I Can't Write Anymore

Sometimes I think that to myself. Ok, all the time. I can't write anymore. It's not that I don't want to--I really, really do. It's that I can't. I can't come up with ideas. I can't put words onto the page. Can't can't can't. 

Ok, if I really dissect that, I'll find it isn't true at all. I still come up with ideas. 90% of them may involve the same characters, but they are new ideas, at least. I've come up with a bunch of ideas for editing my book. I still somehow manage to write a blog post three times a week (mostly), although that can often be a struggle. I even wrote three paragraphs on Friday night. They were from a scene in Book 3 and I may not even use them, but at least it's something. 

But there's still that mental block that tells me I can't do it anymore. I remember in high school sitting at my desk with a notebook using every second of down time to get words onto the page. Why is that so hard now? I used to write poetry all the time, but I haven't in years. The ideas just don't come to me anymore. 

I know I have several different reasons for not being able to write. I know what they are, but I still can't bring myself to just push through them and do it. Maybe the answer is to just stop giving a crap about what other people think, or how horrible the words come out. I can always rewrite. And I can certainly just write something for me. Just keep working on it until I like it and then maybe try to send it out into the world and see if someone else does. 

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that maybe that is my big hangup. I never write for me anymore. I try way too hard to get things perfect. I want the words to already be perfect in my mind before I even try to write them, so most of the time I just end up staring at the blank screen. I think I just need to not give a crap anymore. Write what I want and then see how it goes.

Excuses, Excuses

So I didn't write a blog post on Wednesday, or even look at a single post from anyone else. And I didn't feel bad about it one little bit. On Tuesday I woke up with a sore throat that was turning into a full blown cold by the next day. I mean, who gets sick in August?? Me, apparently. So I just didn't feel like blogging. It happens from time to time.

It's a hard thing to keep up with, especially when I try to blog three times a week. It's hard to come up with ideas sometimes, so when you pile on not feeling well onto the mental block, you just don't even feel like turning on your computer. But it's ok, right? People take week or even month long blog breaks and nobody really cares. I just always feel like I should tell people when I'm not blogging, but I've already written so many "I don't feel like blogging" posts that another one just seems silly.

But getting sick has really thrown me off with everything. I tried restarting my diet on Monday but now that's out the window. Mostly because my cold has limited me to four food groups: oatmeal, scrambled eggs, Powerade, and coffee Coolatas. I just want to lay in bed and watch TV and not do anything else--like say, exercising.

This has gotten me thinking about excuses. We make them all of the time. We put things off. It usually takes me awhile to make the bed every day just because I don't want to disturb my cat. There are a million things I seem to be putting off at any given time--going to the doctor or dentist, getting my hair cut, *cough cough* finishing the third draft of my novel *cough.* I can't even begin to tell you all of the excuses I've had for putting off my diet or not going to the gym.

I've got a million excuses for not writing, all of them piled on top of each other. I think it really boils down to just not feeling like it. Of course, that feeling is caused by a million other excuses. So at what point do I stop making excuses and just start writing already? I don't know! I feel like I always have all the answers, but actually working through things and getting something done is easier said than done. But maybe if I stopped making excuses, it will be a little bit easier. Who knows?

What do you make excuses for? Writing????

You Can't Please Everyone

One of the things you have to keep in mind not only with writing, but with any kind of entertainment, is that there is no possible way to please everyone. Every person can't possibly like everything--every book, song, movie, TV show, and so on. We all have different opinions. Everyone has a favorite color or a favorite food, right? You may not be able to understand how someone could love something that you hate (like how I will never understand why some people like Fifty Shades of Grey...), or vice versa. The bottom line is that while there will usually be an audience for everything, that audience isn't made up of everyone.

Say you went to a movie with your friend and you loved it, but she hated it. You both saw the same movie, right? But the way it impacted each of you was completely different. Or if you go to a comedy show, and everyone in the room laughs at a particular joke except for you. Does that mean the joke isn't funny? Well, that depends on how you look at it. To you, it isn't, but to several other people, it is. It's not something that can be clearly defined.

We always say that people are entitled to their opinions. Everyone has specific things that they like. You may like a certain genre of books or movies, and that's what you stick to. Or you may like a little bit of everything. What we like can be something broad like genre, or it can be on a smaller scale, like a particular writing style or point of view.

I think the thing that stings with getting a bad review is that you wish this person never read your piece in the first place. We always wish that our books would only find that target audience, but it doesn't always happen. Ideally, you would want every person who reads your work to love it, but even if they like your genre or other aspects that make up your book, sometimes it still just doesn't work out. It doesn't mean that your book is bad--it just wasn't right for that person.

I don't think I would look at bad reviews if/when I got them. For one, I just know I don't have the thick skin for it. But also, there really isn't a point. You can't exactly change a book once it's published just to please more people. You wrote what you wrote. Hopefully your book will find those people who will enjoy it.

How do you feel about reviews? Do you read the bad ones?

When to Reveal Character Traits

If you want your characters to feel like real people, then they should have different traits to make them seem realistic. What sort of traits you give each character will depend on the story you're writing and the characters themselves. What exactly is important for the reader to know about this character? It could have to do with physical appearance, hobbies, beliefs, or pretty much anything you could think of being important to convey a character's personality. But when exactly should you let the reader know about these traits?

The answer won't always seem obvious. It can depend on when or if a certain trait is important within the story. If you want your readers to know what your characters look like, it's probably a good idea to convey that as early as possible. Of course, you don't really have to convey this information at all if you don't want to, but if you wait until halfway through a novel to show what your characters look like, it may seem strange. It's probably best to get it out early or not at all.

It's important not to force these sort of traits on the reader all at once. It should just come up naturally within the story. You wouldn't want to dump every single detail about your character like the reader was looking at their dating profile: "he was tall with brown hair, brown eyes, liked going for walks and listening to music and..." Sounds silly, right? Whatever trait you're revealing should feel natural within the scene itself, but it should also be important to the story. If you mention a character's hobby and it never comes up again, maybe you didn't need to mention it at all. If it's something that they do several times during the story, then it's something your reader needs to know.

What I'm actually struggling with right now is revealing my narrator's sexuality. It is definitely relevant to the story by the end of chapter one, but it's not something that's actually discussed between the characters for several chapters. So he has to tell the reader that he's gay before he tells anyone in the story. I originally had it come up in the first scene (in the giant info dump I talked about in Monday's post) but I realized there was already a lot going on in that scene and his sexuality really wasn't important to know at that point. So I'm planning on moving it to the second scene. I think I have it figured out but I won't know for sure until I actually write it (like most of the editing I still haven't done...)

While there are plenty of character traits that your readers will need to know, figuring out where to reveal them can be tricky. You'll need to decide what is actually important and how early on in the story it should be revealed, but also making sure these facts aren't just dumped on the reader out of nowhere.

How do you reveal character traits? Which traits do you think are most important (or least important)?

First Scene Nonsense

Figuring out the first scene in your book can be tricky. It's the first thing your reader is going to read, so you want to hook them and get them wanting to read the whole story. But the scene should also make sense within the overall story. You have to make sure this particular scene is the right one to open the book. Once you figure all of this out, then you have to make sure you actually write it so that it meets these requirements. But like most things, it isn't always easy.

I've been thinking a lot about the first scene in my book lately. Actually, I've been avoiding it. I know I need to rewrite it so that it makes more sense and hooks the reader more. I've always known when and where it takes place, and pretty much everything that happens in it, but despite that, I still can't get it quite right. So lately I've just had no idea what to even do with it.

