Library Fun

Hey! Sorry I'm posting a little later than usual today. Me and my mom were editing all morning and having all kinds of fun with that.


Now, I don't know about you guys, but when I was in the drafting stage of my novel, I really didn't have time for anything else. (Well, that's if I wanted to get any writing done.) Unfortunately, that meant using up my precious reading time at night to write instead. In fact, I think I only read two books over the entire summer! Whenever we'd pull up to the library, I never went in, knowing that even if I picked out a book, I wouldn't be able to finish it.


That has changed. Ever since I finished my first draft, I have had more free time (not a lot more, but still, more)! So anyway, when me and my family went to the library over the weekend, I decided, 'hey, why not? I'm not drafting anymore, I can spend the time to read a book.' When I walked in and looked at all the books, a strange realization hit me: all of them were written by other people!


Now, wait just a second. I knew that all of the books were written by people before (no I'm not that clueless!), but it never really hit me! Now that I know how hard all of those people had to work to just get the first draft out of their heads, it all meant so much more! To think that they had to deal with the same things I did was amazing and exciting! That was probably the best experience I've ever had at a library!


Of course, I've got all of you guys to look up to and learn from, but realizing that there are that many people out there on the same journey that the rest of us are... it was unbelievable!


And who ever thought I could have that much fun?


--Jess

More Awards!

Okay so yesterday I received the 'Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award' and the 'Versatile Blogger Award' from Laila Knight at The Untroubled Kingdom of Laila Knight! Today I received two more Liebster Awards! One from Isis Rushdan and one from Jillian's blog at Writing on a Limb! Thanks so much everyone! If you haven't been to their blogs, go give them a nice big 'hi'!

I think you're supposed to award this to five people with less than 250 followers, so here I go:

1. Liesl~ Over at Write Ropes and Hopes
2. Shiraz Akhtar~ Over at Vantage Point
3. Sarah~ Over at Today I'm Reading
4. Prerna Pickett~ Over at The Sands of Writing
5. Francesca Zappia~ Over at The Lobster Tank

So head on over there and give them a nice welcome!

Once again, I'd like to thank all of my new blogger friends for all the support they've given me! It's so nice meeting all of you!

--Jess

P.S.

Does everyone like it when I post a poem on Tuesday as well as Saturday? Or is posting only on the weekend okay with everyone?

Campaign and Awards!

I have been having so much fun these past few weeks! I've been able to edit quite a bit of my novel and have actually found some time in my day to read! I've been playing my violin more often and all of those blogfests were awesome! I'm also signing up for the blogging Campaign over at Rachel Harrie's site! Signup closes on the 31st, so be sure to go over there to meet new blogger friends!

Also, I have been awarded by Laila Knight these two awesome blog awards:

They both came from Laila Knight over at the Untroubled Kingdom of Laila Knight! Go stop by her awesome blog and give her a nice 'hi'. Thanks so much Laila!


I should probably pass these on now. The rules are:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominates you
2. Share seven random facts about you
3. Pass this award to five new blogging friends
4. Contact and congratulate the awarded bloggers

Okay so seven random facts, here I go!

1. I love Japanese food. I'm like, obsessed with it. (I wonder if it's because I'm a quarter Japanese...) My least favorite food is fried onions. I can eat plain ones, as long as they're not cooked in any way!
2. I am a very artistic person. I love to write (duh), paint, draw and play violin. By the way, I love any kind of music. (All of the kids at my old school thought I was crazy because I actually liked Opera.) It really just depends on the song for me.
3. I'm TERRIBLE at writing romantic scenes. And they're not even kind of good, they are actually terrible! It's really funny :D
4. I used to like a guy in 6th and 7th grade and ever since then I decided that I would wait until college before ever having to go through that again. (That's probably why my romantic scenes are so bad!)
5. I don't really follow any particular religion. I just choose the good things from each one and that works pretty well for me. (As long as you're a nice person it shouldn't matter too  much right?)
6. I love dreaming! I don't care if the dreams are scary or fun... as long as I'm dreaming! More than once have I found inspiration for my stories and poems in my sleep!
7. I'm in love with science. I want to be an astrophysicist when I grow up (as well as a writer of course!) but any kind of science I think is awesome!

