Some Writing Advice from Tennessee Williams

I was browsing google for some writing advice, like always, and discovered this in an article. I think it can be very helpful for all of us. It speaks to me right now...

"I believe that the way to write a good play is to convince yourself that it is easy to do -- then go ahead and do it.
Don't maul, don't suffer, don't groan -- till the first draft is finished.
Then Calvary -- but not till then.
Doubt -- and be lost -- until the first draft is finished.
A Play is a Phoenix -- it dies a thousand deaths.
Usually at night -- In the morning it springs up again from the ashes and crows like a happy rooster.
It is never as bad as you think.
It is never as good as you think.
It is somewhere in between and success or failure depends on which end of your emotional gamut concerning its value it actually approaches more closely.
But it is much more likely to be good if you think it is wonderful while you are writing the first draft.
An artist must believe in himself -- Possibly not so passionately as [D.H.] Lawrence -- but passionately. Your belief is contagious. Others say -- He is vain -- but they are affected.
I have never had much of that faith -- I have been a little too honest with myself and people.
Let us make up some brilliant lies! -- No -- let's don't -- Let's fight it out the old way --
...
Today I have been writing well. I look in the mirror. My face is fresh and glowing. I look young again..."

I love how he turns a story into a Phoenix. It's beautiful.

An Influx of Ideas

Inspiration is so odd.

Instead of the bolt of lightning, I feel like it's more of a storm watch thing for me. First I get that broadcast ribbon thing that beeps in while you're watching your favorite show and warns you of "severe storms" headed your way. Then a few minutes later (or an hour, however long it takes), the slow rumble of thunder in the distance creeping through the walls. The rooms start to darken as the light from the window fades to gray. And then you look out the window and see the clouds coming together, twisting, forming something dark, drifting towards you. Maybe you wander outside or stay at the window, feel the wind tangle it's fingers in your hair, feel this cold, dank warning leave a sheen on your skin. Perhaps it starts to sprinkle. And then the clouds start to flicker and you can make out the flashes as a blue/white current traces back and forth through the sky. Before you know it, the storm's on you, pouring rain, rumbling, striking lightning and completely taking out your power.

I love thunderstorms. I also love using them as a metaphor for how an idea can take over a mind in a creeping manner. Love it. And lately, this has been happening to me. A new idea, like a thunderstorm in a drought-wrought summer. Question is, do I go dancing in the rain? Or do I stay loyal to the old?

Really tempted to go with the exciting storm...

Google Gets Me

So, this is just a random post. I was googling 'plotting advice' since that's what I'm trying to do right now and I discovered a quote from Flannery O'Conner on some other writer's blog:

"You would probably do just as well to get that plot business out of your head and start simply with a character or anything that you can make come alive," she wrote to Hester. "Wouldn't it be better for you to discover a meaning in what you write rather than to impose one? Nothing you write will lack meaning because the meaning is in you."

Which is interesting because recently, in my creative writing class, we read a story by her titled "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and I really thought it was something else (meaning good, in this case). Especially after my professor started explaining more and more about the type of writer that O'Conner was.

I've been trying to plot out my book still. And I think I've realized that I've spent more time trying to write a plot down than I have attempted to simply write it out. Maybe I'm just not a plotter...

What about y'all? Plotters or Pantsers?

Fail

I realize that I completely failed at least at one of my new year's resolutions. The one where I would post at least twice a week. Yeah... I guess I should've said once every other two months or something. But I have an excuse! You probably saw this coming, but I swear that it's a semi-valid excuse that will hopefully get me in the clear.

The past two months have been pretty crazy for me.

Sounds like an everyday doctor's note, right? But I'm serious. I've had work (which you already know about) and I started school on January 18, so that added to the time suckage of my life. Then when you add in a social life and a wildly active reading/writing life, you find out that all of the other little things you always wanted to do just don't seem as important as sleep at the end of the night. It's really been a crazy start to 2011.

But with that excuse out there, and a sincere apology to those who have probably already forgotten about this blog and will be confused when they suddenly get a notification that the rambling author's journey has just posted another entry about what she PLANS on doing, I hope that it will be enough to draw you back in.

If you follow my other blog though, Suspiciously Apt Book Reviews, you've probably seen several posts since I normally don't cut reading time out of my life. There are a few good book reviews from the past couple of months that might interest some of you. I just put one up that covers BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver. It's one of the greatest books I've ever read, I'm not kidding you.

