Why I Love Deadlines

Deadlines are the best things ever for me. It's not because I need someone to force me to write; I love writing. I do have a problem with writer's block, but it has to do with my main reason. It's because if I don't have a deadline, I spend too much time trying to make my writing perfect. 

     I'm not denying that taking time makes a near-perfect story. You can read account after account of authors that took years to write their wildly famous stories. The thing is, though, that you can't be too focused on perfection. Your story will never be flawless; with more and more editing it gets better, but never impeccable. There's a point when you just have to say that you're done working on the story, because you can't work on it forever. You lose experience and opportunities that way. 

     The more stories you work on, the better they get. You won't always feel that way; you may like the way you built a plot in a past story, or the characters from another. With every new narrative, though, you gain experience that you didn't have previously. Deadlines make you work hard to finish a story in a certain amount of time, so that you can move onto the next adventure and give it your all. 

THE BOOK THIEF

What's my favorite book? Alright, folks, if you know me whatsoever, you know that I'm a reader. I will read anything and everything I can get my hands on. Thus, "What's your favorite book?" is a really hard question for me to answer. However, since early seventh grade year, I've always answered with The Book Thief .

      Most books, people like because of A. the plot or B. the writing. For example, I adore Marie Lu's Legend series. What I love is the story, though. That doesn't mean that I despise her writing style; there just isn't much about it that stands out to me. When I was younger, I read books by Wendy Mass. I always loved how small details she would casually add in chapter two would rap up the whole book somehow. And while I loved the stories, her writing style sticks with me.  

     However, with The Book Thief, I don't have a preference. The author, Markus Zusak, tells a story with a plot alone that is stunning. He tells it with a style that I find hard to explain, but that stuns me. The way he describes ordinary elements is unlike anything I've ever read before.  

     So, what is the premise of The Book Thief ? This book takes place during World War II. Liesel Meminger is on her way to her new home when her brother dies. Suddenly, a place where she would have at least known one person becomes a place where she's completely alone. 

     The story follows Liesel as she moves onto Himmel Street in Munich, Germany. She begins to form a bond with her new Mama, Rosa Hubberman, who shows her affection with insults. Her Papa is an accordion player with a kind heart and a desire to help Liesel with her fascination: words. And then there's Rudy Steiner, the boy who Liesel just can't seem to shake. 

     I don't know what to say with this book except that you need to read it. The plot starts off excellent and somehow advances as it progresses. Liesel Meminger is one of those characters that you can't stop thinking about, even long after you've closed the book.

     Have you read The Book Thief ?  What did you think? I'd love to hear your opinion on the book! 

     Until next time, guys.  

Photography and Writing

Currently, I'm working on a multitude of projects. When someone asks me what I'm writing, I have the choose a narrative and go with it. 

     For me, switching between different narrators isn't a struggle- usually. Other times, I can't seem to write any story. I always have ways to try and get into a character's head, though. One thing is that I'll have a genre, artist, or playlist to go with every story I'm working on. A good song with the same tone or message as your story can keep your mind on your narrative. Also, I like to act as my character would act. Part of this includes my camera- I'll take it somewhere and I'll think "How does ____ see the world around them?" and attempt to capture the picture from their point of view. Acting like my characters could also mean I decide to pretend that I'm them, or make decisions as they would. It helps me to better understand my characters. 

     If you have any tips on how to better understand your characters or switch between narratives, feel free to comment; I'd love to hear from you! 

Finding Time to Write

Finding the time to write can be challenging. Whether it's due to a packed schedule or a lack of inspiration, it's really easy to go days without writing when life gets hectic. You could also have a different sort of challenge while writing; maybe your environment, health, or other factors get in the way. What can you do about this? I don't hold all the answers, but I do have a few tips. 

     Tip one- Keep track of how much you write each day. You can put this on a calendar, in your phone, or scribble it on the nearest piece of scrap paper. Just remember to track your word count each day, whether it's zero or in the thousands. It can inspire you to see how far you've come in your story over a few days, which is really beneficial when you don't want to write. You can remind yourself that just a few minutes can make huge strides in your plot progression.

     Maybe you work best with routine. Then, finding the same time every day that you can write might be the best thing. You'll have that time caved out for writing your story each day, and then you'll go from struggling to find time to struggling to find inspiration. One battle at a time!

