Blog, Blog, Blog

I've just built my third blog, Keep It Short & Sweet, because third times a charm, right? Well, I thought about it as I built it, and, honestly, I miss my old blogs. I miss what they represented. I miss writing on them and looking at them and spending time upgrading them.

My new blog is where I'm going to be posting short stories I write. So, it won't really be like a blog kind of blog, you know? Kyla's Not Normal was always somewhat like a diary. I talked about whatever came to mind and used pictures to illustrate what I was thinking. It was fun and carefree. I miss that. I don't even know why I just gave it up, never to come back again.

Maybe it was because of what it represented in my mind? A big, whopping failure. Another thing I couldn't stick to in my life.

I don't react well to failure. Never have, never will.

And so Some Are Made was born. I built that blog to document a life change. I wanted to change everything about my life. I wanted to work on and improve who and what I was. I still want to do that. I don't understand why I shouldn't pick it back up, if that's what I want.

I think it comes down to a mental image I have in my head. I have these blogs mentally stamped with that failed sign you see above. I come back to these blogs, and it hurts me inside, because I didn't do what I set out to do. I didn't stick to these blogs the way I was supposed to.

Looking over them, the last few entries of both blogs became sickeningly similar. I began to apologize, over and over, for not being able to write enough in my blogs. For not being good enough. For not trying hard enough.

Pfft.

Forget that. I'm not apologizing anymore. I'm only human, and it's past time I accept that and try to work with the shortcomings that come with it.

As an update, for anyone out there still counting: I've finished the first draft of Dragon Marked and am well on my way to finishing the second. Soon, I'll be starting Never Trust A Pixie, and I'll be sure to keep you updated with my progress.

Can I promise I'll stick to this? Not on your life. Can I promise to try? Oh, yeah! And I do promise. I'm going to give it my all to stick with blogging this time. So, here's hoping that the third time really is the charm, right?

Writing quote of the day/month/year: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou

Just Keep Swimming

I keep trying to write and blog despite the fact I continuously fail at it so epically, so often. But, you know, I truly believe that if I keep trying, I'll succeed eventually.

It's an interesting belief. If you just hold on, if you just keep trying no matter how many times you fail, you'll get there eventually. Success will happen if you're tenacious enough. Or, as Dori says in Finding Nemo, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.

So, just to let all you guys know, I'm still swimming. I'm writing my book, working on my blog, and I still plan to get published. It's just taking longer than I want it to.

Jobs and Writing: Can You Manage Them Both?

Writing is a wonderful job all by itself. But it's hard to pay the bills on a writing career, especially in the early stages. The common solution to this is getting a job in some sort of secular vocation.

I recently switched jobs from working from home, to working for Walmart. My days are filled with work, work, work, and my nights are filled with sleep, sleep, sleep in an attempt to recover. I haven't written a word since I got my job, and I'm forced to wonder: Will I be able to balance writing and secular work?

Reason says yes, I can and I will. Other people have done so, and if they could manage it, so can I. I'll just have to continue reminding myself of that in the hard days ahead.

Here's hoping I get back to my real work soon. And that my bills are paid a little better with my new job, than they were with the old. Have a great day, and happy writing!

Writing Quote of the Week: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams

Forgive But Never Forget.

Self-forgiveness. The concept is one we all embrace: we're human and so we make mistakes that we must forgive ourselves for. Yet, in practice, many find the concept difficult to implement in their own minds.

How do you forgive yourself and move on when you fail to do what you've promised, not once, but over and over and over again? How do you forgive yourself when you fail to meet the goals you know you need to, in order to succeed? How do you forgive yourself for being what you are: human?

It's not an easy thing to do. Forgiving oneself for being imperfect is next to impossible. At least, it is for me. But I have to find a way to do it if I want to ever succeed in anything, because, the fact of the matter remains, I am imperfect. I do make mistakes. And I fail more often than I like to contemplate. If I never accept that, forgive myself, and move on, I'll never find success. I'll be stuck in a rut in the road. My wheels will keep turning, but I ain't getting anywhere, if you see what I mean.

I read one of the most inspiring posts about self-forgiveness today that I just have to share with all of you. It was written by Elizabeth Gilbert over at her very own website. In this posting, she shares with you how she views writing. She's a successful writer herself, with many published books, but she shares how she started out sending short stories to places like the New Yorker, and was rejected over and over again. But she views writing like a religious calling, and has dedicated her life to it. She never gave up and told herself it wasn't her job to write WELL, but to simply write.

