July in Review

Oh god. So hot. So. Hot. Like wearing a snuggie in a sauna hot. But July had much more in store than fireworks and rat-sized mosquitoes. I actually got back around to reading (albeit beta reading), had some cinematic adventures, and made some leeway with my new WIP during Camp NaNoWriMo! I also decided to make one last push for SB and give #PitchWars a shot this year! There are SO MANY amazing agents participating (like the entirety of my top 10) and I feel like Falon and Wolf really deserve one more shot before getting put in book baby timeout.

Here's my June in review:

I didn't read any books this month. Ugh. I feel like I've come down with some terrible virus that has sapped my need to read from my soul. But I DID do some beta reading for some friends, so that counts, right? I'm trying to keep myself from rereading World War Z and White Shark for the 5th time... I seriously love those books. But I need to start crossing off titles from my TBR list before it grows so long I'll need to read 10 books a month to make a dent in it!

The Witcher 3 (PS4): 10/10. Oh. My. God. In my top 5 favorite games of all time. I fell in love with the complexity of Gerralt's character (holy crap he is a sexay silver fox) and the absolutely unique
and vibrant world this game threw me into. I'm a sucker for mythical creatures, folklore, superstitions, etc, and the Witcher threw all of these things together in one massively fun and original game (even though it's based on a book series). SERIOUSLY SO GOOD. SSOOOO GUD.




Fallout 4: 8/10. I'm loving it so far. I loved Fallout: New Vegas too.  It was the only game in the series I had played and 4 is a lot like it, but characters are all more dynamic, the graphics are amazing, and they added the really unique feature of building settlements across the Commonwealth for you to build and defend (like a really stressful and gritty version of Sims). The Post-Apocalyptic world of Fallout is also really inspiring for my own PostApoc story, especially as it's set hundreds of years after the fall of civilization. So when I'm gaming (I cannot, for the sake of my pride, share how many hours I've logged in it already), I'll just call it research. Yeah... let's go with that.

Ghostbusters: 8/10. So much fun. Like the most fun I've had on a cinematic adventure in AGES! It's rare that I laugh out loud at a movie, and I totally did with this one. So. Many. Times. There is no complex plot or any Oscar-worthy themes or ideas, but it was silly, and innocent, and good-natured and scary at times and so important to me. As a woman. As a fan. As someone hoping to add diversity to hero-roles and change the way we portray women as heroines in mainstream media. This movie is game-changing for ladies. And all the asshole guys trolling it can suck a big one. It's a fantastic movie and don't let anyone convince you otherwise until you see it for yourself.

Who you gonna call? These BAMF'in ladies. 

   

~Be mindful of the the things that precious time is spent on.~

#PimpMyBio

'ELLLOOOO PITCHWARS MENTORS!

This is your driver speaking, about to take you on a mildly exciting ride into the mind and dreams of a 1st year PitchWars hopeful.

DISCLAIMER:
-Please keep hands, arms, legs, and feet inside the blog at all times.
-Secure all lose articles, including wallets, change, cell phones, and hats (some of my characters are SUPER shady and wouldn't think twice about swiping them).
-Remain seated until the ride comes to a complete stop (just kidding, you can leave at any time...wait...don't go!).

WHY PITCHWARS?

My story is in one of the dreaded-dead genres, Urban Fantasy (with vamps and weres to boot). It seems like agents still hightail it for the hills when they see those words. I want so much to take my novel to the next level. To push it, to challenge it, to break those glass market ceilings! I'm ready to, with a mentor's help, beat it down and build it back up, to make it go the distance (Hercules, anyone?) despite the odds!

I need a mentor/mentors to help me whip this story into fighting shape (cue "Eye of the Tiger").

A mentor/mentors who can help me turn SOUL BOUND into a story capable of helping to dig the genre back out of the grave.

I've tried so hard to do something new and fresh. To give vampires/werewolves new life (er... un-life?). I promise they don't sparkle. And the werewolves aren't shirtless all the time. And their mythologies are completely original and not based on any that already exist.

I've also come up with a completely new supernatural being who is at the heart of the story, and I know she and her fellow soul binders ARE GOING TO KICK. SOME. AS--encourage you to see, love, and nurture the souls of nature. But also, yeah, kick some ass ;)

There are so many writers out there still creating stories and worlds and characters in the genre and I think that says a lot about the hole that exists in the market where UF used to be. I want so much to help bring the genre back and to do that by taking my story to the next level. And I know PitchWars is the place to find amazing fellow wordfolk that can help me do that.


WHY MY STORY?

SOUL BOUND is my book baby. The first novel I've ever written and a story so close to my heart. I wrote it to try and make a difference (ugh I hope that doesn't come across as pretentious--I know it's very beauty pageant, "world peace"-y).

I wanted to try and inspire some sense of wonder and compassion for the natural world by giving it a voice. By giving that voice to a girl trying to find her place in the world. By carefully pitting the three biggest influences (science, religion, and nature) on our species against one another, disguised as characters within the story. It's got an eco-warrior edge, a fiery and impulsive heroine, two characters in one, and a whole lot of heart.  


WHY ME?

I think two of the most important things you need on the journey towards becoming published are thick skin and a stubborn nature. I have both in troves (seriously, I have like, horse-thick skin and would never back down from a triple-dog-dare). 

