The Great Gatsby

I read The Great Gatsby sometime in high school (at least parts of it). I remember taking a test on a few chapters of the novel that I had not yet read and one of the questions asked what was found in the trash cans. I had no idea so I guessed orange peels and by some cosmic power of luck I got the answer right. The orange peels were supposedly significant as some kind of symbol, but I'm not quite sure what for.

 !!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!
The only thing I can remember from reading the book is a girl named Daisy, lots of parties, and Mr. Gatsby floating dead in his own swimming pool at the very end. Last night I went with Jo and her brother to see the most recent film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, and (assuming the movie is any kind of accurate portrayal of the original story) I realized just how adult a story it really is. I wonder why teenagers are expected to read these kinds of novels and comprehend anything about it.

I read a lot of what I would now consider "adult" books in high school for required readings. The Great Gatsby, A Tale of Two Cities, Les Miserables, Pride and Prejudice...books with adult characters and the complications of adult life. There were few required readings that actually appealed to me or applied to my place in life as a teenager, and I wonder who writes the list of books for required school reading?? Personally, I think they do a terrible job.

 Aside from all that, I feel torn about the movie. I was disappointed that there were so many modern songs and not so many (or any that I recall) songs from the twenties. I didn't like the narrator style that framed the movie (and I really don't like Toby McGuire). For once, I think that DiCaprio was perfect for the part (make that the second time...he was also perfect for his role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape). I hated all the fake ocean shots, and it definitely lagged a lot--but maybe that's just because of the storyline?

 My favorite part was dressing up as a flapper and laughing with Jo and Christien. And I stand by my opinion that Daisy knew exactly what she was doing when she drove the yellow car, although I like that it's somewhat ambiguous.

What do you think about the Great Gatsby?

 Write on!

Puppies

Sometimes we have bad days. Those sad times when you feel discouraged about everything in particular...

I've recently come up with a brilliant idea (although I'll concede that many others have done this before me).

When you need some cheering up, all you've got to do is google "puppies."
"Cute puppies" works, too. Or even "lab puppies" if you prefer those. Choose your breed and get googling.

Warning: puppy googling has the potential to increase depression and discouragement if you do not have a puppy and really really want one. Proceed at your own risk.

Here are some puppies that I liked:

Write on!

Coffee Shop Writing

Somehow writing is easier to do at the coffee shop. Maybe it's that familiar smell or creativity or the artsy people who hang around with their books and laptops munching on muffins and biscotti's. Maybe it's just that it isn't my apartment with the comfy couch and the nice blankets enticing me to take a nap.

Today is a coffee shop day. And, since I'm in Mississippi, it's also a rainy day, which can mean only one thing: it's time to make words.

My goal is to get 2,000 words for this rainy day.

What are your goals?

Write on!

Z is for Zero

The past couple days I have had zero motivation to do much of anything.
A big contribution to this has to do with my period (something I wish was non-existent), but I wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

I posted the other day about committing myself again to writing every day.
Even though I've definitely written something everyday since then, I have written zero words on my novel or any of my current major projects. I think one of my biggest challenges when it comes to writing is that I have to create my own structure. I have to make up my own schedule because there isn't anyone telling me to be at work at any set hour for any set amount of time every day.

So, I've come up with a list of things to help me do better as a writer, because as much as I can slack off I want too badly to do something with my words. I don't want to be a zero, a loser, a wannabe-that-couldn't-hack-it.

1. Plan ahead/to-do lists. When I set out a plan for what I want to accomplish the following day, I tend to actually do it. If I don't plan anything and just sort of leave it up to fate or how I feel, then I tend to sleep in late, have a groggy waking-up, and wander aimlessly around my apartment for most of the day.  I've found that when I write a to-do list the night before, when I wake up I already have a purpose for my day--finish all my goals and check them off the list.

2. Get an early start. I am (or at least used to be) a morning person. I feel good in the morning and I work well in the morning. The only problem is, to me, "morning" means before 8 a.m. I'm learning that as lovely as it sounds to let myself go to bed and then wake up as my body tells me, it just doesn't work for me. I need to set an alarm for a specific time and have a specific goal for what I want to accomplish at that time of day--go for a run, or take a shower, or drink a protein shake. That way, my morning has a purpose and a time frame.

3. Designate a time and place for writing. When I write I have to have space so I can focus. I don't do very well when there are people around expecting me to interact with them--it's too distracting. So, I need to set aside a specific allotment of time for writing in a specific place where I can access my favorite pandora station and pop in my earbuds to block out all potential distractions. This is only complicated by the people who want my attention and whom I want to spend time with.

