feelings

Nope, Nope, Nope.

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Have you ever looked over your old work and thought, What in the world was I thinking?

We know how that may feel sometimes, so we thought it was about time we helped you embrace the cringe with some memes

should not.jpgImagine this: you start reading some piece written three years ago and your first thought is…No. No. Why? No.

Cheers to feeling that way. Just so you know, you should not have done then.

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Sometimes, with re-reading old work, people get inspired to re-write it. Which leads us into our next meme: the lengthy process that goes along with it.

You never know how long it’s going to take, but you know it has to get done sometime or another. Once it is done, though…you realize you’ve lost track of reality.

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One of my personal favorites is when you notice how many times you used one specific word. For me, it’s just. For others, it’s that. You never know what word you actually lean on until you type it into your word finder and it pops up over 500,000 times throughout your entire manuscript.

 

Meanings Here and There

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A lot of prominent writers (the ones who land traditional pub deals, go on talk shows, get to see their books become films…) tend to write with deep meaning between the lines. A writer can use ways to create meaning behind the face value of the story using symbolism, their protagonist, and general commentary on society outside of the fictional tale.

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Research becomes a writer’s best friend in this scenario. When research is applied to the writing, particularly in the setting, creates meaning for the story as a whole. Knowing where your story will take place will help narrow down symbolism as well. Check out folklore, mythology, any literary history of the country you choose. Even names contain meanings sometimes.

You also have to keep in mind that your subconscious will become more apparent in your writing and the only person who will notice is you.

Re-read your draft and see if you’ve executed the story and given the deeper meanings justice. And if you haven’t, well…what are you waiting for? Get back to it!

Take A Breather

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We always need a friendly reminder to not rush.

If you’re a bit slower on the creation process, don’t let outside influences push you to think you’re not writing fast enough. With speed, may come plenty of plot holes, missing events or a lot of fluff. Readers can easily be turned away.

Take your time building your story, creating your characters, and finalizing the setting. Don’t let your writing fall victim to the speed demon wishing to take control within you!

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Age Is Just A Number

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It’s true! As cliche as it sounds, age really is just a number.

Whether you feel you’re too young or it’s past your time to start, we want to remind you: it doesn’t matter.

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If you’re one of those people thinks they’re too young…think again. Below is a list of authors who wrote their best-sellers before the age of 21. Check out the blog for their ages and story behind the publication.

  1. ALEXANDRA ANDORNETTO
  2. GORDON KORMAN
  3. CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI
  4. KODY KEPLINGER
  5. S.E. HINTON

Why They Aren’t Reading It

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A very interesting post popped up on my timeline, asking friends what makes others stop reading a book. Some of the responses were unique but a decent portion of readers responded in the way we thought they would. Here are three reasons why people put books down and don’t get to the last page.

  1. Being predictable. We all hate when we can guess what’s going to happen in a plot. Once a story is predictable, people don’t feel compelled to continue on with the story. If you’re writing a story and the plot is straight forward, you’d better guess it that book is going right back on the shelf and the reader is huffing in another direction.
  2. No conflict. Believe it or not, some writers just write. And I mean, write without direction. No planning, plotting deaths, or even connections between characters. Some of you are probably cringing in your seats, wondering how someone could do that or how they even got published. Anyway, if your story is lacking a real gut-wrenching conflict, you’re asking for the shelf.
  3. Inserting views into the story. This one is tricky. People don’t like views shoved down their throat in conversation or in upbringing (rule number one if you want sane children), so why would people give books a pass in the views department. They don’t. In reality, no one likes that.put that thing back.gif

Murder In The First Degree

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When someone is convicted for murder in the first degree, that means they planned out this particular death and executed their target. While there are many levels of first degree murder, this is the general idea. How does that relate to writing? Well, let’s talk about how planning out the death of one of your characters may come in handy.

First of all, you should ask yourself a series of questions before you decide to stick a knife in one of your characters. One being: has this character served their purpose in the telling of your story? Or maybe, has it become difficult to write in a character after a revelation in the plot? Or as simple as day, are they the ultimate sacrifice type of character?

If you’ve answered any of these questions with a whispered “yes,” I think it’s time to cut a character out.

As mad as we get when the tables are turned and we’re the reader, a character’s death comes with purpose. There have been so many book deaths that were needed to fuel emotion in the story, or further the plot. (Always kill a character to further the plot.) The characters we hate to lose are usually the ones who get killed off. Sometimes the character needed to serve a quick purpose and needs to be written off…in the most dramatic way possible, aka death.

Don’t feel obligated to keep all of your characters; they won’t all see the finish line.

