I hate beginnings.
Mostly because I suck at them.
You guys think ending something's difficult? How do you even start? Do you begin in the middle and backtrack, like I did in Oops? Do you start with a flashback, before the protagonist is even old enough to understand what is happening, like I wrote in The Lucky One? Or do you just jump in, like so in Death and Other Things I Fail At?
Admittedly, I've never really had an issue with something like how to kick off a story until I joined this contest that asked me for the first 100 words of my book. I seriously obsessed and edited and rewrote every sentence to make it all fit, and even then I wasn't satisfied. How do you make a good first impression in only the first 100 words of a novel? So sue me, but I hate word limits. It adds extra pressure, and I like to take my time with my hooks.
Speaking of, I love writing lead-ins and hooks when it comes to persuasive and expository essays (like in school), but it's a whole 'note ballpark with narrative writing. It's hard to be creative when there are catagories you can choose from to make the beginning more interesting. Start with a bang, or come in slow, mysterious? The possibilities are endless, really, so how do you know when to choose?
I don't have a preference. Depending on the genre I'm writing in, I'll go all over the place with my lead-ins. What about you guys? How do you usually kick off your novels?
Monday, July 30, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
That Wednesday Thing
Whoops, forgot to tell you guys I'm alive! Well, ta-da, I survived the movie experience (although I'm not sure if I really did-- I just about died three dozen times throughout). And now it's Wednesday-- writing day!
This theme is from last week because it's the only one that caught my eye, haha. It's technically the bonus, because the other one was a bit long, but anyway, here we go!
"Write a scene in which two characters with the same name, but very different personalities, interact."
This theme is from last week because it's the only one that caught my eye, haha. It's technically the bonus, because the other one was a bit long, but anyway, here we go!
"Write a scene in which two characters with the same name, but very different personalities, interact."
...
Sam didn't think much of her name. It was short for Samantha, which is the girl version of Samuel, which she knew but didn't usually dwell on. Today, however, she'd been giving it a lot of thought. If her name hadn't been shortened to Sam, and her last name hadn't been Krypt, she probably wouldn't be in this mess.
So in actuality it was all her parents' fault.
"Oh, it's alright, don't try to help or anything," the boy next to her grunted, tugging against the chains binding his wrists.
"I'm thinking," Sam said calmly.
"How can you not be freaking out? Aren't you a girl?"
Sam felt a stir of annoyance at his claim and turned her head to give him a reproachful glare over her shoulder. "Seeing as we are both handcuffed to each other thought not in any immediate danger the situation calls for planning on how to get out of here. Which is what I'm doing."
The American-- she could tell by his lack of patience and his accent-- huffed and jerked his hands apart as if that would make the chain snap by force. It didn't.
Eventually he gave up, sighing heavily and leaning back against her. Sam took the silence to survey the dark room they were in. She didn't remember ever falling asleep but she'd woken here, cuffed to this annoying, haughty teenager her own age. The room was made of stone as far as she could see and it took some time for her eyes to adjust. At her back the boy shifted and continued to twist his wrists as if he couldn't bear to sit still.
"So," he said into the silence, sounding slightly awkward. "Do you know why we're here?"
"Because my name is Sam," Sam muttered under her breath.
The boy caught it. "Really? So's mine. Sam Crypt."
Sam rolled her eyes. "I figured. The man who grabbed me told me they'd finally found me. Sam Krypt. With a 'k'."
"Seriously?" The other Sam sounded surprised. "They went all the way to England to nab you?"
She let out a growl deep in her throat. "I'm Welsh."
"Sorry," Sam huffed behind her. "I didn't realize there was a distinction."
"Of course there is, you stupid Yank." Sam blew her blonde bangs out of her eyes, mostly in annoyance. "That's like calling you Canadian."
"Oh."
Sam longed for him to shut his mouth and help her think of a way out of here, but the boy seemed set on talking her ear off.
"So they went to Welsh--"
"Wales."
"Right, that. They went to Wales to grab you?"
Sam sighed. "I'm in America to visit my aunt."
"Oh."
He was incredibly talkative. Sam longed for him to shut up.
So in actuality it was all her parents' fault.
"Oh, it's alright, don't try to help or anything," the boy next to her grunted, tugging against the chains binding his wrists.
"I'm thinking," Sam said calmly.
"How can you not be freaking out? Aren't you a girl?"