I think one of the problems is that there's a lot going on, but not in the scene itself. There's a lot of exposition--the narrator is conveying a ton of information to the reader and I'd say only half of it is actually relevant to the scene. It's important to his character, but it really doesn't need to be said within the scene itself. So I guess I've already figured it out. I should move this information to another scene. I really have no idea how to bring it up now, but that's probably a blog post for another day.

The second problem is that while the first scene is necessary to the story, it does kind of require some catching up on what has happened before the story begins. I've basically always had this idea that these books would start with the main character already in the middle of some scheme, because that's basically what he's always doing (especially in the first book when he's only 15, causing trouble is pretty much his only hobby). So this first scene is actually the end to something he already started, but it sets in motion what is actually the main plot of the book. So while it is necessary, there is some needed explanation. I just worry that it may seem odd to the reader.

The good thing is that I think I'm on the right track to figuring out my first line. I was never really crazy about the way I had it in the second draft, but I had no idea how to change it. A few nights ago I came up with something, and while I don't think it's perfect, I think what the line is saying is where I want it to be. I think it's getting the point across, but I'll probably need to rewrite it a few times to get it exactly the way I want.

So these are the editing issues I've been tackling lately. And that's just one scene!

Save the Good Idea for Monday...

I had an idea for a blog post today, because I did a whole lot of thinking and a little bit of writing last night. I thought it would be great to talk about that--the things I figured out, things I still need to figure out. But the more I thought about it, I realized...it's really more of a Monday kind of post.

Fridays aren't really heavy traffic days for blogging. A lot of bloggers don't post on Fridays; others will do short posts to sum up their weeks or just tell you what they're doing over the weekend. For me, at least, I get a lot less comments on Fridays than on a Monday or Wednesday. So I thought, do I want to use my good idea on a day where I won't get a lot of feedback? Heck no! So yeah, this post is going to be a bit of a throwaway. But I'm ok with that.

With the writing I did last night I managed to come up with a new first line for UL. I'm not crazy about the line itself, but the concept is where I want it to be. I think I'll need to rewrite it a few times to where it's exactly the line I want. I'm not entirely sure if I want to share the line in Monday's blog post. I would love to get people's reactions to it, to see if maybe it's already good enough and I'm just overthinking it. But I certainly don't want people to feel obligated to rewrite it for me. Actually, I would hate that. I want to write my own first line. So maybe I won't share it, but talk about what's going on with it.

Other than the first line/first scene/first chapter nonsense, the only other thing going on is that it's my birthday on Sunday! Remind me to change the age in my bio on Monday to 28. Honestly, I kinda hate birthday time. I'm not really a center of attention kind of person. I don't need gifts but asking for money feels weird. And I really really really hate all the Facebook messages from people I haven't talked to in years. But anyway, my fiance and I are going out for dinner tonight and my dad's making his world famous cheeseburgers for me on Sunday. There goes my diet!

Well, that's about it. What is everyone else doing this weekend?

When Does Bitterness Leave?

It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's the posting day for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Click the link to learn more and sign up!

I noticed something trending on Twitter the other day that made my stomach turn: Pitch Wars. "UGH" was my immediate response. 

Honestly, writing-wise, doing Pitch Wars was the biggest mistake I ever made. There's a part of me that wants to rant and scream and tell everyone I possibly can not to do it. But I think the odds of someone else having my exact experience are actually very slim: first, having a controversial story, then having an a-hole mentor send unnecessarily cruel feedback on just your first chapter, and also being the kind of person who is prone to depression and anxiety and will let this sort of thing eat away at you. On the other hand, seeing as how there's roughly a 10% chance of getting picked if you enter, I also feel like it's just a giant waste of time. So in the best case scenario, you're still going to be disappointed. 

I wish I didn't let things get to me so much. It's not the first time I've been bullied. It definitely won't be the last time my writing will be critiqued (although I feel if my book was already published I would handle it in a completely different way). But at what point do you stop grinding your teeth when you hear something mentioned? When does that bitterness go away? When I think of something that happened in the past that still leaves me feeling bitter, the thought usually passes fairly quickly. You get over it eventually. Maybe just because Pitch Wars wasn't so long ago, it's still bugging me.

Or maybe it's just because it's kept me from writing. I hate the fact that it's almost been a year since I've really written anything. I've come up with a ton of ideas on how to edit my book, but I haven't actually done any of them. I hate when people tell me it's ok to take a break, because it's just been way too long. But every time I think about working on my book, I just wonder--what's the point? If everyone's going to hate this story and hate me for writing it, why should I bother? But I can't let it go because I've put so much effort into it and I think there's something there that people just aren't able to see yet.

So I guess I just need to try to make people see it. Nothing is ever going to happen if I don't start writing again. That's probably what I need to do to get over the experience. Nothing would be a bigger "f you" than being successful. If I don't write, then they win.

Jordan Takes Over: The Voices in Your Head

**The first Monday of every month, I let my muse take over the blog. I apologize in advance.**

First of all, let me just set a few things straight here. If Sarah is telling you I have a boyfriend, IT'S A LIE. Because A) that's not my thing (I mean commitment, not guys...keep up with me, people!), and B) technically I'm only 19 and I don't get together with this guy until we're 22. So there. Plus, hello spoilers! Oh, who am I kidding? By the time Book 3 gets published (assuming it does) you'll forget all about this. In that case, let me tell you...

OH I'M KIDDING. Relax. But anyway, this leads me to today's topic: having multiple characters telling you what to do. It can be extremely difficult when you're being pulled in too many directions by several different ideas or characters. Who do you listen to (uh, me, hello?)? Which idea is more important? Is it just the voice that seems the loudest?

I guess it depends on how many voices and where they're coming from. If you've got several different book ideas going on in your head at once and a strong urge to work on all of them, it can lead to trouble. You'll probably get things mixed up--characters showing up in the wrong book, things like magic or aliens popping into your contemporary romance. Just imagine the chaos if you took all of your book ideas and combined them into one. Scary, right?

So the easiest thing to do is work on one book at a time. I know, I know, easier said than done. I'm not saying you can't jump back and forth. But give one book a good amount of time and attention before you switch gears. Maybe wait for the inspiration to run out and then switch to get it going again.

But you've also got the issue of different characters within the same book or series pulling you in different directions. Maybe you've got minor characters wanting to be more important. Or maybe ideas from every book in your series are hitting you at once. If the characters are the same, it probably won't be as confusing to work on more than one. But if you're throwing your attention everywhere at once, is every piece you're writing going to come out perfect?

Ok, so maybe the easiest thing to say is that listening to the loudest voice is probably the right way to go. Whatever idea, character, scene, book, whatever, is occupying your thoughts the most is the one that you should be working on. Then if you finish that idea, that voice in your head may actually shut up and you can move on to the next one. If you're lucky.

So maybe I'm not always the loudest voice. It probably just means I'm sleeping.

JP

Not Feeling It Today

I think I've used that blog title before...

Yeah, so that flash fiction I talked about posting didn't happen. See what happens when I promise things? I'm just not gonna say anything about it until it's actually done. But I will post it on a Friday. Because that's what people do, right?

The thing is, I don't really feel like blogging about anything else. I kinda don't feel like doing anything at all. I'm having a bit of a life crisis, worrying about money, having trouble sleeping. I'm gonna have to get a real job soon because my savings is running out and I can't make enough with my freelance stuff to pay all the bills. I really wanted to wait until we moved to get a job but I just don't think there's enough time. We still haven't figured out when we're moving, either. So I'm screwed, basically. I was supposed to get so much more done in the time since I quit my job and I just haven't.

Maybe I should have saved this rant for IWSG! Oh well. I'm off to try to earn some money...

Gabriel Release & Review!

Earlier this week, the final book in Patricia Josephine's Path of Angels series, Gabriel, was released! I really enjoyed this series, so you should definitely check it out. Take it away, Patricia!