4. Communicate needs and plans. Jo fully supports my writing endeavors and most all other endeavors. The thing is, I haven't really put any schedule or structure to my writing or my other ventures (like workouts and runs), and so it's gotten me in a big rut of nothingness. Communication is key to...well, everything...but I think communication is the key to success and happiness in all aspects of life (even if I'm not so great at it most of the time).

What do you need to keep motivated and on track?

Write on!

V is for Variety

I like to shake things up. As much as I LOVE to have a set schedule and a pattern to the way I do things, I really need a good amount of variety in my life.

I hear a lot of writers say things like, "I can only write on the computer." Or, "I have to use pen and paper when I write." Sometimes people ask questions about what the preferred method of writing an author has, and I have to say that I think it's a huge mistake to box oneself into a single creative process.

For me, I've found that each project is different. I write with pen and a  (legal size) pad of paper for my chopped line, 14-year-old girl story. I mostly typed my 16-year-old boy/Dare Devil story. I tend to only really write Adventures of Clyde the Duck stories when I'm on vacation or in the mountains (often the same thing). I write poetry in my journals. And I anticipate writing something solely on my old fashioned type-writer one of these days.

Other than writing methods, places, and times that all give variety to the creative process, I think it's also very important to seek out a variety of styles, genres, or themes. Every one of my projects has been vastly different from the last one, and despite how much it seems agents or publishers might not like that when it comes to marketing, I think it makes me a stronger writer to pursue variety.

Yesterday Jo and I finally got a bookshelf, so we set all our books out in piles of different genres. We've got picture books, middle grade fiction, young adult fiction, and adult fiction. We've got non-fiction personal essays, non-fiction nature writing, non-fiction about trees, non-fiction about the Appalachian Trail, and non-fiction personal growth/spirituality. Then, of course we have poetry. I don't think anyone's personal library could consist of any one genre, and I struggle to understand how any writers works could be limited to just one genre.

But maybe there are those writers who only write YA fiction. Even if a writer stays in one category, it's absolutely essential to add some kind of variety--maybe in style, format, point of view. I know that a huge part of my passion lies in YA fiction. Two of my novels are YA, but they're very different. One is is a chopped line form with few words and a lot of empty space to tell the story. The other is a little more conventional in form, but has a male protagonist rather than a female one, and addresses completely different social and emotional issues. The books I've got rolling around in my head right now are both very different genres, styles, and themes.

How do you like to spice things up?
What do you do to add variety to your writing?

Write on!

U is for Unconditional Love

A lot of parents claim they have an unconditional love for their children. And I believe most of those parents. But what does unconditional love mean for writers? Lately, for me it feels like I've had a sort of love-hate relationship with my writing. I love to write, but it's so painful sometimes that I just hate it and I can't bring myself to put words on the page.

I've been working on a novel for three years. I know, to some people three years is nothing compared to how long they spend on one novel. But, it seems like it's been SO LONG to me. I feel this sort of urgency to be finished with my novel and on the hunt for an agent and an editor and a publishing house.

I think my problem is I don't love writing unconditionally. When the scenes get hard and I don't know what terrible things a character could possibly say to ratchet up the tension, I just avoid writing. True writers love even the most difficult, most murky middle part of their stories.

Maybe I'm being a little hard on myself. I like the hard stuff. I love to read those scenes that irk me and make me want to scream at the characters and ask them what on earth are they thinking! And, as much as I complain about it sometimes, I really love to edit and re-write (and even delete) those beautiful scenes of mine. But, does my writing really know that? Do my characters really feel like I'll be with them all the way and see them through every up and down of their story? Do they know that I love them?

I wouldn't be surprised if they questioned the conditionality of my love a little bit, because, let's be honest, I haven't been writing every day.

I hear it over and over that the key to becoming a great writer (besides Read, Read, Read--which we love to hear) is to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. As parents do for their children, so writers must do for their writing--develop an unconditional love. I believe (at least for me) that means learning how to write every day. EVERY DAY. Rain or shine, at home or on the fire line during lunch. Writing is not a chore. It's not something to dread or to be afraid of; it's not something that I want to avoid when it get's hard.

Words are part of my soul, my person, my existence. They hold all the beauty of the world even when they fail to convey it. I love words. I love writing. And I want it to be clear: my love is unconditional.

I tell my beautiful lovergirl everyday without fail that I love her. Now it's time to do the same thing for my writing.

Write on!

T is for TA Demings

One day I will be so famous that when you hear TA Demings, you'll know exactly who I am and you'll have read all my amazing books. That's the plan anyway.

 For new readers who don't personally know me, my name is Tiffany. My chosen pen name is TA Demings (which is simply my first two initials and my last name). I like it because it seems very much like an author name--don't you think it sounds literary?

