What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday

Posted by Raven M on 3:51 AM in doctor who, eyre house, goals, inspiration, jane eyre, north & south, reading, ready. set. write!, siege and storm, teaser, things left unsaid, unfair, what's up wednesday, writing,

 

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme started by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk where writers post about what's up by answering four questions. If you want to participate go here.

WHAT I'M READING

I finished The 5th Wave a couple of days ago and it blew my mind in so many ways. I've read a lot of good books, but this one it's more than good. It's just...I can't put it into words right now. I tried when I reviewed on Goodreads (don't think I did the book justice), but just know that The 5th Wave is what everyone says it is and more.



I'm supposed to be reading Siege & Storm right now. I've been waiting for that book for awhile now, seeing as though I couldn't buy it until I reached 10K (which I did) but then another book caught my eye.

Eyre House is a New Adult retelling of Jane Eyre and if you don't know this already Jane Eyre is my favorite novel. I read it for the first time when I was eleven, and have read it at least a hundred times (this is not an exaggeration) since. It's the book that inspired me to write. It's the book that got me through stormy nights, and made me fall in love with the idea of storytelling/becoming more serious about writing. Jane Eyre could never be redone in my eyes. I'm even picky when it comes to movie adaptations (the one with William Hurt is terrible and I have a strong dislike for it). But when I heard about this book, I couldn't help myself. NA? Male POV? Modern retelling of Jane Eyre?!

I bought it last night and I have not regretted my choice so far.  Eyre House is set in a 'haunted' Bed & Breakfast in an island in South Carolina and the writing is perfect. It's modern and it has charm and a darkness that pulls you in. I'm nowhere near finished with this book, but if the first few chapters is how the rest of the book is going to be, then I think I'm going to love this one in the end. I might even read Jane Eyre again when I'm finished (sorry Siege & Storm).


WHAT I'M WRITING

So, as I mentioned, I reached 10K! This was my goal because every wip since I've started since I finished writing my first novel has never surpassed 10K. It's like, as soon as I hit 9.5K I run into a wall, and then the story just never goes anywhere from there. My current word count is 12, 406 which means I wrote about 3, 263 words last week. It probably would've been more if I didn't cave and finish that last couple of sections of The 5th Wave in one setting. But progress is progress and the fact that I passed 10K means a lot to me. It means that I can finish this. One word in front of the other.

I wrote a Next Big Thing post yesterday talking a little more about Unfair, if you guys want to check out.

I couldn't decide on what to share from my wip, so here are two short paragraphs:

I do know that people still talk about that night, about the things they had seen. In the darkness, in the shadow of the fire that swallowed the city. There is talk that there was something there. Something dark, something that once was. There aren’t that many documents from the Dark Ages but the ones that have been preserved talk about creatures made from the absence of light, they move in the darkness, and some would even argue that they are darkness.

And

Malodyra used to be the capital of this kingdom, now it was just a skeleton, what was left of the kingdom once the fire ate through the skin, and burned away the flesh. The king once said that the Sun would never set on us, but it had, and now that it has, it doesn’t seem like it will ever rise again. Not completely. Though it may hang in the sky from time to time, we will always be submerged in a perpetual darkness.


My Ready. Set. Write! goal for this week is to finish this chapter because it's dragging on longer than I thought it would. I also want to try to add another 5,000 words this week. I'm also doing a good job ignoring SNIs which is something that I have hard time doing. Like a good writer, I've been writing them down, and leaving them alone. No shiny idea is going to take me away from Unfair. I am really determined to finish this.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

A lot of quotes. Sometimes I find quotes that explain my book better than I can, and so I make sure to put them on my Pinterest board, to remind myself that this isn't just some random idea. I do know what I want the book to look like (even though I am pantsing at the moment hehe). But, yeah. Loads of quotes, especially this one:

"I believe I have seen hell and it's white, it's snow-white.” 
― Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South

This is the line that sticks out every time I watch the North & South miniseries (I have the book now *squee*) but it took on a different meaning this time because of my wip and it just has so much meaning. It's one sentence but it means so much to my story, to the characters, and it's just perfect.