Sam felt a stir of annoyance at his claim and turned her head to give him a reproachful glare over her shoulder. "Seeing as we are both handcuffed to each other thought not in any immediate danger the situation calls for planning on how to get out of here. Which is what I'm doing."
The American-- she could tell by his lack of patience and his accent-- huffed and jerked his hands apart as if that would make the chain snap by force. It didn't.
Eventually he gave up, sighing heavily and leaning back against her. Sam took the silence to survey the dark room they were in. She didn't remember ever falling asleep but she'd woken here, cuffed to this annoying, haughty teenager her own age. The room was made of stone as far as she could see and it took some time for her eyes to adjust. At her back the boy shifted and continued to twist his wrists as if he couldn't bear to sit still.
"So," he said into the silence, sounding slightly awkward. "Do you know why we're here?"
"Because my name is Sam," Sam muttered under her breath.
The boy caught it. "Really? So's mine. Sam Crypt."
Sam rolled her eyes. "I figured. The man who grabbed me told me they'd finally found me. Sam Krypt. With a 'k'."
"Seriously?" The other Sam sounded surprised. "They went all the way to England to nab you?"
She let out a growl deep in her throat. "I'm Welsh."
"Sorry," Sam huffed behind her. "I didn't realize there was a distinction."
"Of course there is, you stupid Yank." Sam blew her blonde bangs out of her eyes, mostly in annoyance. "That's like calling you Canadian."
"Oh."
Sam longed for him to shut his mouth and help her think of a way out of here, but the boy seemed set on talking her ear off.
"So they went to Welsh--"
"Wales."
"Right, that. They went to Wales to grab you?"
Sam sighed. "I'm in America to visit my aunt."
"Oh."
He was incredibly talkative. Sam longed for him to shut up.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Everybody's Got a Dark Side
So did you hear about the shooting in Colorado? At the Dark Knight Rises midnight premire? Who hasn't, right?
I'm going to see that stupid movie in a few minutes.
Yay. (/sarcasm)
Nah, I'm kidding. I doubt anything'll happen, but it just adds extra tension, doesn't it? I gotta say, as horrified as I am at what that psycho did (he called himself "The Joker"? Really?), the author in me is freaking out. It's totally something from out of a James Patterson novel! The guy just LET himself get arrested by the cops after shooting a bunch of people and flooding the theatre with tear gas? Doesn't that raise a huge red flag in your brain? I mean, he must've been planning something like that for a long time. It went off, if you were that crazy guy, without a hitch. Then he lets himself get caught. Can anybody else hear the warning bells?
I dunno, I just feel like, if he were a character in my book, there would be something else going on. Some other part of his plan that hasn't been put into effect yet. Which is why I'm so nervous about going tonight. Who knows how many other crazy people were inspired by The Joker's massacre?
So if I don't post in, I dunno, the next week or so, assume I've been shot. :P Okay, kidding-- there might not be anything happening tonight. Maybe I can just enjoy the movie and forget about The Joker.
Still.
I'm going to see that stupid movie in a few minutes.
Yay. (/sarcasm)
Nah, I'm kidding. I doubt anything'll happen, but it just adds extra tension, doesn't it? I gotta say, as horrified as I am at what that psycho did (he called himself "The Joker"? Really?), the author in me is freaking out. It's totally something from out of a James Patterson novel! The guy just LET himself get arrested by the cops after shooting a bunch of people and flooding the theatre with tear gas? Doesn't that raise a huge red flag in your brain? I mean, he must've been planning something like that for a long time. It went off, if you were that crazy guy, without a hitch. Then he lets himself get caught. Can anybody else hear the warning bells?
I dunno, I just feel like, if he were a character in my book, there would be something else going on. Some other part of his plan that hasn't been put into effect yet. Which is why I'm so nervous about going tonight. Who knows how many other crazy people were inspired by The Joker's massacre?
So if I don't post in, I dunno, the next week or so, assume I've been shot. :P Okay, kidding-- there might not be anything happening tonight. Maybe I can just enjoy the movie and forget about The Joker.
Still.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
HEY LOOK IT'S WEDNESDAY!
I'm on a roll with this keeping-up-with-Wednesday-Writings thing. ^_~
Today's prompt was courtesy of Figment's Daily Themes (as usual): "Look through your writing from the past week/month/year. Choose one of your favorite lines--something that really excites you, makes you curious, or is just so freaking good you can't believe you wrote it. Now begin an entirely new story (new characters, new plot, new setting) with that line."
