One of Those Days

You know those days where you really don't want to go to work or school because it's a really nice day and you want to ride your bike or take a nice walk, or it's one of those dreary, rainy days where you want to curl up with a good book by the fire in your comfy chair? I love those days. Both of them, equally. :)

As a writer, it's hard to keep focused on your story for long periods of time - you need a break very now and then or else you'll just get really burned out and want to give up completely on your project. I've been in that boat for the last few months - NaNoWriMo, winter break, free time at school (LOTS of free time at school) and all I thought about was editing, plotting, character sketches, the book I'm dissecting etc. and I started getting bored with it all, like it just wasn't fun anymore.

I almost started panicking a bit because that's what I do when I get stressed or anxious but I decided that I was going to take a REAL break (not the fake one that I took where I still focused on plot devices and other "non-book" related stuff that I convinced myself was okay to think about - I do a lot of thinking...) and I picked up a couple books to read just for fun. It was actually really nice, I'm not going to lie. I also decided to start cross-stitching again because I really want to make things with my hands - I also really love art stuff. :)

My day today was fantastic - I spent the morning with my family and the afternoon reading a book in my favorite chair, the window open with a nice breeze coming in (that's Texas winter for you...) and I didn't once think about grammar, spelling, plot or the word 'was.' And I decided that I need more days like this. :)

With love,
Ashley

Finally.

So, I spent all day trying to get on here to post but stupid gmail (no offense) wouldn't let me. It only showed my other email address (yes, I do have two) and it wouldn't let me change it. But it's done. Finally. :)

So, I have some very big, awesome news - I'm going to Maine this summmer! This is very big and awesome because the town my book takes place in (the first part, at least) is five minutes away from where I'm staying. I'M SO EXCITED! I'm definitely taking loads of pictures so I can map everything out properly (or as properly as I can, at least) and it's just going to be so much fun. :) My trip isn't for six months and I'm already way too excited for my own good. :D

In other news, school is pretty much like last semester, oozing with free time which is fabulous. There's a project that is suggested for all novelists - choose a book with high literary merit (not necessarily your favorite) and mark it up, saying why you like certain things, how the author uses their words most effectively etc.

At the moment, I am dissecting Cassandra Clare's City of Bones book, marking the exposition I am fond of, the action sentences that stand out the most and the dialogue I love. And also, I'm keeping track of the adverbs used (not many) and passive verbage (few and far between) just to see how she tastefully breaks literary rules. I started that last weekend because I was so incredibly too darn bored for my own good - I'm about a third of the way done, which probably says something about me and my priorities, but to be honest, three of my classes have been canceled and I have about eight hours of down time a day. Just saying. :D

I'm off to go destroy my book, as my sister would say - she firmly believes books aren't meant to be written in...

With love,

Ashley

I love the rain

I'm getting better...kind of. :D So, today is the perfect day, in my opinion, to do writerly things. It's cold, rainy and gloomy outside, my favorite type of weather, and it also happens to be a recurring weather in the books I'm working on, aka the only two of twelve that I've written. It reminds me a bit of the atmosphere in the story, the dark, forboding, upsetting undertone of the plot. And it's also the perfect weather for sitting in my favorite chair by my window with a cup of hot chocolate, watching the rain fall while wondering what my character, Jordan, is thinking about.

Also, just a side note. I'm in an Acting class and we were asked to look up monologues over the break because this semester is dedicated mostly to the audition process. I found a few that I like from some obscure, off the wall playwright, which is good because my teacher told me to do something I wouldn't ordinarily do. Hence, I chose a goddess who is getting hit on by some creepy human being for my comedic one, and a girl who (ironically enough) is auditioning for a musical her school is performing as the dramatic monologue. It's...special. But the really cool thing is that while I was reading through each of them, I could hear the character's voice forming in my head, imagining what they sound like and how they would act on stage. It was pretty wicked. I didn't even bother searching for any others because I just felt like these were the pieces for me. Pretty cool.

So, I've been working on character charts, well...just one - Jordan's, and I've put together a notebook full of questions that she answered, quotes and pictures that inspired her character and pictures and sketches of what I imagine her to look like, as well as quotes and phrases that she says in the books so I can keep up with her voice (how she talks in the story, that is). It's pretty cool watching it fill up, the more I spend time on it. It's been taking me...a couple weeks now but it's totally worth it because I'm getting to know her and understand who she is and how she thinks, acts, speaks etc. And just think, there's seven more charts for the books I've thoroughly mapped out, plus another...I don't even know off the top of my head...for the other nine books I've roughly sketched out. :D It's no wonder it took JK Rowling a few YEARS before Harry Potter started getting published - imagine all the planning that went into those SEVEN books. And I want to do twelve...but it's going to be totally awesome when I finish. :) I'm way excited at what all is coming together.

Ashley the Thrilled

...I should feel ashamed...

Well, it's been less than a month since my last post. Progress. That's what I shall tell myself this time. I went to Disney World for Christmas and even though I went in 2009, it was still just as fantastic as ever. :) I met so many characters and hilarious people (Oh, Luke...lol) and it was just absolutely wonderful. I also went to Harry Potter World (so not the name but I don't care) which was equally awesome. Fun stuff. I didn't do many writerly things except for writing down phrases and quotes that I want to include in my books. I suppose now that I'm back and only have a couple weeks before school starts, I'll actually get some work done. My room is clean, the printer is hooked up, I got new writerly supplies for Christmas and took a decent break, so there's really no excuse now to write/edit/research. So that is what I shall go do. Right now. :)

Writers write. Rest assured that's what I'll be up to.

Ashley the Fantastic