Block, Change, Flood

Writer's block is horrible. We all know this and we all--hopefully--hate it.

So, since I hate it so much, I decided to change from one story to another. Fearing is coming along just great! Don't ya just love the feeling of having idea after idea and word after word come to mind? That's the opposite of writer's block: writer's flood. Haha

Happy Writing!

329...to 1... Again

My apologies for neglecting to post--my life has been pretty busy. But, I'd like to announce that I have finished Song of the Dead. It hasn't been officially edited, but as of this moment, I'm done.

"Phew!" What a feeling! I haven't printed out the manuscript (ink is costly), but just looking at it on the computer screen makes me excited! Three-hundred and twenty-nine pages... 

Now back to page one. Yay! ;)

After a lot of thinking and asking opinions, I've decided to start a sequel to Song of the Dead, called Sight of Souls. In the second book, a new character is introduced--let me rephrase that: a new Breed is introduced. Her name is Ana. Hitler sent Nazis to gas her city when she was ten. Because of her fair hair, her mother had moved her to the basement so that nothing would happen to her. Ana only had the darkness and an old piano. After the gas eliminates (kills) the whole city, the Nazi's tear down every building, and eventually find Ana. Because of the poisonous gas, she is blind. Because of her fair hair and blue eyes, the Nazi guards take her to Hitler.

Ana is almost twenty-one, has known nothing but darkness and music and Hitler, and sits in a small concrete room surrounded by torture chambers. Sight of Souls is partly her story, and partly the rest of Lade's. I'm excited!

200th & 250th Page Anniversary... way behind, sorry

Wow - I'm behind. 

So sorry, I've been on a writer's block for a few months. I've tried everything - rewriting the last few chapters, erasing a few chapters... ugh. Nothing's working well. 

But I am at 273 pages! That has to count for something, right? *sigh* I'm so grateful for my family and friends who are encouraging me to keep writing. I'm trying really hard - but I want to get it right, and it's hard, haha :) Pray for me! haha, and if you don't pray, then... just think of me and Song of the Dead.

(and, yes, I speak to the computer often)

150th Page Anniversary

    Well, I've gotten to 150. Woot!  

    People ask me if I'm almost done, and the answer is no. I might be about half-way through, but with the ideas popping in my head, I might be only a fourth of the way through. I do have the ending though, so the hardest part is only filling in the middle :) Haha, I love writing.
     Adolf Hitler won WWII. His son is now dictator. 
    "It's not about who lived, but those who have gone."   - Lade

What America Means to Me

    In my book, there is no America - it's been lost, forbidden by Hitler to ever return.

    Since I've been writing about the fall of America and the freedoms that are no longer in play, I've learned more respect for our country and the symbols associated with the States - I know what they mean.

    Lade says that "America is nothing but a wonderful fantasy land."

    We Americans take for granted that we can walk outside without being shot - we can buy a car or groceries - we can do things that other countries won't allow. The fictional country of Ander in my story is nothing at all how America was.
It's funny how you can feel something so strongly that only you can feel. I feel America, much differently that those fighting for our country, but I feel it.

    God Bless the USA :)

100th Page Anniversary

    Wahoo! I finally got to 100 pages :) well, now it's 106... Haha - I love writing; it's so fun! My sister rolls her eyes at me when I say that, but it's true. I love when an idea comes and you just have to follow it until you can breathe out again. I'm getting hooked to it though, thinking about it and writing little notes to myself to "fix this paragraph" or "add 'this or that' to that sentence" and "explain this part better." Haha, I love bloody-ing up my papers.
    Here's the latest possible-cover picture:

front

back

   

    

    I chose black for the "On September..." paragraph

because the white made it seem too bright? Haha, I

don't know! I tried red, and the "Ballade..." paragraph 

as white, then black - but nothing seemed to fit. I'll

probably fix it later...

   What'd you think?

Which Way??

    [Some] Rules of Writing:
1.  Complete an idea before you start another.
2.  Press forward - try not to waste time erasing and starting something over.*
3.  Make note of any and all ideas pertaining to the plot.
4.  Don't use the all the ideas you write down for one story.
5.  Read, reread, and triple-read after each chapter to catch anything you want change.
6.  Listen to any and all advice - this does not mean do everything they tell you, but listen to them.

