As a hardcore swimmer, you can bet that I'm watching the Olympics avidly. I also used to be a gymnast and was even trained at a facility that an olympic gold medalist trained at. Her name, I believe, was Kerri Strugg. So I'm watching gymnastics as well.
I really loathe Michael Phelps as a person, but I can't help cheering him on so he can get that gold medal and become the most decorated olympian of all time...However, to my surprise, he lost the 400 IM to Ryan Lochte. He didn't even get a medal! On the TV, he was just speechless, like, "how did this happen?" He didn't even congratulate Ryan at all either until later after his coach (probably) told him to.
Phelps and Lochte were also in a relay together and got silver, losing to the French, unfortunately. I felt bad for them. Lochte looked pretty depressed.
As for gymnastics...It is absolutely heart-wrenching to watch. These little girls are going out there and being criticized for every, little mistake they make. The Fab Five are all best friends, yet they're competeing against each other for a spot in the all-around competition.
One girl didn't get in and was bawling her eyes out, poor thing. The camera kept zooming in on her and I finally couldn't stand watching her pain anymore so I just turned away. Seriously though...These girls aren't no fairy princesses. They're tough as nails to be able to compete against each other and still be able to be friends afterwards. Of course they're also tough because of their general awesomeness at the sport.
So what's your favorite sport to watch? Do you think the Olympics could have any correlation whatsoever to writing? There is that same fierce competition...
Oh! Remember how I said I would post that video of me singing Iris? Well, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgi2fQmMK5U&feature=g-upl. Enjoy. :)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Writing Horror
Those that know me well know that I LOVE being scared. When I was four, I would watch slasher flicks instead of Dora the Explorer. Yes, my parents were that cool. I also go to haunted houses every halloween and read Stephen King books.
For whatever reason though, I have a hard time writing horror. I was so fustrated, I had my dad get me Stephen King's book "On Writing" for a graduation present, hoping it would help. Although his book is mostly about technique, he did provide some useful tips about writing horror.
One tip he had was that the horror genre and being conservative don't mix. Bring on the profanity, gore, and human suffering! Don't hold back! He said that what he liked most about writing was that he got to sort of become his characters. Is Stephen King normally racist? Is he foul-mouthed and evil? Nope. He has the potential to be, but he chooses not to live like his characters.
And I think that's what scares readers. That the author has the potential to become a horrible person and that scares them so they start accusing the author of being things that he isn't. I think that was why I was handicapped in writing horror. I don't want to become an awful person through my writing and have readers view me as a shadowy, awful person because I'm not. One time I wrote a story about a psychopathic murderer and I never shared it with anyone because frankly...I was ashamed.
One time, when I was in middle school, I wrote a story about a boy who had imaginary friends that told him to do horrible things and I showed it to my mom. Her response was this:
"Oh, Paige, why would you want to write stories like this? You should write about happy things."
My bubble burst and I never attempted to write horror until recently. I realized that I wanted everyone's respect and now this is mattering less and less. I should be able to do what I want to do and not care about what others think unless it's important.
So I am now writing a horror story called "Dreams of the Haunted." I am posting it as a serial story on tumblr. If you want to check it out, go to this address: www.pagebypaigeisalltherage.tumblr.com. Let me know what you think.
Have you ever had any problems with writing horror? If you don't write, what do you think about horror writers?
For whatever reason though, I have a hard time writing horror. I was so fustrated, I had my dad get me Stephen King's book "On Writing" for a graduation present, hoping it would help. Although his book is mostly about technique, he did provide some useful tips about writing horror.
One tip he had was that the horror genre and being conservative don't mix. Bring on the profanity, gore, and human suffering! Don't hold back! He said that what he liked most about writing was that he got to sort of become his characters. Is Stephen King normally racist? Is he foul-mouthed and evil? Nope. He has the potential to be, but he chooses not to live like his characters.