Doctor Who is also a huge inspiration right now. I'm falling in love with David Tennant's Doctor all over again (and I feel like I'm cheating because the Ninth Doctor will always be my favorite) but I think it's amazing how they can take one character, who is essentially the same man, and make him different every single time. I meant to write a post about this but what I learned from Doctor Who is that it's okay for your character to change. It's okay for them to be...different (if it fits the story). The Doctor in the first series is completely different in the second, and it's not because he's played by a different man and has a different face. He just changed internally and that's okay. Don't know if this makes sense but I have been thinking a lot about characters, everything from their beliefs to their motives, changing.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

Another thing  that is inspiring me right now is the proof copies for my first novel. Those of you who participate in NaNo know that the reward for winning is a coupon for free proofs from Createspace. I finally used mine so I could have copies of my 'first' (It's more like my third but I don't count the first two...for reasons haha) novel and if I wanted to, one day, go through one of the proofs with a red pen. Though after they arrived, I haven't had the heart to write in them. They're just so pretty and shiny. I have used Createspace to order proofs before, and they do a fantastic job.

My mom (and a few other people) have asked to read it and they all get upset when I tell them no. This is a first draft, and there are a lot of holes in it. My last chapter? It's only two pages long! I was reading it yesterday, and there are a few passages/chapters that I am especially proud of but...it's not ready for anyone to read. One day.

Thanks for reading guys!

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Word Clouds!

Word Clouds!

Posted by Raven M on 5:50 PM in things left unsaid,

I made one for Things Left Unsaid using Word It Out.

Word cloud made with WordItOut

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The Lucky Seven Meme

The Lucky Seven Meme

Posted by Raven M on 12:02 AM in lucky seven meme, teaser tuesday, things left unsaid,

So I was tagged in the Lucky Seven Meme by Morgan Hyde, whose entry you should seriously check out, especially if you like fantasy stories as much as I do. In case you missed it, I posted the first 250 of my current wip Dominion yesterday and since it's Teaser Tuesday and July 17th it only seems right that I do this meme. (Also, seven is my favorite number. I don't know about you guys, but I think it's the coolest number.)

Here are the rules:

1. Go to the 7th or 77th page of your current WIP
2. Go down to the 7th line
3. Copy the next 7 sentences or paragraphs and post them AS IS (no secret editing - the guilt monkeys will know).
4. Tag 7 other authors and let them know

I'm going to post a snippet from the first draft of my finished manuscript Things Left Unsaid. And I didn't edit it, so sorry if it sucks at the moment!
---

His eyes landed back on earth. At first, I didn’t think he heard me, but the knowing look that washed across his face told me that he did, but instead of saying I’m sorry, he stuck out his hand and said: “I’m Sam.”

I could have just continued back on into Burger World.  He was a complete stranger. For all I know, he could be an ax murderer or something infinitely worse, but there was something about him that just made me feel…I don’t even know exactly what I felt…but it made me feel.

These past few months I’ve been walking around like a zombie, trying to figure out how to bring myself back to life, and for once I felt like I was finally living again.

I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sam. My name is Claire.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“You shouldn’t talk to him.” I turned around to find Marianne close behind me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, taking in the tired look in her eyes. The uninterested tone was absent from her voice. It was now replaced with a more serious one.

“Sam,” she replied. “He has a whole lot of issues.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t we all.”

I was getting ready to head back to my table when she grabbed a hold of my arm, her freshly manicured fingernails delving into my skin.

“Look, I don’t know you but I know him. He’s got some things he needs to work out and I should know. I used to…” She turned away for a moment before she met my eyes again. “I used to date him.”

I snatched my arm away not really in the mood for jealous ex-girlfriends. She frowned at me. “You’re young. There’s plenty of…”

Thanks for reading and if you want to do this meme please do and make sure to leave a link to your post in the comments. <3

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I FINISHED MY NOVEL

I FINISHED MY NOVEL

Posted by Raven M on 3:56 PM in finished my novel, teaser tuesday, things left unsaid,

I'm literally on cloud nine right now.

I typed the last sentence of Things Left Unsaid a few moments ago and then when I realized that I was done...I kinda had a moment where I cried a really ugly cry which, if you watch Grey's Anatomy, was identical to Meredith's crying in the season finale. Well, we were crying for different reasons, but...now I can't stop dancing and grinning and acting like a crazy person. My mom asked me what was going on, and when I told her she was all like FINALLY.

She also asked me what I planned on doing next, and I honestly don't know. I want to start working on a new project, but I also know I need to revise, and maybe even rewrite half of TLU. I'm not going to worry about that now though. Because...it's time to PARTY.

Since it is Tuesday, I'll leave you guys with a snippet from TLU:

“You wouldn’t understand,” I said, because she wouldn’t. Danny doesn’t understand anything that doesn’t have anything to do with her. She’s so self-absorbed that it hurts, but she’s my best friend. The only friend I have.

