There is something to be said for teasing. It makes people want more, and it also allows you to have a bit of fun.
A few of my friends actually read my very first written draft, since they had helped with the inspiring and were nosy. One of them is my good friend Vanessa (I call her Batgirl sometimes) and we hung out the other night. At one point, we got around to talking about "the story" and Vanessa wanted me to tell her what I had planned.
As any good author would do, I refused.
I claimed not wanting to spoil it for her, and she said she wanted it to be spoiled, she wouldn't tell anyone, begged, pleaded, threatened. It was hilarious from my end. So, because she kept asking questions about my two main characters, I finally spilled a secret, keeping it vague and confusing.
She flipped out. She asked me "What is that supposed to mean?" so I just looked at her and said, "You tell me."
Batgirl didn't approve.
But I had a great time with the teasing. It makes me laugh and grin and cackle maniacally.
Of course, I then decided that she was a pretty good sport about my evilness, so I sent her some more teaser-like things. Hopefully she'll enjoy them, and I'll get to tease her more next time I see her!
Friday, August 06, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Surprise Characters
That's one thing to be said for rewrites... new characters tend to pop up when you change your plot.
See, I had planned to have this guy show up, but he wasn't supposed to play a big role or anything. Just a quick entrance then exit.
But apparently he had other plans. And he brought a brother.
So now I have two new characters... and I LOVE THEM.
Daemyn and Damek. Shifters. With an interesting history, too, from what little I know of it. They also took care of a bit of a plot mystery I was mulling over from a while ago, so that's wonderful. I think they'll even get along with Kaden, too, which is kinda good, because not a lot of people are on Kaden's side....
It's true Kaden! People just seem to be CONSTANTLY annoyed with you!
See, I had planned to have this guy show up, but he wasn't supposed to play a big role or anything. Just a quick entrance then exit.
But apparently he had other plans. And he brought a brother.
So now I have two new characters... and I LOVE THEM.
Daemyn and Damek. Shifters. With an interesting history, too, from what little I know of it. They also took care of a bit of a plot mystery I was mulling over from a while ago, so that's wonderful. I think they'll even get along with Kaden, too, which is kinda good, because not a lot of people are on Kaden's side....
It's true Kaden! People just seem to be CONSTANTLY annoyed with you!
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Writer's Detour
I have a theory. The term "writer's block" is bad luck, a curse, a jinx. I never use it anymore. Instead, I call what most people call a "block" a "detour". Because detour implies that you will get back on track eventually, just take a usually longer way and more time to get there.
Well, I've been taking a long ass detour lately. And it bugs the hell out of me. Because I know where I want to go and what I want to happen. It just... doesn't come out when I sit down to write.
Maybe my "car" has broken down. *grimaces*
I also hate to force myself to write. That very rarely produces the best work. Sooo....
Still stuck at 49 pages.
However, the news is a glorious thing. I was watching Good Day Sacramento the other morning, and it gave me a solution to the problem I was having before. See, in my rewrites, I've added a lot of new material. I've also taken out several things too, one of which was an underground fight being busted. Instead, I've decided to send my main character, Vivi, on something of a side-case. Which is where the news came in. Since the story takes place in Sacramento, it just seemed to work so well. Plus, it was said to be "suspicious" or something. So off goes my imagination. How it could work into the story, several little factors....
It started with firemen, actually. =D Led to Shifters. Led to investigations for the explosion. Led to - solution for problem.
Only now my fingers seem to shut down when I stare at that word doc page.
FAIL.
Well, I've been taking a long ass detour lately. And it bugs the hell out of me. Because I know where I want to go and what I want to happen. It just... doesn't come out when I sit down to write.
Maybe my "car" has broken down. *grimaces*
I also hate to force myself to write. That very rarely produces the best work. Sooo....
Still stuck at 49 pages.
However, the news is a glorious thing. I was watching Good Day Sacramento the other morning, and it gave me a solution to the problem I was having before. See, in my rewrites, I've added a lot of new material. I've also taken out several things too, one of which was an underground fight being busted. Instead, I've decided to send my main character, Vivi, on something of a side-case. Which is where the news came in. Since the story takes place in Sacramento, it just seemed to work so well. Plus, it was said to be "suspicious" or something. So off goes my imagination. How it could work into the story, several little factors....
It started with firemen, actually. =D Led to Shifters. Led to investigations for the explosion. Led to - solution for problem.
Only now my fingers seem to shut down when I stare at that word doc page.
FAIL.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
So The Journey Beings
Hello, I am Juliann, an absolutely insane eighteen-year-old Californian with an (almost) unhealthy obsession with books and far more imagination than she knows what to do with. I live in Lodi, CA. A town almost no one knows about, but is supposedly known for producing good wine. Not that I'd know, because I am only - as I mentioned - eighteen.