And I think that's what scares readers. That the author has the potential to become a horrible person and that scares them so they start accusing the author of being things that he isn't. I think that was why I was handicapped in writing horror. I don't want to become an awful person through my writing and have readers view me as a shadowy, awful person because I'm not. One time I wrote a story about a psychopathic murderer and I never shared it with anyone because frankly...I was ashamed.
One time, when I was in middle school, I wrote a story about a boy who had imaginary friends that told him to do horrible things and I showed it to my mom. Her response was this:
"Oh, Paige, why would you want to write stories like this? You should write about happy things."
My bubble burst and I never attempted to write horror until recently. I realized that I wanted everyone's respect and now this is mattering less and less. I should be able to do what I want to do and not care about what others think unless it's important.
So I am now writing a horror story called "Dreams of the Haunted." I am posting it as a serial story on tumblr. If you want to check it out, go to this address: www.pagebypaigeisalltherage.tumblr.com. Let me know what you think.
Have you ever had any problems with writing horror? If you don't write, what do you think about horror writers?
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Writing and The Goo Goo Dolls
I have just discovered how awesome the Goo Goo Dolls are so I just had to write a blog post dedicated to them.
"I just want you to know who I am..." -Iris. Remember that you want your charaters to be 3-D instead of 2-D so when writing, make sure that you want the readers to know exactly who your characters are personality-wise.
"I wanna wake up where you are. I won't say anything at all...So let's let it slide!"-Slide. Remember if your character does something wrong, karma needs to get back at him/her...It's nice to have a moral to your novels sometimes, if you're into that sort of thing.
"I'm killing myself from the inside out and all my fears have pushed you out. I wished for things I don't need..." -Sympathy. Usually at the climax or falling action, your protagonist realizes his/her mistakes, yadayadayada. Find whatever meaning you want in here.
"...It hurts because I was always trying to be honest in whatever I was doing." -John Rzeznik on the media. Sometimes agents reject you and you feel that you have done absolutely nothing wrong. Remember that the business world is a cold, cruel place where honesty is not always the best policy. Sad, but true.
"You need to surround yourself with people who are better than you...That way, you grow." -John Rzeznik. Always seek help from fellow writers and just read, read, read!
That's some writing wisdom I found in the lyrics and words of The Goo Goo Dolls. I'm sure none of this advice is new to you all though.
I was so inspired by their music, that I actually did a cover of Iris! It actually turned out pretty well. Maybe I'll share it sometime.
"I just want you to know who I am..." -Iris. Remember that you want your charaters to be 3-D instead of 2-D so when writing, make sure that you want the readers to know exactly who your characters are personality-wise.
"I wanna wake up where you are. I won't say anything at all...So let's let it slide!"-Slide. Remember if your character does something wrong, karma needs to get back at him/her...It's nice to have a moral to your novels sometimes, if you're into that sort of thing.
"I'm killing myself from the inside out and all my fears have pushed you out. I wished for things I don't need..." -Sympathy. Usually at the climax or falling action, your protagonist realizes his/her mistakes, yadayadayada. Find whatever meaning you want in here.
"...It hurts because I was always trying to be honest in whatever I was doing." -John Rzeznik on the media. Sometimes agents reject you and you feel that you have done absolutely nothing wrong. Remember that the business world is a cold, cruel place where honesty is not always the best policy. Sad, but true.
"You need to surround yourself with people who are better than you...That way, you grow." -John Rzeznik. Always seek help from fellow writers and just read, read, read!
That's some writing wisdom I found in the lyrics and words of The Goo Goo Dolls. I'm sure none of this advice is new to you all though.
I was so inspired by their music, that I actually did a cover of Iris! It actually turned out pretty well. Maybe I'll share it sometime.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Right and Wrong
Have you ever had those scary thoughts that tell you that Right and Wrong are not really concrete, established rules? After all, everything's relative and in the end, we're just people.
