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!

The Sweet Smell of Success!

 So, I did it. I turned off the internet and wrote over 3000 words yesterday and today. And it felt GOOOOOOOD!

I'm so happy to have done it! I accomplished what I set out to do. Okay, so only two days are done and there are twenty-eight left (it's so depressing when I say that), but I did it for two days! I am officially 6000 words richer than I was just yesterday when I posted on this blog. So, no matter what happens in the future, I have still come out the better for this exercise.

And let me tell you, to successfully finish something important is the biggest high ever. I feel like I could run a marathon right now. I'm skipping, I'm twirling, I'm happier than I've felt since I was knee-deep in my book two months ago and loving it.

I have to say, I think this idea rates among the best I've ever made. Even if I don't finish the book by the end of the month (which I still am going to try to do), this has made me love my work again, and that is no small fete!

The challenge feels exhilarating, to say the least! So my (unasked for) advice of the day is: if you're having an attack of the doldrums, can't seem to discover that inner spark that you had just a little while ago, challenge yourself with the almost impossible and watch yourself blossom with success. It worked for me (so far).

I've come up with a work strategy to help me write every day. I start by setting up an area on a desk of some sort for my laptop to sit on with the notebooks I've made outlining my idea nearby, preferably open. I have to pull up a comfortable chair with some sort of pillow to keep me nice and relaxed. Then, I play light classical music in the background, to help me think and drown out the distractions of the world around me (they say classical music improves your brain function, and after much experimentation of my own, I believe it). After that, I shut off the internet and pull up my book on the computer. While I work, the urge to pull the internet back up to look up some fact or do some research on some moment in the book overtakes me at least once or twice. But I persevere and refuse to allow the treacherous heart to lead me unto temptation.

I'm sorry if I sound all braggy. But I'm just so excited! Do you know how many personal goals I've set and failed? And, so far, I've done what I set out to do on this one, and the success has me feeling like I could fly!

Well, thanks to all my readers for tuning in for another installment. Sorry it came so late in the day, but I wanted to get my 3000 words done for the day first.

Here's some questions for all my readers: Have you ever set a challenging goal for yourself and found yourself exhilarated by the work? Have you ever set a challenging goal for yourself and failed miserably? Did that make you feel depressed (it has me)? What kind of challenge would you relish in your life right now?

Here's a video that had me dying laughing the first time I watched it. I could NOT get over this chair! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

And, to finish, the writing quote of the day:

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one.  ~Baltasar Gracián

Writers Write...Right?

 

I haven't written for another day (except in my blog). It's like my life suddenly picked up again. My entire life was this book for a long time, and nothing interfered. Now, suddenly, a life is knocking on my door and intruding in my writing time. Stupid life.

But, seriously, I haven't written anything in my book for two days. Mostly because I haven't had time, but also because I'm procrastinating...again. It's hard work, the words aren't flowing the way they used to, and the internet is a powerful distraction.

However, I really don't want to end up like this:

So, writers write, right? Why am I not writing? I know I'm a writer, the last ten years have told me that, but what about right now? Don't I want to get this work finished? Well, yes, but I'm not sure where to go next in what I've written, even with the stupid outline. What should Yelina say or do to prove she's an evil stepmother (which she really isn't, but she seems like one at first)? I don't want to be too cliche. Although, to be honest, my style in writing is to start with the cliche, make it look cliche, then twist it around to almost the exact opposite of cliche. So, should I go with my instincts and start with the cliche, where I have her yelling and giving my character really evil, plotting looks in the beginning? And then twist it all around later when Yelina turns out to be the only person who tries to save the main character, as the not-so-evil stepmother (that was my original intention)? But if I start with the cliche, won't people stop reading?

Should I care if people stop reading?

Being a writer, I'm supposed to write for me first, and readers second. That's because there is absolutely no way to please everybody in the world, as we all have different tastes, but I can certainly please me and my tastes. But it's so hard to do in practice, sometimes. How do you shut off the back of your mind, where it describes how badly this is going to flop, no one will want to publish it, and people are going to hate you? Especially when you're a natural born people-pleaser like me. 

Why can't I take the attitude so many others have? That it doesn't matter what they think, I'm going to do what I love and they can go be unhappy somewhere else.

Despite all, I think I'll go with my planned plot and make Yelina look truly evil at first, then twist her character a full 180 degrees after the extreme circumstances hit. Does that sound good, or does it seem stupid to you? Would YOU read past the cliche and find out what happens next?

I can and will write this book. The question is WHEN. So, I have decided to set a goal time for finishing the first draft. The first goal time is going to be extreme, to try to push me to do it soon and not put it off til the last minute. Then, I'm going to have a second and third goal time that the first draft of the first book HAS to be done by, no exception.

