I'm having the hardest time being productive this week. Like, I was supposed to write today's blog post two days ago, for example. Remember my crazy color-coded schedule from last week? I made another one for this week but I haven't followed it at all. So like most of my ideas to stay organized, I feel like this one is already going out the window.
I'm sure it's some combination of Daylight Savings Time and just not feeling well (*cough* PMS *cough*). I want to get up early every morning but when the time actually comes I just can't make myself get up. And then when I sleep in, it makes it so much harder for me to be productive. My brain just doesn't feel like functioning lately.
And I had so many things I wanted/needed to get done this week! I really need to get my A to Z posts done, look for pictures for them, finish my editing list, write these new scenes that are buzzing around in my head, write a guest post, finish my resume and cover letter and apply to some jobs, look into submitting some poems and short stories to magazines, start trying to figure out freelance writing. Not to mention several trips to the gym, keeping up with my diet and daily exercising, some deep cleaning of the apartment, grocery shopping, and all of the other daily chores I have to do.
Oh, wait. Maybe my brain was way ahead of me. Maybe it looked at all of the things I planned on doing and was just like, "Hahaha nope. Sleep." I know I should focus on one thing at a time, but I really want to get all of this stuff done. But maybe having all of these things to choose from makes it impossible to choose one at all.
So I don't really know. Maybe the whole schedule thing was a bad idea. Or maybe this was just a bad week to try to do it. I'll probably try it again next week and see what happens. For now I'm just going to make some coffee and try to get at least one thing done today.
11 March 2015
09 March 2015
Getting the Setting Right
Setting is one of those elements that every story has. Whether your characters travel across the globe or stay in the same room for the entire story, a setting still exists. It is the place or places where all of the events in the story happen. Depending on your story, setting can play a large role or a small one. It can be a new place your characters adventure to or the same place they've lived all their lives. Once you've chosen your setting, how do you get it across to the reader? How do you make it feel natural and believable?
A lot can go in to choosing the setting for your story. You may know right away where you want it to take place, or it could take you a while to figure out. It can be a real place or somewhere you've made up. Every story requires its own unique setting. But conveying that setting can be another issue entirely. How do you make the reader see what you see when you envision your story? How do you make that place feel real?
Sometimes choosing the setting can seem a lot easier than executing it. For instance, I knew right away where I wanted my book to take place. The hard thing is actually making it feel like it takes place there. Do my characters actually sound like they've lived there all their lives? What information is necessary to get across to the reader?
First, I should probably say that about 90% of my book takes place indoors, where the setting is irrelevant. Well, the outside world is irrelevant, I should say. Every room your character inhabits within a scene still counts as a setting. It may not be necessary to provide every single detail, every piece of furniture or speck of dust, but there should be a general idea of what things look like or how it feels to be in that room. My characters have to deal with a lot of isolation, which works for the story. My problem is that when they actually go out into the real world, am I getting it right?
Sometimes I worry that whatever reference I make to the setting feels forced. Like, if I have my narrator reference a particular landmark, does it feel like I'm just doing it for the reader's sake? Because he's lived in this city all his life and is used to everything (and doesn't care), what actually needs to be said? Maybe I'm just paranoid that every subway ride or walk through Central Park makes it look like I'm trying too hard. But these are things that my characters do. So how do you make these sort of actions feel natural?
There really is no one answer because every story will require something different from its setting. For me, at least, it means making those brief moments where the real world sneaks in feel like a real place. Don't scream the setting at the reader, but hint at it. Make it feel like any place you would go where you live. It can be difficult writing a book that takes place where you don't personally live, but if we restricted ourselves to the setting we know, then we'd miss out on a lot of great story ideas. The important thing is to do your research, and don't worry about it so much. If you try too hard, then it will show. Just let the setting work for you.
How do you make your settings feel natural? Do you typically choose a setting you're familiar with?
A lot can go in to choosing the setting for your story. You may know right away where you want it to take place, or it could take you a while to figure out. It can be a real place or somewhere you've made up. Every story requires its own unique setting. But conveying that setting can be another issue entirely. How do you make the reader see what you see when you envision your story? How do you make that place feel real?
Sometimes choosing the setting can seem a lot easier than executing it. For instance, I knew right away where I wanted my book to take place. The hard thing is actually making it feel like it takes place there. Do my characters actually sound like they've lived there all their lives? What information is necessary to get across to the reader?
First, I should probably say that about 90% of my book takes place indoors, where the setting is irrelevant. Well, the outside world is irrelevant, I should say. Every room your character inhabits within a scene still counts as a setting. It may not be necessary to provide every single detail, every piece of furniture or speck of dust, but there should be a general idea of what things look like or how it feels to be in that room. My characters have to deal with a lot of isolation, which works for the story. My problem is that when they actually go out into the real world, am I getting it right?
