Welcome to my blog! Why should you keep reading, you may ask? Because I am super interesting, of course! I'm writing to document my quest to be a published author and what could be more interesting (or funny) than that? Right?! That's what I thought.
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The interesting part about working on my young adult novel is the rush of emotions and memories it brings back. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
The story I’m working on is drawing from some experiences I had when I was in school. I’ve felt my face flush, the anger rise, and the giggles start to escape. It’s crazy how that works.
That is all. :)
Two years ago, my life changed forever.
Two years ago, my son was born. :-)
Having a child is one of those things that completes your life (even if you didn’t realize something was missing). It’s hard to even put into words, but I can’t imagine my life without him. The last two years has been filled with laughter, tears, smiles, adventure, hugs, and kisses. I can’t wait to have this wonderful little boy around to make many, many more memories with. He’s just so much fun!!
I’ve been blessed, not only because he’s my child, but because he seriously is awesome. He is such a laid back little dude and loves to hang out with his mommy. He still lets me rock him to sleep and I can even cradle him like I did when he was a newborn. He doesn’t claw for his life or anything! I know, it’s amazing. He’s worth every stretch mark and fat roll that never went away. ;)
Mommy loves you little man!
Praise the LORD…we have SUN!!!!! I thought I would never see it again. Seriously. I thought I was going to have to start building a giant ark and collecting animals two by two.
To give you any idea how miserable it has been, when I filed my students outside to get on the bus, they started ducking and shielding their eyes like they were vampires or something. I think one even yelled out, “The sun, the sun! My eyes!!”
So, on this first day of fall (woot-woot), the skies opened up, I saw blue again, and the sun could start drying up these terrible flood waters around here! Or at least for a little bit. The Weather Channel still has rain in our forecast through Sunday. Blah.
As soon as I got home, I dragged my baby boy outside to get some snapshots. I haven’t gotten any simple, fun pictures of him in awhile. No real reason to post them except that he is the cutest child on the planet (yessir).
When little boys find a puddle…
Ain’t he precious?
Today was a first for me. We were let out of school for rain – seriously. I guess flooding is the more accurate term and I am sure it’s pretty bad on the back country roads. My first reaction to the news was, “Woo-hoo!! Extra relaxation time!! I get to have bonus time with my son, too!!”
Then reality sunk it. It was crazy trying to get in touch with all the parents, make sure the kids were fed, get everything ready for an early dismissal, etc. Calling parents is NOT easy when you only have two outgoing lines and little-to-no cell service. I was telling my Spanish speaking students to tilt their heads at a 45 degree angle, sit on my desk and lean back to the window while they called their parents (my Spanish consists of uno, dos, tres, which would not do me much good). Yeah, it was pretty durn hilarious!
Plus, I wanted to spend time with my son, but what did he do as soon as we walked in the door? Went to sleep.
So here I sit. So far, I have made a Quesadilla, ate a piece of cake, cried while watching Army Wives on the DVR, and am writing a little bit. Next up? A bubble bath. Turns out to be a pretty good afternoon despite its challenges.
I’ve seen some things lately that I don’t really understand. Maybe someone can enlighten me?
I’ve seen quite a few discussions between writers that revolve around how much certain published writers stink. Ok, I get it. Their writing isn’t your cup of tea, but why get so upset about it? These people are obviously doing something right. If you don’t like them, then don’t read their stuff. I don’t get the bash fest. No one is forcing you to buy their books. They aren’t being unethical because they’ve sold their stories.
And let me clarify that this isn’t an I’m-above-talking-bad-about-people post because I’m not. I’m also not talking about having a negative opinion about a book. It’s more of the, “Man, they SUCK,” attitude that builds and builds that I don’t understand.
Are there authors who’s writing I don’t particularly like? Of course! Do I see stuff that stresses me out within their novels? You betcha. Do I stress about it? Nope.
Someone in the world is connecting to their story or they wouldn’t be selling books. If they were pulling the wool over people’s eyes and the people buying their books were ignorant, then they would have a moral obligation not to publish, but that’s not really the case.
Oh, and totally unrelated, but I made a Christmas cake tonight (Christmas sprinkles were all I could find in the cabinet). It was delicious!
I’m treating my writing a lot like I’ve treated my photography – pick a skill and work on it. With my pictures, I found it completely overwhelming to try and teach myself everything all at once.
So, for example, one day I went out and said, “Amanda – today, you are going to focus on capturing the best light for the eyes.” No, not literally. I’m not the crazy woman in the park that talks to herself, don’t worry.
If I’d tried to focus on improving all the components of lighting, composition, etc., I would have left the session a defeated mess! Breaking things down into little pieces made it more manageable and I’ve been able to improve without completely frustrating myself.
So this is the piece of writing that I’m making my focus currently. My favorite books do such a good job with it and it’s something I want to acheive with my own writing. I think it’s the essential component of a good story because the reader is able to create the images in their head and mold them to fit their vision. I like to be lead to see what the author wants me to see without being explicitly told.
I’m going back to my current projects and finding the spots where I explain stuff. My goal for now is to change it so that these details and characteristics unfold naturally – through dialogue, setting, or whatever.
For example, in my original draft I had this statement:
There were few things about myself I was happy with. It would surprise most of my friends to find out my self-confidence was this low. I hid it pretty well, mainly with carefully placed sarcasm.
I’ve completely taken this ‘tell’ statement out and am instead going to attempt to ‘show’ this through conversations with her friends that happen throughout the book. If I’m good at what I do, I shouldn’t have to tell my reader this detail for them to understand it.
Someone suggested this book that addresses this subject, so I’ve added it to my Amazon ‘to-buy’ list: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
wannabe \ˈwä-nə-ˌbē\ n.
1 : a person who wants or aspires to be someone or something else
I’m a wannabe. I’ll admit it. I’ve never published anything.
I’m at the very beginning of my writing journey, but I want to be one of the authors I’ve enjoyed reading over the course of my life. I was the type of kid that couldn’t wait to get to the library each week, and haven’t changed much. My favorite type of reading (and writing) is pretty much anything geared towards children and young adults. I get so excited to share my favorite books with my third grade class!
I am enjoying the adventure so far and I’m looking forward to creating a finished piece, even if nothing comes of it. I want to know what it feels like to have a story in my hands that I created from beginning to end. I’ve already learned so much in the last few months and can’t wait to keep learning.
I’m also very grateful to my bud, Regan, for making me feel a little more confident about my writing. I was nervous to even mention I was doing it, but she’s really pushed me and pointed me in the right direction. So, in the words of Ellen Degeneres…”Holla!”
If you are anything like me and feel a little silly admitting you have this passion to people in your life…well, I say tell everyone you meet! Ok, maybe that’s a bit much, but don’t be afraid to seek out people to help you and guide you along the way. ;-P
Grab a chair and kick up your feet. I hope you enjoy reading about the trials and tribulations of a wannabe.