Back On Track

I have a terrible habit of getting off track. I have the best intentions (don't we all), but you know what they say about the road to hell (hint: that it's paved with them.)

(And adverbs, per Uncle Stevie. Listen to Uncle Stevie.)

But something clicked this year. I realized that time is short. You don't get to say "in my next life..." blah blah blah. There is no next life. This is it. I should've realized it long ago, but I'm kind of a bonehead sometimes and things fall into place when they do. So I made some major changes.


I cleaned up my diet. Started exercising regularly. Started posting again (if sporadically.) Threw myself into various writing projects, and now The Writing Partner and I are on the verge of some very big things in the screenwriting world that I'll hopefully  be able to share soon!


I've also decided to finally finish writing a book. The Writing Partner and I brainstormed a solid set up that I'm very excited about, and I think I'm finally focused enough to see this through to the end. To not give up when I'm frustrated, or wander off when I'm distracted by shiny things on the internet.

(like lolcats!)

Stephen King is one of my favorite writers, and he writes 2000 words a day. If it's good enough for Stephen King, it's good enough for me. 


As one of my favorite screenwriting websites says "The Only Way Out Is Through."


So here's to writing through the good days, and writing through the tough days, and writing writing writing 'til my poor little fingers beg for mercy.


Because writers don't spend their time talking about writing. 


Writers write. 

Joss Whedon Is My Hero

(via Go Into The Story)

*slow clap*

Anna and the French Kiss

Y'all.


Y'ALL.


THIS BOOK.




Let's talk about things I love:


Paris (so what if I've never been there?)
Boys with British accents.
Endearingly flawed protagonists.


I actually laughed out loud at this book (numerous times!) because it was so. Dang. Charming.


So, I'm late to the party on this one. No matter. It's a must read. In fact, I recommended it to one of my best friends and here are the two texts I got from her:


Tuesday night - "So far Anna is about movies, boys with accents, travel and teen angst. No wonder you love it!"


Wednesday morning - "You are an asshole. Now I can't do any work until I finish the damn book."


SEE! 


So excited to dive in to Lola and the Boy Next Door. It's got a guy named Cricket. I'm so there.


PS - I would like my own personal Etienne. Thank you.
PPS - Can I please live in this book. Thank you again.

I Got The Fevah!

And the only prescription...is more cowbell!

KIDDING.


Seriously, though, I feel like writing is like a fever sometimes (to be dramatic about it).


When I'm sick, I can't get comfortable. I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin. And by day three or four I'm so sick (pun intended) of lying on the couch that I feel like I will literally die if I don't do something active (more dramatics).


Back when writing was a hobby for me, it was easy to take it or leave it. Mostly leave it. Because writing is hard, y'all!


But now I've fallen in love with it. Writing is what I want to do forever. I want to be able to call myself a writer and not feel like a fraud, or like this is some temporary diversion until I  buckle down and get a "real" 9-5 cubicle job, complete with fuzzy fabric walls and terribly unflattering fluorescent lights. 


So these days, when I'm plowing through a chapter, or a treatment, or a script, I get that same antsy, uncomfortable feeling if I'm not working on it. 


It's a nagging at the back of my mind that won't let me rest. A shouty voice telling me to get my booty off the couch and back into that desk chair.


Maybe that's what they call passion. I call it The Fevah!

I've Got Issues

Over on YA Highway they're asking: "what's your numero-uno reason for writing?"


I love to write because I'm restless. I didn't realize it until the Writing Partner called me on it. It's true though: I'm always looking for the next thing.


I've lasted about two years at my last three day jobs, and the timing runs like clockwork. I get antsy. I get bored. There's nothing new to learn and I can feel the seconds of my finite time on this planet ticking away with nothing to show for them.  



With writing, each new idea is a new start. I'm in love with that burst of adrenaline that comes when you know...just KNOW...that you have a great idea. And then you can just sit down and start writing! You don't need anyone's permission! Nobody can stop you!


I think I just discovered that I have a problem with authority. Thanks, YA Highway! 

Laini Taylor Makes Me Want To Be A Better Writer

Seriously. Inspiring.


DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is easily the best book I've read all year. Lyrical prose that's full of impact without being heavy handed. Characters that I want to befriend and have adventures with. A world that somehow manages to be fantastical, yet grounded.


And now I want blue (or pink!) hair.


Love love love this book. Read it, y'all. That's an order. I do this for your own good.

Cover Judger

Judger: maybe not a word? I'm okay with it.


Over on YA Highway they're asking: What are your all time favorite book covers?


I'm drawn to two kinds of covers: super pretty and super creepy. Pretty makes me want it. Creepy gets me intrigued. 


So! Here are the ones that scare me:




The looming windows remind me of jaws, and I don't get the sense that this kid is going to escape unscathed.



Cover matched with the perfect title. So good.



Drood. Dread. Coupled with the fact that it's about a dark double life? Yes, please.



It doesn't seem like much, but if you look closely you can see a blueprint-like pattern in the black. Match that with the fact that this book is about a house that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside (and the fact that it's the most unique, unsettling book I've ever read) well...total creep-fest.

  

I couldn't decide which of these I liked better. So, both!


Now, for the pretty:








These books could be blank on the inside and I'd still want to own them.

And for the last...one that's stuck with me for quite some time. I haven't read the book, but something about the shades of blue they use...or maybe the lonely figure...I don't know, but this cover won't let me go: