A Final Decision

I’ve been quiet on here as of late. It’s been hectic in the life of me. Recently, I took some time to pause and reflect on my life. On the things I’d love to be doing and how to get to the point where I can do them.

My book as for now is on standby. I’m burnt out on it. I need some time to step back and take a deep breath. I’ve been pressuring myself to get it done. A few months ago, I approached a couple of editors who loved the idea of my book. They handed me their business cards and said to shoot them an email. I did. And I have waited. No reply yet. Which is typical considering they’re editors. I was told by one that I probably wouldn’t hear from them until November. Since I last spoke to them, I’ve been working my butt off trying to finish my book by November. I’ve come to realize how that is totally not going to happen. Apart from writers block, stressful stuff happening and other things, I’m burnt.

I won’t stop blogging or writing though. I’ve decided to fulfill one of my old dreams: to fly. I’d like to take off up into the blue atmosphere and buzz around the sun and clouds. I don’t usually mention my personal life on here but I happen to work at an airport. My boss just so happens to be giving me a crazy, once in a lifetime deal. He said he’d like to help me pursue my dream of flying. So pursue I will.

I’ve started another blog called Just A Plane Girl where I blog about my aviator adventures. I will still write on here about my misadventures as a writer and the progress on my book. I’m not, by all means, giving up on my book. I will still continue to write and work on it until it’s finished. I’ve been saying for the past year it feels like that my book is almost done or that the skeleton is there and it just needs filling in. There’s research that needs to be done. Details that need filling in. Dots needing to be connected. It’s coming along but very slowly. Hopefully one day… Scratch that. One day I will be sharing it with all of you. 🙂

Writing Something Of An Addiction

Writing can be an addiction. Or is that just me?

Lately, I’ve discovered that I turn into Grumpy Cat if I don’t get at least some writing done on any given day. I’ll get cranky like I do when I don’t get my coffee. There’s nothing more exciting than a blank page. It has an infinite number of possibilities. As each letter is written on the blank space, that billion of possibilities narrows down to millions and soon to thousands. It becomes grounded and turns into a thought or idea.

One of the most thrilling parts of writing is playing God. I can create a life and I can take a life. All without consequence. I can be like I’ll make this a really awesome character. Everyone will love him. Then, I’ll kill him. And everyone will mourn him. I believe Joss Whedon is the best at creating beloved characters and then wrenching our very hearts out as we see that character’s demise. Other fun parts of writing is throwing those nasty twists in. Jodie seems to be just like every other girl. Or…is she?

My favorite twist in writing is when you discover that so-and-so wasn’t your best friend after all. When the narrator becomes the villain in the end. However, the problem with this type of plot is its difficulty. When done right, it creates for a stunning novel. When done wrong, it’s so terrible that it instantly becomes a classic joke. One novel I recently read which attempted to fool its audience by pretending the narrator to be good is Moriarty by an author whose name eludes me. At the end, I didn’t believe the narrator could be the evil one. It just felt as if the author had decided it on a whim. On the positive side, one of the best books I’ve read where this plot twist is done great is Gone Girl. I won’t spoil any of the particulars because that happens to be a fabulous book.

Writing, you see… Is something marvelous. Another beautiful part to creating a good story is seeing the characters come alive. At times, it almost feels as if they’re saying the words, not you. It’s as if they’re making the story and you’re only there to narrate. Storytelling, the fact that you get to be god… It’s something of an addiction.