I love philosophy. I like to think of big questions that I couldn't possibly answer and wouldn't expect anyone else to either. It's fun to explore "what could be".
In YA books, normally all characters go through Right and Wrong dilemmas, but when I'm writing these scenes, it usually takes me forever to finish them because I don't really want to believe that these things are just black and white.
Don't be scared, I have a good moral compass. I was raised with a very strong believe system so I'm not like a sociopath or anything.
What annoys me sometimes when reading YA is that some authors take the Right and Wrong thing too far. Their characters will discuss what's Right and Wrong about everything. One specific situation really annoys me sometimes. One character wants to go off and save someone alone, but another group of people want to come along and the character says no, that it's not right for them to risk their lives.
If you ask me, that person just has a really big ego and needs to learn to accept help sometimes. The character still ends up with the other group of people usually, but why waste words on that silly situation? Nobody likes being alone in a danger zone, plus characters are only human. Sometimes they need to cross into the gray zone.
You know, sometimes authors include that situation in there for a reason. Perhaps their character is really stubborn and headstrong so they put them in that situation so that they can grow from the experience. That's okay by me most of the time.
We need to remember that our characters are not saints. Sure, we want them to be role models, but who says saints are? Part of being human is making mistakes and learning from them so that you can acquire that moral compass. Make your characters step into the gray zone once in a while.
You know who is a master at creating those gray zone situations? Ilsa J. Bick. Read her book "Drowning Instinct" and be astounded by the humanity of her characters. You'll learn a lot from her writing.
So yeah, I'm just saying...Remember that you want your characters to be good people, but also remember that they're human even though they're fictional.
I love philosophy. I like to think of big questions that I couldn't possibly answer and wouldn't expect anyone else to either. It's fun to explore "what could be".
In YA books, normally all characters go through Right and Wrong dilemmas, but when I'm writing these scenes, it usually takes me forever to finish them because I don't really want to believe that these things are just black and white.
Don't be scared, I have a good moral compass. I was raised with a very strong believe system so I'm not like a sociopath or anything.
What annoys me sometimes when reading YA is that some authors take the Right and Wrong thing too far. Their characters will discuss what's Right and Wrong about everything. One specific situation really annoys me sometimes. One character wants to go off and save someone alone, but another group of people want to come along and the character says no, that it's not right for them to risk their lives.
If you ask me, that person just has a really big ego and needs to learn to accept help sometimes. The character still ends up with the other group of people usually, but why waste words on that silly situation? Nobody likes being alone in a danger zone, plus characters are only human. Sometimes they need to cross into the gray zone.
You know, sometimes authors include that situation in there for a reason. Perhaps their character is really stubborn and headstrong so they put them in that situation so that they can grow from the experience. That's okay by me most of the time.
We need to remember that our characters are not saints. Sure, we want them to be role models, but who says saints are? Part of being human is making mistakes and learning from them so that you can acquire that moral compass. Make your characters step into the gray zone once in a while.
You know who is a master at creating those gray zone situations? Ilsa J. Bick. Read her book "Drowning Instinct" and be astounded by the humanity of her characters. You'll learn a lot from her writing.
So yeah, I'm just saying...Remember that you want your characters to be good people, but also remember that they're human even though they're fictional.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Between the Lines
I just bought this new book today and it's called "Between the Lines" by Jodi Picoult and her daughter. I've always loved Jodi Picoult's work so when I found out she wrote a YA book, I couldn't resist buying it.
They write about this really interesting concept though. It's about this girl named Delilah that re-reads this fairy tale over and over again. The fairy tale is about a prince named Oliver who is anything but brave, but still he rescues his princess, Seraphina. However, Oliver is not happy in his fictional world. He wants to bust out of this scripted place.
I haven't finished the story yet, but I'm sure he busts out somehow.
I think everybody wishes that some books were real and more tangible than words in their heads. Every girl is in love with some fictional character (for me, it's Augustus Waters and Erik from the Phantom of the Opera).