What’s in a name?

Gabriel
Angelic Messenger
Gabriel, an archangel and one of the two highest ranking angels in Judeo-Christian and Islamic lore. Her name means "strength of God". She is a unique archangel in the sense that it is almost certain she is the only female angel in the higher echelons, although some believe there are no female angels. Gabriel fosters joy, truth, justice and love. She grants wisdom in interpreting our dreams and visions.

Well, in Path of Angels Gabe is a guy and would probably be grumpy to read this. He is all about justice though. Love, he wants it for sure, but isn't very open about it. He's really a big grouch.

*   *   *

The end is in sight.

To stop Uriel from freeing Lucifer, Gabriel and his brothers must fall and go to Hell. It is a sacrifice Gabriel is not entirely ready to make. Will he fight alongside his brothers or forge his own path? There is only one choice.

Alexander doesn’t want to help Uriel nor does he trust him, but the angel has promised him a better life. He swore to protect Charlie, and he’ll do whatever it takes. When he meets the archangels and learns the depth of Uriel’s lies, he understands the true meaning of sacrifice. If there’s any hope of stopping Lucifer from being freed, Alexander, Charlie, Zephyr and Lake will have to get to Hell and help Gabriel and his brothers in the fight against Uriel.

The path is finally ending, but the price may be too high.

Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads!

About the Author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during
high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Twitter | Website | Google+ | Wattpad | Goodreads

Path of Angels

Sarah's Review:

The final book in the Path of Angels series focuses on the last archangel, Gabriel, while also wrapping up the overall plot line that has run through all of the books. Gabriel and his brothers must fall and go to hell in order to stop Uriel from freeing Lucifer. Gabriel’s struggle was really interesting to see: his anger seems to be the thing that sets him apart from his brothers. He doesn’t want to fall and really doesn’t even want to follow the path at all. He just wants his normal life back, but eventually comes to realize that this is impossible. That’s when Alexander and Charlie come in. They have a very sweet relationship—Alexander doesn’t really want to follow Uriel but it’s the only way he can protect Charlie. When they meet Gabriel, they are both drawn to him and the three of them see that they were meant to find one another. The polyamorous relationship was an interesting twist that I enjoyed. I wish they were able to have more time together, but with Gabriel fallen, he and his brothers must continue on their path. The angels’ loved ones play a much larger role than anyone expected, and they must also travel to hell to help stop Uriel. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say it did make me a little sad—but I also understand why it had to be that way. Overall, a great ending to the series!

(I'm not sure if I can call my reviews "mini" anymore...they always come out longer than I intend. Maybe next time I'll learn to use paragraph breaks...)

All Screwed Up

I'm totally off my game today. I know, I know, when exactly am I on my game? But it's past noon and I still don't have this blog post done. I was up late last night so slept in too much this morning. My fiance is off work today so that's throwing me off. It feels like a weekend. We just got back from the gym, so my usual 8:45 shower was an 11:45 shower. I haven't had any coffee or food so I'm starting to lose my sanity, I think.

I also wanted to do a lot of writing this weekend but that definitely did not happen. What I did was watch a whole lot of Harry Potter. I really wanted to get some work done on the first chapter for UL, because now I'm thinking it might be easier to edit in order? Or at least try. Really, I should just work on whatever part is inspiring me the most and to stop avoiding it altogether. Getting anything done at this point would be great. Rewriting a random sentence in any chapter would at least be progress. But no. Still avoiding looking at it.

I kinda sorta have a plan for the rest of the week. I've got a book review to post on Wednesday (that's assuming I get it done...but I did finish the book, at least!). And then maybe on Friday I'll post a piece of flash fiction. Well, it may be too long to be called flash fiction (I'm new at this...) but short enough for a blog post, at least. Adam has been chewing on my brains lately so I've been working on a little something from his point of view (CURSE HIM). He's probably got Jordan tied up somewhere...who is probably enjoying it. Of course, telling you that I'll post something has probably squashed all possibility that I will actually get it done in time. We'll see.

All right, I'm gonna go take a deep breath and have some coffee. In the meantime, here's a picture of my cat being ridiculous:

Cherished Blogfest

Today I'm taking part in the Cherished Blogfest, hosted by Dan Antion, Paul Ruddock, Peter Nena, Sharukh Bamboat, Tom Benson, and Damyanti Ghosh. The idea is to talk about one of our cherished objects. Tell us what it is, post a picture of it if you like, and tell us why you cherish it.

The object I want to talk about popped into my head right away, well probably because it's always on my finger--my engagement ring. While you may think the reason for cherishing this object would be pretty obvious, it's actually a bit more complex.

This ring actually belonged to my grandmother, but I never met her. She passed away when my mom was 10 years old. My grandfather eventually remarried and we always considered my step-grandmother to be our grandmother because she was the only one we knew. I remember when I was little my grandparents gave the ring to my mother, and she wore it every day because it belonged to her mother and was special to her.

When my mom passed away two years ago, my sister held onto the ring along with her other belongings. My boyfriend and I had been together for almost six years and we had talked about getting engaged, but he didn't have the money for a ring. It was actually my brother-in-law's idea to give him my grandmother's ring. My boyfriend proposed to me on Christmas Eve of that year.

So there are a lot of reasons why my engagement ring is special to me. It's a piece of family history--something that existed before I was born and that I can pass down to my children if I have them (or my niece if I don't). It was something that belonged to my mother and I can remember her by. And of course, it's a constant reminder that I have the love and support of a wonderful man who will someday be my husband.

(This was the most recent picture of us that I could stand. You know how I hate pictures of myself...)

Editing Lists

I make lists all of the time. Pretty much every day I have a to-do list for the things that I want or need to get done over the course of the day. I don't know if you're like me, but if you just say to yourself, "oh, I'll get to that later," then that task probably doesn't get done. Writing down what needs to be done is a great way to not only remember these tasks, but to add a bit of motivation.

I try to use a similar method when it comes to writing, especially when it comes to editing. When you need to make changes to a story, it can be helpful to know exactly what needs to be done. You may not know how to fix everything right away, but just knowing what needs to be fixed is usually the first step.

It can be extremely helpful to write down any idea that comes across your mind. If you want to rewrite a scene, add something in, cut a particular section. It's a lot of information to try to keep inside your head. Chances are you'll forget some of it, and if you have a lot of good ideas, losing them could be devastating. Writing every idea down will help you make sure all of those ideas actually happen.

There really is no right or wrong way to make an editing list, as long as you're able to understand it. I couldn't even tell you how many lists I have. I have a separate draft with comments just for making line edits. I have a list of new ideas for the section I have to rewrite. I have separate lists for each chapter with things I want to fix. You can make as many or as few editing lists as you want. You could go by chapter like I have or just have one giant list with every necessary change on it.

I've recently been working on a new list that groups things based on what order I want to work on them. Group A is for the things I've already figured out and think I can get done quickly, Group B is for things that will be slightly harder, and Group C is for all the things I'm absolutely dreading working on. I haven't figured out all of my edits yet so the list isn't quite finished yet. I think that's why Group C is pretty much blank--technically all the things I haven't figured out yet are there. But once the list is done I think it will be a good way to stay motivated. I'll start with the things I'm actually excited about working on and hopefully as time goes on those things I'm dreading will seem easier to tackle.

Having an editing list can also help you keep track of your progress. One of the reasons I like having to-do lists is that sense of accomplishment you get when you finish a task and can cross it off your list. Imagine how great it will feel once every single task is crossed off the editing list. Maybe then I can actually say my book is done? We'll see...

Do you make editing lists? What's your strategy?

