Writing Updates

    The world is a bit of a dumpster fire right now (see last two posts). Nonetheless, amidst all of the burning garbage, my book still needs to be written. Unless one of you wants to write it and give me credit (jk... unless...). I will, of course, continue to share other pieces I write as they come to my heart and mind, but right now I'm focusing on outlining my novel. It's productive and a welcomed distraction! As I shared when I started this blog, I want to keep a diary of my writing process, so here's what I've been up to aside from writing emotional poetic prose pieces about antisemitism.

    This summer, I decided I would warm up my writing muscles before digging into the novel journey by trying out some techniques on a short story. With this warm-up story, my goal was to practice writing in the same genre as my novel, incorporating multiple perspectives, developing characters, and finding my voice. It was also incredibly valuable in terms of establishing my writing routine and actually figuring out whether or not I had it in me to write for hours at a time day after day. Fortunately, it turns out I love writing for several hours a day, and I learned a great deal about myself as a writer and human while working through this piece. 

    In the end, this "short story" turned out to be a lot longer than I planned, and it sort of grew wings and transformed into a novella as time went on. Although I was hoping to start outlining my novel by the end of the summer, I was passionate about the novella and knew it would not be time wasted as I was honing my skills and working up to a larger project. Plus, the story simply wasn't over by the end of the summer. So now I have a draft of a novella, which is insane, and while I'm letting it rest for the moment, I definitely plan to revisit it and potentially maybe let it see the light of day eventually possibly one day perhaps... Regardless, it taught me to trust the process and listen to my creative instincts. If that's all I take away from the experience, I'm perfectly okay with that.

    Since wrapping up the current draft of my novella, I have been reading a lot of useful texts that are helping me shape my novel. I am very much in the preliminary phases, and feeling a little lost at sea at times, but these texts have really anchored me:

  • Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody 
    • An adaptation of Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder, which is a guide to writing screenplays.
    • This book has been integral to my outlining phase. Brody breaks down the writing process into concrete steps and elements that make up a successful novel. 
    • I'm sure I'll stray here and there, but it has been incredible for idea generation and a general overview of what the final product might look like.
  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau
    • Integral to my plot (no spoilies, though!)
      • I love this man, by the way. He was truly hilarious and a real weirdo. 
    • Fun fact: I spent an afternoon at Walden Pond a few weeks ago and it was a pretty magical experience. It's only 30 minutes away from us, and the drive alone was stunning. The pond and park were insanely gorgeous and completely immersive. I could definitely see why someone would build a tiny cabin and isolate themselves out there. 
      • I'm currently in the market for my own personal Ralph Waldo Emerson, so let a girl know if you happen to own 14 acres in the Massachusetts woods that you're willing to share! 
  • Cultish by Amanda Montell
    • May be a bit of a spoily, but it's providing me with some very useful language and character insights.
    I've also been trying to read books that fall under the same, or a similar, genre as my novel. My love for thrillers is what ultimately inspired me to write one, so I'm enjoying having an excuse to indulge a bit. It also helps me pick up on plot structure and other useful craft moves. Here are a few I've read for fun recently:
  • Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
  • Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney
  • Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
  • The Woman in Me by Ms. Britney J. Spears
    • Not even remotely in my genre, but come on. I have to read it.
  • My next read is The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.
    • I also want to re-read The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe before Ben and I start the Netflix series. I've heard great things.
  • I'm always open to more thriller/horror/mystery recs, so please let me know if you have a "must read" that fits into one or all of these genres.
    Overall, I'm not too proud to admit that I'm pretty much making this up as I go. While I have years of experience studying, teaching, and practicing the craft of writing, I've never had a goal this demanding or expansive. Nevertheless, I am out here trying and I'm pretty proud of that. I will continue to touch base on both the writing process as well as my emotional processes as time goes on. 

    In the meantime, I'd like to play the role of a cliché Pinterest quote and encourage you to ~*dO sOmEtHiNg ThAt ScArEs YoU*~ <3. This experience hasn't been at all like I'd imagined, but I've truly unlocked a version of myself that I didn't know I had in me. So far, I like her a lot. Now go take a risk and explore your undiscovered self. I promise there are multitudes within you that you never could have dreamed of.

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