Sometimes I worry that whatever reference I make to the setting feels forced. Like, if I have my narrator reference a particular landmark, does it feel like I'm just doing it for the reader's sake? Because he's lived in this city all his life and is used to everything (and doesn't care), what actually needs to be said? Maybe I'm just paranoid that every subway ride or walk through Central Park makes it look like I'm trying too hard. But these are things that my characters do. So how do you make these sort of actions feel natural?
There really is no one answer because every story will require something different from its setting. For me, at least, it means making those brief moments where the real world sneaks in feel like a real place. Don't scream the setting at the reader, but hint at it. Make it feel like any place you would go where you live. It can be difficult writing a book that takes place where you don't personally live, but if we restricted ourselves to the setting we know, then we'd miss out on a lot of great story ideas. The important thing is to do your research, and don't worry about it so much. If you try too hard, then it will show. Just let the setting work for you.
How do you make your settings feel natural? Do you typically choose a setting you're familiar with?
06 March 2015
Listen to Your Playlist!
Anyone ever have an epiphany on a treadmill? Just me? Ok...
I know a lot of writers make playlists, whether it's for your book, a character, or just to get in the mood to write. You may seek out songs to put on these lists, or you may just be listening to a song and realize that it fits your book. The main motivation for a playlist is to inspire, obviously, but have you ever considered that it could also help you figure things out?
Ever since I started rethinking the last third of my book, I knew a lot of things had to change. I've come up with at least one scene that makes things completely different from the last draft I wrote. What I've really been struggling with is what scenes from the old draft get to stay. One in particular is a scene in which my characters have a huge fight. I've gone back and forth about whether or not to keep any of this scene, wondering if it's necessary with the new way I've been imagining things. I was pretty much settled on completely cutting the scene, even though there were quite a few moments in it that I was heartbroken about parting with.
That is, until I went to the gym the other day. I decided to listen to my book playlist while on the treadmill to see if I could get some inspiration. I hadn't actually listened to the whole thing in quite some time, so I thought it was a good idea. Until one particular song started to play, and I realized that song was only on there because of the scene I was most likely going to cut.
My first thought was "oh noooooooooo!" Did I have to change my playlist? Or was I wrong to cut this scene? I didn't think that one song should really influence what needs to happen in a story, but it did make me stop and think. What did I really want to do with this scene? I've known since I first thought about it that I still wanted to keep it, and the song just seemed to reinforce that idea.
I'm still not 100% sure on what to do. I know if I keep it, it has to drastically change. Mostly I just want to find a way to keep all of the good lines. What actually starts the fight will probably change. I don't know where in the sequence of events this fight will go anymore. I'm considering changing the end of the scene just because I'm not sure if I should have used a particular word (let's just call it the "p-word") even though having one character use it was the sort of brutal effect I was going for. I don't know what I could replace it with the get the same effect. So like the scene itself, I'm on the fence about it. It's a lot to figure out, but I'm taking it one step at a time.
When it comes to your playlist, let it influence you in whatever way ends up working for the story. Maybe you'll get a new idea, maybe it'll reinforce an old one. Really think about why you chose these songs and how that reflects the way you see your story. But most importantly, don't ignore it like I did. You made it for a reason, so listen to it!
How do you use your playlist to inspire you? Have you ever been unsure whether to cut a scene? What helped you make the decision?
I know a lot of writers make playlists, whether it's for your book, a character, or just to get in the mood to write. You may seek out songs to put on these lists, or you may just be listening to a song and realize that it fits your book. The main motivation for a playlist is to inspire, obviously, but have you ever considered that it could also help you figure things out?
Ever since I started rethinking the last third of my book, I knew a lot of things had to change. I've come up with at least one scene that makes things completely different from the last draft I wrote. What I've really been struggling with is what scenes from the old draft get to stay. One in particular is a scene in which my characters have a huge fight. I've gone back and forth about whether or not to keep any of this scene, wondering if it's necessary with the new way I've been imagining things. I was pretty much settled on completely cutting the scene, even though there were quite a few moments in it that I was heartbroken about parting with.
That is, until I went to the gym the other day. I decided to listen to my book playlist while on the treadmill to see if I could get some inspiration. I hadn't actually listened to the whole thing in quite some time, so I thought it was a good idea. Until one particular song started to play, and I realized that song was only on there because of the scene I was most likely going to cut.
