Paper Journal Entry

The Facepalm

I have a love/hate relationship with editors. They do help me catch a lot of errors that happen when you just fly away at the keyboard. For instance when you type they're, their or there incorrectly. But they also catch things that I kind of should be smarter about.

When these edits come across my e-mail. I actually facepalm. Not just think it, I do it. I think I'm trying to knock out the duh that seems to be lodged in my brain.

So this post today, I'd like comments. In writing, or in life, what are some of your facepalm moments?

The Fear of the Pen

I know that I've spoken a bit about how I'm a little afraid of how my book will be received. There are days when that fear can really stop your hand from picking up that pen.

But that's what makes writers... writers. It's okay to be a little afraid because you're putting out your feeling. Even if it's fiction, it's been inspired by something close to you and that is what makes it great. 

So I'm going to pick up that pen again today. And I encourage you to do the same.

Throwback Thursday

I used to think it was so cool to have about five or six pen names. This is from a notebook I had. Looks like I was... about...15?

The Pretty Shiny Object Show

So, one thing my friends have asked me is "Why aren't you done yet?" They know I wrote out my outline so I know how the book will end. With everyone dead and JR waking up because it was all a dream. But what they don't seem to realize is the little things in between.

I'd like to introduce you to the Pretty Shiny Object Show.

It's not a visual one, per say. It's a developmental one. I start to write out what I know is going to happen then I'm all "OMG BUT WHAT IF..." And then POW! Next thing you know, I've got five pages of a plot twist going.

This is going to happen. A lot.

It's like watching infomercials at 2am when you've have a whole bottle of peach schnapps. It's sad.

However (comma) that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. This Pretty Shiny Object Show keeps the story diverse. I just have to remembering to follow the story line and get to the ending that I had planned.

Or do I? 

The Pretty Shiny Object Show doesn't come with spoilers.

Paper Journal Entry

Basic is Best

Parked at the beach with pen, paper and a playlist.

The World We Live In

In our minds, the world of imagination knows no bounds. In an instant you can fly, or breathe under water. The stories we create breathe life into something deep within our souls.

Sometimes we forget that. There is so much - so much - that this world throws at us. We deal with our so called reality day in and day out and it pulls us in so many directions that sometimes we wonder if we'll ever make it out alive.

Stories are that escape.

And the stories aren't just the ones we create in our mind. They are the pages of a book. They are the soft strum of a guitar. They are the flickering lights of a movie scene passing by.

Without writers, artists, and imagination, our world would truly be lost. So from one writer to all you others out there...

Do not give up. Live your imagination. Put that pen to paper and create.

Megan

Paper Journal Entry

Flashback Friday ~ Poems

Sometimes, pen and paper with your thoughts can be better than any sort of clicking keyboard.

The Beginning...?

For those of you who know me, I've been writing for a LONG time. But for the longest time I never finished any of my ideas and only a few of my friends ever really got to read things.

Then I found the world of Fan Fiction.

It gave me a chance to show strangers a little piece of my mind without feeling totally exposed. See, in my fanfiction, I could use someone else's scenery and it was like a little shield. So I jumped in. And I found people who really thought I had some good ideas.

It was a nice feeling. I knew that people weren't just giving lip service because these were people who didn't really have to face me on a day to day basis.

I ventured out from there to make my own fiction website under a pen name. It's still up here. And I put a few little original pieces up along with the fanfiction. It wasn't really a place where I was getting a lot of feedback so I still post a lot on FanFiction.net.

Then this year, I met my boyfriend. What does that have to do with my writing? Well, I met him through the fanfiction site and he told me "Hey, check out this smaller publishing company because I believe in you." So I did. They wanted a little five chapter sample and noted that it could take up to six weeks to give me a response. So I settled in for the wait.

THE NEXT MORNING...

That's right. The very next morning they had an e-mail to me asking if I had it finished and attached a publishing contract.

Holy crapballs.

So, I started buckling down and writing out the rest of it. Still not done. BUT, I had also started a small journal where I put down my thoughts about this whole process. Then I realized that the internet has something like that.... A blog!

So yeah, here is the blog. Here is the story of my writing life. And since I already had a small journal started, I'll type out those little entries below.

Love you all!!!

~Megan~

2/7/14     So, on 2/6/14, I submitted the first five chapters of my book to a publishing company and not even 24 hours later, I received my acceptance with Pure Ice Publishing and a contract     Only thing? Have to have the book finished before I can sign.     In order to do that, I think I need to keep track of my thoughts and progress. So, here we are!

2/12/14     One sentence. That was all I could manage. My huge issue? The internet. It's the Pretty Shiny Object Show!    So, tomorrow? Going to take the laptop to the library and not connecting to WiFi.

2/13/14     Printed out what's done. Hailey got my edits back to me last night so I went through and marked it up on paper. Also, bought a spiral notebook to start doing more by hand. I'm starting out with a full outline of the chapters. If I have an ending, I think I can do this easier.     Fingers crossed!

2/16/14     Spend yesterday and a lot of this morning studying editing and writing reference material. I made me a little spiral book with notes to help me. Also wrote out the first ten chapters in outline form. Progress!!     One of the things I'm going to do to cleanse my mental pallet is to finish a little fanfic.      Day at a time!

2/19/14     Say hello to more outlining! I'm determined to have a map this time. I think it's the only way I'm going to be able to keep myself from getting lost in the woods.     So, by Friday, my map had to be ready. The treasure at the X is what I want.     Hello yellow brick road.

3/3/14     I don't even know how to begin thinking about writing. I have no delusions. I know there's no such thing as an overnight success but recent downfalls in my life have made it hard not to wish for it.     I have three months to get enough money to keep my home.

3/6/14     Taking another trip to the library. It's easier to sit here with a simple pen and paper and just write without distraction.  Home is a huge distraction filled with anger and sorrow and that kind of environment is no place to let creativity flow.     You have to have that solitude to be with that story in your mind.

3/7/14     Cleaning your pallet during a wine tasting is normal. So many tastes mix and meld that soon you can't tell them apart. The same could be said for writing. Its time to put that pen and paper to work on something else. So, I'm going to kick out some fanfic.

3/11/14     The five page dilemma. So, when I told my boyfriend how much (how little) I had gotten done, he gave me an assignment of five pages done by today. Eeo!     So, here I am at the library and I will be here, distraction free, until they are all done.     Pray for me.
     P.S. Did it!!!

3/14/14     Holy mother of cheese doodles. I finished two chapters in one week. This is the most I have accomplished since I started this journal. I would make this entry longer but I'm totally on a roll and want to get back to it!

3/15/14     Holy... wait, I said that yesterday. I'm still plugging away. I'm not sure which muse settled into my brain for this but I'll have to offer up a sacrifice of thanks. Maybe, just maybe, I can have the first draft done before the end of the month!     Enough talking. More writing!

3/18/14     Got a little distracted by my personal issued over the last couple of days. I'm actually a little surprised that it hasn't made me write more to get away.     The beauty of writing is that I can control that universe. Whatever happens there can stay on those pages. Then, when I need to, I can escape to that world.     I just hope my readers will feel the same.

3/19/14     Totally bombed yesterday. I barely got a page done. There's been a lot racing through my mind and while writing is right up there, it hasn't been in the way you'd think.     As the end of the book draws closer, the fear of rejection starts to set in. While I may dearly love this story and the characters, I'm a little freaked out about how it will be received.     A few of my friends have already been reading as I write and they swear they love iit, but I also know that they're my friends, not the general masses.      Thank you very much, insecurity.