A bit of langauge warning... I just read James Patterson, and I'm feeling like writing a thriller. xD So! Here we go?
Today's prompt was courtesy of Figment's Daily Themes (as usual): "Look through your writing from the past week/month/year. Choose one of your favorite lines--something that really excites you, makes you curious, or is just so freaking good you can't believe you wrote it. Now begin an entirely new story (new characters, new plot, new setting) with that line."
A bit of langauge warning... I just read James Patterson, and I'm feeling like writing a thriller. xD So! Here we go?
...
Why'd he have to be so damn good?
Ivy groaned out loud. "This is why I partner with other girls." She yanked the steering wheel to the left, swerving across both lanes to land herself behind the target-- currently a wildly swerving car. She could see the alarmed eyes of the ex-Mossad agent in shotgun seat widening as they focused on her in the sideview mirror. Just to tick him off, Ivy took one hand off the wheel to flash him a tiny wave.
Even from here she could hear him yelling at the driver to go faster. Ivy snorted and shifted gears. "In a Jeep? I don't think so."
This, she figured, was all Wash's fault. Her new partner Travis Wash was reckless, sexist, and annoying as hell. And self-sacrificing, as she found out when he offered himself as a trade for their mission objective, the twelve-year-old Chinese girl currently sitting in the back of Ivy's Crown Victoria. That was fine and dandy, except he'd done so without Ivy's knowledge. So now Ivy had a preteen to babysit and a partner to save-- and she wasn't sure which job she hated more. Being easy on the eyes only got you so far with Ivy's fiery attitude.
"You okay?" she yelled back to Jade Cheng, daughter of Chinese-United States government liason Jian Cheng. American born, the girl flashed her a grin and a thumbs up as she fixed her crooked iPod earphones in her ears.
Ivy grinned at her spunk. Nice to know she didn't have to worry about the poor girl's sanity after this whole thing was over.
"You better hold on to something," she said as she slammed the gas pedal to the floor. Jade probably couldn't hear her through those headphones, but she got the gist, grabbing the handhold at the ceiling of the car to keep from falling over. Car horns honked at her and Ivy ignored them, coming up so fast on the Jeep she had to slow down before she went from tailgating them to being bumper buddies with them.
She barely remember to throw on her turn signal before she pulled into the lane beside the Jeep, speeding so she came along side it. The ex-Mossad agent pulled a gun and Ivy braked. The three bullets sped past her face. Ivy pulled her own gun.
"Head down!" she commanded at Jade, who obeyed.
Ivy steadied the wheel with her left hand and aimed with her right, barely blinking as she sent a shot into the Israeli's forehead. He slumped forward, giving her a look at the driver.
"CIA!" she shouted at him, trying to point the gun and drive at the same time. "Pull the vehicle over now and put your hands up!"
That never worked. Sure enough, the driver sneered at her and the Jeep pulled away for a second. They were approaching ninety miles per hour. Ivy didn't think a Jeep could go that fast-- and if one did, it probably wouldn't be for long.
"Hope you've got your seatbelt on, kid," she muttered aloud. Ivy pushed the toe of her combat boots further to the floor, the car responding beautifully like every CIA-issued vehicle. Shooting the driver would probably not be smart-- not if Wash were in there. So Ivy squinted, focused on the Jeep's tires, and fired.
Pop!
With the slightest hiss, the Jeep's front tire exploded and it swerved to the right, straight into Ivy's lane. Ivy braked and the Jeep missed them by a foot and a half, screeching across the second lane before careening to a stop in the middle of the third lane. Car horns honked, tires screeched, and Ivy watched in amusement as people fought to avoid hitting it.
She stopped her own car without much trouble, grabbed Jade's hand, and pulled her out of the Crown Vic.
"You know how to just stand there and look pretty, right?" she warned. "Don't do anything."
"No big," Jade said, popping the bubble gum in her mouth. Ivy shook her head. It was a wonder she didn't bite her tongue during that chase.
"CIA!" she shouted, approaching the Jeep. "Come out! Hands up!"
"It's alright, English, I got him." Wash's voice sounded tired, but no less annoying. He kicked, and the back door to the car popped open.
Ivy holstered her weapon and gave him a hand out.
"What took you so long?" he asked, grinning.
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"Yeah, but you're late."
Ivy rolled her eyes and turned back to Jade. "Alright then, next time I'll leave you in the trunk and you can go have fun being interrogated by ex-Mossad."
Friday, July 13, 2012
An Amazing Award of Amazeballness!