My first thought was "oh noooooooooo!" Did I have to change my playlist? Or was I wrong to cut this scene? I didn't think that one song should really influence what needs to happen in a story, but it did make me stop and think. What did I really want to do with this scene? I've known since I first thought about it that I still wanted to keep it, and the song just seemed to reinforce that idea.
I'm still not 100% sure on what to do. I know if I keep it, it has to drastically change. Mostly I just want to find a way to keep all of the good lines. What actually starts the fight will probably change. I don't know where in the sequence of events this fight will go anymore. I'm considering changing the end of the scene just because I'm not sure if I should have used a particular word (let's just call it the "p-word") even though having one character use it was the sort of brutal effect I was going for. I don't know what I could replace it with the get the same effect. So like the scene itself, I'm on the fence about it. It's a lot to figure out, but I'm taking it one step at a time.
When it comes to your playlist, let it influence you in whatever way ends up working for the story. Maybe you'll get a new idea, maybe it'll reinforce an old one. Really think about why you chose these songs and how that reflects the way you see your story. But most importantly, don't ignore it like I did. You made it for a reason, so listen to it!
How do you use your playlist to inspire you? Have you ever been unsure whether to cut a scene? What helped you make the decision?
04 March 2015
A Very Detailed (And Color Coded!) Schedule
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!
Like most months, I'm plenty insecure. Still trying to figure out the third (and hopefully final) draft of Uneven Lines, and also trying to figure out life. My fiance and I really want get out of where we live and hopefully move to New York within the next few months. It's one of those things that I really want but at the same time find terrifying. Of course, I know I'm afraid of change but it really needs to happen.
What I'm really trying to do is get more organized. There are so many things I have to do, whether it's working on the book, exercising and eating right, reading more, trying to find a job or figure out how to branch out into freelance writing. It's a lot and I think I get easily overwhelmed so that's probably why I don't get a lot done.
So my new strategy is a schedule. A very detailed and planned ahead schedule. I couldn't find any templates I liked online, so I made my own in Excel, breaking each day down by the half hour from 7 AM to 11 PM. Then I figured I absolutely needed colored pens in order to mark things in by category. Who wants to look at entire schedule in boring black ink? These categories seemed to cover pretty much everything I would need or want to do in a given week.
And here is the actual schedule for this week. It's still a work in progress.
And the second page. Yes, we watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy every night like an old couple. And I'm trying to make sure I brush & floss my teeth and wash my face every night before bed, since I'm really inconsistent with it.
I'm still filling in some of the blanks but all of the major stuff is there. I'm not too worried about the weekends since my fiance doesn't work and we usually just figure out what we're doing as we go, anyway. And I really only get things done when I'm by myself. One of my biggest downfalls is just watching pointless TV all day, so with this schedule I can actually work in when I'm watching all of my shows, whether it's when they air or on demand the next day. And I won't watch TV at any other time (I hope!).
I don't know if this extremely structured schedule will help me or get very tedious right away, but we'll see. I've never tried being this organized before so I think it's worth a shot.
Do you stick to a schedule? What are your tips for being productive?
02 March 2015
Jordan Takes Over: Food, Food, & More Food (Plus Questions Answered!)
**The first Monday of every month, I let my muse take over the blog. I apologize in advance.**
It can't be the first Monday already, can it? Stupid short February. Why can't anyone ever just let me sleep?? *Yawn* Ok, first I'll get to last month's questions, which (as opposed to last month) were all from dudes, who also seemed to really get me...
First, Alex J. Cavanaugh asks: "Jordan, what crazy, outrageous thing would you do if you could get away with it?"
You're assuming I haven't already gotten away with several outrageous things already! Hmm...something I haven't done...Maybe just some way of tricking people into giving me money. Or, you know, if someone crosses me, I'll just find a way to ruin their life. Destroying a reputation is always a good way to go. The old standard.
Next, Stephen Tremp asks: "If you could push anyone over a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?"
Oh geez, there are so many choices. An annoying celebrity, an ex-boyfriend, my mom...You know, actually, shoving someone over a cliff isn't really my style. I'm more of a psychological assassin (see first question).
And finally, David P. King asks: "If I bought a bag of chips, what kind of dip would you get?"
Ugh, Sarah really wants me to say onion dip because she loves it. Hold on, let me give her some to distract her (never fails)...Me, though? I think I'd probably make some kind of dip from scratch. Like, have you ever had fresh guacamole? Holy crap. We're all about avocados over here.
This leads me to today's topic: COOKING. This should come as a surprise to no one: I like to eat. A lot. Hey, growing boy, right? Actually, I probably stopped growing like five years ago, but anyway. If you've read all of the ramblings about my book (no I will not find links for you!), you might remember that food is a big part of it. You know, hunger and symbolism and blah blah blah. Anyway, so my first-kinda-sorta-except-not-boyfriend used to cook for me. A lot. Like if I hadn't had the metabolism of a fifteen-year-old I would have been obese.