“Like hell I wouldn’t.” She gets up from my bed and starts pacing around the room, the way she does when I know she’s getting ready to explode, and believe  me when I say that any minute now she’s going to go off.

I grab my pillow and hold it to my chest, like it will be enough to shield me from her ticking-time-bomb anger. She stops in the center of my room, turns to face me, hair so fiery that it could burn down a whole village. Her words fall from her lips like missiles. "Your sister is dead, Claire. She's not coming back. No matter how many times you throw on her clothes or spend time with her friends, she's never coming back."

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here's another small teaser from my wip

here's another small teaser from my wip

Posted by Raven M on 11:44 PM in teaser, things left unsaid, writing,

I didn't want to completely erase him out of my life especially since I still had so much to learn about my sister. Denise used to talk about you so much. Though he was clearly speaking English, those words sounded so foreign to me. Not like French or Spanish, those languages were easier to understand than this.

Alex was speaking Pig Latin an old, forgotten and dead language that I just couldn't seem to understand.

Maybe I didn't hear him right.

It just didn't make any sense. Why would Denise talk about me to him?

She didn't even know me.

- from THINGS LEFT UNSAID

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what kind of character would be?

what kind of character would be?

Posted by Raven M on 1:12 PM in characters, inspiration, things left unsaid, thoughts,

I was reading over what I just wrote, when it dawned on me how different I am from my main character. Though a lot of what goes on in her life was inspired by personal experience, Claire is not like me.

She says what's on her mind, while I tend to keep things to myself.

She acts on impulse, while I have to think things through.

Also, she's not afraid to do crazy things. In one scene she jumps fully clothed into a fountain and I would.never EVER do anything like that.

The point is: writers are not their characters. Though we take bits and pieces of ourselves and put them into our novels, our characters have a life of their own.

And the way I see it, our characters are the people we would like to be but can't be.

So that got me thinking: what kind of character would I be?

Well, let's see.

The type of character I would be is:

* a girl who stays up all night
* a girl who drinks tea to calm her nerves
* a girl who daydreams about other worlds
* a girl who strongly believes that music isn't good unless it's loud
* a girl who is afraid of everything from thunderstorms to being alone
* a girl who likes good movies, and writing down random lines of poetry
* a girl who wants to escape from the confines of her small big town
* a girl who has a Johnny Depp poster in her room

The list can go on and on and on.

But I guess what I'm trying to say is: if you have an idea for a dystopian or a fantasy or (insert genre here) kind of novel and you don't have any idea who your main character is: look deep inside yourself, find out what pieces of your soul you want give to your character(s) and give them life.

There's a character in all of us, you just have to be willing to look for them.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Also, what kind of character would you be? And do you ever incorporate personal experiences into your novel?

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Teaser Monday

Teaser Monday

Posted by Raven M on 6:37 PM in teaser, things left unsaid,

So I'm 64 words away from reaching 34k in my wip whose new title is THINGS LEFT UNSAID. Though there will be some plot changes in the next draft the story centers around a girl whose "perfect" sister commits suicide. There's more to the story, but once things get sorted I'll reveal more m'kay? : D

So before I post the teaser, here's the set up:

My main character Claire is seventeen and will be eighteen in a month, she works at her uncle Pierre's restaurant where she meets Sam, a twenty-two year old cook who seems to understand her and all that other good stuff.

I know some people grow weary when there is an age difference, but I don't think I can make Sam any younger without messing with the plot.

Okay, here you go....

I don't feel anything but the thump thump thump of his heart against my chest, the butterfly kisses he lands on my jaw, on my ear, and everywhere that isn't covered by my clothes.

"Sam..." I say his name like a prayer.

He answers it.

"Am I doing anything wrong?" he asked, and I don't know how to answer that seeing as though this is a script I've never read before.

Even though the lines are sketchy, I improvise. "No...it's not that. It's just...I'm..." The words still a virgin are lost on my lips but he understands and then he is pulling away but not completely. His hand is still on my stomach.

The heat of his skin seeps through my shirt.

Sam lies down beside me.

"Forgive me," he breathed. "I should have...I guess I got too carried away."

"No." I turn my head to look at him. He's looking back at me. The world standing is still. "You were perfect. I should have said something...earlier. Maybe next time we..." I stopped talking because there might not be a next time. Sam might not want there to be a next time.

So there you go! The scene before it has a lot more kissing but I'll tease the good stuff some other time. Keep in mind that this is a first draft, so it's little...meh but I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading. :D

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