The five people I'm giving this award to are:

1. Anna Saikin at http://annasaikin.blogspot.com
2. Teralyn Rose at http://teralynpilgrim.blogspot.com/
3. Ellie Garrett at http://elliegarratt.blogspot.com/
4. Isis Rushdan at http://isisrushdan.blogspot.com
5. Alyssa McKendry at http://lifeisgood-forever21.blogspot.com

So go check out those awesome blogs! Hope you enjoy :)

--Jess

Poem The Day: If You Were Lost

If You Were Lost


If you were lost,

I'd go to sea,

And journey the world,

In search of thee.

I'd battle a hydra,

Yes, that is true,

In a cold dark valley,

Just to be with you.

I'll fly with the dragons,

That control the skies,

And I'll dance through the flames,

Just to glimpse your eyes.

I'd climb every mountain,

I'd search every plain,

For only you,

Can heal my pain.

But if where I look,

Is not where you are,

I'll sail off the Earth,

And search every star.

If you were lost,

I'd look for thee,

But would you come,

To search for me?

--Jess

Last Day of Sparfest and Going Back To School

First of all, it's the last day of Sparkfest! I'd like to thank Christine Tyler for hosting such a wonderful Blofest! If you missed the sign up days, you can still post for the Sparkfest on Saturday and make sure to read other people's entries!


For my last Sparkfest post, I would like to say that my biggest inspiration hasn't come from a movie, or a book, or even a song. My biggest inspiration is all of you! I can't believe how supportive and friendly everyone is! So thank all of you, who thought this blog was cool enough to join or comment on, or even glance at! Because you guys are awesome inspirations!


Now with that being said, let's get to the second title in this post. School starts on Monday. I'm not exactly thrilled about that, though I don't actually have to go anywhere because I'm homeschooled, which is awesome! Unfortunately, I'm going to have much less time to write than I usually do, which will be pretty sad since I've hardly done anything else this summer. (Writing forty four chapters in a summer is quite a challenge! Not to mention time consuming...)

Speaking of, this was probably my most productive summer ever! I used to think of summer as a time to rest, do nothing, and play video games all day long. Thank goodness I re-discovered my love for writing or I think this summer would have gone to waste! I'll still try to post every morning, but I might miss some days.

Have a great weekend!

--Jess

Sparkfest Day 4: World Views

Today is the second to last day of Sparkfest! Thanks so much, Christine Tyler! I have been having so much fun with this!
The third question is:


Is there a book or author that changed your world view?


There are so many amazing books I've read, it would be hard not to give credit to only one. But of course, that isn't the question. And if I had to choose one book, only one, I would have to say it goes to The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. (Click on the link to read the summary of the story).


I read this book when I was eight years old. It was the book that helped me transition from little chapter books to the ones I read today. I'm not exactly sure if I understood everything I was reading at the time, but it changed me.


It may not have had such a big effect as Star Wars or The Hunger Games had on me, (I couldn't have written another post about those two!) but it is a story that will stay with me forever.


And then there's my story. It's strange to think that something I write could affect people all over the country (if it actually turns out to be good, that is). Could someone possibly stumble across my writing one day, then be changed for the rest of their lives?


Was there a book or author that changed your world view?


--Jess

Sparkfest W.I.P. Inspiration

The second question in the Sparkfest is:


What author set off that spark of inspiration for your current Work In Progress?


Let's see. I started my novel last November (not exactly knowing what I was getting myself into) when I was a little bored doing school work. I pulled up a Google Docs (I don't have the current Microsoft Word on my computer) document and began typing.

(Source)

I didn't exactly have a plan right then, mostly because I had no idea that it would turn into a full scale YA novel! So I'm not sure what inspired that. The more I wrote, the more I learned about the story and the characters (which is also why the beginning of the story is terrible!), and only then did I find inspiration.


First there was The Hunger Games. We all know that there will never be another Hunger Games. How can another story be like the Hunger Games without the reader going 'hey this is too much like the Hunger Games'? Don't worry though, it's not like the Hunger Games. (It has a few aspects of it though.)

(Source)

Second, there was Star Wars. (I give waaaay too much credit to that darn story, don't I?) The futuristic setting in Star Wars was a pretty good inspiration for where my story was to evolve. Who doesn't get inspired by a place where people can move things with their minds?


And then of course there are the random snippets of inspiration that people get without warning. I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but I even got inspiration from the online game called Poptropica. In fact, that might have been my first inspiration for the actual story! It didn't have a huge influence on me but there was enough to make the story what it is right now. Another big inspiration was Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. I found inspiration in that after I had the story pretty much down. And how could I forget Ice Skating? Maybe it wasn't a big inspiration, but strangely enough, I managed to mix the Hunger Games aspect with the skating aspect of it all. Come to think of it, I have no idea how those two came together.