OOOH LOOKIE ANOTHER AWARD. *claps excitedly* I like these thingies! They're fun. :P This was one made by my friend NevilleFan! \o/ *CRACKS KNUCKLES* Mmkay, let's do this thing. :P
GETTING TO KNOW YOU, PART EIGHTY-THREE.
Rules
GETTING TO KNOW YOU, PART EIGHTY-THREE.
Rules
- You must link to the blog you received the award from.
- You must answer all the questions.
- You must pass it onto at least one other Amazeballs Blogger, the more the merrier.
- You must remember to tell the recipients that you nominated them!!! Whether by commenting on their blogs, PMing them if you know them on a different site, etc. Those’re the rules!!!
- You must be amazeballs!!!
- What are you favorite song lyrics? Uh. It's kind of tied between a bunch of stuff. *points at Song of the Day box* Currently I'm going back to Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood:
"Some hearts just get lucky sometimes
Even hearts like mine" - What is your favorite book/book series? *broods* I can't believe you would ask me that... It's seriously a three way tie. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan/Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon/The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon
- What is your favorite movie/TV series? Lots of things. NCIS, Psych, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Merlin, Big Time Rush, My Babysitter's a Vampire, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Common Law... etc. :P
- Who inspires you? Lots of people. Kendall Schmidt at the moment because of his song Cover Girl. I'm an inspirational person, so... pretty much every country singer in existence, Frankie J, my favorite authors, and other things. :)
- What is your dream job? To somehow juggle being a (preferably famous) singer, actress, philantropist, and author. *scratches head* Who knows, it could be done!
- Annika at Writing Beyond the Moon
- Taylor Lynn at Perfectly Sensible Nonsense
- Jocelyn at The Cupcake Dictionary
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Writing Wednesdays
Whoot! It's Wednesday and I'm not actually missing Writing Wednesdays again! \o/ You guys should be proud of me. :P
So I've decided a good way to not completely fail on ideas for short stories is to use this wonderful website called Figment-- or rather, their wonderful Daily Themes. These are prompts to get the creative juices flowing, which is good because I've been itching to write something for a while now and I just can't get past that stupid wall blocking my way.
Anywho, today's Daily Theme is: "Ping! Bam! Pow! Splat! Choose two of the most evocative onomatopoeic words you can thing of. Now write a story that begins with one and ends with the other."
Here goes nothing!
---
Shrieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!
The screeching assaulted Mallory's ears as she scrambled for a handhold. The train's glistening metal exterior was scalding to the touch due to its many hours trapped in the summer sun, but Mal barely noticed, her fingers clutching onto the railing at the roof of the train for dear life.
Down below Aidan climbed the ladder with ease, his obnoxiously blue eyes gazing up at her. "Hurry!" he said urgently.
Mallory wanted to snap at him, or maybe stomp on his fingers, but even from here she could hear the bounty hunter's heavy bootfall as he ran from the front of the car to the back. She gulped and followed Aidan's advice, shooting the rest of the way up the ladder and onto the train's roof.
The train's wheels moaned again as it started to creep forward. Mal lurched as the car did, but Aidan caught her by the shoulders as he appeared by her side. He pointed down to the locomotive at the front and yelled something she couldn't make out.
"What?" she yelled back.
Aidan grabbed pointed again, put his mouth right next to her ear, and shouted, "We have to warn the conductor!"
Oh. She knew that.
Mal took a step and almost fell off the train. It was picking up speed, and with the speed came difficulty to hold on. What was she doing up here? This was crazy! Aidan noticed her hesitation and grabbed her hand. Any other time she would've pulled away, or smacked him-- probably both. But his support allowed her to take another step, and another.
Ping!
Something slammed into the roof next to Mal's foot. She yelped and jumped, clutching at Aidan's hand. He looked back, then turned forward, grim-faced. Mal went to look at what he looked at, but Aidan shook his head.
"Keep moving!" he said in her ear, pointing again to make sure she understood. "Don't stop!"
"What are you going to do?" Mallory asked him, but Aidan was already turning, not hearing her. As Mal looked back again, she saw the bounty hunter, a black, glistening pistol in hand. The good news was that it looked like he was having a hard time holding it, let alone aiming it. The bad news was that Aidan was headed straight for him.
Why did guys have to be so stupidly heroic? Mallory felt trapped. Should she help Aidan? Or tell the conductor that the train was under attack?