Searching for Ideas

I'm constantly struggling to find new ideas. New stories, new poems, new blog posts. Actually this post only exists because all I could think about this morning was how I didn't have an idea for a blog post. It happens a lot. It's a blogging day and I've got no clue what to write about. Sometimes there will be some new development in my writing that I can talk about, or sometimes I'll just ramble about nothing in particular. But it's always a constant struggle to come up with ideas.

I'm always in awe of those authors who seem to bust out a new book every month or so. I have no idea how they do it. It's not just because I have a tendency to take forever to write something. It's about ideas. I could never come up with that many ideas that fast. I'm sure when a writer needs a break from their WIP, they'll often work on another project. The problem for me is that I don't have one. I have a few ideas, sure, but none that seem good enough or that I care enough about to work on. So when I need a break from my main project, there isn't anything to turn to.

I don't know what it is, really. Am I just terrible at coming up with ideas? Or am I so hung up on my main WIP that I subconsciously block out any possibility for new ideas? It certainly doesn't help that I don't want to work on my WIP most of the time. Besides blogging, I couldn't tell you the last time I actually wrote something. How can you call yourself a writer if you're not writing?

Ok, this is turning into a sob story. This was supposed to be about ideas! I know it's possible to find ideas anywhere. For some reason they just don't seem to come to me. The only ideas I seem to get are usually a part of the universe for my main WIP--sequels, side stories for minor characters, or just random cute short stories that I probably won't let anyone read. So they don't really feel like new ideas to me because they involve the same characters.

So where do you find new ideas? Well, since the answer to that could be "anywhere" or "everywhere," I guess my question really should be, what do you do when those ideas aren't coming to you anymore? The more I write this the more I feel like it's just my brain telling me to finish what I'm already working on. Working on that is another issue entirely. But hey, there's an idea for another blog post!

Where do you get your ideas from? Are they constantly coming to you or do you struggle to find them?

Don't Look at My Book!

Usually the ultimate goal with any piece of writing is to get other people to read it. You've got a story in your head and you want to get it onto paper and share it with everyone else. But it takes a while to get to that point where you think your piece is good enough for someone else to read. You may have to go through several rounds of editing and rewrites before you let anyone else look at it, and even after that there may be more editing to do. But how do you know when it's ready? What if you need fresh eyes but you still have a lot that needs to be fixed?

It can take a while before you feel like your writing is ready for other people to read it. Until then, you probably won't let it see the light of day. You'll hold onto it for dear life, pull the shades down, turn off the lights, and hiss like a cat at anyone who tries to touch it. Ok, figuratively speaking, of course. But when someone offers to read it, you may feel like running in the other direction.

On the other hand, what do you do when you really could use a fresh set of eyes? What if you can't figure things out and just being able to talk to someone else about it could help? But what if you're too scared to let anyone read it?

I feel like I'm in some sort of paradox when it comes to having beta readers. I know I probably should have more, but at the same time, I already know a lot of things I want to fix in my book. I think letting someone else read it as is before I make those changes would be pointless. But it would also be nice to have more people to bounce ideas off of. But I also just really don't want anyone else to read it the way it is right now. See? It's a vicious cycle.

This is how it's gone so far: my fiance read the first draft (AGH NO NOT THE FIRST DRAFT! BURN IT!), which is great from a supportive standpoint but he couldn't really offer any critiques. For the second draft, I had one actual beta reader, and then a bunch of people who showed interest in reading it but then never actually did. Horrible mistake on my part. I thought they were serious about wanting to read it, and I was totally fine with getting no real critiques from these people. I thought I would at least get some sort of reader-based reaction, like "Oh, I loved this part!" or "Why did that have to happen???" But no. I got nothing. No responses at all. I'm not even sure if anyone actually read it. So I'm a little jaded when it comes to letting people read it.

So I have literally had only one person who read the whole thing and gave me feedback (and who I keep bothering with my editing ideas...). That's probably not enough, right? But I have so much I want to change for this third draft that I don't want to bother letting anyone else read the second one. And by the time I do finish the third, I want to be querying it. So I don't know if I should bother trying to find more beta readers. But querying will take a while so would it make sense to also have people beta reading in case there are other things I should change? I DON'T KNOW.

So I really have no idea what I should do. For now I'll probably just keep hoarding my book so no one else can read it...

Rewriting Chapter One

Out of the ten gazillion editing realizations I've made, deciding to rewrite the first chapter was probably one of the hardest to accept. You'd like to think after a long time with a story that you've been able to get the beginning right, but that isn't always the case. And if the first chapter isn't right, then it can be pretty hard to get people to keep reading.

It's a difficult decision because honestly, I really like the beginning of my book. I can breeze through the first five chapters like it's someone else's book and I'm just dying to know what happens next. Chapter 2 is my absolute favorite and I only have a few minor tweaks in my editing to-do list for that chapter. But I can't start the book with the second chapter. No one would know what the hell was going on. I need the first chapter to get the characters and situation established so the story can actually begin.

It's not all horrible, though. If I broke down the chapter, it really has four parts. The first two parts are the ones that need a massive overhaul, the third one just needs a little tweaking, and the fourth one doesn't really need any changes. So I really only have to rewrite half of the chapter.

On the other hand, there is a lot to change. I've never really been ok with my first line, and I'm sure you all know how important that is. So that has to go. I feel like the first scene may not make sense to some people, so I want to make sure that's clearer. There's also a lot of exposition that I think I could cut down. With the second scene, I'm actually excited about the change because I'm removing an unnecessary character and replacing her with someone whose name actually comes up again in the story. So I think it will make a lot more sense.

I also think I need to make my narrator a bit more sympathetic. Ugh. I kinda don't want to. Yeah, he's not everyone's cup of tea, and I'm ok with that. But I do actually want the people who decide to read this book to keep reading. If they're turned off by the main character right away then that's probably not going to happen. Luckily I do see some space in the third scene to sneak in some sympathy, and some of the cuts I'll be making from the first two scenes should help out with that as well.

So on my giant editing to-do list, rewriting Chapter 1 is right there at the top. I know I probably won't get it all done at once. That first scene rewrite is going to be tough. The rest will be easier since I already know how to fix it. I guess the next step is to stop thinking about it and just actually do it. That's just another thing I'm trying to work on.

Keeping an Open Editing Mind

Having an epiphany about a piece of writing can be a great thing. You could be struggling to figure something out and then out of nowhere the solution hits you. It could be something you never expected, and it could require a lot of work. But if you keep your mind open and let the ideas come to you, and you put in that hard work, you may just be able to figure it all out.

One of the hardest parts about editing is cutting parts from your previous drafts. When you first write something, it can seem so perfect that you think there's no way you'd ever get rid of it. But as time goes on and you get away from that first draft high, you're able to see things more clearly. If you spend enough time with your story, you'll know what's working and what isn't, what needs to be rewritten and what needs to be cut completely.

I've been with my story for over 4 years now so I pretty much know everything that needs to be fixed. Figuring out how to fix it is another thing entirely. Every solution isn't going to come to you right away. You may need to think about it for hours and hours, going over every possibility until you figure it out. If that doesn't work, you let the idea rest for a while, and if you're lucky the solution will just come to you out of nowhere (for me that means someplace inconvenient like in the shower, or when you're trying to sleep...).

Keeping an open mind is very important when letting the ideas happen. I'm on my third draft now, but I don't think my mind was very open when writing the second draft. I basically just wanted to make the first draft better, but keep everything exactly the same. Sure, I rearranged a few scenes, added some needed background info on a character, but there weren't a lot of major changes, just a lot of rewriting. For some parts, this can work. Maybe just rewriting will fix the problem. But this isn't going to work for an entire draft. Big changes usually need to happen, and if you're not open to them, you'll never be able to come up with those solutions.

