A Book in a Month?

I'm embarking on Camp Nano this June and (hopefully), this August.

The rules are the same. Write at least a 50,000 word book in a month. It sounds easy for me, but even as I think about it, I know it won't be. At the very least, it shouldn't. I did just graduate college - that means I need to find a job. Preferably soon.

One of the things I keep being told to press on though is the fact that I didn't write 5 books and a novella this year by accident. God did implement this somehow and it couldn't have just been a freak mistake for things to progress as far as they  So even with my bills looming off in the distance, staring down at me, I'm trying to just remain calm.

Which I think is good advice for any recent college grad. Don't freak out. Just take the days one at a time. Continue to do your best in all that you do. So if it means you're going back to work in retail for the time being, okay. Be happy with the fact that you have a job, that you've been awarded the opportunity to make money. If you're heading off to some big company with a large salary, good for you. And if you're like me, scrounging about for a job and pleading with whomever may come across our way, just relax. It'll all be okay. Just keep working. Keep pushing forward.

Whatever you do and whatever you are, be the greatest of that. No one can do you better than you.

And I encourage all the writers out there to join Camp Nano. Even those that haven't thought to actually write. The first step is always the hardest. Trust me. After that, well, sometimes you can just let gravity do it's work. Take a step of faith and give it a shot. Writing a book isn't easy, but it can be one of the greatest things ever.

In other news, my sister-in-law is due to deliver her baby sometime in the next week. Wow, does time fly.

Happy writing!

Currently Reading: Green by Ted Dekker
Currently [Re]Writing: Unity
Currently Listening to: "Lost in Las Vegas" by Two Steps From Hell

Entering Adventure

Tomorrow I'm going to the library to search for these books.

In all of my searching for agents and editors (although honestly, I've only really looked at agents), I had constrained myself to the Christian market. The idea of going into the secular world scared the tar out of me. It still kind of does, if I'm honest with myself. Although, for some reason, I've never actually thought that the Christian market was where my books were meant to land.

Let's look at things. There's the secular market, where you have, well, everything. Then there's the Christian market. It's where everything even remotely hinting at God gets thrown. Books there tend to wither and die. They're allegorical and annoying. Not that allegory is wrong. It's just wrong for me. And boring. Take Ted Dekker's Color series (Red, Black, White and Green). I read through the first three and knew all of the plot twists that were going to happen halfway through the first book. It made the reading of the other two to be irritating. There wasn't any surprise or suspense. I know he can write it, because Adam was pretty dang good.

All of this to say that my books are not allegorical. I sat back while talking with my mom and realized that the people I'm attempting to emulate (C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien), are not confined to the Christian market. In fact, when you walk into a book store and search for Narnia, it's in the children section while Lord of the Rings sits in the Fantasy section. These two titans of writing have straddled the line between the Christian and secular world.

I wish to do the same.

I guess that means that I'm heading toward where I think I need to be. The research begins and hopefully (fingers crossed), I'll be sending out proposals within the next month.

In the meantime, anyone reading this - do you pitch a series differently from a one book, stand alone novel? Seeing as I'm technically only sending the first book in my series to people for publishing, I am pitching the whole five-book series. Is that done differently? Do I need to be sure to mention it in a query letter? Or am I pitching the whole story arc itself?

Happy writing!

Currently Reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Currently [Re]Writing: Unity
Currently Listening to: "Without You" by David Guetta feat. Usher

Support to the Structure

I think I've said it before, but just in case: I'm lucky and incredibly blessed. I have family and friends who are not only reading my books, but they aren't afraid to tell me how it is. If they don't like something or don't understand something, they approach me on it. They give me ideas, theories, factual knowledge and creative outlet.

When I was asking Jeffrey Overstreet (find his books here), about advice on writing query letters and what have you, he didn't have any personal advice because he was discovered as a writer through his blog. Anyway, one of the things he mentioned to do was to be free with your books. Meaning to give them to lots of people you trust to read and give input on. If you're a fantasy writer, find someone who doesn't normally travel down that road and see if they'd be willing to read through the manuscript. You never know what might happen. It might help you strengthen your story beyond just the genre.

That's what happened to me when one of my best friends Dana read my novel. And she never liked fantasy before she met me.  But she loves my books (I'm not being egotistical. She seriously loves them). She gives me all sorts of input about the characters.