She rolled her eyes skyward, mouthing a silent prayer for Aidan's health, and started again for the front of the train.
Ping!
So I've decided a good way to not completely fail on ideas for short stories is to use this wonderful website called Figment-- or rather, their wonderful Daily Themes. These are prompts to get the creative juices flowing, which is good because I've been itching to write something for a while now and I just can't get past that stupid wall blocking my way.
Anywho, today's Daily Theme is: "Ping! Bam! Pow! Splat! Choose two of the most evocative onomatopoeic words you can thing of. Now write a story that begins with one and ends with the other."
Here goes nothing!
---
Shrieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!
The screeching assaulted Mallory's ears as she scrambled for a handhold. The train's glistening metal exterior was scalding to the touch due to its many hours trapped in the summer sun, but Mal barely noticed, her fingers clutching onto the railing at the roof of the train for dear life.
Down below Aidan climbed the ladder with ease, his obnoxiously blue eyes gazing up at her. "Hurry!" he said urgently.
Mallory wanted to snap at him, or maybe stomp on his fingers, but even from here she could hear the bounty hunter's heavy bootfall as he ran from the front of the car to the back. She gulped and followed Aidan's advice, shooting the rest of the way up the ladder and onto the train's roof.
The train's wheels moaned again as it started to creep forward. Mal lurched as the car did, but Aidan caught her by the shoulders as he appeared by her side. He pointed down to the locomotive at the front and yelled something she couldn't make out.
"What?" she yelled back.
Aidan grabbed pointed again, put his mouth right next to her ear, and shouted, "We have to warn the conductor!"
Oh. She knew that.
Mal took a step and almost fell off the train. It was picking up speed, and with the speed came difficulty to hold on. What was she doing up here? This was crazy! Aidan noticed her hesitation and grabbed her hand. Any other time she would've pulled away, or smacked him-- probably both. But his support allowed her to take another step, and another.
Ping!
Something slammed into the roof next to Mal's foot. She yelped and jumped, clutching at Aidan's hand. He looked back, then turned forward, grim-faced. Mal went to look at what he looked at, but Aidan shook his head.
"Keep moving!" he said in her ear, pointing again to make sure she understood. "Don't stop!"
"What are you going to do?" Mallory asked him, but Aidan was already turning, not hearing her. As Mal looked back again, she saw the bounty hunter, a black, glistening pistol in hand. The good news was that it looked like he was having a hard time holding it, let alone aiming it. The bad news was that Aidan was headed straight for him.
Why did guys have to be so stupidly heroic? Mallory felt trapped. Should she help Aidan? Or tell the conductor that the train was under attack?
She rolled her eyes skyward, mouthing a silent prayer for Aidan's health, and started again for the front of the train.
Ping!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
"Jasmine" is a Hooker Name
FIRST OF ALL, I wanna thank you guys who followed me! I'm at 10 followers... which is crazy... Because I totally didn't expect people to actually read my little ramblings. So thank you. *beams* I've made a pact to hopefully make my blog a little more writing-like and hopefully a little more entertaining for people to read. :P
Speaking of, I had an epiphany a few days ago. I read the amazing book, The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder, and was inspired to write something inspiring. Or rather, I want other people to feel the way I felt reading that book, reading my book. But I couldn't figure out what to write to make it not so depressing.
So I came up with a few ideas. (I know people say not to write summaries until after the book is written, but I happen to love writing summaries, so there. :P )
Jasmine is a Hooker Name:
People always write their autobiographies when they're at least in their thirties and honestly, how are you supposed to remember what it was like to be young when you're that age? So this is my life, as told from a teen's point of view, at that moment in life where everything is either going better than you'd hoped or falling apart-- depending on the weekday. Life is a constant roller coaster, and when you're fifteen you seem to finally understand that not everything's perfect. Not even you.
When You're Older:
Kelly Ross makes the discovery of a lifetime-- a letter she wrote to her future self when she was a teenager, reminding herself of all the things a parent should and should not do, all the things to keep in mind even as an adult, and all the things she should hope to understand when she's older. People change the older they get, but it's being young at heart that makes the difference in how to live your life.
Confessions of a Compulsive Liar:
Ivy English is a compulsive liar.
(No, really.)
She's pretty good at it, too, until she gets caught one time too many and is sent away to attend a rehabilitation camp for compulsive liars. There she meets Jay, a Latino who secretly drag races motorcycles; Amber, who can talk her way out of anything; and Parker, the camp's overly helpful director who is more than he appears. They all seem like perfectly nice people-- except the fact that they're all skin deep in a lie they can't escape.