I am saving that post to be re-read over and over again whenever I don't feel I'm good enough anymore. Whenever I've written a chapter I think isn't up to par or failed to meet a deadline or forgotten to post something on my blog (which I would never do *cough cough*).

Discipline is important to being a writer. But self-forgiveness isn't just important; it's a necessity if you mean to stay sane.

However, I don't want to be too lenient on myself. So, I'd like to make an addendum to Ms. Gilbert's post: It's important to forgive oneself for our mistakes, but we can never forget them. If we forget, we'll doom ourselves to repeated lessons in failure. We'll forgive every stupid mistake we make and never strive to do better.

Do you agree? Is this a skill you are great at, or do you struggle forgiving yourself for your failures? Are you, perhaps, too lenient on yourself and don't strive to learn from your mistakes?

I'd love to hear from all of you! If you'd like to hear more on the subject of self-forgiveness, head on over to Vikki Petterson's blog post on the subject. She tackles it so well, it makes a girl feel envious, I swear.

Hope all this helps you guys and that you have a wonderful day! Happy writing!

Writing quote of the week: "If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad."  ~Lord Byron

Do You Like It Fast...or Slow?

Blogging, that is (had you going there for a minute, huh?). Are you a fast blogger, or a slow one?

I didn't know there was such a thing as fast or slow blogging, until I discovered a very interesting post on the subject over on Anne R. Allen's blog. She talks about how so many bloggers out there start off excited and thrilled to be blogging, blog every day for a month or two, then their interest begins to wane and they stop blogging so much, only popping onto their own blogs to apologize for their absences every once in a while. After enough apologizing, the blogger often times burns out and quits blogging altogether.

Does this sound familiar yet? I am probably the worst at this, myself. I've been on here since last June (closing in on a year now), but most of my posts are apologies for being gone so long. I am determined not to just be another blogger who quits and lets the blog die. This is MY blog, and I plan on making it last until and after I'm published, thank you very much.

So, fast blogging (blogging every day) has not been a hit for me. I'm just not regular enough, and inconsistency is the worst sin of them all in the blogosphere. But maybe slow blogging...

What is slow blogging? It's a blogging movement styled after the "slow food" movement (as opposed to McDonalds-style fast food). In this movement, you don't try to blog every day, but instead attempt to blog once a week or even once a month on a designated day. The idea is based on the concept that quality is superior to quantity, and if you blog less often, you'll probably spend more time and effort choosing your words and subject carefully.

I like the idea, myself. I think it might be just what the doctor ordered, in fact. How about you? Do you like it better when the blogs you read are done fast? Or does slow blogging seem easier to keep up with? Do you think it would help your blog develop slow and steady, or are you great at the fast and furious pace?

I'd love to hear your opinions. However, I have made the decision for myself. Henceforth, this blog shall be updated every Saturday on a weekly basis...

Here's hoping I can do it! Anyway, thanks so much for reading and I hope you all have a great day! Happy writing!

Writing quote of the week: "The ablest writer is only a gardener first, and then a cook:  his tasks are, carefully to select and cultivate his strongest and most nutritive thoughts; and when they are ripe, to dress them, wholesomely, and yet so that they may have a relish."  ~Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827

Emotional Baggage

I've been gone a while again. But with the added benefit that I now understand a lot more about myself. Whenever I'm too stressed, I can't write. You can tell me I need to. I know I need to. But I can't. Stress weighs me down better than a rock in a cloth bag, sinking in the stream. I can only swim when the rock is removed, or at least shrunk a bit.

Some of my former readers may remember my aunt who moved in with my mom and I last summer. For the rest of you, my aunt is a mentally disturbed individual with a lot of problems in her past. We were letting her stay with us because she was virtually homeless and in a really bad position. We cleaned her up and let her rest with us for six whole months. And do you know what she did to repay us?

She married the guy who lived with his parents across the street from us, stole a truck and hunting gun from someone who lives in our town, and robbed a bank right down the road from our house. Then, she took the money, gun, truck, and then fiance back to her parent's house where she was then discovered and arrested. Her new husband was the one who actually walked in the bank with a bandanna over his face and the gun in his hand and robbed the bank of its money. He even shot the gun two times in the bank, over the heads of the patrons there!

I have never been so horrified in my life! How could she do this? How could HE do this? I mean, she's an absolute nutcase, we knew that, but what's his excuse? Oh, and they were caught with drugs (enough to get intent to sell instead of just possession) and drug paraphernalia. They have like four felonies, and two or three misdemeanors.

It's all so unbelievable. We're embarrassed and sad and angry and a whole host of other emotions that I don't want to even get into. But because of the stress from this whole mess, I haven't been able to write for weeks! I couldn't even think about it. My creative juices were at nil, and my desire to work was even lower.

