Dear All:
I'm so excited to continue to share with you my adventures in writing my first novel, which I'm still working on!
How do you go about writing a novel? It's definitely something I'm still figuring out!
But I didn't have the faintest idea how to even start even though
I've reviewed many, many books at this point, and I edited several full
length novels for other authors. But I made a couple of decisions right
away.
First, I decided to write what I knew. Part of
the problem with my other unfinished stories was that I'd get bogged
down in the inconsistencies and issues with the world building, become
really frustrated, and stop. So I decided to write a novel set in
present day about medical school, something which I'm very familiar.
Second,
I decided that I would start making a habit of writing every day, rain
or shine, busy or not busy. So I would wake up an hour earlier before
work to write.
Third, I was going to send a chapter to
my sister almost every day so that I'd have a goal every day. And
someone to remind me that I was behind on my quota, so I would have
someone built in to answer to.
And that was it. I
basically had the inkling of a story in my head, a couple of characters
in mind, and I wrote. And wrote. And wrote.
The first
10K I wrote were the hardest to get through. But once I hit that goal,
it was like I hit my stride. It became easier to write more each day.
After
two months, I had written 60,000 words, more words than I had ever
written in my life. My sister, who had been reading along with me, told
me she felt it was finished. I was stunned. How could it be done? I
hadn't even gotten to the part of the story I REALLY wanted to tell.
I was just so disappointed. How could this have happened?
I
decided to let it sit for a month. I felt so unsettled. I wrote a ton
of words, but I felt like I hadn't really written a book.
After
thinking about it for a while, I realized my problems. First, I didn't
write with an outline. That's the problem with doing a really long
freewrite. Second, I had no idea how time passed in novels. I started
off thinking I could write through four years in one novel, which was
absurd. I shaved it down to a year, and it quickly became four months,
and in that abbreviated time, my plot no longer made sense.
Problems
aside, I think writing that 60K was not wasted time at all. During that
time, I finally figured out what I wanted the book to really be about.
Those of you who've written before, have you run into any of these problems? For those of you who haven't written, have you ever thought about what goes into writing even a first draft?
Thanks for tuning in! Next time, we'll talk about Nanowrimo!
Hey, everyone! Happy New Year!
I'm excited to share my first post on my writing experiences.
Starting my first novel was really daunting. If I'm completely honest, it's pretty much taken my whole life up to this point to actually start the novel.
I started writing when I didn't even know how to write yet. I would fill page after page with scribbles of a pencil, pretending to write the next great novel.
By the time I was eight or nine, I started writing short stories. I usually wrote about my current crush or MacGyver (who was my crush for a long time. Let's face it! He was one of the hottest characters in the 80's!) I quickly branched off into fantasy and science fiction. The stories were usually totally ridiculous and revolved around soap opera type of relationships in a spaceship.
I also went to Duke Young Writer's Camp when I was in middle school. It was really fun and creative, and taught me to be excited about developing stories and plots. I vaguely remember writing a science fiction novel about an alien named Lena.
In college, I took several fiction writing classes my senior year, one of them from the now very famous Adam Johnson, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize winner, The Orphan Master's Son. I wrote several full length short stories at that time. The main problem with most of my stories was the fact that I had almost no description. The only thing I liked to describe was food. So people would salivate when they read my stuff, but they also felt like they were watching characters exist in a white box. I learned that even though I personally don't really care for description, there's a balance for everything.
After that, I cultivated a graveyard of abandoned novels that I started and stopped, most about a page long before I lost interest. I have about ten pages of a novel that's vaguely reminiscent of Divergent, a novel about a medical dystopia, a novel about an enchanted necklace, and the start of a contemporary novel about four friends in medical school. This went on through medical school and residency. During this time, my best friend bought me a notebook to start writing my first great novel, but somehow I couldn't get started.
It really wasn't until I started blogging in earnest last year, participated in the Writer's Cramp, and met a lot of authors who are now good friends, that I realized I should really do it. Plus, my best friend kept emailing me repeatedly, telling me I better start!
Finally, my sister told me that neither she nor I had the attention span to write a book. Because I'm just that stubborn and reverse psychology really works on me, I told myself, "Now, it's ON!" I was determined to prove herself (and my own doubting self) wrong.