I realized yesterday that cutting an entire chapter from the beginning of my book would help out a lot. It was something I'd never considered before. But it was a chapter that I didn't know how to rewrite, and I felt like it slowed the story down a bit. Then I realized any important information from this chapter could be moved to the last scene from the chapter before. It's going to be tricky finding the balance of what information to put where, but once I get it all done and that chapter is gone, I think the story will flow a lot better.

If my mind was still closed off when it comes to editing, I never would have made this realization. If you edit thinking that everything is perfect, or that all of the parts of your story need to be there, you may never be able to actually step back and see what's wrong with it, and what parts aren't even needed.

Do you have trouble keeping an open mind while editing? Ever made any unexpected edits?

My Muse's Boyfriend

Every so often you'll create a character who causes trouble. They don't do what they're told, they run amok creating new plot lines and relationships, maybe even an entire new book (*cough cough*). They keep bothering you with their new ideas to the point where you're not sure who's in charge anymore.

Sounds like a muse, right? Except I already have a muse, and he's not the one who keeps bugging me, throwing ideas at me, invading my dreams (I wish I was kidding). But it's not like they don't know each other. This pestering character is actually Jordan's boyfriend. Well, future boyfriend.

I say future because they don’t get together until Book 3, and I’m still working on Book 1 (but my muses are technically ageless/can change their ages, so they are together? Maybe? It’s ok, I don’t understand it either…).  He’s not even in Book 1, actually! But whenever I think about Book 3, there he is, telling me what to do. Hogging my attention when I should be focusing on the first book. Just like a….A MUSE. 

His name is Adam and he’s a bass-playing, bisexual JERK who always has perfect hair for some reason. He was supposed to be straight. No, wait, let me rephrase that. His sexuality wasn’t supposed to matter. No details about him (including his hair) were supposed to matter!  All he was supposed to do was stand there in the background, play bass for the band when it was necessary, and maybe if he was lucky I’d throw him a line or two. But nooooooooooo. That wasn’t good enough. He wanted an upgrade. 

So Adam is the main love interest for Jordan in Book 3. Actually, he's the whole reason Book 3 exists. Because he told me (Yes, told, not asked. Because he's pushy.) that he was going to come out to Jordan at the end of Book 2. I had two responses: A) So? You're not important, and B) That doesn't mean you're gonna get together. He just said, "Are you sure about that?" and then threw all of Book 3 at my head. Characters, right? They don't like to listen. 

I have such mixed feelings about Adam because as a character, I adore him. Seriously, he's too perfect. I need to give him a flaw. But this pseudo-muse version is getting on my nerves. I dreamt about him singing a song (one that I hadn't heard in years) and now it's on my playlist for Book 3! You’d think I could get Jordan’s help on this. He’s not exactly one to give up the spotlight. But no, all he can do is blink innocently and say “What? I can’t say no to that hair.” I think he just likes not having to do all of the muse-work.

But I did not sign up for a second muse! Especially one who is dating my first muse! No no no no no. I’ve done this before. When I was a teenager my muses were a couple from a book series I was working on. It’s just awful. They’re either ganging up on you or just not inspiring you even a little bit because they’re too busy doing…err, things. Either way, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Seriously, though, Adam needs to back off a little. If he’s not careful, I’m gonna change his name to Yoko. Or I could always kill him off! Oh, who am I kidding? My characters never take my threats seriously…

Do you have any characters who won't leave you alone? Ever had a couple for muses (DON'T DO IT)? 

To Epilogue or Not to Epilogue?

I've never written an epilogue before. I've never even considered one, actually, until very recently. When the third book idea for my series hit me, I thought an epilogue could be a nice way to wrap things up once the story is over. But I worry that it could also be too over the top. So when should you include an epilogue? Do we ever really need them?

There are several reasons to include an epilogue. It can provide some added closure. We can find out what has happened to the characters several years or just a few weeks after the story's conclusion. It can be an interesting glimpse into the future to see if things have worked out and how the main story has affected the characters as they continue on with their lives.

An epilogue is a tricky thing to figure it out, because if you think about it, no story really needs an epilogue. That's how it should work. Your story should be complete without the epilogue, and adding one on should just be an added bonus for the reader. But the book itself should be able to stand alone without it. So while you definitely don't need one, it could still be fun to include one.

There are a few reasons why I'm thinking about an epilogue for the third book. First of all, it's the last book in the series. I wouldn't include an epilogue in the first two books (although setting up a sequel can be another reason to have an epilogue), but since I don't plan on continuing with these characters, it seems like a nice way to wrap things up.

It also has a lot to do with the plot of the book. While everything is wrapped up and decisions are made by the end of the last chapter, I feel like there are still some questions that may be asked. The story mainly revolves around a love triangle. The readers would probably want to know if the MC stayed with the person he chose. Another huge part of the story is that my characters are sort of making their last shot at being successful with their band, and by the end of the book they've signed a record deal and things are just starting to get going. So that leaves more questions--did it all work out? Are they famous rock stars now? You can certainly provide closure within a story but there could always be questions that your readers may ask about the characters' futures.

My only hesitation with writing an epilogue is that I think it may be too much of a happy ending. It kind of just screams, "Look at how successful everyone is!!!" I worry that it may be too sappy and while just being generally irritating, doesn't fit very well with the mood of the books themselves. Then again, my narrator isn't all that emotional of a person so he may be able to handle all the happiness without shoving it in the reader's face. I'm still on the fence about it. I'll probably write and rewrite it a million times until I think it's right.

While not every story needs an epilogue, it can be a fun way to wrap things up. A story should be able to stand on its own without it, but an epilogue should still provide information that is interesting and believable, and fits the mood of the story.

Have you ever included an epilogue in your book? 

Jordan Takes Over: Let Sleeping Muses Lie

**The first Monday of every month, I let my muse take over the blog. I apologize in advance.**

So I'm in trouble, apparently. What else is new? I'm always in trouble. Ok, sometimes on purpose. Because figuring out a way to get out of trouble can be fun. Or seeing how long you can get away with something (hello reason why my novel even happens!).

But anyway. I'm in trouble with Miss Writer Lady because she can't keep her dates straight. Look, I do not have enough time to keep track of every single blog post, or when certain things should be posted. And yet this morning she tweets: "Well then. Wrote an entire blog post, previewed it, & was about to hit publish when I remembered it's Jordan's day to post. WAKE UP, MUSE."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up a minute. First of all, I'm pretty sure that's slander. I'm calling my lawyer. Second, ok, yeah, I like to sleep. It's one of my favorite things, after all. But still. Like I said, I'm not in charge of these things! If she forgets that it's my day, how is that my fault??? It's her job to remind me, because I'm probably sleeping!

Look! It's even on her calendar! So how is this my fault??!! Notice all the empty dates with no ideas in them. Also not my fault.

When has anyone in the history of ever been able to force their muse into doing something? I mean, really. You can ask nicely. But if we're sleeping then just leave us alone! Trying to wake us up just doesn't work. We will let you know when we're good and ready to inspire. Usually when you're trying to sleep. HA.

I don't see what the fuss is all about. This all worked out in the end. Ok, look. See, now she already has a post written for Wednesday. YOU'RE WELCOME. I'm so under appreciated.

JP

When Dreams Make Stories

Not a lot of dreams make sense. Most of them, actually. Rarely do great story ideas come out of dreams, but it is possible. Sometimes you may dream about your already existing characters. There's a particular moment that happens in UL that came out of an alcohol induced dream I had. I never would have considered putting anything like it in the story but once I had that dream, everything seemed to fall into place.