Finally, though, I'm getting over it. But it made me think about my lulls in writing in the past. They only occur when there is a major upheaval in my life and the stress becomes overwhelming. My emotions control my writing ability so much, it's a little frightening.

How do other people do it? How do you get over the major stress and write anyway? Is it a matter of discipline? Do I not have enough? Or do I just have more stressful events (by the way people talk about my life, lots of people seem to think so)?

I mourn the stressful events of my life, and the loss of writing that I've accrued because of it. BUT, when I think about it, I also have to be a bit glad for what I've experienced. My exciting, terrifying, horrifying, sad life has given me a lot of inspiration for stories and a lot of insight into how my heroes and heroines might feel. I have no doubt it has made me a better writer.

What do you think? Do you stop writing when something major in your life happens? How many major things have occurred in your life, and do you think those things made you a better writer?

Thanks so much for reading, and I'm sorry I've been gone so long. It seems to be a constant trouble with me. But at least I come back with some exciting stories to tell! ;) Have a great day everyone, and happy writing!

The Rules

Hazel left a comment on my last blog post, mentioning she didn't know there were so many rules in writing. Quite frankly, when I began, I didn't think there were so many rules, either. But you reminded me of the most important rule of all, Hazel.

In writing, there are no rules. Other than, you have to actually write on occasion, preferably daily.  However, knowing the "rules" other people have set brings us a higher perception of our and others' work. We can decide to break the "rules", but we also know the risk we're taking: people may hate it. But there is a difference between knowledgeably breaking the rules, and ignorant mistakes. If you know what you're doing "wrong", you're more likely to weigh the pros and cons of such a choice.

At least, that's the commonly held opinion in the writing world. But sometimes being ignorant holds its own naive charm. Don't be afraid to make ignorant mistakes, even while you seek out knowledge. Keep writing despite your mistakes and you'll continue to grow in skill. Don't let the fear of failing freeze you from trying. This is something I struggle with regularly. I read a particularly piercing article about writing, and I wonder: "How can I ever manage to write something people will want to read, if these are the expectations?"

The biggest thing I have to remember (and it's difficult sometimes) is that making mistakes will make me a better writer. At least, they will if I am determined to learn from them.

Anyway, that's all for today's writing post! Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments, and especially to you, Hazel, for today's inspiration! Have a great day, everyone, and happy writing!

Antagonists -- How Important ARE They?

I've found this great set of posts all about villains, antagonists, and the BBT (The Big Boss Troublemaker). Check them out here:

Antagonists: Part One

Antagonists: Part Two

Villains

Balancing Evil

Inner and Outer

Scene Antagonists

The Alpha and Omega

I love the way Kristen Lamb describes and handles the antagonist, even if I don't always agree with what she says. She's obviously learned a lot in her time as a writer online. I hope someday I'll be half as good as she is.

Her suggestion, and I find it intriguing to say the least, is to design your antagonist FIRST. Before your main character is but a starry glimmer in your eye, sit down and design the problem child who will come around and rain on their parade.

I don't know about you, but I'd like to try this idea out some time. Who knows? Maybe the results will be rather interesting.

What do you guys think? Do you think she puts too much emphasis on the role of the antagonist? Or do you think starting with the antagonist and working your way back to the protagonist is a great idea? I'd love to hear your opinions! So, please share with us all in the comments section.

Do you know the meaning of the antagonist? Many writers don't (I was one of them), and Kristen Lamb explains it spectacularly. Your antagonist isn't just a villain. A villain is a type of antagonist, but not the only kind. In a novel, anyone whose goal conflicts with the protagonist's is an antagonist. Read the blogs I linked to above if you wish to read more information on this subject. I certainly found it fascinating.

Have a great day, all, and happy writing!

To Be Continued

Continuity. Dictionary.com defines that word to mean a continuous or connected whole.

Why is that my subject for today's post? Several reasons. One, many writers today are writing series. It's become quite a popular pastime. After all, why write one book when you can write three (or six)?

Two, as you may know, I'm writing a series. It makes this a personal issue.

Continuity is key while writing a book that's in a series. You want all the books to come together in one, seamless whole, like you've sat down and read one, very long book. But you also want people to read each book individually and walk away satisfied enough with the events in that one book that they call it a story in its own right. It's a complicated balancing act. It means each book must be connected together in a giant matrix of plot, yet each story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end unto itself.

I read a lot of writers' blogs and books and articles online. And, yet, I've never heard this subject addressed. So, I thought I'd take a stab at it myself.