And I did :-)
Have you guys ever written a book? Have you had trouble getting started too? What have your experiences been like? If you haven't, are you interested in writing a book? Why or why not?
My next post on Writer's Corner will be about how the writing process actually went!
Right now, enter another giveaway! Win a book off my giveaway shelf (US only) or a $10 Amazon GC (INT only).
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Guys! I've finally read and reviewed The Prophecy by Erin Albert, and it's fabulous! What's even better is that I have an awesome giveaway for you guys, which only leads up to an even BIGGER giveaway!!!!
Goodreads Book Description: Growing up on a small
farm in the kingdom of Vanguard, seventeen-year-old Layla Givens lives a
deceptively tranquil existence. But her carefully constructed life
quickly falls apart when she’s abducted by a religious zealot who
proclaims her The Fulfillment of an ancient peace prophecy and whisks
her away to marry her greatest enemy.
Wilhelm, Prince of the
Ethereals, is reluctant to meet his new bride. He's grown up believing
Vanguards are evil, an enemy to fight and fear...not love. Can he set
aside his prejudices and work alongside Layla to bring lasting peace
after centuries of war?
Nash, a loner who has never fit in,
carries a huge secret, one big enough to destroy both kingdoms. When he
accidently meets Layla, he’s no longer content to live in the shadows,
but he must resist his growing attraction—for her safety and for the
longevity of the two kingdoms.
When Nash's secret is revealed, a
firestorm sweeps through both realms, with Layla at the center. Now she
must choose between duty and desire while the fate of two nations hangs
in the balance.
My Rating: 5 Couches!
My Review: Erin
is a good friend on twitter, so I admit I was worried. I always worry
about reading friends' books because you want to be honest, but let's
face it, it always sucks reading a book you don't like that was written
by a friend. Thank goodness, this wasn't an issue because The Prophecy
ROCKS! :-)
The Prophecy by Erin Albert is the first book of a YA
fantasy trilogy that whisks us away to the nations of the Vanguard and
the Ethereals. Layla is our main protagonist, although the perspective
of the book shifts from character to character effortlessly, and she is
one of the Vanguards. Her adoptive family is worried that she may be the
Fulfillment because of her black hair and purple eyes. It's been
foretold that the Fulfillment will bring the two kingdoms together in
peace.
All Layla wants to do is go to the Vanguard celebration
and get some sweet bread. She doesn't feel like the Fulfillment, but
she's quickly found by a zealot and taken off to become Wil's bride.
Wilhelm is the heir to the Ethereal throne. As Layla meets both Wil and a
mysterious boy named Nash, she will be forced to decide between her
mind and heart on every level, and make a choice that may save or
destroy the kingdoms and the hope for peace.
I loved this book.
It was fast paced, and the world building was seamless. I've seen books
that completely fail on that level, but The Prophecy had a wonderful
balance between world building, character building, and plot. Each of
the characters were well described, and I found myself rooting for each
of them. I loved the plot twists, and I found a new book boyfriend in
Wil, who is one of the sweetest characters I've met in a long time.
Layla
was hard to like initially, but she quickly won me over, which is
critical in a book like this. I also loved how the older generation of
kings and queens played a large role in this book as well.
I
wasn't a huge fan of Nash, and I felt like some of those scenes were
forced. However, this is my only slightly negative comment about the
whole thing, and I know this is just a personal preference. There are
several people out there who are glad I don't like Nash so they can have
him for themselves!
Overall, a really wonderful YA debut by a
wonderful person. I'm beyond relieved that this book is terrific,
because it makes my job as an honest reviewer that much easier! I'm
dying to get my hands on the next installment!
Interview with Erin:
1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing.
I’ve always loved the written word. I read my first book Morris The Moose Goes To School at age four and typed up my very first poem (with my Mema—grandma—helping me spell). I’ve been writing since that moment. In addition to novel writing, I enjoy theater and have written and directed many plays.
2. What was the best part of writing the Prophecy, and the worst?
The absolute BEST part about writing The Prophecy has been working with my friends (aka: The Dream Team). They add so much to the process. I think the worst part of any author’s life is waiting, which seems to be something we do a lot. LOL!