Anyway, those are my inspirations!


What inspired your current W.I.P.?


--Jess

Sparkfest

Well what an awesome time for Blogfests! Yesterday there was Ellie Garrett's super awesome Star Trek Blogfest, there's the upcoming Worst Movie Ever on September 19th hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and from today to the 26th, there's the Spark Blogfest!
So the first question in the Sparkfest is:


What book made you realize you were doomed to become a writer?


I don't think there was a specific book that made me become a writer. My very first bit of inspiration was probably a Dr. Seuss book. What little kid doesn't love the sound of the rhythm and rhyme of the stories? I remember, before I could even write, I would tell my mom a few rhyming lines and she would write them down for me.


When I was seven years old, I read a series of books called the Great Illustrated Classics series. I remember reading War of the Worlds and Journey to the Center of the Earth for the first time and being captivated by story.


And then of course there was George Lucas. How can I not give credit to him? Star Wars was the deciding factor for me. Maybe I would be a writer, but I'm not sure I would be the writer I am today.


Anyway, check back tomorrow to see what inspired my current W.I.P.!


--Jess

My Awesome Sister

Ryan, Alyssa, and Me!

Okay so I've been nagging my sister about starting a novel for quite a while now, mostly because I figure skate with her (which is her favorite thing in the world), but she hasn't really shown an interest in the thing that I love most, which is of course writing. Finally, I got her to do it. Yep, she's started her very own first novel and you won't believe how proud of her I am! She's already writing Chapter 7! She even started a blog about her journey through life and writing called Life Is Good. Anyway, I just thought it would be nice if you went over there and gave her a little support to keep up the great work!


(Sorry for the short post)


--Jess


P.S.
Does anyone know how to make a blogfest button thingy? I got a few good ideas yesterday and have been considering starting one... if you have any suggestions please tell me!

Sparkfest!

Today was the first day of Christine Tyler's Sparkfest! Yay! If you haven't signed up yet, click here! I'm looking forward to see what inspired everyone else!

--Jess

P.S.

Look at the previous post to see my Star Trek As We Know It Blogfest Post!

Star Trek Blogfest

Before I tell you my favorite things about Star Trek, just know that I am a very new Star Trek fan, so my favorite people and movies to choose from are limited. (And sorry if the choices are too predictable). Anyway here I go!
Favorite People:

1. Lieutenant Uhura
2. Spock
3. Kirk
4. Sulu
5. McCoy

Favorite Movies/Shows:

1. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home
2. Star Trek (2009)

Okay and that's about all I can say, mostly because my silly parents wanted to start from the very beginning of the entire TV series. (Trust me, I've only seen the first four episodes of season one!)

Anyway, I have to say, I really love Star Trek now and am so glad I was introduced to it! Being a complete Star Wars fan helped me I think. (We should have a Star Wars Blogfest too! I might do better in that one!)

--Jess

Morning On The Water

The birds are singing shyly,

The water's almost still,

The sun dances on the surface,

With a slight and sudden trill.

A hummingbird flies past,

With quick and sudden grace,

The other birds still singing,

No voice takes on their place.

A heron swoops on past,

Scoops up a beam of light,

The sun still slowly dancing,

A bid takes sudden flight.

Clouds are passing overhead,

The horizon is sky blue,

The world is calm and still,

'Til a boat comes rolling through.

Now the water shatters,

Birds that sang, now not a sound,

The sun is dancing faster,

But peace cannot be found.

--Jess

Repetitious Writing

Today as I was editing my story with my mom, we discovered a few interesting things. There are a few types of sentences I like to use throughout the story, some of them are alright and acceptable, but others... well, they just aren't.


The Good Repetition:
I like to use the reoccurring theme of 'light and dark'. Not light against dark, but the two of them together. This plays a big part in the story which is nice because that sort of thing is easier to weave into descriptive language. Making a lot of descriptive language foreshadowing.


The Bad Repetition:
Now, I'm pretty sure I've got a lot more 'bad' repetition than 'good', but here I go anyway. First, I like to use certain words in every paragraph. This is extremely annoying because I'm finding a useless "that" every few minutes. Here's a list of words 'that' I found at least three times in a single paragraph today:

1. "For a moment"
2. "That"
3. "Stunned"
4. "Just"
5. (and many more!)