Whereas my brother Josh won't hesitate to say, "Why are you doing this?" simply because he wants to make sure I have a reason. Then there're my friends Kara and Shelly. They'll basically tell me when the story is weak, when the characters change, when the description is lacking, and when a question that's vital is being asked.

But above this all, they never will lie to me. None of them will. They'll shoot straight with me. Despite them being my closest friends and family, they won't just say, "Oh, it was so good!" just 'cause they think I need to hear that.

All of this to say that I think writers should be willing to hand out their novels while they're still in the rough stages. It's hard and terrifying and awful. But, in the end, it will pay off. Getting feedback will help you look objectively at your story. Which is necessary to be sure that when you do go to edit, you aren't just leaving everything as it is because you think it's great. Because, sad to say it, but it probably isn't great the way it is. No book (or very few I imagine), is 'publish-worthy' on the first draft. Unless you're a genius. In which case, why are you reading this blog?

Trust people. Trust their side of things but remember - you are the author. If a friend gives a suggestion and it sucks, don't be afraid to say, "Um. No." However, don't just block it out. Sometimes those suggestions will lead you to answer questions you've been struggling with.

Happy writing.

Currently Editing: Unity
Currently Reading: Homecoming by Alaina Bargar
Currently Listening to: "Somewhere in the Middle" by Casting Crowns

On Teb. On.

That's from Galaxy Quest.

I'm starting editing on my second novel.

I think it's the right timing. I'm waiting to get feedback on my fifth book from friends, so until then I have little advancements I can do. That's not true. I've got three prequels to write eventually (at least for my own knowledge), but I want something to work on during Camp Nano.

Things went really well when I edited my first book. And I think things'll go really well with the second book too. I'm looking forward to it. Which is kind of funny. I think most young writers like myself detest the idea of editing their books because we look at it and say, "I just wrote it. Isn't that enough?" Being told, "Great, that's wonderful that you just wrote 70,000 words. Now go back, tear it apart, and put it back together again." That's simply detrimental.

It very well may be brain-crush worthy.

Now that I've done this once before and I'm about to embark on the task of epic editing again, I have little advice to give. And really it's this: have fun with it. Y'know, just enjoy your story. In rereading it, just explore the avenues you can travel. If you find something that might work better, venture down it. That road might not be the right one, but be open to whatever the story may say and whatever your critics may say.

So that's it. Just be willing to go the way the story needs to. Be open to exploring other avenues. Don't shy away from suggestions - even if they don't work. You never know, an awful suggestion might give you just the right idea that will make it all work better than you had ever thought.

Happy writing.

Currently Editing: Unity
Currently Reading: Homecoming by Alaina Bargar
Currently Listening to: "Raise Your Glass [Clean Version]" by Pink

Foolish Fool

Y'know what I don't do well? Not sin.

Seriously. I am so horrible at keeping myself from sinning. Okay, I guess not horrible. But I am pretty dang screwed up. I can't stop myself sometimes. I know it's wrong and I'll even be thinking as I'm sinning, "This is wrong", but I'm stupid and I don't stop. What does that say about me? I know this kills my heavenly Father to watch me do this. I know I'm incredibly ashamed of it afterward. I'm ashamed of it as I'm doing it.

It's as simple as a lie. I know I'm lying. I know I'm not being honest and I hate myself for doing it. And yet I still do! How absolutely...absurd.

What kind of creature looks at wrong things, says, "That's bad," knows that it just makes us feel awful afterward, and still, despite that knowledge, goes for it? How masochistic are we as humans that we don't know how to just say no?

Awful thoughts enter our minds as we're driving down the road and the person in front of us is driving ten miles under the speed limit. Anger floods our bones at the most inane of situations. Violence screams in our marrow. We tear one another down. We ridicule and defame. As though that'll somehow make us feel better.

We lie. We cheat. We steal. At the end of it all, we know full well it's wrong. We know it's not going to help anything. In fact, we'll regret it later. Yet we still do it. Curse our human nature.

The craziest thing is though that God is still willing to take us.

Why would he want to call me His child? What have I possibly done to deserve being called His daughter? Nothing. But He still does.

What great, unfathomable love.

Aboutway Onglay Ostspay

I've been told that my posts are too long and deter people from reading them. So I'll just say this:

It's a new month and around 6 a.m. on the 1st of May, I finished the first draft of my fifth book.

Happy writing!