Other times you may dream about random people you've never even seen before. And if it's interesting enough, maybe you can turn it into a story. I've actually never had this happen before, until a few nights ago, that is. I had an interesting dream and when I woke up I actually remembered all of it. I thought, this would make a great story! But then another thought hit me. What if I can't write it?

This particular idea is completely different than anything I've ever written before. It's kind of a mystery/thriller. I've never even thought about writing one of those. I really don't know if I could pull it off. But I guess it isn't the first time that a story idea seemed way out of my league. When you get an idea, sometimes you just have to run with it, no matter how scary it may seem.

I'm also considering writing it as a screenplay rather than a book, but I've also never done that before. I definitely want to, but maybe taking that on along with a genre I've never attempted may be a little too difficult. Then again, if I don't feel I can write a convincing novel for this particular idea, a screenplay may be easier, since dialogue usually is the easiest thing for me to write. I really don't know. I also don't want to take on a completely different story idea when I'm still working on something else.

I guess you never know if you can actually write something until you try. I've certainly learned that before. And I do always feel like my subconscious is one step ahead of me. So maybe I had this dream for a reason. Maybe I do need to write this story. Probably not for a while, but it's great to have an idea waiting for when I finish (or need a break from) my current projects.

Do you ever get story ideas from dreams? How do you tackle a genre that's completely new to you?

Get Out of the Funk

It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's the posting day for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! As always, the IWSG is hosted by the awesome Alex J. Cavanaugh. Check out the group's website to learn more and sign up!

So I've been in a bit of a writing funk for about, oh...ten months or so. I'm not even kidding. I've barely touched my WIP in that time. I've had a revelation here or there, jotted down some ideas or a random line of dialogue, but that's it. Nothing major. No new scenes or major editing done at all. Part of me really wants to work on it, but another part just wants to avoid it.

The thing is, I've always had big, big dreams for this particular book, but I think I'm so hung up on them not coming true that I don't even want to bother. I know the road to those dreams is going to be very long and filled with obstacles. It's going to take a long time. I'm pretty sure most people are going to be against me. Finding the people who "get it" isn't going to be easy.

I've been thinking about giving up on those dreams because honestly, they're not realistic at all. But I've come to realize that I don't have to. I should use the dreams to motivate me, not to keep me from working. Because right now, the only thing standing in my way is me. I can't even start out on that obstacle-filled road if I don't get the book done first. So why am I already giving up?

I was thinking lately how bad I want these particular dreams and I thought, why shouldn't I have them? I think I've got something good and interesting here and even though not everyone is going to get it or like it, there must be some people out there who will. So why not try for those dreams? I won't know for sure if they're unattainable until I reach the end of that road.

Will this new found attitude lead to actual editing and writing? I hope so. I won't be able to get anywhere if I don't at least try.

Too Tired to Function

I know my last blog post was a cop out, and well, this one kind of is too. But I have a good excuse (I think...). I'm just way too tired and I've got unpacking and cleaning and dishes to do (more dishes???!!!!). So my brain just isn't working.

Well, my weekend in New York was pretty much a complete disaster. The weather was not on our side and I definitely overestimated how many blocks I can walk in high heels. So even with umbrellas I still ended up looking like a drowned rat (why exactly did I bother doing my hair??). And I destroyed my feet. I was in so much pain on the walk back to our hotel that I had to give in and take off my shoes. Yup, that's right. I walked about 3 blocks in NYC with nothing but tights on my feet. In the rain. I regret nothing.

Don't even get me started on the bus rides. I feel like I never want to take the bus again, even though I've done it so many times before. The way there took an hour longer than it should have. And on the way home there was a crazy woman who started screaming at the driver (don't know what happened to upset her since we were near the back of the bus) and he had to pull over on the highway to get her to stop. She was swearing at him and there were kids on the bus. Don't get me wrong, I swear all the time, just not in front of children. Or out in public at all, really.

Literally the only good thing about the trip was seeing the musical. Probably half because my favorite actor was in it and half because I got to sit down for two hours. No seriously. You should see my blisters. If the weather had been better and if we had more time to, I don't know, BREATHE, this would have been a better trip. I don't think I want to take any more trips for a while.

What did everyone else do this weekend?

No Time to Blog!

I had a blog post idea for today, I swear. But I kinda don't have time to write it. Or more accurately, I don't have time to visit anyone else's blog today or for most of the weekend so I'd rather save my good idea for next week. I probably should have taken my blogging break this week instead of last, too, but it's too late for that. Maybe at some point I'll actually write my blog posts ahead of time...YEAH RIGHT.

I pretty much procrastinate on everything so now I find myself with way too much to do and not a lot of time to do it in. Ok, so I'm only going to New York for one night and I've done it a million times before but I haven't packed a single thing yet, haven't even tried on my whole outfit (yikes!), figured out how to get to the hotel or the theater, or come to terms with the fact that it's going to rain tomorrow (wearing my hear down + humidity = no). Plus there's a sink full of dirty dishes and other stuff to clean and honestly, I need about an hour in the shower because I haven't shaved my legs in a while. TMI, sorry.

But anyway! I know what you're going to say. Take a deep breath. One thing at a time. But I should probably get going on those million things I have to do before I have a nervous breakdown. Maybe I'll get some writing done on the bus! Or some reading, at least. I swear I won't just take a nap...

Well I'll be back and hopefully in normal form on Monday! Have a good weekend, everyone!

Subplotting

So by now I'm sure I've talked about having to rewrite the last third of my book about a million times. But it is my main focus (except when I'm distracted by shiny sequel ideas) so what else should I talk about, right? But the whole rewriting thing isn't just about the main plot. There are some changes happening there but it basically follows the same path. I do have to rewrite pretty much everything, but there aren't a lot of major changes. Where the bigger changes are happening is in the subplots.

Subplots can be tricky. They have to make sense within a story. You'll probably have to ask yourself if the subplot you're imagining is really necessary. If it feels forced, then it may not work. It should compliment the main plot in some way, or at least make sense for the characters involved. And obviously, you don't want it to be boring. You don't want the reader to be bored while reading the subplots and just flying through the pages to get back to the main plot.

I have two subplots in Uneven Lines (because I'm a crazy person who didn't think the main plot was complicated enough, apparently). I think they work because they focus on the main character's relationships with the people he interacts with every day. So there's a subplot regarding Jordan's mother and another that involves his friends. I think you can have characters popping up now and then without having their moments evolve into an actual subplot, but in these two cases I feel enough happens that they can be called subplots.

But like I said at the beginning, I am rewriting these subplots as part of my overhaul of the end of the book. I felt like they were weak in the previous drafts and that I was forcing certain moments to where it didn't really make much sense. So I'm trying to figure that out. It's tricky trying to figure out how to make every single moment not only believable, but also relevant to the story. I've mostly figured out the mom subplot, although I do feel it ends a bit early. The friend subplot is proving more difficult. I think it's because it's becoming a lot more elaborate than I initially intended, but I think that's a good thing because it reflects the main plot more. Jordan is the type of character who always has some kind of scheme going on, or in this case, two at once. It's just tricky trying to map out that scheme so that it makes sense.

But here I go rambling again. How do you guys work subplots into your stories?

Unfollowing a Blog

Has it been a week already? Maybe a week isn't all that effective for a break...but it was nice on Wednesday and Friday not having to be like, "OMG I have to write a blog post!" And I did come up with a couple ideas for new posts, which was really what motivated me to take a break--having zero ideas. Hopefully that won't happen again anytime soon.

So recently I unfollowed two blogs. I'm sure this happens all of the time, and everyone has their different reasons for doing so. For me it was a few reasons. I actually don't do it all that often. I know it can be frustrating to lose blog followers since it takes a good amount of time for them to add up. The main reason to unfollow would be that the person doesn't blog anymore. Blogger has a follow limit and you can only follow 200 blogs (there are some ways around this but it's not foolproof). So if you want to follow new blogs that are actually active, you may have to clean out the ones that aren't first.