I have been writing stories since before I could actually write. I would dictate stories to my grandma, who would then write them up for me (my very first story was about an angel named Share who took a new angel back down to Earth to check on his family and stop some bullies from hurting his little brother.). Here's one of my earliest writer's bios (I think I was 8 y/o). I'll never be able to top this one:

8 y/o Rosetta Stone: amashend/amashing=imagined/imagining, chaldrend's=children's

Words are my life. Stories are in my soul. It's my dream to write in every genre and across all different kinds of story spaces (screenplays, video games, graphic novels, etc) and I am prepared to cross hell and high-water to make it happen. If you've ever read THE ALCHEMIST (if you haven't, you absolutely should), you'll recognize the concept of "personal legends." This is my Personal Legend. And I'm not going to give up on it. They may take our lives, but they will never--wait, wrong speech... (cue Mel Gibson in blue face paint and a kilt riding towards you screaming "FREEDOM!!")

Point is, I will work hard to make this happen. Writing is everything to me. I will listen and take your advice, but also stand by some of my choices and aspects of the story. I will take constructive criticism and find a way to apply it to make the MS stronger. I will use entirely too many exclamation points, send you way too many gifs, fangirl with you about fandoms (see all my favorites here) and try to find new ones to get you hooked on, and will most definitely be eternally grateful to you and grant you three wishes (did you make it this far? If you did, I'm totally joking about the wishes thing. I'm not a genie... OR AM I?).

A Novel Idea: Character Collages

Need an excuse to peruse Pinterest for hours picture boarding your MS? HERE IT IS! The wonderful gals at Further Up and Further In have a new Novel Idea:


This week, make a collage with pictures that describe one of your characters. You can use pictures of your character or pictures that describe him/her (or both!). Have fun with this - don’t overthink it! Hopefully it’ll be a nice break from actually writing and help you learn more about your character at the same time!

It was very satisfying (and wonderfully time consuming) creating the character collages for my MCs. Falon, from SOUL BOUND, gets a collage. Rook and Beau from THE RUNNERS get a collage. YOU GET A COLLAGE, YOU GET A COLLAGE, EVERYBODY GETS A COLLAGE *starts throwing things at invisible audience*

There's not much to these collages, but I feel like they represent the characters as well as my novice-storyboarding self could manage (and I cheated and threw in a quote by/about them, sorrysorrysorry).

Falon Byrom from SOUL BOUND

Rook Haxley from THE RUNNERS

Beauregard "Beau" Galloway from THE RUNNERS

#FicFest's Agent Round

Day 1: 12:00 AM, Posts have gone live! What a crazy feeling, seeing my story out there in the world for everyone to see. I've been so close-guarded with it, not ready to wear such a fragile piece of my heart on my sleeve. But seeing it out there, I realize that's exactly where it belongs!
There are already requests coming in for some entries! I feel so close to my fellow FicFest-ers right now. Just knowing we're all going through this together. Every single one of them has a story that belongs in the hands of readers.


Day 2: Just when I was pushing the refresh button for the thousandth time, thinking "my sanity can't possibly take any more of this," I realized their was an option to receive email notifications if comments had been made on your post... STARS,  I AM FREE.

Day 3: I knew that requests would likely be slow over the weekend. Agents get days off, right?
They've got better things to do than look at our our dreams and hearts laid out on the table before them as we put our futures in their hands--er--I mean, our posts...
And I'm definitely, DEFINITELY, not stalking them via Twitter wondering what in the world could be more important. Yeah, nope. Not me.



Day 4: What is life? Does it have meaning? Do I have meaning? Do you have to have a purpose to have meaning? Or is just existing enough? Will I ever know? Does anyone know? Would knowing defeat the purpose of the journey or would it add an understanding and appreciation that would otherwise be taken for granted? Is it even possible to...............

But really, as I watch the requests roll in for others, I'm genuinely struggling. "What am I doing wrong?" "Why can't I make this happen?" "Is this not what I'm meant to do?" My confidence and optimism are taking big hits today. I hope this is the worst these feelings get. Because they're unproductive and pander to self-pity. 

Day 5: Only a few days left.

Nope. Nope. I'm okay. It's cool. I knew this was going to happen. The market for my genre isn't back yet, I don't think I have the right beginning, too much info dumping, NA as a category doesn't seem to be catching on... it's cool. I'm fine. I totally anticipated this. Yep. We're good. Soooo gud.  

Day 6: *drops a sick beat*

Coming to terms. See the lessons I've learned.
You aren't given success, it's something you earn.
If the fire's still hot, it'll always burn.
Keep your head up, you're allowed to yearn.
Don't give in and never let go.
You'll get your turn, keep that fire aglow.

Yes... I am that lame. Considering a new career writing badass rhymes *ppfftt*

Day 7: 

I love Joey. And I love dinosaurs. Therefore I can not give up.  

On the End of FicFest:

I have to say, the best thing about this experience was the community. It's a reminder that you are not alone in the trenches, battling it out for your dreams. You've got people there, ready to hoist you up by the collar when you feel like giving up the fight. My fellow FicFest-ers were wellsprings of support and encouragement.

And from my wonderful mentor came a validation of purpose and self. I'm doing something worthwhile, I'm not totally, completely horrible at it, and it's a Personal Legend (seriously, you need to read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho) that's still worth pursuing.

Soul Bound is a story close to my heart. I've learned so much about myself by looking at the first story I chose to write. And it's helped me immensely in deciding what's important to me as a writer and what I want to communicate through my stories.

FicFest was just one step in the journey. And it truly was a big one.
Here's to getting back on the horse, getting comfy AF in the saddle, and riding for the horizon (taking out some Nazgul and Fellbeasts on the way, HUZZAH).