I'm not sure if the two of us got overwhelmed this morning with my repetition, but when we hit a sentence including all four of those words we laughed for five minutes straight (I'm not even kidding). First because of how silly the writing sounded and second because the other person's laugh was too funny not to laugh at!

Are there certain words you find yourself using all the time?

And... it's Friday! So have a great weekend!

--Jess

Editing (Part 2)

Okay so I'm not sure how you guys edit your novel (or whatever you're currently working on) but I have a very hard time with changing my work. Now, it's not that I'm attached to what I've written. I can usually spot the things that are wrong in my book, but I'm just unsure on how to fix it!
As I have previously mentioned, I've been having my mom, my younger sister and a close friend read through it and tell me whatever they think might need to be fixed. Of course, we came across a problem. In some of the scenes, my characters looks are inconsistent. Sometimes a girl has brown hair, sometimes it's blond. Some of the characters change between two versions of what I've imagined them to be. To fix this problem, Alyssa (my sister) and my best friend helped me come up with descriptions for each person which was going along pretty well, until they came to a disagreement. The second main boy in the story looks completely different in their minds. The funny thing is, I've imagined the boy in both ways! So not only are they in disagreement, but I'm torn between what he should look like! I know that this really shouldn't be a problem and that I should just make a decision and move on with it... but this is my first novel and I can't help feeling that it has to be perfect.
Of course, I know that it won't be perfect, even in the final draft. I still think it's a good thing to shoot for... don't you?


Have you had any problems that should be an easy fix but you just can't find the solution? 


--Jess

Star Trek: A New Expirence

As I explained in a previous post, I am a crazy Star Wars fan. The movie and books have inspired me to write many Sci-Fi based stories (of course I only finished one of them so far) and it has definitely had an effect my entire life.
My parents, being good Star Wars fans as well decided it was time to show me another of their personal favorites. Star Trek.
So on Saturday evening, me and my family took up our seats on the couch and started at the very beginning movie of the TV series. The first scene (that I remember anyway) is the starship The Enterprise flying in the backdrop of stars. Now, for having that scene appear on a 1960's TV that must have been the coolest scene ever! But. This is 2011. I was born in the digital age, the era of computers that brings forth movies that are completely computer animated!
So, I have to admit that the technology was... disappointing. But to tell you the truth, I really did enjoy it! The story line was really good and it might have given rise to brand new ideas for me which is always exciting. (I still liked the newer Star Trek better).


Do you have new and possibly inspiring experiences that you would like to share? And if not completely new then what was something that really inspired you recently?


--Jess
P.S.
Speaking of new experiences, I just made myself a Twitter account which I am finding quite confusing since I'm used to Facebook. I'm also having fun over at the WriteOnCon site getting wonderful feedback on my novel!

Lurking Shadows

Emitted from a crystal light,

Come the darkest spirits of the night.

From the deep inferno of our souls,

Angry actions build up tolls.

Tolls that someday we must pay,

Getting closer day by day.

Our dark actions, or even heart,

Will tear our dear young world apart.

With darkened shadows and silhouettes,

They wrap good minds in fiery nets.

Bringing evil very near,

And more dark shadows to appear.

--Jess

P.S.


Look me up on WriteOnCon as violingirl4036! I just joined last night :D

Liebster Award!

Since I've only started this blog fifteen days ago (I'm pretty sure it was August first), I thought I would be bored out of my mind posting to my family every single day... and I'm with them all day long anyway, so what's the point of blogging then? I'm so surprised and excited that I've already met (virtually) so many awesome writers and even more surprised at the support everyone has for each other. I'm really happy to be a part of the writing community and I want to thank my mom at Imagine Today for giving me the Liebster Blog Award!
So I think you're supposed to pass this award on to five people with under 250 followers but I could only find four, so here I go!


Kris Yankee - Adventures That Score
Geoff Maritz - Geoff's Blogs
Susanne Winnacker - Susanne Writes
Angela Kulig - Angela Write Now


So congrats everyone!!


