Teaser Tuesday!

Well since it's been ages since I've done one, but mah blogs been looking a little post lonely, so why not?

Decided to post a very short snip, fresh off the press Microsoft word document from my new WIP, The Catalyst, which is still a working title. The idea stemmed from a single UF book to a five part series, which I definitely was not expecting. I have many awesomesauce ideas, so we'll see how it turns out.

Also, if you haven't visited Vee's Fantastical Blog of Wonder, do it now! She's having the best contest EVER. Ahh, the havoc I can cause with a Marshmallow Gun...

P.S. This is very rough. Just ignore the typos/grammatical errors that you find :)

**********

Snipped

Flashback Friday: Movies That Rocked My Socks Off

See. No socks. --------------------------------------->

So there's this little thing called The GotYA. And this little thing is doing something called Flashback Friday. What is Flashback Friday you ask? It's a trip down memory lane where each Friday we visit everything past--from music, to books, to bad hair.

So for our Week Two, it's Movies That Shaped Our Generation, or as my title says, Movies That Rocked My Socks Off.

Writing inspiration comes from many outlets. The most crazy/exciting/warped ideas can spur from anything. TV, music, books--you name it, because the imagination is not picky. It inspires who it wants to inspire, creates what it wants to create. One of the biggest sources, for me, is movies.

Now my inspiration is all about the 2000s. At the turn of the century, I was 12; the verge of the teenage years. Half the movies that shaped my creativity were from books.

One of the first movies that really had an impact was X-Men.

Now, comic books have been made into movies before, but X-Men's release in 2000 was a big kick in the film industry's bum. Remakes and life action movies exploded. Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk (the :D version), HULK (the D: version), Batman, Superman, Ironman. They've taken over with no intention of stopping any time soon, especially with more sequels coming out and all new ones like the Avengers, Captain America, and the Green Lantern. It's definitely a boom from the older comics-turned-movie.

Of course, comics weren't the only books being made into movies. Lord of the Rings anyone?

These movies are legendary. Having read the series myself, I deemed it the best book-to-movie film made. As with any movie created from a novel, there were pieces missing, pieces added, lines changes, but still--you really can't get closer than this. It also opened up to fantastic elements in the film industry, taking special effects to a completely different level, a level that I don't think the world has seen since Star Wars. Every animatronic, city overview, and creature looked real, moved like real.

Lastly, no list is complete without some sort of reference to Harry Potter.


This is a big one for me. These were the books I grew up with. I discovered them shortly after the second book came out. They were drugs for children. And I'm ridiculously happy about that. The movie didn't come out too long after and at that point, MG and YA got a nice boost. Harry Potter really helped to open up the impossible in creativity. Where as MG and YA have always been there, now they were getting noticed. The movies made kids WANT to read, something that wasn't seen very often in kids. I was pretty sure my school was broken up into percentages for those who wanted to read, and those who didn't. I was in that 10% who liked it. The movies changed that though, and I'm thankful.

Of course, there are a ton more movies that really affected the industry and myself, but that would be a very looooooong list. These are the ones that really stick out...

And, because I can:

Hey! You there!

That is all.

Fanfiction: an 11-year-old's heroin

For me, one word: Fanfiction.

A few months back, Roadtrip Wed at the YA Highway asked to see our teen writing--and not our writing about teens, but our writing when we WERE teens. I got a lot of lol's and people telling me how awesome I was for writing in the world of Harry Potter and World of Warcraft.

Now, my love for writing and books extends WAY before Harry Potter. I've been reading since I was six, running up to my mom when I read the word 'The' (no joke!) all by myself. I memorized this dinosaur pop-up book from making my mom read it to me every night. I have no idea where that book is now (though I have my suspicions that it may have been involved in voodoo rituals and lots of fire...Just kidding, Mom. Kinda) but since I was just a tiny little thing, I loved books.

(Little like this)

So naturally, it was only a matter of time before my love for reading evolved into a love of writing.

I remember the first story I had ever created. After reading Hero with a Thousand Faces at the age of 10, I wanted to write my own story, and even back then, I was a little fangirl for fantasy. Epic fantasy to be exact. The story I conjured was about a mistreated girl who was the daughter of a king. She wasn't a princess however because she had inherited magic from her mother who was a sorceress, and in her father's kingdom, magic was outlawed. But when her sister falls ill and the only cure comes from the petals of a Fire Rose several lands away, only she has the ability to save her. Insert mentor to nudge her on the right path, a cute sidekick with the ability to control the elements, and an evil wizard plotting to stop the MCs quest so that her sister's death would cause a war between nations, and you've got a MG book on your hands. See, I was such a rockstar at 10.