Since I was in... oh, I'd have to say late grade school, I've loved to write. It's a great thing, writing, absolutely glorious. However, nothing ever seemed to work at that young age. I'd never finish anything. EVER. (Unless it was for school, because then I HAD to, lol.) And then... I became part of the Twilight craze before it was a craze. I lent it to friends, and they loved it too. But I was antsy waiting for the next book (I've never been one for patience when it comes to books) and had already reread the two I had a bazillion times.... I found myself at fanfiction and that calmed me for a while. And with great uncertainty, I began writing my own idea that I'd had. In a notebook, of course, because I wasn't sure it was any good and wasn't even sure I'd actually be able to finish a story for once, even if it didn't have my own characters and world.
Then my friend Ana realized I was writing a fanfic for Twilight. She stole that notebook from me during AVID and wouldn't give it back until she'd read everything I wrote. She finished, set it down on my desk, and in a very serious, firm, demanding tone, said two words that honestly changed my life.
"Write more."
So I did. I wrote it and posted it and finished it. A first for me. And an absolute confidence boost.
So I kept on writing more fanfics. They grew more original, my writing improved drastically with the practice, until I had reviewers telling me I should take what I'd written and adjust it to be my own work and get it published.
Me? An author? I didn't think I was that good, but the praise continued and the seed was planted. I loved reading; my mind always loved creating characters and plots and worlds; I enjoyed writing. Why not write my own book?
But I assumed that this would happen far later in my life. Didn't stop me from writing, though.
Then more of my friends began realizing that I wrote, and they encouraged it. They began saying I would be a famous author one day and they couldn't wait to buy a book by me and get me to sign it. The water and sunlight to the seed that had been planted. Obviously they all thought I could do this.
So I went with it, mainly joking but always somewhat serious about trying at the very least.
My main problem - always - had been characters with my own original works. For some reason, they would leave me halfway through and the plot never worked without them being there. And I knew I'd have troubles creating the hero of the story, because I would be tempted to make him so I fell in love with him. Which wouldn't work, because then I wouldn't want to give him an HEA.
Sooo... I came up with a plan. I'd ask all my friends and family for details and throw them together for my hero.
And then, come fall last year, I decided to start. Because at this point, even my mom was on board with the future author plan. (Her joke is that my earnings will be her retirement. Dad has recently joined this plan.) So I asked all the friends I could around me for details.
It started with flowers, Mouagoleah, my muse and best friend. She told me he had to have green eyes. Dark green. Then Brittany said he had to have black hair, spiky and on the short side. Mai said he had to be handsome, not cute. Maddie said he had to be white. Julie said tall, someone else said smart, we all (Mai, Brittany, Julie, flowers, and I) agreed he had to be witty and argumentative. Something of a bad boy, a little mysterious.
There were several other details that weren't taken up. Mathematical genius. Dimpled grin. Those never became his character.
I asked them for names. I got names like Cade and Aydian and Ramses and several others.
He told me his name was Kaden.
Thus he was born, but he was still vague. He needed a story. My planned heroine, Roxie, and the possible plot, never seemed to... jive, though. I got a plot planned out though, finally, and started writing.
Then I had a vision. It was a late winter night when I was dropping a movie in the return slot at Hollywood Video for Mom, and happened to glance up. It was empty inside. For whatever reason, the guy behind the counter glanced up at me and our gazes met.
My imagination took hold from there.
Getting back in the car, I buckled in as Mom pulled out of the parking lot into traffic, and then my lips were forming words that were whirling in my mind.
"You know, it'd be really easy to slip a bomb through the return slot."
Yeah, I know. What a random crazy thought. My mom laughed at me, and I explained my thought process - no one checks those things regularly. Obviously it wouldn't be big and powerful, but it could definitely make a statement.
Of course, I had no idea why someone would do that.
My mom mentioned it could be to attack someone who worked there, as a protest, something like that.
And that was the birth of my plot.
And suddenly, Kaden was more real than ever, and totally not what I'd expected him to be.
And I had a slew of characters that grew more real as I wrote.
During my English class, I'd write down actual conversations in my head with Kaden, even though he wasn't the main character, the heroine. But he just... grew on me.
And now, with about 150 written pages in two notebooks and the story being only about halfway finished, I've started typing rewrites. Various reasons. I wanted to do it in 3rd person and I had to add in things that I hadn't known I'd needed until I was farther in the plot.
So that has been my summer project. Writing. Or, more specifically, rewrites.
I have 49 typed pages, with a good third of them being completely new material. I love the rewrites. I love the story, and I love my characters.
Even if, sometimes, it all makes me feel ready to throw my computer out the window, into the street where construction is happening.
So, welcome to the insanity. Perhaps you will enjoy listening to my "trials". Perhaps you will fall in love with my characters like I have, and my friends have. Or maybe you will simply read to lolz at my ranting. Why-ever you're here and (possibly) stay, I hope it is as fun for you as it is for me.