--Jess

Editing (Part 1)

So, after I finished my first draft of my story I was planning on taking a break. And I did for like an hour or two then went to bed. But Saturday morning... how could I resist taking another look at it? My book needs attention like a baby and I couldn't leave it alone for a whole day! I've spend every day for the whole summer with it... I can't just let it go.
So, my schedule for Saturday turned out to be something like this: Eat breakfast, Write, Eat Lunch, Write, Eat Dinner, Write.
The only problem is, I'm really not used to editing. For the longest time I only wrote poetry. And poetry for me doesn't need major editing, except for adding a word maybe changing a rhyme, but that's all. To edit an entire novel? That's got to be quite a bit different than poetry.
Luckily, I haven't been editing all alone. My mom knows my entire story, every secret and philosophical nuance, literally everything. Anyway, I think it's been really helpful to have her look at it, mostly because even though I admit my story isn't perfect (no where near perfect, I should add) I love it. I don't know how it is for everyone else (and maybe it's just because I'm a teenager, or because I'm a first time novelist), but personally, I love my writing. Now I don't think that's a bad thing... You need to like what you're writing to a certain degree so that you keep writing! But editing becomes much more difficult when it's harder to see my own flaws. So that is what my wonderful mom is helping me out with.
I'm really glad I have a mom I can talk to and tell pretty much everything. When I discovered the end to my story (I always discover the end about half way through writing it), my mom was the first person I told. Anyway, I just think it's really awesome that my mom isn't just a mom, but a really good friend as well who I can trust to be gentle with my story as well as pretty harsh. So thanks mom!


--Jess
P.S.
I think a few of you follow my mom's blog, but if not you might want to check it out. Click here: Imagine Today

Impossible Dream

I wish we all could see,

How we hurt and plague another,

Maybe one day we will see,

How to respect and love each other.

Once I had a dream,

And together we would stand,

Helping out each other,

Forever hand in hand.

Over grassy fields,

And through opens plains,

The same human blood,

Running through our veins.

Though what once was a fire,

Is now just a spark,

Waiting to forever,

Be enclosed in the dark.

But just one spark,

In just a few days,

Is just enough hope,

To light up a blaze.

--Jess

P.S.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A Momentous Day!

Today is a wonderful and extraordinary day! For the first time ever, I have finished the first draft of a full scale novel! What an amazing experience and maybe slightly sad one too because from now on I won't be creating raw material which is the fun part for me. I started the book last November and can't believe that I'm already here! The fact that I'm done with the creating part of it is still sinking in.
I also found out that I've won a copy of Kris Yankee's Saving Redwind and am super excited about that as well! So thanks PK!


Today is a wonderful day!


--Jess

A Random Obsession

Everyone has some odd or random obsession. Yes, I may seem obsessed with writing or skating, or even science, but for some reason I feel like those things don't really count. I am obsessed with Star Wars. No joke.
Ever since I was five years old, the story has captivated me. I remember watching it with my sister (who's two years younger than me) and becoming more and more interested each time I watched it. I remember pretending to be Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker, jumping from couch to couch trying to fight my greatest enemy, Darth Vader. I remember being amazed when movies I, II, and III came out. Even now, I can't get over the books! (I think I might have gotten my mom interested as well).
How can I resist a wonderful love story, a struggle between good and evil, and a galaxy full of beings that are capable of making intelligent decisions? To me, a girl who loves Astronomy, Star Wars is everything. Now, as if the setting of the story wasn't enough to keep me hooked forever, it's the ideas of the story that kick my writing into gear.
I'm still not sure what type of writer I am, Sci-Fi, Adventure, or something else, but I'm beginning to think it doesn't really matter. As long as I get the story out and make it all worth the effort, I will have done my job. But no matter what I write, I'm pretty sure I'll always be influenced by the story I fell in love with, ten years ago.


Do you have any random obsessions to share?


--Jess


P.S.


If you're not a Star Wars person you're probably thinking I'm crazy. Don't worry, I get that a lot.

Inspiration

Being my first novel, I'm not very experienced at the art of creating one. I've really been writing poetry since who knows how long ago? I tried to write a novel two years ago but when it didn't really work, I just told myself that I'm not a novel writer. Even now, I'll readily admit that I'm not a novel writer. But back then I wasn't even willing to try again, which is silly since I've got so many story ideas swirling around in my head.
As of today, I've got some ridiculously large number of words (something around 130 thousand I think? It's on my Novel Word Count bar) which is a huge accomplishment for me! A lot of my friends and family ask me, "Jessica where do you get your inspiration?" as I continuously spill pages out of my head and onto the computer screen. My usual answer is something boringly simple like "I really don't know," or something along those lines. But a few days ago, I asked myself that question and during an intense writer's block, was finally able to answer it. Well, mostly.
Of course, I do get inspiration from my favorite books and movies, but what I found out was quite unexpected.
It turns out that while I'm writing I like to listen to music. In fact, it is sometimes hard for me to write without it. (Probably because I have such a hard time focusing on things). But the music I listen to is not soft and pretty classical music. I plug in my headphones and blast my favorite bands into my head as I write. Well, when I asked myself 'where do I get my inspiration?', I realized that it's partly from my music. As I listened to the lyrics of my favorite songs, I discovered how well the words fit with my story! Whether I subconsciously processed the words and turned the songs into a crazy conglomeration of a story or picked the songs because I thought they fit with the story, I guess I'll never know.