But I never got around to writing it. Something else popped up that had be in a hype. It was called fanfiction, and it was heroin to my 11-year-old brain. Harry Potter was the one to get me started. During the withdrawls (AKA time between HP books), I had to find some other way to lessen the pain, which lead me to the site Fiction Alley. I read them, I wrote them, I virtually stalked fanartists--the site was the Disneyland of HP fanfiction. Even famous authors wrote there, like Cassandra Clare, who was known by every HP fanfic fan around the world.

It took me 8 years of reading and writing fanfiction to realize what my fantasy career would be, thanks to Sarah. I haven't read/written anything in a long time, since I realized my own goals, but every so often I skip away to an easier place where settings and characters are already developed, and rainbows, unicorns, and harps speckle the area...

So what about you. When did YOU realize your love of writing? What was the first idea you had and how old?

Why writing in Starbucks on Friday nights is bad

For some reason, I can't write at home. The internet is all shiny and distracting what with games, tv/movies, and random pictures like lolcats and Failblog. So lately, I've been coming to Starbucks. I find that whenever I leave my house--regardless of where I go--whether it be Sarah's or even back in my old apartment, I just write. My muse senses that I'm out of my house and realizes that havoc is about to ensue with my characters.

But there is a dark side, a looming evil that cannot be destroyed: customers. For the most part, they are harmless. They come in for their drinks and leave. But there are those that stay, the ones that linger in the area for one reason or another. Those are the ones to watch out for.

Luckily, there are signs. How to tell when it's time for you to leave peacefully or flee the premises in a fit of terror.

Situation 1. A couple sits down next to your table and starts eating face.

And I'm not talking about love pecks, I'm talking about sloshing noises and his mouth jammed against her neck. These are sure indicators that something is about to go down, and trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near that.

What to do: Flee. ASAP. Scurry away to the furthest table, preferably one with a display stand to hide your view of them.

What not to do: Do not sit there and pretend they don't exist. This DOES NOT WORK. Just because you're sitting a foot away from them mauling each other does not mean that they realize you are there. The slurping noises will eventually drive you mad. Remember, what has been heard cannot be unheard. If you do nothing, it'll only progress to hearing them talk about getting naked and at that moment, your brain implodes.

Situation 2. A family of eleven enters the building.

Here, all hell breaks lose. Screaming. Crying. Running. They're jumping off chairs, pulling things off the shelves, tripping customers with their frolicking mayhem. At this point, the store has single-handedly broken the sound barrier. Along with your sanity.

What to do: Headphones. Get onto your hands and knees and pray to the creator of headphones. Bless him/her with a long, happy life because he/she just brought peace over your surroundings. Headphones - check! Music - check! Making sure your muse hasn't committed suicide - check!

What not to do: Generally speaking, hitting children is frowned upon in society...and also illegal, so I would recommend not doing that. While you'd get away from them, I don't think they'll let you write in prison.

And if you didn't bring any headphones then politely excuse yourself from the building so that the baristas don't have to clean up the mess from your head imploding...again.

Situation 3: Young, attractive guy walks in and sits next to you. He pulls out Twilight and turns to the last few chapters of the book.

What to do NOT to do: I'm just skipping ahead here, because NO GOOD WILL COME FROM THIS! The words, "It's a trap," should be ringing loud and clear. Oh yeah, cute guy...reads Twilight...looks up at you from the corner of his eye...goes back to his book. Everything seems perfect. And then you talk to the barista, or in this case, the best friend. What? The last time he was in here he was reading Breaking Dawn? He's already read the series just a few weeks ago? You're on to him now. His attempts at smoldering are getting him NOWHERE! You sparkle? Well I punch people in the face. Let's see which one knocks the other off their feet first...

Situation 4: Old grouchy men are talking politics.

Another conversation reaches your ears from a few tables away. Two old-fashioned men are talking about how women should never be aloud in offices and how they'll never vote for them. This takes you on the opposite end of the spectrum. You've gone from going insane to getting pissed off. You've already had to endure face-eating, rampant children, and the pretty trap. The last thing you want to hear is how some old farts are being old farts. Get with the times, grandpa. This isn't the 20s anymore.