How do you ensure continuity in a series? There are a lot of obstacles to prevent this. Many series change characters, locations, and timing (past, present, future) as often as they do titles. How do you still bring such stories together into one, integrated whole?

What's the secret to continuity (even when dealing with obstacles)? Plant seeds and clues in the very beginning of your series of what will happen in the future, and then tie them into the story in unexpected or interesting ways. That doesn't mean you should sledgehammer your audience with obvious statements of THIS IS IMPORTANT, but, rather, soft foreshadowing. Think of Star Wars. Luke Skywalker doesn't discover Darth Vader is his father until The Empire Strikes Back, and even then it's toward the end of the movie. Before we find out, there's foreshadowing: discussions about Luke's father's "death" at the hands of Darth, his uncle's dislike of his father, etc. 

Being surprising isn't all about jumping odd occurrences on a reader. It's not very believable, for one thing. You tend to believe something easier if your brain has followed clues that lead to the same conclusion as the story goes. Being surprising is about twisting what you've set up into something just a little off-beat, a little beyond what they thought would happen, but still fitting the clues you've planted for them to find.

For an example, try these two examples of the same short story (sorry if they suck, they're spur-of-the-moment work):

Lisa walked through the woods, her steps light. She sniffed the afternoon air into her lungs with an appreciative breath. The freshness brought a smile to her face. A nice walk in the open air had been just what she needed to calm her tension.

Suddenly, a pair of men in dark clothing jumped through the bushes. Before she could catch her breath to scream, one of them had grabbed Lisa and swung her over his shoulder. Lisa quickly recovered and she angrily beat onto her captor's back, and screamed for help. But no one heard. The men ran with her through the woods, not stopping until they reached a large cave.

Once inside the cave, Lisa blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. When she could see better, she searched the insides for threat. She couldn't help but wonder why they had brought her here.

Lisa's eyes widened and she gasped when she saw her brother sitting nearby. He smiled at her, his eyes mocking, as he said, "Hello, Lisa. I hope your trip wasn't too harsh for you."

Compared to this:

She whipped around, frightened. Her heart thundered in her chest as she searched the wilderness wildly. Had she heard a footstep?

She waited tensely for another sound. When the woods remained silent, she slowly relaxed. Lisa brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes as she began to laugh at herself. Look at her! Jumping at the least noise. The paranoia was getting to her, that's for sure. She couldn't even take a nice walk in her own woods without worrying someone was hunting her now.

It was those stupid letters. Ever since her father had left his fortune to her, she'd been recieving these creepy notes. The first hadn't seemed that bad. Just a demand for her father's company to quit "stealing the hard-earned money of the poor" and "raping the environment". She hadn't taken them seriously. But then the second one came.

Lisa shivered. That letter had spoken of more rape and stealing, in fact. The anonymous writer had threatened to rob, rape, and murder Lisa if she didn't change the company immediately.

She'd taken the letter to the police that very day. But the letters hadn't quit coming. Instead, they only seemed to get worse. When her apartment in San Fransisco had been vandalized by the sick-o, Lisa had decided she'd had enough and moved up into her father's old estate. It was equipped with 24-hour security, even guards at the gate to keep out intruders.

Lisa shook her head at herself. She was perfectly safe in her new home. She needed to stop the paranoia before she became some kind of crazy shut-in, never leaving her house.

More noises from the woods around her jerked Lisa from her thoughts. She stared in the direction the noise was coming from, her expression glazed over like a startled deer's. Footsteps. This time, Lisa was sure. Without giving it more thought, she turned around toward the house and began to run. Her long legs surged across the ground, but the noises only seemed to get closer.

Suddenly, two men burst through the bushes ahead of Lisa. She backpedaled wildly, seeking to avoid the waiting men. But she couldn't stop, her own momentum driving her into their arms. The larger of the two grabbed her before she could react, swinging her over his beefy shoulder. She screamed beside his ear, and started fighting for her freedom. She couldn't believe this was actually happening.

The man carried her through the woods, seeming unconcerned by her efforts to fight herself free. Huge tears slipped down Lisa's face as the words from the letters surged back to haunt her. Could those things really be about to happen to her?

The men took her to a cave. Lisa scanned it with wary eyes, but she couldn't see past the first few feet. It was pitch black inside. But the men were unconcerned, running into the gloom without hesitation. 

As she was carried into the dark, Lisa blinked rapidly to adjust her eyes. Slowly, her vision returned, and Lisa used the slight light of the one lamp inside to scan the interior. She wondered what they meant to do with her now that they had her here.

