The Feels

I’ve decided that I need to put my WIP aside so that it could *marinate* so to speak. There are some problem areas that I need to distance myself from so I can fix them with a more objective eye later. My original start date was March 15. I put it away and tried not to look at it again. And I FAILED. I didn’t think I’d miss the characters and situation so much. They’ve been a big part of my life since late 2012, so it’s hard to cut myself off from them so abruptly. I keep sneaking the project out and saying “I’ll just read it over and put it away,” but then I start fiddling. I’ve got to stop that. If I want this to be a successful project, I need to leave it the heck alone for a while, right?

I think a lot of writers hate revisions. I LOVE revisions. Revising means there’s already something there to work with. Brainstorming is great because there is so much potential. So many ideas and things inspiring me. The writing, is the hard part, which is also my least favorite. But it’s part of the package, and I can’t revise if there is nothing to revise, right?

I am dabbling with a new project to hopefully distract myself. The feels, oh the FEELS. Meeting new characters. Hopefully falling for them. New situations and settings. It’s exciting and scary and taking that plunge is so…weird. And exhilarating. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this, so it’s almost foreign. I’d forgotten how thrilling it is to start a new project. I hope I never forget again.

I’m just glad to be writing. I’m glad I’ve gotten the joy back and that I’m actively working on projects. It’s nice to have a dream again.

YA Literature Conference

What have I done? This is just today's haul!! #books #ya #andersonsbookshop #abyalitconf #yafandomfrenzy #noregrets

Last September, Adam was invited to Anderson’s YA Literature Conference. Now, I was trying to conserve money, so I didn’t plan to attend due to the $100+ price tag. Until I saw that Stephanie Perkins was going to be there.

STEPHANIE PERKINS you guys.

I don’t know if you know how much I love Stephanie Perkins. First of all, her books are amazing. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is one of my absolutely favorite books ever. Second of all, her transparency about her struggles with depression is brave and I am grateful to her for being willing to share with us what she goes through. As someone who also deals with depression, I felt like I wasn’t alone.

So I decided that I needed to go to this conference. And I am SO GLAD I did.

I met some amazing people there. I got to network, and let me tell you something. When a published author asks about your work, asks to see your work, it’s a flattering feeling. (And later, getting feedback from these successful authors–I can’t explain how much it meant to me.) Something about being around authors, and books, and watching the panels and talking to people–it’s soooo inspiring. One of the things I love about the YA Lit community is how supportive it can be. I’ve been a part of it since 2005 (10 years) and while some of my friends have gone on to be published, or become agents or whatever, I still feel like that community is my family and that I have a place there. I just need to stay diligent and keep working and keep pushing.

Anyway.

You guys, I GOT TO MEET STEPHANIE PERKINS. Not only that, but she knew who I was and hugged me more than once. She is super lovely and just amazing all around.

Me and Stephanie Perkins
me and stephanie

I don’t know if she realizes how much of an inspiration she is to me.

I also got to meet Kendare Blake. I’d loved her ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES, but I didn’t put two and two together when I was reading the guest list that she was the author of those amazing books. There was Demitria Lunetta, who wrote IN THE AFTER and IN THE END, two books I really enjoyed. I got to meet T.M. Goeglin, who wrote the amazing COLD FURY series, and we chatted about Sarah Jane Rispoli, who is one of the ass-kickingest heroines I have ever read. Joan Bauer is a true gem, and I was blessed to meet her. Alaya Dawn Johnson, who was just cool and also super beautiful. I spent a pile on books (as you can see by the picture up there).

Being around all those authors makes me realize that my dream of being a published author has not gone away. It went into hiding for a long time, and I know now that I wasn’t ready to be published. I wasn’t ready to do whatever it takes to get my book out there, and I wasn’t ready to be successful OR a failure. Now I am. Now I am ready to see my name on the NYT Bestseller list. Now I’m ready to dive headfirst back into the YA Lit community I used to be so deeply involved in. Because now I’ve found a balance, and I’m not using it to escape my life, but to enhance my life.

Who knows? Maybe one day people will be coming to see ME at Anderson’s YA Lit Conference.

But first, I gotta finish writing this book!

Inspired

Hi there! It’s been a while, huh? I’m still here. Still writing (yay!). Still plugging away on the same WIP, and also gathering ideas for some new books down the road.

First thing: HOLY COW. I’ve been seriously pursuing writing (on and off) for ten years. TEN YEARS. It’s time for me to really, truly buckle down and make shit happen.

So I will.

I’ve been up to a lot since I last posted here more than six months ago! I took more acting classes, I went to Jekyll Island and to Disney World, did some more background work, mostly for SIRENS, but also for an indie film, a commercial, a promo video, and Chicago PD.

Something about acting classes and being on set is a huge inspiration for me. I realized that it’s because both things are another way to tell a story. Acting is bringing the story to life. Being on set is like being INSIDE a story. Combine the two and it’s can be magical.

I love being on set. I love all the little details that go into making the scene real. For SIRENS, I was on a hospital set on a soundstage, and the set dressing was beyond fascinating for me. So many small things to add to the atmosphere of the shot, so many things for us background actors to play with to make things more realistic…it was just so COOL.

There are authors who inspire me. Huntley Fitzpatrick. Sarah Dessen. Stephanie Perkins. I know they work their butts off to write amazing stories, but the books are so easy to read, it seems effortless. I want my writing to seem effortless to my readers. I want them to read my work and fall in love with my characters like I fell in love with Samantha and Jase, or Ruby and Nate, or Anna and Etienne. And I want to inspire them to write their own love stories.

And then there is music. I love listening to music when I’m writing. I make have a general playlist for writing, and then I have specific soundtracks for the stories I am writing. Sometimes I even make soundtracks for specific characters. Spotify is such a great tool for this. I pay for the premium version, and then I usually end up buying the songs themselves so I can listen to them on my iPod. Because I’m one of those ones who still uses a Classic and will until it conks out on me.

Here is my writing playlist on Spotify:

Going to bookstores and libraries inspire me. Meeting authors. Reading book reviews. Reading books in general.

There are so many stories, and yet, I still feel like there is a place for me. I just need to find my way there.