What to do: Violence doesn't solve anything...but at this point you've gone way over your Stupid People quota for the day and your self control is shot. What do you do? You pop those suckers in the face, grab your compie and make the dramatic exit that you've always wanted, complete with the glare from over your shoulder and your hair tossing in the breeze that comes from out of no where. Then you march away.

And that kids, is how Starbucks on a Friday night gets you arrested.

Epic Board 'O Stickies - Part two

This represents my inner lolcat editor. I'm 7k words into my rewrite of a rewrite intro and already I'm seeing problems. Naturally, I'm on the verge of picking up the closest pointy object and jamming it into my screen, but alas, it won't help.

While I love epicness (hence why I'm writing urban FANTASY) I've come to realize that epic stories can be too epic...and too unbelievable. Okay, I mean, I'm writing a UF/dystopian novel--something that tends to be a bit on the extreme end of realism--but with Neira having insane amounts of badassery, I'm thinking that it'll be difficult with people to connect with her. Of course, I adore her, but she isn't super woman and she IS a teenager with teenager problems mixing in with the dystopian life she lives in.

The tricky part? Trying to not be my perfectionist self and just write. The urge to go back and rewrite the intro FOR THE FOURTH TIME is tempting, but at this rate, I will NEVER FINISH. I just need to write and not look back...at least, not until I finish.

So for the time being, I'm restarting my "Epic Board 'O Stickies" on my wall and making clear and precise notes about what I want. Starting now, I'm going to try to get past that little nagging thought in my head telling me to make it perfect NOW rather than later, and just start writing my characters, plots, and scenes the way I want. It's one of my biggest problems. The way I see things in my head almost NEVER come out onto paper that way. Frustrated? Definitely.

D-bag guys: Are they a turn off?

I would say Patrick Bateman from American Psycho doesn't think so, but his vote doesn't count, because he is--in fact--a d-bag.

As I sit here contemplating Feral, my new WIP dystopian, I can't help but wonder if my MC guy Jeremy is coming off too strong. Not only does it switch perspective between my MC Anna and Jeremy, his character is pretty sleazy. It's a first person perspective, changing every 2-3 chapters between them to give a glimpse of how the other changes.

For Jeremy, he's a rich, spoiled, 22-year-old playboy who thinks his life is perfect. Until he meets 17-year-old Anna, a rogue citizen who, as punishment for treason, is turned into a slave and sent to Jeremy as a 22nd b-day gift. From the first time they meet, there is a burning hatred. He thinks she's beneath him, therefore doesn't interact much except for giving her orders. She loathes him and tries to make everything more difficult.

This is where I become hesitant to continue. As I said, it switches between Anna and Jeremy's perspective, so I worry about how strong Jeremy comes off. The first paragraph of his POV starts off as:

They were sitting at the bar. Their skimpy miniskirts were barely covering anything, certainly not their long legs, crossed at the knees. The irony that they were sitting lady-like while wearing thin scraps of nothing. Still, I appreciated the view.

Jeremy is a d-bag. There's no questioning it. But that's exactly why I'm in love with his character. For the first half of the book, he remains this way--arrogant, spoiled, sleazy. The last half of the book, on the other hand...well, let's just say that his eyes open. The world he lives in isn't so perfect. Of course, no one would change their ways of thinking instantly. He's not going to turn into Prince Charming and sweep Anna away, but he does change. The decisions he makes, the way he speaks to people--it's all a part of a dawning realization.

But is it worth reading to get to that part. Selling a guy's POV is hard enough. Girl's relate better to girls, can put themselves in the MCs place. Right from the start, you know he's an asshole. What you don't know is if that will change. Of course, I've said it on here so everyone reading this knows he'll find some sort of redemption, if not fully, but as an unbiased reader, would you still be inclined to read a guy's POV novel KNOWING he wasn't the best of people?

It's something that's been picking at my head. I really do love Jeremy's character. He's complex, mysterious, intuitive. To plot out how he changes in his thinking and reactions is exciting to me, but I can't go through another Concealed mishap where I change everything over and over again. I'm at the point where I need to decide whether to keep this plan of having his POV included, or scrapping it before I get too far in. It doesn't affect the plot; I'll still be able to portray everything I want to, but getting into Jeremy's head would be fun.

So what would YOU think about reading a book with a d-bag main character? Input/discussion/criticism is completely welcome. I'd love to see what others think.