    * Backing up and erasing: something I've refrained from doing. Well, you have to break your own rules once in a while, yes? Yes; and that's exactly what I did. I erased four chapters and started a different idea, and so far, so good! Haha, I hardly ever do this - but I could either have just kept going with the original idea; or I could back up then go forward :) I might have to do this again later, haha.

All the Time

    So I get to school and can only think about Lade. I'm sitting in honors biology and catch myself thinking that Lade should do this; this can happen to so and so; Gabe can say this--ahhh!! It's so frustrating when that's all you think about: your book. What to take out, what to add on. Urg!
    Haha, it's good when you think about your book all the time, right?  
    Or is it obsession? I'm not quite sure myself, but I'm going to say for right now, it's good :)

Mother Memories

    Lade's life is on a standstill - anticipating whether or not you're going to die today can do that for you - and hearing one voice takes her into a trance. She remembers all the times her mother, Jean, subtly said her daughter was ugly; that she was ashamed to have a daughter that "looks like that." And it hurts. As Lade goes through these memories, her willingness to live begins to slide... Why should she survive if her mother can't even live with her - all because of her hair and eyes?

    I'm smiling as I make these memories. "Why?" you ask, well, your readers have to connect with your characters. There has to be some children who have thought that their parent's aren't proud of them. This is what Lade is feeling almost all the time. Because of Hitler's law (any blonde blue-eyed person or any person aiding this individual is to be executed to avoid rebellion) her mother begged to have Lade's hair dyed; to have optical surgery; anything to change her daughter's looks ... only because Jean is afraid of what Hitler would do to Jean.

   

It's Annoying, Let Me Tell Ya

   It's annoying when you get three chapters done, and you're feeling so good about it - then wham. You go blank. You have no ideas. No idea how to keep going. No way to start some new conflict (or how to resolve the earlier one). 

   You want to bring in new characters, but you know you have to get some more information to the readers before you just plop them in. It's annoying when you know you have a few chapters before you can introduce your new idea - or you have an awesome ending to use but you have no idea how to get from point A to B then to C. Agh!

    Oh well... back to the storming boards.

This picture is me right now: I'm Tom. And what I want is just out of reach, almost like it's laughing in my face ... =)

50th Page Anniversary

    Yes! I got to 50. It's been a  long time since I got to fifty pages in any story. It's kind of when you figure out it's something worth doing; since I got to 50, I'll stick with it. Well, even though my chapters are all almost a two pages long, it's coming along nicely. Haha! I got a little bit bored...

    I'm not too sure about the brown, but here's another idea :)

    So... 16 chapters, 50 pages. I'm having a great day!

A new "How-to" book!

So for my birthday, I got a book on "How to Write a Novel" from my uncle. He's a great support to me and my writing. Thanks Cody! Let's hope I can understand the language ;) Hahaha

Dang it!

   Well, great. I did a little research for Song of the Dead and found out I have to change some things ... Sometimes being a writer can be so fun; other times, it's a horrid nightmare of scribbling out stuff with red ink.

   At least, though, I'm open to ideas. I think I can work this out. I think I can. I think I can. =)

Idea

I fiddled with this for a while... like it?

Song of the Dead

     Song of the Dead is a twisted Historical Fiction. It is set in 2011, and the main character's name is Lade. She is nineteen with blonde hair and blue eyes. Lade enjoys listening and making music; it's been in the family for generations and it's where she got her name, Ballade. It is German for 'song.' Her father's side of the family is German and her mother's family is from the old country called America. Lade and her family are citizens of Ander, German for 'other.' Why is America now Ander--a German-controlled country? Well, everything changed in 1945.

      Hitler won WWII.

Getting Started

     I'm starting my book over. Again. Ha, this'll be the fourth time I've started with a blank page following "Chapter One." Yipee. I was informed today that I can write a short story on a twisted historical fiction piece of work. I'm not sure what my instructor's idea of 'short story' is, but none of my stories are short.
     I hate having all these ideas playing tag around in my head--ideas with this story, and ideas with that story; ideas for new stories and ideas for ones I haven't looked at in years.
     As Walt Disney once said, "You can do what you dream. Remember, this all came from a mouse and a dream."