First Goal: End of July 2011 (Possible, but difficult)

Second Goal: September 15, 2011

Third And Final Goal: December 31, 2011

I really want to be done by the end of this month. To make that, I have to write no less than 2,667 words a day, every day, this month (assuming this is a typical 80,000 word novel). To do that, I will probably have to turn off the internet at 6:00PM, at least, every day and have my book open to write in for the time period after that.

I guess I'm going to attempt my own version of NaNoWriMo. For those of you not in the know (which is no shame, because I never knew of it before last year), that stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it is held every year from November 1st to November 30th. Check it out here. It is completely free and my computer plus Google says it is also virus-free.

Well, I hope you guys are rooting for me! Let's see if we can't cut through the procrastination and worry and get this writing show on the road!

Goal: 3,000 words a day for the next 30 days

Goal: Complete novel by end of July 2011

Goal: Shut down Internet every day at 6PM, and DON'T reopen it

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all of you taking the time to read my blog! Here's hoping I can meet my goals!

Fairies, Ogres, and Trolls! Oh my!

I explained the bare minimum of my book before and I had so many wonderful responses to it! But now I think it's time I tell you a little bit more about the world I have built.

First of all, I have six books and six, tentative titles for those books. I'd love to hear any ideas about my titles you have. Do they sound alright? Do they sound too forced? Do you hate them? Love them? I had this idea when creating them to make them all have the name of a mythical creature that appears in my world inserted inside the title. Is that silly? I just like links in my story, things that go full circle and connect the beginning with the end.

Book 1: Dragon Marked

Book 2: Never Trust a Pixie

Book 3: When a Goblin Invites You to Dinner

Book 4: The Peace of the Pegasus

Book 5: Song of the Siren

Book 6: Dragon King

The title of the third book, When a Goblin Invites You to Dinner, I feel unsure and worried about more than any of the other titles. I don't know that it sounds right aloud, or would look good on the cover of the published novel (and I'm determined that these WILL get published, at least, if I have anything to say about it). What do you think? Do you think it can be tweaked just a little and sound better? It really is a key point in the story, even appearing in two of the planned speeches.

Secondly, I have twelve realms to be explored over the course of the six books, and around twenty two creatures and cultures. And that number doesn't even include the animal-like creatures or the plant-like creatures or the legendary creatures (well, it does include the Nightmares). It's pretty crazy. I have a powerpoint with all these creatures and someday, I promise, I will upload it as a flash program or something and put it up here.

Thirdly, the series follows Mira's journey with her new friends across her world, seeking to unite the different cultures of the many creatures against the Nightmares. They have no chance of survival unless they work together against the Nightmares, but Mira and her friends have to convince the rest of their world that that's true. The first book shows how Mira becomes a part of that group, as well as setting up her friendship with Dewarve (the giant wolf), Cade (the dragon), Leif (the elf who competes for her interest), Morina (the elven maiden who's in love with Leif and jealous of Mira), and Elias (the elf who hates all humans in general and Mira in particular).

Can you tell why it took me eight months to research and plan yet?

My favorite quote about writing:

I love being a writer.  What I can't stand is the paperwork.  ~Peter De Vries

Thanks for reading, everyone, and happy blogging!

Tools of the Trade

So, you may have noticed, I'm a writer. As a writer, there are certain tools I use to work my trade. I thought I'd share a few with you, and if you have any you also use, I'd LOVE to hear about them. 

Well, to begin with, I am an outliner. I write general plot outlines, chapter-by-chapter outlines, character backstories, character breakdowns, maps of all the places my characters go within the story, culture breakdowns, creature details, plus, in Dragon Marked, I'm inventing my own language.

So, I have to have a lot of advice and help on working on this HUGE project. Some of the things I've used for help:

-The Anatomy of Story By: John Truby has projects at the end of every chapter to help flesh out your story or idea. They can be a little annoying, but have opened up whole new scenes for my storyline. Will these scenes make it to the final version? Only time will tell.

-Worldbuilding Questions By: Patricia C. Wrede. If you know anything about fantasy, you've probably heard of Patricia C. Wrede. I have long adored her books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. And her worldbuilding questions are practically necessary for any self-respecting fantasy writer to use.

- Character Breakdown By: Charlotte Dillon (www.charlottedillon.com) This is a free chart to breakdown the characters you wish to place in your story. Now, it is EXTREMELY detailed, but you can take out whatever you want and still have a pretty good picture of who and what your character is. I don't know for sure if this will make my characters more 3-D, but I do know that all those vague ideas I already had for my characters are fleshed out in this process, so it should be good for something.

- The Language Construction Kit By: Mark Rosenfelder. This is both a book on Amazon.com and a site for great, FREE advice on creating your own language. I'm so glad I found this site, as I have not a clue where to begin on creating your own language, but am determined to do it for this book.