Since I was in... oh, I'd have to say late grade school, I've loved to write. It's a great thing, writing, absolutely glorious. However, nothing ever seemed to work at that young age. I'd never finish anything. EVER. (Unless it was for school, because then I HAD to, lol.) And then... I became part of the Twilight craze before it was a craze. I lent it to friends, and they loved it too. But I was antsy waiting for the next book (I've never been one for patience when it comes to books) and had already reread the two I had a bazillion times.... I found myself at fanfiction and that calmed me for a while. And with great uncertainty, I began writing my own idea that I'd had. In a notebook, of course, because I wasn't sure it was any good and wasn't even sure I'd actually be able to finish a story for once, even if it didn't have my own characters and world.
Then my friend Ana realized I was writing a fanfic for Twilight. She stole that notebook from me during AVID and wouldn't give it back until she'd read everything I wrote. She finished, set it down on my desk, and in a very serious, firm, demanding tone, said two words that honestly changed my life.
"Write more."
So I did. I wrote it and posted it and finished it. A first for me. And an absolute confidence boost.
So I kept on writing more fanfics. They grew more original, my writing improved drastically with the practice, until I had reviewers telling me I should take what I'd written and adjust it to be my own work and get it published.
Me? An author? I didn't think I was that good, but the praise continued and the seed was planted. I loved reading; my mind always loved creating characters and plots and worlds; I enjoyed writing. Why not write my own book?
But I assumed that this would happen far later in my life. Didn't stop me from writing, though.
Then more of my friends began realizing that I wrote, and they encouraged it. They began saying I would be a famous author one day and they couldn't wait to buy a book by me and get me to sign it. The water and sunlight to the seed that had been planted. Obviously they all thought I could do this.
So I went with it, mainly joking but always somewhat serious about trying at the very least.
My main problem - always - had been characters with my own original works. For some reason, they would leave me halfway through and the plot never worked without them being there. And I knew I'd have troubles creating the hero of the story, because I would be tempted to make him so I fell in love with him. Which wouldn't work, because then I wouldn't want to give him an HEA.
Sooo... I came up with a plan. I'd ask all my friends and family for details and throw them together for my hero.
And then, come fall last year, I decided to start. Because at this point, even my mom was on board with the future author plan. (Her joke is that my earnings will be her retirement. Dad has recently joined this plan.) So I asked all the friends I could around me for details.
It started with flowers, Mouagoleah, my muse and best friend. She told me he had to have green eyes. Dark green. Then Brittany said he had to have black hair, spiky and on the short side. Mai said he had to be handsome, not cute. Maddie said he had to be white. Julie said tall, someone else said smart, we all (Mai, Brittany, Julie, flowers, and I) agreed he had to be witty and argumentative. Something of a bad boy, a little mysterious.
There were several other details that weren't taken up. Mathematical genius. Dimpled grin. Those never became his character.
I asked them for names. I got names like Cade and Aydian and Ramses and several others.
He told me his name was Kaden.
Thus he was born, but he was still vague. He needed a story. My planned heroine, Roxie, and the possible plot, never seemed to... jive, though. I got a plot planned out though, finally, and started writing.
Then I had a vision. It was a late winter night when I was dropping a movie in the return slot at Hollywood Video for Mom, and happened to glance up. It was empty inside. For whatever reason, the guy behind the counter glanced up at me and our gazes met.
My imagination took hold from there.
Getting back in the car, I buckled in as Mom pulled out of the parking lot into traffic, and then my lips were forming words that were whirling in my mind.
"You know, it'd be really easy to slip a bomb through the return slot."
Yeah, I know. What a random crazy thought. My mom laughed at me, and I explained my thought process - no one checks those things regularly. Obviously it wouldn't be big and powerful, but it could definitely make a statement.
Of course, I had no idea why someone would do that.
My mom mentioned it could be to attack someone who worked there, as a protest, something like that.
And that was the birth of my plot.
And suddenly, Kaden was more real than ever, and totally not what I'd expected him to be.
And I had a slew of characters that grew more real as I wrote.
During my English class, I'd write down actual conversations in my head with Kaden, even though he wasn't the main character, the heroine. But he just... grew on me.
And now, with about 150 written pages in two notebooks and the story being only about halfway finished, I've started typing rewrites. Various reasons. I wanted to do it in 3rd person and I had to add in things that I hadn't known I'd needed until I was farther in the plot.
So that has been my summer project. Writing. Or, more specifically, rewrites.
I have 49 typed pages, with a good third of them being completely new material. I love the rewrites. I love the story, and I love my characters.
Even if, sometimes, it all makes me feel ready to throw my computer out the window, into the street where construction is happening.
So, welcome to the insanity. Perhaps you will enjoy listening to my "trials". Perhaps you will fall in love with my characters like I have, and my friends have. Or maybe you will simply read to lolz at my ranting. Why-ever you're here and (possibly) stay, I hope it is as fun for you as it is for me.
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