Her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw her brother sitting on a rock near the lamp. He smiled, his eyes mocking, as he said, "Hello, Lisa. I hope your trip wasn't too harsh on you."

See the difference? There was foreshadowing in the second, an actual reason for the events that followed instead of a sudden explosion of unexplained scenes. That's continuity in its simplest form. Of course, stretching that over a series is a much more complicated procedure. You also might have noticed the second telling of the story took much longer. Foreshadowing is a lengthy procedure, something that takes time and effort. In fact, I'd call this a speedy version of foreshadowing. Normally, I would wait for several pages or even chapters before I let this particular plot point bear fruit from that seed I planted.

Foreshadowing and continuity are happy bedfellows. The good news: you can have an excellent story if you use them in your writing. The bad news? It takes time and effort to develop them, for one. For another, you have to actually plan what you're going to write in the future so that you can foreshadow the future plot points in the beginning of your book, series, or whatever else you're writing.

Anyway, I've been thinking about that a lot lately as I'm writing my series. I even figured out three places where I went wrong. I had already identified that something was wrong there, but I didn't know what the problem was. My instincts were telling me they didn't fit with the overall story, of course, but my mind didn't process that it was specifically a lack of foreshadowing and integrating formerly introduced story elements into the scenes that was the problem. Once I figured that out, it was no time at all before I figured out how to fix them. Now I'm happily moving on with my writing.

Hope this little suggestion helps someone else who's stuck out there. Happy writing and have a great day!

Writing quote: "There are two kinds of writer: those that make you think, and those that make you wonder." -- Brian Aldiss

Writing Blues

Oh, the writing blues. How do you get your writing done when life turns crazy?

Mom made it through her surgery fine. She had either a stroke or a TIA right after, but she's doing better now. I'm so glad. We still don't have the answers we went in for, but she's alright and that's all that matters.

Life is still churned-up crazy, and my writing has definitely sat on the back burner far too long. I'm already filling the itch to set fingers to keyboard and write, write, WRITE! I'm almost desperate to work on my story, after so much drama and extreme stress. Maybe I should bury myself in my writing instead of my books.

Thanks go to everyone for being so supportive while my mom was in the hospital. I really appreciate your kindness and support. Have a great day everyone. I got a date with a dragon, and I simply cannot miss it. ;)

A Series of Unfortunate Events

So, you may have noticed my horribly conspicuous absence the last long while. I've said several times that my life is crazy. Well, I should explain some of that craziness.

My mother has vasculitis, a terminal illness, and I have to take care of her most all of the time right now. I am job-hunting in the extreme, as my family needs more money to not lose our house, I have farm chores to keep up, I've been sick myself, my aunt moved in and brought with her a hurricane of chaos, and my dad takes out all of his stress on me. Don't even get me started on my romantic life.

Suffice it to say, I haven't had time to do anything towards writing or working on a blog. I hate that my life turned crazy right when I was planning on keeping up a blog, finishing my novels, and making my dreams come true. I suppose I'll consider this a postponement of my dreams, but I will definitely pursue them whenever I have a spare moment of time.

Thanks so much for reading my blog. I promise to get back on here whenever I get a moment of time to talk about life, writing, and what happens when the two collide. Talk to you later, have a great day, and happy writing!

Out of Balance -- Life and Writing

My life tends to be either very calm and boring, or very exciting and chaotic. Rarely do I make it to a nice, even middle.

When is it, do you think, that I do the most writing? Of course, it's when life is calm and boring. Whenever life gets chaotic, I don't have the time or health to write. Am I alone in that horrible trait: allowing your writing to fall to the wayside?

I believe that the truly successful writers are those who don't allow their writing to ever fall by the wayside. If only I could be one of them. Somehow, I have to find a way to make do with what I was given. This time, I'm determined to finish this book and get it published. But...my writing WILL fall away into unimportance when life gets hectic again.

I'd like to take this time to thank all those who took the time to encourage me to continue writing (I still shudder when I think of that Twilight/Harry Potter crossover fan-fiction) and to tell you I have gotten some writing done. Just not as much as I would wish. But progress is progress, right?

However, I have another plea. Am I the only one who finds the act of writing easy, but the work of writing hard? Once I sit down and write, the words flow like magic. It's the sitting down and writing that I have such trouble with. Sometimes, I am not mentally able to handle the work of it. Other times, I'm not physically able to sit in the chair for long hours. More often than not, I'm distracted by other problems. Does anyone know of a way to get work done every day, no matter what? To force myself to work?