Unfortunately another reason for unfollowing a blog is that the blogger irritates or offends you in some way. We'd like to think this never happens, but it does. It's usually not an everyday occurrence, either. This also factored into my unfollowing decision. I don't want to give too many details because I wouldn't want other people to figure out who I'm talking about. With one, I was offended by a lack of response on a particular post. It sort of made me feel singled out like I had said something wrong when I knew that I hadn't. With the second, it was just a weird situation that honestly left me feeling a little used and creeped out.

But what actually happened isn't the important part. The thing I noticed was after these incidents, I stopped looking at these people's blogs. I would see their posts on my feed but I never clicked on them. So at a certain point I thought, why am I still following them if I never actually look at their blogs? But what also played a role in the decision was that neither of these people had ever followed me back, which was sort of the final deal breaker. So I had this follow limit, these people irked me for one reason or another, and they never followed my blog back. It was kind of an obvious decision at that point. I had no reason to follow these blogs anymore.

I don't know what other people's processes are for choosing to unfollow a blog. I think I needed all of the above reasons to finally make the decision. If it had only been one reason, I probably wouldn't have bothered. But when the reasons start to pile up, the decision to make becomes more obvious.

Have you ever unfollwed a blog? What reasons did you have for doing so?

Taking a Break

All right, I think I've finally reached the breaking point. I need a blogging break. I woke up this morning with absolutely no idea what to blog about. All I could think of was to ramble in a way that would sound like one of my Livejournal entries from high school (I should probably go delete that thing...). I've been putting off the idea for a while but I think it's probably a good idea. So I'm taking the rest of this week off. But first I think I will ramble a bit...

What I really want to do is get back to editing/writing. I realized I want to rewrite about the first 2/3 of the first chapter of UL (say that 10 times fast). So that's my first project. Then I've still got to rewrite the whole ending and edit pretty much everything along the way.

That dress I was waiting for came on Friday and IT FITS! Spanx are entirely necessary, though. And I did lose two pounds since I started dieting and exercising last week, so hopefully I can keep it up.

All right, that's enough rambling. In case you missed my attempts to pimp them out last week, go check out these other posts:

- Last Tuesday I had a guest post on Adam Gaylord's blog about finding your muse.
- On Friday Jordan was interviewed on "Will Scarlet's Kiss & Tell" over at Danielle E. Shipley's blog.

So go show them some love! Because I'll be taking a nap...I mean, writing! Writing! See you all next week!

Jophiel Release & Review!!

Before I get to the actual post, there's just one more interview for you to check out! Don't ask me how it worked out that all of my guest posts/interviews happened within a week of each other. Just a weird coincidence, I suppose. ("Your interview?" Jordan asks, tapping his foot.) Oh, right. Head on over to Danielle E. Shipley's blog where Jordan is being interviewed on Will Scarlet's Kiss & Tell. It's a talk show for characters and at the end they have to choose either to reveal their author's deepest, darkest secret, or kiss the host. Guess which one Jordan picked. GO ON, GUESS. *wink wink*

But anyway, onto the actual post! Earlier this week the third book in Patricia Josephine's Path of Angels series was released: Jophiel! I'll spare you my usual blabbering. Take it away, Patricia!

What’s in a name?

A character’s name can be important. It’s not always random. Sometimes there has to be a meaning behind it. I had some conflicting information on Johpiel. A few sites he wasn’t listed as an archangel, then others said in Jewish lore it was the name of an archangel. Either way, I decided to keep the name.

Jophiel
Angel of Enlightenment
Some believe Johpiel to be an archangel. This angel inspires us toward awareness, enlightenment, open-mindedness and freedom of thought. He teaches our consciousness to discover the Light within.

Joe is a huge joker, but knows when to be serious. Sometimes you wouldn't think he would be an archangel.

*  *  *

They must fight to stay on the path.

Joe embraces his duty without fear or hesitation, always ready for the next battle. But the path has never been easy. With Michael’s return, they uncover a truth more dangerous than they ever imagined. Their enemy plans to unleash the devil himself, Lucifer. Help comes in the form of an unlikely alley: a member of the fallen.

Mariangela is trying to make amends by protecting the child she is carrying. After blindly following Lucifer in the rebellion, her misguided allegiance came with a price: banishment from heaven. Now, as she strives for forgiveness in the human world, she must fight to prevent Uriel, a fallen archangel, from using her child to free evil from Hell.

The path becomes a battleground, one which may already be lost.

Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads! 

About the Author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Twitter | Website | Google+ | Wattpad | Goodreads

Path of Angels

Sarah's Review:

Jophiel’s story continues right where we left off with Zadekiel in Book 2. I really enjoyed Joe as a character. He’s funny and compassionate, and it was interesting to get into his head, as well as watch him learn how to control his powers. Mariangela was an interesting character as well: a fallen angel trying to seek forgiveness and protect her unborn child from falling into the hands of the other Fallen. I wasn’t quite as invested in the relationship between Joe and Mary as I was in the relationships featured in the first two books. While all the relationships happened suddenly for these characters, this one didn’t have as much time to develop. I think that’s because the focus is more on the path itself and the brothers’ mission to stop the Fallen. We start to get a lot of answers in this book: what the Fallen’s plan is to free Lucifer, and what Jophiel and his brothers must do to stop it. Something huge is revealed and it turns out they really have been on the path all along, and the people they meet and come to love play a large role in that. I’m excited to see where the story goes in the next book. 

Leave a Message After the Beep...

I'm not here right now.

I'm probably reading something. I've got book reading and beta reading and...no wait, that's it. Or maybe (if a miracle has occurred), I'm writing something!

Or I may be exercising. Because I'm going to New York for one night in less than three weeks and I have to fit into a dress. I would have ordered an XL but they were out so I ordered a large and prayed to the Spanx god. It won't be here until Friday, but I figured trying to lose a few pounds won't hurt (plus I really need to anyway).

But if you'd like to check out something cool, head on over to Adam Gaylord's blog where I had a guest post yesterday! I wrote about--what else?--finding your muse. Or when they find you. Which is usually the case.

Otherwise, leave a message. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

Wasted Inspiration

I really didn't know what to blog about today. Pretty much every part of my brain is screaming at me to take a blogging break, even if it's just for one week. But then there's that other part of my brain that says, you've already made it this far. You might as well keep going. But I don't know. It's tough to blog three days a week for a whole year, but I'm never this consistent with anything so I'd kinda like to keep going with it.

I feel like I almost wrote something this weekend. I know that sounds really lame, but whenever I actually do want to write (and that doesn't happen very often), I still hesitate for some reason. I think a lot of times I just end up staring at the blank screen, unable to come up with the words at all. I know I hesitate to write a sentence down until it's already perfect in my head. So sometimes it's hard to write anything at all. I don't know if it's because I'm trying too hard or maybe I'm just not as inspired as I thought.

But I had two ideas in my mind and I didn't work on either of them. One was a scene for the third book and the other was actually a scene rewrite for the first chapter of UL. I mean, I never want to work on that, so why the hell didn't I take the inspiration and run with it? I feel like figuring out how to fix problems in a draft is a lot easier than actually fixing them for some reason. I figured out a way to neaten things up a bit, get rid of an unnecessary character and replace her with someone more important. So if I've already got it all figured out, why don't I just write it?????

I DON'T KNOW. Ok, I know this post is getting all "woe is me." I have no idea why I don't use inspiration when I get it. Sometimes I'm too busy doing other things. Sometimes all I can get out is dialogue and I hate when that happens (although I'm sure writing anything is better than nothing, right?). Sometimes it's easier to picture something in your head than it is to actually write it down.

