have representation might not be a great idea. Or maybe it is a great idea--who knows? Seriously, if anyone knows, feel free to comment below! 

Anyway, I realized I was thinking from a publisher's view instead of a writer's view. I'm a writer. My character's stories feel like they are growing and evolving, but I've been ignoring their voices because (from a publishers standpoint) writing a second book may not be the most best idea right now. 

Since I am a writer who writes to write and not to publish, I think I will start working on a sequel (or at least coming up with ideas for one). 

What do you think? Should I start a sequel? Tell me in the comments! Or tell me about your struggle with sequels and/or writing to write verses to publish!

Rejected? How dare they...

You know how parents fawn over their children. In their eyes, their children are the most wonderful and perfect little creatures to roam the earth. They can do no wrong and everyone else should love and adore them. The thing is: no one can love a child as much as their parents. Okay, I'm nobody's mom, but the bond between a mother (or a father) and a child is similar to the bond I have with my characters.

Today I got a personal rejection letter that really surprised me--partially because I sent it several months ago and assumed my work had been passed over. However, that is not what I found most shocking. About five lines into the email, the assistant of the agent I queried explained that they "read my query with interest," but they "weren't drawn in by the pages." Along with my query, the agent requested (in the submission guidelines) the first ten pages of my manuscript. Now, I have rewritten my query several times since I sent it to this agency and looking back on the draft I sent them--it just wasn't great and it certainly wasn't perfect. Here's the thing: I always assumed that I would get rejected because of my query letter alone. I thought this because, of course, my manuscript pages were a work of genius that no one could possibly dislike. Okay, be honest: half of you readers are nodding your head because you've made the same mistake and the other half of you have a furrowed brow, narrowing eyes, and the words "What an idiot. Who would think that?" rattling around in your head.

Waiting for Inspiration?

What are you waiting for? Go write!

Not sure where to start? How about the comments section?

How do you find inspiration to write?



Reference (because plagiarizing isn't cool)

Poynter, D. (2013, March 21). Writers on writing continued. Retrieved from http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2013/03/writers-on-writing-continued/

A Leap of Faith

Writers deserve hazard pay. By definition, our chosen profession is unpredictable and full of risk. A successful writer cannot cling to safe topics and homely characters who always do and say the right things. Instead, we give our characters gray hair, a less-than-endearing stutter, and a midlife crisis at twenty-five. 

Basing Characters on Real People

Creating a compelling character is more than picking a name, race, and gender. Readers need to invest in your characters. For that to happen, a writer must give their characters back-stories, families, flaws, motives, well-rounded personalities, etc. Given this, some may consider basing their characters on family, friends, foes, teachers, movies stars, or that creepy guy they saw at the gas station last week. So the question remains, should writers base their characters on real people?