3. Tell us about your editing process, and what kind of time and effort and people that go into it.
I am a grammar freak, so I do a good deal of editing before I employ the efforts of others. I start with the story itself. I write that without paying too much attention to grammar, sentence structures, etc. Once it’s complete, I go through and edit myself—a long, painstaking process. I then ask my Dream Team and critique partners to give it a gander and offer their thoughts and edits. When I got the contract for my book, my publisher assigned me editors. I worked with them in several iterations to sharpen the story even more. I ended up spending weeks in the editing cave, but I think those ladies really made the story shine.
4. Name a book that you wish you had written yourself and why.
I wish I had written the Percy Jackson series. I have a MAJOR fictional crush on Percy Jackson. More than that, I think the stories are creative and humorous. I like to think I’m a funny person, but Rick Riordan just takes the cake for me.
5. All your fans want to know... which guy are you partial to in your book? Wil or Nash?
Hmmmmm…I can’t really say lest my answer give away any plot twists in the future books. I can tell you what I like about each of them.
Wil—I love his tender heart, morality, romantic nature, and chivalry. He’s a rare gem of a person.
Nash—I love his strength, passion, mystery, and fierceness. He has so much stacked against him, yet he never gives up.
6. If Layla could have a best friend from another book, tv show, or movie, who would it be and why?
I think Layla would get along well with other tough girls like Tris (Divergent), June (Legend), Allison (Blood of Eden), and Katniss (Hunger Games). Those five just might have the ability to take over the world!! LOL!
7. Can you tell us a little about the sequel to The Prophecy without giving anything away?
In the sequel, you will be introduced to several new characters (some you’ll like and some you won’t), get an answer to Wil and Vespa’s fates, meet the Outlanders, and discover there might be more to the prophecy than meets the eye. There is a scene in this book the Dream Team and I refer to as The Scene. So, be prepared!! ;)
AND NOW! The fantabulous giveaway!!!
Erin has been supremely generous, and we're giving away FIFTEEN e-copies of The Prophecy! And if that's not cool enough because this book is awesome, the OTHER reason you want to win this book is that IF YOU WRITE A REVIEW, there is a giveaway in January where there is a tremendous, fantastic prize with tons of books and ARCs from 2014 and a gift certificate for one lucky winner!
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Dear All:
First, I have some good news. I officially passed my Pediatric Boards! Whoohoo! Never have to take that sucker again.
Also, let me know what you think of my redesign. As you can tell, I love the color blue. But I adore the new look. It still preserves the minimalist thing I have going on, but is way prettier! Please let me know what you guys think!
Also, there's a great giveaway going on by one of my favorite indie authors, Christina Smith (plus, she has a pretty great name :-)). She is giving away all 4 of the books in the Moon's Glow series.
https://www.facebook.com/christina.smith.7161953
To celebrate all this good news, we're gonna do a giveaway! :-) Also, stay tuned for posts on my writing process, reviews on some great adult reads, and my journey as a freelance editor.
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Dear all:
As you know, I've taken a pretty long hiatus from blogging. There are a couple of reasons why:
1. Took Pediatric Boards in October
Studying for this pretty much took up any spare time, so I had to cut down on my favorite past time.
2. Writing my first novel
It's currently in its third draft and with one of my traditionally published friends to see if it's worth sending out to the world in some form or fashion. I'll keep you guys posted and have some upcoming posts about the writing process!
3. Editing
I'm a freelance editor in my spare time, so I've taken a pretty big project recently, to edit a wonderful memoir by Barbara Amaya, who is a trafficking survivor. Working with her has made it clear that this book needs to be out in the world to make people more aware of this huge problem. If you didn't know (and I didn't), it's a huge problem not only internationally, but also here in the United States. I'll be doing a preview and some promotion for this in January.
4. Work:
Things have gotten pretty crazy in the research lab that I'm working in, but finally in the last two weeks have been getting some amazing results!
Anyway, I'm hoping to get back into blogging. I'll never do it as frequently as I did when I started since I'm transitioning to writing books more, but I'll try to post once a week.
I've decided to rebrand my blog as ENSCONCED IN LIT because my novel is adult contemporary, and I've branched out from reading just YA. I want to share some of those reads with you all without having a second blog.
It was nice to take a break from YA, but it'll always be my first love!
I'm also going to start doing some giveaways this month to thank my readers and hopefully remind people I'm still around! Can't wait to see you all more in the future!
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