Ending The 2010s On A Better Note

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Many issues have risen about the casting in Hollywood. From casting directors putting actors and actresses in roles racially not suited for them to the huge age gaps in some of the leading romances. Well, we’ve come here to say, not all book-to-film adaptations have to be horrible.

We always have to remember what goes on behind the scenes (i.e. contracts between agents and production companies). What we do know is a couple of films have released recently where casting was great and changes were obviously made to make the film adaptation to fit the two hour mark and not six hours and thirty-two minutes. We have yet to see Crazy Rich Asians (which has dominated the rom-com category opening weekend) but in the meantime, let’s discuss the other East-meets-West, Netflix production: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han.

Now, you’ll never find an adaptation that will include every detail of the book’s original content. And of course, this novel-based film won’t be excluded from that category. One of the biggest issues in casting that has been obvious for many years (yeah, we aren’t talking just in the last decade, we’re talking since the Golden Age of Hollywood) has been casting the wrong race. Authors, if you’re trying to sell the film rights to your book (as a literary agency, we know how it can be), we know you want the best of the best for your book baby. Don’t forget to bring up your stipulations with your agent. Draw the line with production because if they can’t properly cast YOUR characters, they don’t need your idea on their list of things ‘to-do.’ We know; we want our authors’ work to be best represented by whoever chooses to publish the work.

Shout out to Jenny Han for standing up for her main character being cast as an Asian-American actress and staying true to the main plot of the story. 👍

The Meme To End All Memes

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Everyone has their memes to get them through the day. We have so many personal favorites to spice up our posts, we thought it was about time we shared some with you all. Plus, it’s nice to sit back and laugh at the accomplishments (or lack thereof) when it comes to working on our writing. Let the memes begin!

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First of all, we are starting with the meme everyone can relate to: I have an idea, but haven’t started it yet. Mainly because it’s a tough one to go home after a full day’s worth of work, and put your eyes on a screen if that’s all you’ve done for the work day. Fear not, Lisa Simpson understands your feelings more than you probably know.

 

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Next up, we’ve got a meme for our writers who like the darker side of things. Jim Halpert always mirrors our emotions even at the strangest of times. Writing about things you wouldn’t usually write about (i.e. murder) could be quite alarming for those who don’t know you as a person…or even for those who do know you.

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It’s happened to every writer in the history of writing: making characters suffer and enjoying every second of it. Don’t feel bad about this. J.K. Rowling probably made the same face when she was killing off characters in Harry Potter. It’s every writers’ guilty pleasure.

 

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We know what you’re thinking…another meme about killing off characters?! Well, yeah. It’s a guilty pleasure. Plus, nothing is better than building something beautiful then tearing it apart to make another character stronger after they’ve been broken. There’s reason behind the madness…I swear!

 

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Then after everything has been said and done: here comes the editing. Sure, you wrote it now…but who made it sound so awful? Definitely not you! Someone must have written it while you were sleeping or something. All in all, editing isn’t fun. And this face is very relevant.

 

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But this is the most important one. Because why are you reading this post when you should be writing? 😛

Imperfectly Perfect

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If your character comes off as perfect, maybe it’s time to rough them up a bit. Add some physical flaws or habits to your character to include some flair.

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  • Blemished skin
  • Chipped tooth/teeth
  • Fidgets constantly/can never sit still
  • Grinds teeth
  • Skin is red/irritated
  • Dark under eye circles
  • Eyebrow scar
  • Uneven dimples
  • Broken/crooked nose

These flaws were picked from a Tumblr post, meaning there are more points! These are our highlights!

Why Three Is NOT A Crowd!

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It’s common in the writing community to have more than one pair of eyes editing your work. Some editors catch certain details, whether it’s proofing, copy editing, structural editing, or developmental edits. But what if you haven’t gotten too far into your writing career and you don’t have a team behind you quite yet? We have another option and idea for you: A WRITING GROUP.

Sounds very old school, maybe something you thought only existed on TV or in slice-of-life movies, but they’re very real and sometimes very necessary in a writer’s career. You’ll get the similar appeal from an editing team towards your writing, but a tad bit nicer and less cut-dry. A group will provide the outside perspective you need to help tie up the loose ends you may have missed. If your group (or partner) chooses meet-up times, it’ll boost your accountability with your writing and improve your relationship with your ability to write. Last but not least, you’ll get unconditional support from your peers, which you might need on those days you aren’t feeling confident.

A step beyond that: you’ll find friends. Friends who will love and support you (and your writing career but let’s get back to the sentiments), to push you in the right direction.