Anyway, enough about me. Where do you get your inspiration? Please share your thoughts!


--Jess

All Songs Have An Ending

All songs have an ending,

Some good, some bad,

All songs have an ending,

Some happy, some sad.

If songs have an ending,

Then so do I,

If songs have an ending,

The stars will die.

So live every moment,

As if it's the last,

And live in the present,

Instead of the past.

--Jess

P.S.
I think I'm going to start posting poetry only one day a week... Tuesday is good for now because I've got violin lesson, but I think I'm going to stop posting poetry on Thursday and just write a 'normal' post.

Chapters

Okay so as of right now I'm on Chapter 54 in my story with around 480 pages double spaced (which is about 240 pages single spaced). Obviously I'll need to do a lot of cutting out for my second draft, but that still leaves me with my 'chapter' problem. So most of my chapters range in between 4-7 pages (single spaced). A few of them are two pages and a few of them are nine. What I'm wondering is if I should combine a few of the short chapters together, or if I should just leave them as they are. Everyone I've asked says they like short chapters, but is 54 chapters (and counting) too much?


--Jess

Eyes In The Night

He watches the sun,

As it sets to bring night,

He watches the moon,

As it rises in sight.

He scans the horizon,

With hungry eyes,

He's perched on a cactus,

In search of his prize.

Then he sees it,

It's there then it's gone,

But he is too wise,

To lose it for long.

He flies to a tree,

With prey in his sight,

He attacks his target,

Then disappears into the night.

--Jess

More Skating

Sorry I didn't post until really late today (I should say 'tonight'), but I've been skating all day long. Literally. We (meaning me and my sister) had skating camp all morning from 7:45 to 12:20am, ran home, ate lunch, then headed off to an ice arena an hour and a half away to do a dress rehearsal for an ice show. We got to skate with some really cool people, including some ice dancers who went to nationals.
We had an hour to just practice things, then a two hour break. We went and ate at a Panera Bread for our break and had a nice time. Then things got hectic once again. We rushed back to the ice arena, put on our dresses, and skated until about 8:30pm.
In fact, we only got home about a half hour ago. I'm exhausted, yet still, I feel that I need to get some 'work' done. When I heard that excuse come out of my mouth when my mom just told me to go up and shower, I realized that she must think I'm crazy. Get some work done? I've been working all day long! So the moment I'm done with this blog post I'm going to write more in my novel.
By the way, any ideas for anything dark? I'm writing a riddle for my book but I don't know what the answer to it should be yet... if you think of anything let me know.


--Jess

The Lake

Half moon showing,

Daylight growing,

Lighting the morning sky.

Breeze is blowing,

Water is flowing,

Reflecting the midnight stars.

Moon is higher,

Stars like fire,

Putting all creatures to bed.

Horizon's gold,

Bird wings unfold,

And another day rises on Crystal Lake.

Where To End

I just got home from the Ice Arena about a half hour ago, and don't have anything planned for the rest of the day. Meaning I can spend the rest of the day sitting at my computer typing away. This is usually a typical day for me, except for the fact that I am coming closer and closer to finishing my very first novel.


I'm not sure what to think about this. I really loved writing this story, and though it's going to be a series novel, I'm going to miss it. I keep reminding myself that this is only the first draft, and that I'll have to edit it for most of the school year, but that's not the same as creating something new and beautiful. (Not always beautiful but still.)


The last story I wrote was about fifty pages long double spaced, which is saying something since I was around eleven years old. But going from a fifty page story to a full YA Novel? I realized that starting a story isn't my problem. It's finishing it that gives me trouble. And how do you finish a story? Does everything just suddenly work itself out? I'm not 'stuck' in the writer's block sense, but it's just thinking about what comes next. What do I do when I'm actually 'done'?


I guess I shouldn't worry too much about that yet. Even though the end of book one is near, it's not actually finished yet and I've still got so much work to do.


Speaking of, I should probably get back to work anyway.


--Jess


P.S.


I'm going to be posting poetry every once in a while and putting them onto the 'Poetry' page.