And sometimes there are times when you wish that some characters were never thought up by the author. The characters that make you scream at the book: WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID!?!?!?
However, in "Between the Lines" those characters may not be as they seem. Oliver actually has more than an ounce of bravery in him and if that's true, maybe Luce from "Fallen" actually has some common sense!
I've lost you, haven't I? Regardless of what you think, I think this psychobabble I'm writing about characters that could actually be someone else actually makes sense in a way.
Do you know someone who said "All the world's a stage and we are merely players."? I used to think that quote was deep and wise in a way, but now I think it's depressing. I don't want my life to already be written by some Shakespeare in the sky. I want to be me, not some dork who is just reciting lines because they feel they have to. Stay true to yourself.
Now, let's get back to my point. Fictional characters don't have a choice as to who they want to be. You do. Maybe you do believe that some ultimate creator has written your story for you, and if you do, that's cool, you'll recieve no judgement from me. Who says you can't re-write some of the pages that you don't like though?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that you have the pen in your hands. Write your story the way you want it to be.
They write about this really interesting concept though. It's about this girl named Delilah that re-reads this fairy tale over and over again. The fairy tale is about a prince named Oliver who is anything but brave, but still he rescues his princess, Seraphina. However, Oliver is not happy in his fictional world. He wants to bust out of this scripted place.
I haven't finished the story yet, but I'm sure he busts out somehow.
I think everybody wishes that some books were real and more tangible than words in their heads. Every girl is in love with some fictional character (for me, it's Augustus Waters and Erik from the Phantom of the Opera).
And sometimes there are times when you wish that some characters were never thought up by the author. The characters that make you scream at the book: WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID!?!?!?
However, in "Between the Lines" those characters may not be as they seem. Oliver actually has more than an ounce of bravery in him and if that's true, maybe Luce from "Fallen" actually has some common sense!
I've lost you, haven't I? Regardless of what you think, I think this psychobabble I'm writing about characters that could actually be someone else actually makes sense in a way.
Do you know someone who said "All the world's a stage and we are merely players."? I used to think that quote was deep and wise in a way, but now I think it's depressing. I don't want my life to already be written by some Shakespeare in the sky. I want to be me, not some dork who is just reciting lines because they feel they have to. Stay true to yourself.
Now, let's get back to my point. Fictional characters don't have a choice as to who they want to be. You do. Maybe you do believe that some ultimate creator has written your story for you, and if you do, that's cool, you'll recieve no judgement from me. Who says you can't re-write some of the pages that you don't like though?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that you have the pen in your hands. Write your story the way you want it to be.
Monday, July 2, 2012
What I Want to See More Of
Everybody knows what they don't want to see more of in YA writing: vampires and werewolves. I think the world has gotten the message. I personally am getting a little tired of dystopia, which is a little strange since I'm a big fan of the genre. I have Insurgent on my bookshelf and I thought I would just jump at any chance to start reading it, but I find myself going "meh." It took me a month to finish "The Ask and The Answer" by Patrick Ness (part of the Chaos Walking series) and it was an awesome book too, so I don't get why it took so long for me to finish. I guess dystopia's getting old for me.
Dark fantasy and some urban fantasy is getting old too, but I never really read a lot of it. "City of Bones" kind of ruined it for me. I really did not like that book for some reason. Angels are also getting old and I usually HATE the stories (like the Fallen series by Lauren Kate).
I'm not writing to bash other authors though. My purpose to to inform what I as a reader don't want to see more of. Let's move onto what I do want to see more of.
Ghost stories! Have you read "Anna Dressed in Blood" by Kendare Blake? Awesome book! I read it in two days. I am also addicted to the TV show "Supernatural" although it's more about angels now instead of ghosts so I'm starting to hate it. I love me a good ghost story though. I can't wait to read "Girl of Nightmares"!
