Writing
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Halfway Through NaNoWriMo Check In
Well, folks, we’re halfway through National Novel Writing Month, and I must say: what a ride it’s been so far. Not to brag but definitely to toot my own horn, I’ve hit 42,000 words as of today. Do you know how wild that is???? I do. Because let me take you on a journey of how long it’s taken me to write my other novels: 1. A little over 3 years. Started my second year of high school and finished some time in my first year of college. 2. About 2 1/2 years. Started my first year of college and finished toward the end of my third year. 3. 2-ish…
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The Purge: Cleansing Old Wounds
Look, I’ll be straightforward here: I just put a little more than half the songs I wrote in middle school in the recycling, and I’m heartbroken. Songs and lyrics that, while not great or profound, I cherished so deeply all these years. Therapeutic diary entries about old crushes, friendships, and depression…all my feelings and thoughts boiled into three-ish verses and a chorus. So why am I tossing them? This morning, I sat down and read through them all, the melodies archived in my brain and the memories deeply rooted in who I became. I look over them whenever I move, to remind myself that I want to keep them, and…
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Pros and Cons: Handwriting First Drafts
There are many different ways to write a book—I think that was clear in my Pantsing vs. Plotting post. That’s more on the process side, but there’s also what kind of devices you use to write with: computers, various programs within computers, handwriting in notebooks, an Alphasmart (thanks, Ally Carter), etc. I’ve started a few stories on my computer, but I’ve only ever finished novels (the first draft) by handwriting them. For me, it’s easier to keep track of certain things, write notes in margins, and quite frankly, it’s pretty therapeutic. I’m not opposed to writing on a computer, of course, but it’s not the long-game for me the first…
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What Taylor Swift Means to Me as a Writer
January 31, 2020. Miss Americana premieres on Netflix. And I’m feeling a whole load of emotions about it. Think what you want about Taylor Swift. I know she can be a polarizing public figure, and most people have very strong opinions, love her or hate her. Despite a very brief period in time where I was tired of the drama that surrounded her (I know, it was brief like I said, and I am SORRY), I have been firmly a lover. She’s been an inspiration for me in a lot of ways, and I think to take what people have said about her and to continue to create art in…
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Pantsing vs. Plotting: Thoughts on Writing Style from Someone with No Authority on the Matter
Something writers get asked a lot about is their process, and that’s one of the most open-ended questions you can ask. There are only a million kinds of answers: where you write, how long you write, what kind of environment you write in, and so on. But they’re really asking how you write. Do you plan everything out? Do you just start on a blank page and go? There’s plenty of answers for just these, too. But there’s no cut and dry method to being a great writer. You have to find what works for you. I’ll preface this by saying that maybe you shouldn’t listen to me, since my novels are…