There are a few more sites I've used but can't recall at the moment. Suffice it to say that I have piles of research notebooks, loads of files on research, and am just starting the prologue of the book. Pitiful isn't it?

I told you before, though. I want this book to be perfect. Or, at least, as close to perfect as I can make it. So, I've gone a little overboard. Doesn't everyone?

Seriously, this idea lit a torch under my bum. I hadn't written anything for like a year or more, I felt depressed and despondent from my recent loss of a job, and then this idea hit me like a bolt of lightning. It drove me crazy until I capitulated. I would write this book. And I would do one heck of a job with it.

So, I threw myself into the work with everything I have and have lasted this long. I WILL finish this book. I WILL get it published. And I WILL make all this time and effort worth it.

You can bet on it.

Anyway, if you have anymore tools you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them. I know there are tons more out there, I'm just so swamped with what I have. If you'd like to search for even more, try 100 Amazing Writing Tools You Never Knew You Needed. A lot of them look really cool, and I think I might try a few...if they're free.

My computer, google, and my virus detection program says all the above links are clean, and all except the books (The Anatomy  of Story, The Language Construction Kit) are free. Hope all this helps all you fellow writers and have a wonderful day! And please comment with any additional tools you've found. You know I'd love to see them.

Oops! I Said It Again!

Not very long ago, I discovered the bad words for every writer: was, is, are, be, etc. Pretty much all those 'to be' verbs come with a no-no sticker attached. At least, if you happen to be a writer. They (and by 'they' I mean the books on writing) tell me it sounds better to use an "active" voice instead of an "inactive" one. And those 'to be' verbs fall under the category of "inactive".

But I can't stop using them! I didn't realize how often I did use them until someone had to tell me you shouldn't. Ignorance was bliss. But now, every sentence I type comes with a sudden flash of warning: You can't say that! Change it to something else! Kyla, you 're using a bad word again!

Argh. I want to go back to my former ease in writing and not worry over the bad words until it comes time to rewrite and revise. But how do you recapture lost innocence? Will I never write a word without worry again?

How important can not using those words be? Should you never use a 'to be' verb? Are there certain circumstances in which you should?


Does anyone else struggle with this annoying habit? Or do you have other bad habits you find hard to purge or ignore? I'd love to hear your suggestions, problems, and advice, so please share!

Personally, I'm sick of my internal editor and I just seemed to hire him. Any advice on how to fire him or at least get him to shut up until the second draft? Seriously, right now I just want to fire the jerk.

Does anybody else have trouble with their internal editor? Did you only discover him/her after reading advice books or sites? Is it a common affliction among writers? Please leave your opinions in the comments below!



Until next time, happy reading!

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater

I know what you're thinking: Bad Kyla! But I couldn't help it. It was just too tantalizing. I wanted it too badly. It was taunting me, dang it!

I just had to write the prologue of the first book, Dragon Marked. I was supposed to wait until I finished the research, but...I couldn't. I really, really wanted to write. And I was thinking: Most of the research I have left to do effects the middle and the end of the book. Why not start work on the beginning and continue the research at the same time? Especially since my interest in the research has been flagging of late. I was itching to get my fingers on the hard-core writing.

Eight months is just too long to wait. No research should take eight months. Even if I had fun. I waited too long for this moment, and now it's just around the corner and I couldn't resist jumping ahead. I suck at self-discipline.  But, then, I'm a writer. We're not renowned for our self-discipline.

 But I keep trying to find my inner disciplinarian. Sadly, she came without a whip and chains. Oh, well. I guess life is all about making do. Do the best you can with what you have, that's my motto.

Something that really shocked me, I found the writing more difficult than it's ever been before. See, this is me, normally:

 And this is me now:

I've never, ever had trouble shutting my editor off in the past! Now I've read all those books on writing, and suddenly the stupid jerk won't shut up (she's the one with the coffee mug). Is it because I now know what I'm doing wrong? Or is it just because this book is so special to me, I want it to be perfect? A lot of pressure comes with perfect, you know. If I could attain perfection, well, that would make me perfect, wouldn't it? 

Unfortunately, I'm far from perfect.

Fortunately, I pushed through anyway. I feel like everything written last night reeks of crappiness, but I kept going and got it on the page. That's progress, right? Even if I have to rewrite every word, at least it's begun.

But that's just so unlike me. Usually, I'm staggered by the incredible work I just wrote. It's weeks or months later when I come back and say it sucked. Usually, both instincts are wrong. Is the circumstances different this time, or is what I wrote really crap? I guess I'll have to have some people look it over eventually and tell me. Until then, I'm stuck wondering.

Well, that's all until the next edition of Kyla's Not Normal! Talk to ya later, and have a great day!