Saturday, July 23, 2011

Reflections...

So my blogger buddy over at Hughes Views on YA Literature has a post looking at what she's learned this summer being in the MFA program... I thought that was a pretty awesome idea and wanted to copy her.


  1. Being a fan of a writer is not stalking. It's being normal. If you say, "Oh no I promise I'm not stalking you" you become a stalker. So yeah, following your favorite author on twitter and their blog... Totally fine. Knowing what time they do their laundry and what kind of soap...now that's stalking.
  2. Yes, there are gatekeepers for the publishing world: they are called Agents. But even if you find one that means nothing. They can give you the key, but that doesn't mean it'll fit the lock right away.
  3. As a writer you should be confidant but humble. The whole publishing world is a house of cards, without the writer is falls apart. So, be proud and don't let the editors scare you.
  4. You can become addicted to caffeine 
  5. Here's something I knew but was reminded of it... There is no such thing as a perfect draft. You can work your butt off to get close to one, but nope. No perfect stories. And that's kind-of awesome.
  6. I don't write long short stories. I like to focus on key scene(s) and stick there. I just do not do well with my characters walking all over the place in one story. I like them where I can keep my eye on them.
  7. There are parts of my personality that aren't strong parts, but ones I can tap into for characters. I found this out when I wrote a short story about a girl who is pretty much a succubus: She uses her sexyness to pull in a guy so she can pretty much just own him. It's written in first person. That's not me. 
  8. I really am addicted to books.
  9. My writing is clear.
  10. And I have characters that are pretty awesome. They have clear dialogue and seem very real sometimes (and other times not...working on that part)
Some housekeeping business... The blog now has a twitter account. Why? Well, mostly I have it so I can follow some of my favorite authors (Holly Black, Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Neil Gaiman) but heck, if you read the blog you might enjoy the twitter as well. So, check it out and follow it!

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