     Try telling yourself that you have to sit down in front of your computer for a set amount of time. Whether you write a sentence or a chapter, you've spent the same amount of time working on the project. If you're anything like me, you'll realize that it feels much better to see that you've written a lot in a short amount of time than writing a few words in that same amount of time, and you'll try your hardest to be as productive as possible. Another way to help yourself be productive in a short amount of time can be found in an earlier blog post I wrote, which you can find here. 

     Maybe you spend an hour on social media a day. Or you might mindlessly watch TV for thirty minutes before a lesson or practice. Finding little moments in your day to get work done can do wonders. Sometimes we have a completely packed schedule, and there really isn't a moment to spare. Other times, though, a few moments can turn into an awesome achievement. 

      I want to say is that everyone misses days while writing. That's okay. The important thing is that you're writing most of the time. If you skip a day, or something comes up, there's no need to beat yourself up about it. The second thing I want to say is that I by no means write everyday. When I wrote my first two novels, I did work nearly daily. I have a lot less time than I did then, though, which means it's hard to find time to write. When I type this, it's a great way to potentially help someone else get back on track with their literary projects, but it's also a good reminder to myself of some ways to help get a few more words written during the day. 

     Now that you've finished reading, see if you can get writing! 

     

 

 

 

 

 

Transistions

Writing on a blog, I've come to realize, is much harder than I originally thought. I prefer fiction writing; maybe it's just because I'm so used to it, though. Writing on a blog is more personal; you aren't writing about or as someone else (which I happen to enjoy doing). Don't get me wrong; writing through a character is still honest and truthful, and often a little too insightful for my comfort. You're shielded, though. You could write an autobiography and deem it fiction, and few would ever know. Maybe no one would- I suppose it depends on the person. 

     Also, there are no long periods of editing. I do enjoy that- but, it also proves to be stressful. I worry about making one little mistake, and then sending it live. I think that writing a blog will be good for me, though. New experiences, less perfectionism.  

      

20 Minute Challenge

One of the most useful things I've learned about is the twenty minute writing challenge. It's simple enough- you have twenty minutes to write ____ words, and you never stop writing. For my writing class, we started off with a goal of 500 words in that time. Some people were a few words behind, some were right around 500, and some were well above it. 

     When you're writing anything lengthy, no matter who you are, you will get stuck. Don't think you won't- if anything, karma will strike. When you get stuck, sometimes it's only for a bit; sometimes, though, it's for a longggg time. And a good way to beat writer's block is to sit down with no distractions for twenty minutes and just write. You can pick up at a certain place, or write an excerpt. If you're writing an essay, you can get a good portion of your rough draft done. In case you aren't getting the gist of things- you can use this "challenge" on just about any literary writing. Sometimes you'll never use what you wrote; sometimes your unfiltered thoughts will make a beautiful edition to the next paper you have due. But no matter what, it gets your brain flowing!

 

 

A Writing Venture

I, being the person I am, was looking up synonyms for the word "project" after having used it wayyyy too many times. I was writing about literary projects: books, blogs posts, essays, magazine articles, et cetera.

     So, I go visit my best friend- Google. And Google shows me all of the definitions for "project." And with each definition comes the synonyms. I scroll down, and I find the definition I need.

And I find the word "venture."

     Yes, yes. "What is she getting at? Why am I reading this?" Thank you for asking; please hold all questions until the end.

     A venture is a risky and daring undertaking or journey. And let me tell you, writing is both risky and daring. It's sure an undertaking, and sure a journey. How daring is it to put thoughts on paper? Because I don't care when- somewhere in your writing, no matter what you're writing, you're putting your own thought down. Writing is a journey full of ups and downs. There will be times for every author where they want to do nothing but write. Then there are times where you would rather do just about anything that doesn't involve words. What an undertaking constructing a novel is. That's a lot of work. First drafts. First edits, second edits, third edits, fourth edits. Edits until you know your story like the back of your hand.

     And that's just to get a novel decent. And then some people go on to try and publish a book, and if you get lucky- guess what?! MORE EDITING!

     I'm no expert. I finished my first book last year. I've still got books upon books that I am yet to write. I have the stories I'm already working on and the ones yet to come. You have to start somewhere, though. And maybe, just maybe, once you've worked hard enough, you get a chance.

Introductions

Well, hello there! Thanks for coming to see this website; you're awesome. So, first things first- hi! I'm Sara, an author and soon-to-be blogger. On this site I'll have information on my books, I'll have reviews of other people's books, and pretty much everything else in between. This is a place for my passion- words. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!