My life is out of balance. Whenever my writing is doing well, my life sucks. Whenever my life is doing well, my writing sucks. Is there ever a way to make the see-saw level out?

Thanks for listening, and for any advice you may care to offer. Here's our beautiful writing quote of the day:

"Capture your reader, let him not depart, from dull beginnings that refuse to start." -- Horace

Happy writing!

Past Due

So, as many of you know, I had a tentative writing goal of finishing my first draft by July 31.

I did not succeed.

My next goal is for September 15, 2011. At that time, I desperately want that first draft complete. While it is true I have a third goal, a goal that absolutely MUST be met, set for December 31 of this year, it would be nice if I could make it by September 15.

Only problem? That's a little more than a month away and I am not even half-way through the first draft. I know I can do it, if I set my mind to it, but it won't be easy. Because of that fear of failure and the difficulty I am facing, I have a request of all of you who are kind enough to be reading this.

Can you give me your support?

I need you to needle me a bit, push me to get this work done. Even now, the current chapter I'm working on (oh, the depressing facts; it's Chapter 4) lies open on my computer. I just haven't written anything in it today. Or yesterday. Or the day before that. If I have any hope of meeting my next deadline, I'm going to need all the help I can get.

 

Writing quote of the day:

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." William James

Happy writing all and thanks for all your help!

Extra Scenes, Take One

So, I've been thinking about my book a lot of late. In particular, I've been considering many of the scenes I want to write that I don't believe will make it to the final draft. Somewhere inside of me, there's a place that requires those scenes to be written in order to finish the book at all. But I also know that they'll kill some of the surprise and intrigue if I allow them in the final draft.

The problem is: I think those scenes might be some of the best in the whole, flipping book.

Of course, I haven't written the whole, flipping book yet, so I can't say for sure. But that's the way I feel it will be. I know I'm putting the cart before the horse, but I'm wondering if I should include those extra scenes in whatever packet I eventually send to an editor. You know, so they can judge whether some should be included while others be excluded.

At this point, it really doesn't impact anything I'm doing. I just find myself thinking about it an awful lot. Regardless of my decision, I'm going to write those scenes in the first draft, and then revise the book in such a way so that you discover those things through another avenue. It doesn't matter what I decide, that will be how I write it, and I'll take those scenes and place them in a folder labeled Extra Scenes.

But what would you do? Would you write them, delete them, and think the story was better without the baggage, even if they were some of the most exciting moments in the story? Or would you keep some of the best of them in? Or would you take them all out, and share them with someone else, to get their opinion?

Writing quote of the day:

"Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential." Jessamyn West

Thanks for your time, everyone, and for all the reading and commenting you've done of late. I truly appreciate it. Happy writing!

An Award, New Fans, And Other Classics

Wow! I shut my computer completely off about a week ago, and haven't touched the thing since, and when I come back, what do I find? Someone I know and love (Hazel) has awarded me with the One Lovely Blog Award. My first award!

Plus, I have new followers! Yay! Welcome to my blog, oh lovely, new faces.

Maybe I should take a week off more often. All kinds of exciting stuff seems to happen when I'm gone.

Honestly, I needed a break from the computer. It's unhealthy, how much I use the thing. Plus, I visited the library. I always go missing for a while if I go there. I LOVE the library. They have books there, you know. Tons and tons of books.

I love books.

So, I've been reading a lot the last few days. Some of the books were re-reads, some were very new, others were instructional. And I had so much fun! But, alas, all such things must end. One book I checked out from the library I still feel iffy about, though, and I thought I'd share my feelings on the subject in this newest blog post.

As many of you might know, I'm a writer (how many times have I said that?). And, as I've been told many a time, writers should like the classics in literature. Not just The Aeneid and The Iliad (true classical literature), but books by Mark Twain, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens. Shouldn't I be in awe of such authors? After all, they were geniuses. There is no denying the sheer brilliance of their work.

But they're so...wordy. I just read a few chapters of Oliver Twist By: Charles Dickens for the first time, and, while there is simply no denying the fact that Dickens was an incredible wordsmith and wrote very tongue-in-cheek digs at the "respectable" community in a way that is quite cute, but IMHO the story suffers from Dickens sophisticated wording and sarcastic twists in thought. I'm so busy following the twists and turns in his language, the story falls flat for me. How do you get into something when all the author does is dance around the point?

Of course, this was written a long time ago, and supposedly people enjoyed that sort of storytelling then. But I'm a writer! I'm supposed to love the classics! Is it bad that most of them bore me to tears? Or that the few I can tolerate usually leave me depressed for days with their sad endings?