Good contemporary stuff. My new favorite author, John Green, wrote an awesome book called "The Fault in Our Stars." I read that one in two days. I also want these contemporary books to be "important," which means I want to learn something from this book.
I also want more science fiction, emphasis on the science. A lot of dystopia books are sci-fi to some level, but it's more about government problems. Maybe scientists just terraformed Mars and a few pioneers have to go explore the newly transformed planet. Things that occur in space. That stuff. My teacher just wrote a great sci-fi book, which I read in two days.
Zombies will probably never grow old for me. I don't see a lot of zombie stuff out there except for "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" books (which are amazing!).
Psychological thrillers would also be really cool. How come no one has written "A Beautiful Mind" for teens? Give your protagonist an Annie Wilkes-like boyfriend! The more disturbed the person, the better!
New fantasy concepts would also be cool. Who says you have to write about fantastical creatures already imagined by other people? Throw something completely new at me. One time I wrote a movie script about Nexolins and Lumens, creatures from a different dimension!
Okay, I think that's it for now. I write what I want to read and these are the genres I've been writing in lately. "The Dead and Dying Embers" is a zombie novel. My next novel will be a sci-fi novel taking place in the Degenerative Era of the universe. I'm writing a contemporary novella about a boy with Hemophilia. I've written several short stories that are psychological thrillers, such as "Trick or Treat." That one was about a psychopathic murderer so it was kind of scary getting into his mind. O.o I haven't really written a good ghost story yet, but I've always wanted to.
Hope this helped! I have no idea if agents agree with me, though I have heard that they do want to see more psychological thrillers.
TTFN!
Dark fantasy and some urban fantasy is getting old too, but I never really read a lot of it. "City of Bones" kind of ruined it for me. I really did not like that book for some reason. Angels are also getting old and I usually HATE the stories (like the Fallen series by Lauren Kate).
I'm not writing to bash other authors though. My purpose to to inform what I as a reader don't want to see more of. Let's move onto what I do want to see more of.
Ghost stories! Have you read "Anna Dressed in Blood" by Kendare Blake? Awesome book! I read it in two days. I am also addicted to the TV show "Supernatural" although it's more about angels now instead of ghosts so I'm starting to hate it. I love me a good ghost story though. I can't wait to read "Girl of Nightmares"!
Good contemporary stuff. My new favorite author, John Green, wrote an awesome book called "The Fault in Our Stars." I read that one in two days. I also want these contemporary books to be "important," which means I want to learn something from this book.
I also want more science fiction, emphasis on the science. A lot of dystopia books are sci-fi to some level, but it's more about government problems. Maybe scientists just terraformed Mars and a few pioneers have to go explore the newly transformed planet. Things that occur in space. That stuff. My teacher just wrote a great sci-fi book, which I read in two days.
Zombies will probably never grow old for me. I don't see a lot of zombie stuff out there except for "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" books (which are amazing!).
Psychological thrillers would also be really cool. How come no one has written "A Beautiful Mind" for teens? Give your protagonist an Annie Wilkes-like boyfriend! The more disturbed the person, the better!
New fantasy concepts would also be cool. Who says you have to write about fantastical creatures already imagined by other people? Throw something completely new at me. One time I wrote a movie script about Nexolins and Lumens, creatures from a different dimension!
Okay, I think that's it for now. I write what I want to read and these are the genres I've been writing in lately. "The Dead and Dying Embers" is a zombie novel. My next novel will be a sci-fi novel taking place in the Degenerative Era of the universe. I'm writing a contemporary novella about a boy with Hemophilia. I've written several short stories that are psychological thrillers, such as "Trick or Treat." That one was about a psychopathic murderer so it was kind of scary getting into his mind. O.o I haven't really written a good ghost story yet, but I've always wanted to.
Hope this helped! I have no idea if agents agree with me, though I have heard that they do want to see more psychological thrillers.
TTFN!
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