 I used to think of myself as a fiction writer. At one time I considered myself a contemporary young adult fiction writer. Now, I'm learning that there are so many ways to share stories, and because of my interest in writing non-fiction and maybe even a few mystery novels, I think for now I'll go with being just a writer.

 On second thought, you can call me TA Demings :) Feel free to check out my bio page at top there ^. And if you'd like you can read some of my answers in a lovely interview on Myself as Written.

Do you have a pen name? Or maybe you think your name sounds literary enough as is?

Write on!

S is for Series

I don't often read book series. But I hear that they sell pretty well--meaning a lot of people DO read them.

One of the things I've been thinking about lately is the idea of mysteries. It seems like the popular mystery stories tend to come in the series form. Nancy Drew. Hardy Boys. Hank the Cowdog. Park Ranger Anna Pigeon. Boxcar Children.

So, I'm not very familiar with all the adult mysteries other than those involving Ranger Pigeon, but it seems like mysteries tend to have one distinct character who goes around solving new mysteries throughout many books.

I would love to have a full set of books with a loveable character that people want to follow around on several different adventures, but I'm not sure my mind works that way. Maybe I just haven't taken the right classes or read the right books to know how to write that way, but I tend to think more along the lines of one book for one character who has one BIG story to tell.

I'm trying to do my research by reading these mysteries...but I've already given up on the park ranger who solves murder mysteries in the wilderness (which by the way should be right up my alley), so how could I stay enthralled with someone for multiple books? Maybe it would be different if they were my own creation...

What are your thoughts about series? Do you read them? Do you write them?

Write on!

R is for Revision

In many ways I dread the revision stages of writing. It means that I have to cut out, re-write, and re-do all the beautiful things I already wrote. But, I've been thinking about the process of revision a little differently lately and it's helped me stay motivated to keep working on my novel.

Revision, broken down to the roots, is re: action done over, often with the implicaiton that the outcome of the original action was in some way impermanent or inadequate,  and vision: a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation, or stated aims or objectives of an individual or organization.

It still means that I have to cut out, re-write, and re-do a lot of the beautiful things I already wrote, but it's also a chance for me to look at my story with new perspective. I get to see a new vision of what my characters' motivations are, and figure out what it is that really drives my story.

Most of the scenes I wrote in the early process of my current project don't mean much to the story as it is now. A huge part of early writing is to figure out who the characters are and what their story is. Once  I get a good grasp on that as an author I have to cut out all that other stuff that was simply for me. Then I have to add in more processing scenes which I'll have to change or delete later--and so the process goes on and on...until the whole story is pretty much filled in.

When I first started this story I knew that I had a character with a secret. I knew she didn't want to share that secret with anybody and I knew there was a girl at school who would torture her. I've since, in my re-vision processes, discovered what that secret is, and (at least partly) why this girl hates my main character.

What do you think about revision?

Write on!

Q is for Quest

Every great story generally involves some sort of quest. Not all of them have to involve a knight or dragons or spaceships. Some quests are more subtle than others. Sometimes characters can make it seem more like a quest than one would originally think. Heck Superhero is a great example. Heck is on a quest to save the world...except really, it's just to find his mom. What Martine Leavitt does with this book is so brilliant that I wish I had written it, because she digs right into the mind of a boy who pretends to be a superhero and sees life as though he really is a superhero as a way to deal with some very real-life issues.

Other stories it doesn't quite seem like the characters are embarking on such substantial quests, but they are (or if they really aren't then they fail as stories). While most of the time what comes to mind when one hears the word quest is some medieval adventure, quest simply means to search, to investigate, or to seek. It definitely involves some kind of adventure, whether dragons and swords are involved or not. Here are my ideas on the elements of a quest:

-Desire. Your character has to want something--A new car, a doughnut, the chance to get out of town.
-Obstacles. There has to be something (or several somethings) keeping your character from getting what they want--dragons, evil diet, the town mafia.
-Determination. Your main character must be determined to get what they want despite all the obstacles.
-Enemies. Whether your character has human enemies or robotic ones, there's got to be someone who is also determined (with a good motivation) to thwart the desires of the main character.
-Friends. Every character needs a friend--but remember that the friend cannot fight any of the major battles or conquer the foes in the quest because that's up to your main character.

In my own novel, Some Secrets Aren't Secrets, Sophie is my heroine. Her quest is to be with her little sister again and to keep a big secret. Some of the biggest obstacles are Sophie's own past issues and her inability to open up, but they also come in the form of her aunts and uncle, an ex-friend, and school staff. Sophie is determined to get what she wants. She's got enemies, and at least one friend. But she fights her own fights until the end.

Whether this post has helped you or not, it's definitely helped me put a new perspective to the structure of my book and the motivation of my characters.

What do you think are elements of a quest?

Write on!