The only classic that I can remember adoring is Pride & Prejudice By: Jane Austen. I LOVE that book, and melt whenever I watch the movie. It's seriously one of my all-time favorite books. I'm so glad I took the time to read it.

Still, most of the books on being a writer say I should read and study the classics...which I can't stand. Does that make me a bad writer? Or just really uncultured?

Anyway, moving on. It's now time I come full circle and discuss the award thingy. Thank you so much, Hazel, for giving me this One Lovely Blog Award! I greatly appreciate it. If you'd like to check out Hazel's blog, the link is here. 

Tomorrow's blog post will be all about the seven things you people don't know about me, and the seven people I will pass this award on to. Tune in next time, because who knows? Maybe your name will make the list.

Writing quote of the day:

"I will write what makes me smile, what makes my heart flutter, what keeps me up at night with ideas, characters, dialogue." — Natalie Whipple

Have a great day, everyone, and happy writing!

You Might Be A Redneck...

...If you are honked at by a trucker for holding a goat in the backseat of your itty-bitty, four-door car.

That was what we did yesterday. Three girls in a little red car driving down the road for an hour and a half with a little pygmy billy goat in the backseat. Take a moment and picture this, if you will. His huge horns pointed toward my body. His butt to the window. His pooping on the side of the door. The trucker looking down from his semi laughing his butt off at the goat in the backseat of the crazy women's car.

It was hilarious. We died laughing. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe and eventually got the hiccups, and I swear I almost puked, I laughed for so long. It was crazy. It was fun. It was an adventure.

I'd forgotten how important that sense of adventure was in life. If you want to be a fantastic writer, you can't forget. Adventure in life is what writing is all about. You have to experience; you have to live. And boy, was that an experience...

Now, I haven't told you the full story. A family member who I love dearly just moved into our house to stay for a while, at least. She's really nice, we're getting along great, and we've had lots of fun. But it has upset my schedule like crazy. Hopefully, we'll all adjust. Anyway, she, my mom, and I went to get a billy goat for our three girls to "enjoy". ;-)

We found him on craigslist, but he lived pretty far away. That was almost a deal breaker, but then we were told how nice he was and we were sold. We'd get him, come hell or high water. And so off we went, in our cute, little Sunfire.

First, my aunt (that family member who moved in) bought me a pair of beautiful new shoes. That was really cool and I can't wait to really wear them somewhere nice. They are some black sandals with pink butterflies on them. They're so cute and girly! They practically scream Kyla.

Then, we drive through a sudden rainstorm. What was so cool, though, was the sun was shining very bright in this rainstorm, and the rain was pouring hard. So, we spotted a truly incredible sight: a double rainbow. One of them was a truly full rainbow, with all the colors and almost solid looking instead of transparent. The other hovered above it, transparent but almost as striking in intensity. I'd never seen a rainbow like it.

As we continued on, we got hungry. Now, we thought it would probably be best to get some food before we went and picked up the goat, so we stopped to eat. It was a wonderful meal and we all enjoyed ourselves. Some very generous women who were celebrating their birthdays gave us their free ice cream, because they weren't hungry, and I got to enjoy some sugary goodness. But the truly hilarious moment happened as we left the restaurant. My aunt stopped to pick up her cigarettes and smoke a moment. She happened to be wearing a very loose sarong and the knot had loosened on it. Predictably enough, what we now call the "nip slip" occurred. My aunts breast slipped out on the right side and she DID NOT NOTICE. She walked around that restaurant as cocky as you please, and my mom and I couldn't stop laughing. We told her as she got into the car and she was so embarrassed, but also found it hilarious. So, we were already feeling pretty goofy before we got the goat.

Well, we picked the goat up and paid for him. He was just as nice as advertised, running to us like a puppy dog and behaving like we were his long-lost buddies. So, we loaded him in the car and laughed to think what interesting fun this would be. The guy gave us a look like we were crazy, but we ignored him. We hadn't had many options in the vehicle department, and we'd done what we could (pick-up truck is a diesel and it would cost around $120 to get the gas to go up there).

We pulled out and started rolling, but soon were forced to stop at a stop-light. And there, sitting beside us at the light, was a large semi. The man sitting in the seat of the semi was staring into the car and started laughing so hard I don't think he could breathe. My aunt, being the funny girl she is, waved at him and pulled her hand like she wanted him to honk. He honked, but also pointed at the goat while laughing like a maniac. The goat then decided to start pooping while he sat there watching, right up against the door the trucker was looking into. Even worse, the light was long and we had to sit there for around 30 seconds while he continued to laugh and point. 