I'm hoping to get some writing done this week. I don't even care what it is. Don't care which book or if it's just dialogue or even if it comes out horrible. I'd say any words are better than no words.

Playlist Commitment

Hey, everyone! Today is particularly awesome because I'm being interviewed over at Chrys Fey's blog! So you should go check it out. I'll keep this brief because this is about as close to a blogging break as I am willing to take (and you should go to Chrys' blog instead).

When you have a story idea in your head but you're still figuring it out, at what point does it become real? When exactly do you commit to it and say, I'm definitely going to write this?

I feel like I made a huge step of commitment yesterday because I started a playlist for Book 3. It's completely psychotic, right?? I haven't finished editing Book 1, haven't written Book 2 yet, but here I am picking songs for inspiration for the third book. Why? I don't even know. There have just been a few songs that make me think about it, and I'm sort of addicted to playlist making.

I'm sure part of this is just because I'm in love with the idea for Book 3. I also don't think I'll ever be able to come up with a playlist for Book 2 (it gets a bit dark and also focuses more on family issues than romantic relationships). So I don't know. It's just a lot of fun, I guess. And it gets the inspiration going. I guess I'll take any inspiration I can get if it eventually leads to words.

So am I completely nuts or just having fun? When do you usually make a playlist for your books? 

Still Not Writing

It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's the posting day for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Click the link to learn more and sign up!

Well, I think I'm finally done with blogging milestones for a while. My 4th anniversary and my 300th post were only a week apart. From here on out I think it will just be normal blog posts. I know I should probably take a break from blogging for a bit but I've already made it this far into the year with a perfect record (posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), so I'd like to see how far I can get. 

It's also been exactly a year since I quit my day job, and I can't believe it's been so long already. I feel like I haven't accomplished anything. I am still making some money, but I haven't even tried to break into freelance writing. I haven't finished my novel or started querying it like I thought I would. I haven't even submitted any smaller pieces to literary magazines. That was kind of the point to taking the time off, so I would actually have time to work on these things. Well, that and the fact that my job made me completely miserable. But I just thought we'd have life figured out at this point. I wasn't supposed to look for another job until we figured out where we were moving, but that still hasn't happened. 

I think the writing thing is what bothers me the most. I still have this mental block when it comes to working on my WIP. I just don't want to work on it. I think about my sequel ideas more than the first book, but I don't actually work on those, either. I don't know, maybe I'm just scared because I know how hard it's going to be to try to get this book published. Maybe there's a part of me that just doesn't want to bother. But I've worked so hard on it already, and I feel like there has to be a reason that I started writing it. I just wish I could get the desire to work on it again, because I'll never be able to even try to publish it if I don't finish it first. 

Well, I guess that's about it for this month's insecurities. Maybe by next month I'll get to tell you that I actually wrote something. That would be incredible.

Jordan Takes Over: The 300th Post

**The first Monday of every month, I let my muse take over the blog. I apologize in advance.**

I know what you're probably thinking. Has Jordan really taken over 300 times? YOU WISH. Nope, this is the overall 300th blog post. And it's all mine. You can't have it.

So what are we doing for the 300th post? Well, seeing as how we threw a giant party last week...not so much. I'm just winging it, really. What, did you think I have a master plan for everything? That would be exhausting. So, 300 posts. That's a lot of writing, right? This is only my 17th time taking over, if you can believe it. I hope you're not sick of me. Not because I care what you think, but because I know how to get revenge on people, so watch out. I mean, just ask my old friend Brian from high school. People started threatening him; he had to transfer schools. You don't want to end up like him, do you??

But anyway, blog posts! 300 sure seems like a lot, doesn't it? Although I'm sure a lot of you reading this blew past that number a long time ago. When you reach a milestone, it can be tricky figuring out what to do with it. You could make a huge deal about it, just casually mention it, or do nothing at all. When we hit 100 it was kind of a big deal, so that post featured 100 facts about my book (no I will not link you. I looked at it recently and like half the facts aren't even true anymore. But I guess that's what editing will do to you...). 200 wasn't such a big deal. This one's not that huge of a deal, either.

You can choose to celebrate milestones or anniversaries. Since we had a huge party last week for the 4th anniversary, it seemed silly to make a big deal about the 300th post just a week later. Plus it just happened to fall on my posting day and I sure as hell wasn't going to give it up. PLEASE.

But you love me, right? I kind of feel like a famous person already. We've got two guest posts/interviews coming up in the near future and one in the works. Well, ok, technically they're Sarah's posts, but my name comes up. Trust me. The third one, though, is all me. You're excited, I know. I'm sure she'll let you know when they happen. Because I'll be too busy.

Busy doing what, you may be wondering. Well, if you think about it, I pretty much only do four things. Actually, five if you count muse-type stuff (like writing this!). Who wants to play a game?! Guess the four things I do with my life. Whoever guesses right will receive a, um....a nice comment back! Not from me, though. I'm going to take a nap *hint hint*............

JP

Fast Five Friday: Childhood Cartoons

It's time for another installment of Fast Five Friday, created by the ladies over at Cover Girls! This week they've asked as to share five childhood cartoons. The hardest part was actually narrowing it down to five!

BTW, I was probably most obsessed with #1 when I was little (so I guess I've had an obsessive personality since childhood...). My stuffed Darkwing Duck was my favorite toy for quite some time and I even threw him a birthday party, complete with Easy Bake Oven treats. If that doesn't scream 90s I don't know what does.

1. Darkwing Duck

2. Garfield and Friends

3. Tiny Toon Adventures

4. Ren & Stimpy

5. Rocko's Modern Life

What were some of your favorite childhood cartoons? Have a great weekend, everyone! I've got my 300th blog post on Monday! Still no idea what it will be about, though...

Time to Be Productive (??)

I think my brain has fizzled out but I still refuse to take a blogging break, so here I go!

Thanks to everyone who participated in The Muse Party Blogfest on Monday! It was loads of fun getting to know everyone's muses. I don't think the party got too crazy, right? We certainly had an interesting mix of people! I feel like I should write a story about it (but you know what happens when I promise things...). I'm pretty sure Jordan tried to rig spin the bottle by putting all the guys in one circle and the girls in another. Did he think no one would notice??

Turns out I have another milestone next Monday--my 300th blog post. But you-know-who is taking over that day so I have no idea how that's going to go yet.

Well, I was supposed to be on a plane to Florida in a few hours but I decided not to go. Mostly because of the cat. He seems to be doing a bit better but he just stresses out so easily I don't think he would do very well alone for 5 days. Usually we have my dad and my fiance's sister check on him when we travel, but his sister was going with us, and I didn't think one person was good enough, especially with the stomach issues he's been having.

I have been feeding Gizmo a little canned pumpkin every day, which I think is helping. It was so funny the first time I tried to feed it to him, he wanted no part of it and I had to literally shove it into his mouth. Then he was like, wait a second, this is pretty tasty. Now he begs for it and scarfs it down. I also refilled the wall plug in that keeps him from stressing. It's like an air freshener that sends out happy cat pheromones. It's been a lifesaver since he started getting UTIs, but it's sooooo expensive at the pet stores so I have to order it from Amazon. I think stress was a big factor in him getting sick this time, too.

Anyway, enough about my cat! My fiance is gone until Monday so I'm all by my lonesome. I hope that means I can get a lot done. Maybe some, dare I say it, writing??? Or I could just sit around watching movies. Who knows?

Well, I've been up since 3:30 for no reason, so I'm going to make a giant cup of coffee. What's everyone else up to?