So you'd probably think that after we broke up, I wouldn't want to cook things for myself. To which I would reply: ARE YOU NUTS? Do you think I was going to go back to canned soup and frozen pizza? Hell no. So I demanded more grocery money from my mom and started cooking things for myself. It was a slow process, but eventually I got the hang of it. It's important to cook. Even if it's not your favorite thing in the world, there's some level of passion that goes into it. Even if it's just for yourself, it's something you're putting effort into. Plus, everyone likes good food, right?
So I thought I would share some yummy food pictures. Well, since I don't have any pictures of anything I've made, I stole Sarah's phone so I could show you some of my favorites of her dishes.
You know they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Plus, hello: BACON.
But if you forget dessert, then I have to slap you. We've got mint Oreo pie and strawberry/blueberry shortcakes (yes, with homemade biscuits!). Someone get me some ice cream, please!
It can't be the first Monday already, can it? Stupid short February. Why can't anyone ever just let me sleep?? *Yawn* Ok, first I'll get to last month's questions, which (as opposed to last month) were all from dudes, who also seemed to really get me...
First, Alex J. Cavanaugh asks: "Jordan, what crazy, outrageous thing would you do if you could get away with it?"
You're assuming I haven't already gotten away with several outrageous things already! Hmm...something I haven't done...Maybe just some way of tricking people into giving me money. Or, you know, if someone crosses me, I'll just find a way to ruin their life. Destroying a reputation is always a good way to go. The old standard.
Next, Stephen Tremp asks: "If you could push anyone over a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?"
Oh geez, there are so many choices. An annoying celebrity, an ex-boyfriend, my mom...You know, actually, shoving someone over a cliff isn't really my style. I'm more of a psychological assassin (see first question).
And finally, David P. King asks: "If I bought a bag of chips, what kind of dip would you get?"
Ugh, Sarah really wants me to say onion dip because she loves it. Hold on, let me give her some to distract her (never fails)...Me, though? I think I'd probably make some kind of dip from scratch. Like, have you ever had fresh guacamole? Holy crap. We're all about avocados over here.
This leads me to today's topic: COOKING. This should come as a surprise to no one: I like to eat. A lot. Hey, growing boy, right? Actually, I probably stopped growing like five years ago, but anyway. If you've read all of the ramblings about my book (no I will not find links for you!), you might remember that food is a big part of it. You know, hunger and symbolism and blah blah blah. Anyway, so my first-kinda-sorta-except-not-boyfriend used to cook for me. A lot. Like if I hadn't had the metabolism of a fifteen-year-old I would have been obese.
So you'd probably think that after we broke up, I wouldn't want to cook things for myself. To which I would reply: ARE YOU NUTS? Do you think I was going to go back to canned soup and frozen pizza? Hell no. So I demanded more grocery money from my mom and started cooking things for myself. It was a slow process, but eventually I got the hang of it. It's important to cook. Even if it's not your favorite thing in the world, there's some level of passion that goes into it. Even if it's just for yourself, it's something you're putting effort into. Plus, everyone likes good food, right?
So I thought I would share some yummy food pictures. Well, since I don't have any pictures of anything I've made, I stole Sarah's phone so I could show you some of my favorites of her dishes.
You know they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Plus, hello: BACON.
Of course the best time to chow down like a starved animal is dinner. Here we have sweet and sour shrimp, crispy orange beef, and MAC AND CHEESE!
But if you forget dessert, then I have to slap you. We've got mint Oreo pie and strawberry/blueberry shortcakes (yes, with homemade biscuits!). Someone get me some ice cream, please!
Is everyone hungry now?
So I will NOT be posting in April because of the A to Z Challenge. I know, you're devastated. Feel free to ask some more questions for May. If not, I'm sure I'll figure something out. I'm crafty like that. Well, I'm going back to sleep.
JP
27 February 2015
Fast Five Friday: Favorite TV Shows
It's time for another Fast Five Friday! This blog hop was created by the ladies over at Cover Girls. This week they've asked us to share our five favorite TV shows. This was soooooooo much harder than I thought! Especially when I thought about opening it up to every TV show I've ever watched (Buffy please!) but then I was being ridiculous. So I figured I would limit myself to shows that are either on right now or will return at some point. Still not easy, so I added the much necessary question: is this a show where I will bite someone's head off if they talk during it? And then it was much, much easier.