Finally, we took off. We were free! All of us were thanking our lucky stars for that freedom. Only then did we discover a problem, because we stopped beside that same trucker at the next intersection, passed his partner on the other side a little while later down the road, and even passed him when he'd pulled over to sleep for the day. And every, single time we passed, he would honk his horn and laugh.

Needless to say, we were embarrassed. But also laughing like crazy. I can't remember the time I laughed that much or that hard. And that trucker was not the only person who noticed the goat in the backseat. He was perhaps the most memorable, but not the only one. We had men, women, children laughing and pointing and generally having a good time at our expense. 

Well, we got the goat home safely. And he and his new lady friends seem very, very happy. But the adventure of it all will live on in my memory for a long time coming.

What a day.

Well, I hope you enjoyed that, but it is time for our writing quote:

"The road to hell is paved with adverbs.  ~Stephen King"

Talk to you guys later! Have a great day and happy writing!

Belated Introductions

Hello. My name is Kyla Rucci, and I am a writer.

Okay, so you already knew that (if you've been here before; if not, ignore that statement). But I was looking through my past blog posts and noticed something odd: I never introduced myself or explained what I was doing here. So, here I am, 11 posts in, and I suddenly think: Hmm, maybe I should do that...

So, hello folks! And welcome to my very first blog! I hope you enjoy your stay with us, and please leave a comment on your way out. Thank you.

To be honest, why I started this blog is a complex answer. It isn't just that I wanted to talk about writing my book (though that was a large part of it, as you may notice), but also that I wanted to reach out and discover if there really were people out there who might read the dang thing when it was finished. But it isn't just that, either. I wanted to talk to people, get to know some perfect strangers and share with them the adventure of writing a novel. And then, I thought that maybe, if a bunch of people were counting on me to finish my book, the pressure would keep me going even when I felt like quitting.

But, to go even deeper than this, the reason I began a blog lies in the same reason I have chosen to be a writer. I love to write. I love the words on the page, that go deeper than black and white, and become a portal that can transport you into someone's mind. These two-dimensional characters open up a whole new world, with characters and landscapes and creatures quite unlike anything we know here in our mundane lives. 

That sounds so figurative, so magical. To make it more real, why I write can be summed up into one memory. When I was seven years old, I had a very close friend. His mom and my mom were best friends, and so we, by necessity, became like brother and sister. We spent time together constantly. And, boy, did we bicker! 

On one particular day, we were on a road trip together with our parents. We sat in the backseat, while our two moms talked in the front and generally ignored us. Now, this friend was very hyper. Sitting in a car for a long period of time was an incredible strain for him. And I was already a little bookworm at this age, and had brought along my favorite book at the time, BFG by Roald Dahl. I had probably read the book a million times before, but that particular day I wanted to read it again. But I couldn't. Because the little brat beside me wouldn't shut up long enough for me to complete a single sentence.

As you could imagine, I got pretty irritated. At first, I begged for him to stop talking and let me read. This did not work. Then, I demanded he shut up so I could read more than two words at a time. This also did not work. Finally, I grew so fed up, I began to read the book aloud.

He was furious! He whined and told me to be quiet. He promised he'd stop talking if I'd just shut up. He told his mom to make me stop. He even told me how much he hated books and didn't want to hear one read to him, and lectured me that if he wanted to read a book, he'd pick one up and read it himself.

I continued reading anyway.

And as I read, a magical thing occurred: He shut up. I continued to read the rest of the car ride, finally enjoying my beloved novel. At the end of the car ride, when it was time to shut the book and go inside, I expected my friend to tell me how horrible I was for putting him through that.

But, much to my surprise, he asked me if he could borrow the book after I was done, instead.

After that, this boy, who had had a lot of trouble with his grades in school, and had HATED reading any kind of book, began to read books on his own time and progressively got better grades. And now, because of those better grades, he is in college, training to be an FBI agent.

Now, if you wanted to be very kind, you could say I had something to do with that outcome. After all, if I hadn't read that book aloud, he might never have found a love for the written word. But those were not my words. It wasn't my world that transported him away and made him feel more alive. The true credit for his change of heart and brighter future goes to Roald Dahl, a man long dead.

And that's what I want. To touch one person's life enough to inspire them to reach for something better. That is the epitome of why I write.

I may die tomorrow. I may be dismembered, blinded, disfigured, or worse. But today, I write. What more can a person ask for?

Well, time for our writing quote of the day:

What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he's staring out of the window.  ~Burton Rascoe

  

Happy reading (and writing) everybody and talk to you later! Have a great day!