But back to what this blog is SUPPOSED to be about (this will be short for tonight):

I have finally made a decision on which idea to write a novel about (only took me what? a year? And that's only as far as any of you have been reading this). I can't tell you much about it yet since it's still a tentative development, but I know that it's definitely what I want to do. The real journey starts tonight. Who has time to wait for NaNoWriMo, right?

See y'all next week! (Double dog promise you!)

The Stylish Blogger Award

Well, I'm a bit surprised to say the least. I didn't know there were awards for stylish blogs being given out. But it's nice to be thought of as such! Thank you, Ryning Books for honoring me with this award.

So! I'm supposed to start off with 7 things you probably don't know about me... There's no snooze button here, so bear with me!

1. I'm 20 years old. For now.
2. My cat's unceremoniously pregnant. (Anyone want a kitten?)
3. I named my second Siberian Husky after one of my own characters. It was a werewolf character so it could easily have been a family name passed down.
4. My favorite movie is Rocky. Because I want to go the distance.
5. I have a separate blog for reviewing books. (Suspiciously Apt Book Reviews)
6. I am majoring in English at Northwest Vista College and hope to transfer in the fall to Texas State University.
7. I'm horrible at checking facebook, my blog, and messages on Goodreads. It's okay. I'll get better at it. Hopefully.

Alright so the last thing I'm supposed to do is reward 15 recently discovered bloggers! I don't think I know that many yet, but I'll list a few I do know.

1. To Review or Not Review
2. Lacey of the Lake
3. Ryning Books and thank you again for this award!
4. Babbling Flow
5. Carolina Valdez Miller

I love all of those blogs. They're awesome! I say we toast to having stylish blogs! Champagne for the lucky ones that are 21 and older annnnd... how about some good ol' hot chocolate for us minors? Yeah! *toast*

Farewell 2010

2010 was kind of a bad year for me. It was like a tail spin of unmade decisions and loss. Great loss. I went through a tough time finding a job, couldn't make up my mind about which book to write, couldn't return to college this past fall, and just this past month, my beautiful siberian husky, Luke, passed away...



You may remember him from my post "Why I Should Join IPCA" when I entered the PARANORMALCY ARC contest. He was 9 years old. I don't want to get into the details because it makes me cry every time, but he was beloved. I picked Luke out on Halloween night when I was ten years old at Pet City. It was this cute little pet shop in the mall where we lived in Boise, Idaho at the time. He was just so adorable and so breathtakingly beautiful (er, I mean handsome. Guys prefer handsome, correct?) I just couldn't walk out of there without calling him my own. My dad caved. He'd always loved huskies. And ever since then, Luke had been more than a friend or a companion. He'd been family. It's amazing that he lasted so long. He was known for getting his stomach pumped at the vet's office. He'd tried to eat chocolate covered raisinets, batteries, and fireworks. Yes, people... fireworks. That dog was a wanna-be curious cat. And I loved him so much...

I don't want to make this blog post too depressing, and I want to TRY to keep my eyes dry if at all possible, so... I will carefully segue into a farewell to the past year.

Goodbye to:

Uncertainty.

Indecision.

Inconsistency.

Hello 2011...

This is the year that I will walk forward with sure steps.

Resolution

There's just something about starting fresh...

Seeing as I've been the new kid in school about a dozen times (nope, I'm not a military brat, by the way), it's a little unbelievable to say that I like change. I mean, after so many times you have to get sick of it, right?

Wrong.

Each and every time I moved to a new town, I always had this bubbling sense of enthusiasm. It's new. It's fresh. It's a chance to start over and reinvent yourself. Who doesn't want that? Sooo, of course with that attitude, it is correct to presume that I have made a few New Year's Resolutions. And here are some of them:

1. Get healthy. (Not that I'm sick or something, but the cliche resolution to lose weight and stay in shape. Annnnd try to reassert my will power. Wherever it went...) And with this resolution I've decided to take up running again. I used to love it. Why can't I love it again?

2. Seriously. Write. My. Book.

3. Read 75 books this year. Yes siree.

4. Transfer to a University.

5. Write at least once a week on both of my blogs. Hopefully my followers will like this one. Hee.

So, there's a few good ol' fashioned resolutions. If I didn't have a killer head ache right now and if I wasn't so tired (some of us had to work today. meh.), I would probably try to liven this up with a quippy joke or maybe an all too serious post about writing and time and writing resolutions... Alas, I can barely make my fingers hit the right keys. Tomorrow is a new day! Tomorrow is a new year!

Happy New Year everybody! I hope 2011 will be the year to beat! Be safe out there!