1. Criminal Minds (CBS)
2. Looking (HBO)
3. American Horror Story (FX)
4. Doctor Who (BBC)
5. Game of Thrones (HBO)
Because I'm lazy I just stole the main pictures from IMDb :P (But I know that CM one is totally from season 5! So old!).
What are some of your favorite TV shows?
25 February 2015
Do Characters Have to be Likable?
There are all kinds of characters in any story--heroes, villains, sidekicks, love interests. The possibilities are endless. The way a reader could respond to any of these can be as diverse as the characters themselves. Some people may love a book's main character; others might hate him/her. Or it could be both--love to hate, hate to love. There are so many different ways to like or dislike a character. So when you're writing these characters, which one do you want?
It can depend a lot on the specific character you're writing. If your story has a villain, then you most likely want your readers to hate him. But villains can also be entertaining and fun to read. He doesn't have to be a sadistic monster without a single redeemable quality (unless that's what you're going for). The opposite can be said of a hero. A hero doesn't have to be perfect. They can do stupid things that make us want to punch them in the face. Characters need flaws so the reader can relate to them actually believe these are real people. No one is perfect, and a story about a perfect person would probably be boring to read.
But let's focus on the main character of a story. How likable does he or she need to be? And what exactly does it mean to be likable?
I've been told that my main character is not likable. Which is disheartening, to say the least. And confusing as hell, since I actually let him write a monthly blog post and people seem to respond well, or they're entertained at least. So why the big turn off? I guess it's not completely understandable. The first word I would use to describe Jordan would be manipulative, which I guess isn't all that likable of a trait. And he's a little full of himself, but not in a ridiculous way. He just knows what he's capable of and how other people respond to him. So why all the hate? Do I have to change him, make him more likable so that people will actually want to read this book?
It got me thinking that being likable doesn't mean the same thing in real life as it does in reading a book. Think about all of your favorite book characters--if they actually existed, would you be friends with them? We don't choose the books we read like we choose friends. We want books to entertain us. That doesn't mean that the main character has to be some perfect, goody two shoes kind of a person. In fact, you would probably be turned off by this sort of character.
We don't have to like a character in the same way we would like a friend. We just have to like to read about this character. You could love a character's snarky attitude, but if you met them in real life, you might want to smack them. There just has to be something about them that makes you want to read more. Think about this: is Lolita's Humbert Humbert a likable guy? Good lord no. But do you still like to read from his point of view? Yes! Because there's something captivating about the way his words come across the page. Liking to read about a character isn't always the same as liking them as a person.
So keep your imperfect characters! Nobody likes a goody two shoes, anyway.
Do you consider your characters likable? Are there are any characters from books you've read that weren't exactly likable, but you still wanted to read about them?
It can depend a lot on the specific character you're writing. If your story has a villain, then you most likely want your readers to hate him. But villains can also be entertaining and fun to read. He doesn't have to be a sadistic monster without a single redeemable quality (unless that's what you're going for). The opposite can be said of a hero. A hero doesn't have to be perfect. They can do stupid things that make us want to punch them in the face. Characters need flaws so the reader can relate to them actually believe these are real people. No one is perfect, and a story about a perfect person would probably be boring to read.
But let's focus on the main character of a story. How likable does he or she need to be? And what exactly does it mean to be likable?
I've been told that my main character is not likable. Which is disheartening, to say the least. And confusing as hell, since I actually let him write a monthly blog post and people seem to respond well, or they're entertained at least. So why the big turn off? I guess it's not completely understandable. The first word I would use to describe Jordan would be manipulative, which I guess isn't all that likable of a trait. And he's a little full of himself, but not in a ridiculous way. He just knows what he's capable of and how other people respond to him. So why all the hate? Do I have to change him, make him more likable so that people will actually want to read this book?
It got me thinking that being likable doesn't mean the same thing in real life as it does in reading a book. Think about all of your favorite book characters--if they actually existed, would you be friends with them? We don't choose the books we read like we choose friends. We want books to entertain us. That doesn't mean that the main character has to be some perfect, goody two shoes kind of a person. In fact, you would probably be turned off by this sort of character.
We don't have to like a character in the same way we would like a friend. We just have to like to read about this character. You could love a character's snarky attitude, but if you met them in real life, you might want to smack them. There just has to be something about them that makes you want to read more. Think about this: is Lolita's Humbert Humbert a likable guy? Good lord no. But do you still like to read from his point of view? Yes! Because there's something captivating about the way his words come across the page. Liking to read about a character isn't always the same as liking them as a person.
So keep your imperfect characters! Nobody likes a goody two shoes, anyway.
Do you consider your characters likable? Are there are any characters from books you've read that weren't exactly likable, but you still wanted to read about them?
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