And if Ivy wants to help them, she has to first figure out how to pull down the walls she built and quit lying, to both herself and everyone else.
Happy Enough:
Music was Cammie Banes' life, until a disease ripped through her and stole her voice. After two years of chronic depression a change of scenery is in order, and Cammie is moved all the way across the country to sunny Miami, Florida.
Cammie doesn't think life could get any worse-- that is, until she meets Gino Santos. Gino might just be the happiest boy alive, and Cammie would know. He plays his guitar on the street corner outside of her apartment every morning.
Gino doesn't understand why Cammie doesn't like him, and Cammie doesn't understand how he could stay so happy while life takes you for a tailspin. But there are things about Gino Santos even she doesn't know, things that could change her perspective for the better.
Perfectly Kissable:
Lani Long lands the lead role of a lifetime in her school's play. Unfortunately, it requires her to kiss the male protagonist.
The only problem? Lani's never been kissed.
Maybe to other people it wouldn't be such a big deal, but Lani wants her first kiss to mean something. It has to be in the perfect spot, at the perfect time, with the perfect guy. With only three months left until opening night, Lani needs to find and fall in love with a boy to have her first kiss with before she can smooch the actor playing her love interest, which is easier said than done. Love has a funny way of reminding you what's more important-- the perfect kiss, or the perfect moment to have it.
---
So those are a few running through my brain. I might combine a few into one... maybe. Although I would love your input! Which one would you guys read?
Speaking of, I had an epiphany a few days ago. I read the amazing book, The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder, and was inspired to write something inspiring. Or rather, I want other people to feel the way I felt reading that book, reading my book. But I couldn't figure out what to write to make it not so depressing.
So I came up with a few ideas. (I know people say not to write summaries until after the book is written, but I happen to love writing summaries, so there. :P )
Jasmine is a Hooker Name:
People always write their autobiographies when they're at least in their thirties and honestly, how are you supposed to remember what it was like to be young when you're that age? So this is my life, as told from a teen's point of view, at that moment in life where everything is either going better than you'd hoped or falling apart-- depending on the weekday. Life is a constant roller coaster, and when you're fifteen you seem to finally understand that not everything's perfect. Not even you.
When You're Older:
Kelly Ross makes the discovery of a lifetime-- a letter she wrote to her future self when she was a teenager, reminding herself of all the things a parent should and should not do, all the things to keep in mind even as an adult, and all the things she should hope to understand when she's older. People change the older they get, but it's being young at heart that makes the difference in how to live your life.
Confessions of a Compulsive Liar:
Ivy English is a compulsive liar.
(No, really.)
She's pretty good at it, too, until she gets caught one time too many and is sent away to attend a rehabilitation camp for compulsive liars. There she meets Jay, a Latino who secretly drag races motorcycles; Amber, who can talk her way out of anything; and Parker, the camp's overly helpful director who is more than he appears. They all seem like perfectly nice people-- except the fact that they're all skin deep in a lie they can't escape.
And if Ivy wants to help them, she has to first figure out how to pull down the walls she built and quit lying, to both herself and everyone else.
Happy Enough:
Music was Cammie Banes' life, until a disease ripped through her and stole her voice. After two years of chronic depression a change of scenery is in order, and Cammie is moved all the way across the country to sunny Miami, Florida.
Cammie doesn't think life could get any worse-- that is, until she meets Gino Santos. Gino might just be the happiest boy alive, and Cammie would know. He plays his guitar on the street corner outside of her apartment every morning.
Gino doesn't understand why Cammie doesn't like him, and Cammie doesn't understand how he could stay so happy while life takes you for a tailspin. But there are things about Gino Santos even she doesn't know, things that could change her perspective for the better.
Perfectly Kissable:
Lani Long lands the lead role of a lifetime in her school's play. Unfortunately, it requires her to kiss the male protagonist.
The only problem? Lani's never been kissed.
Maybe to other people it wouldn't be such a big deal, but Lani wants her first kiss to mean something. It has to be in the perfect spot, at the perfect time, with the perfect guy. With only three months left until opening night, Lani needs to find and fall in love with a boy to have her first kiss with before she can smooch the actor playing her love interest, which is easier said than done. Love has a funny way of reminding you what's more important-- the perfect kiss, or the perfect moment to have it.
---
So those are a few running through my brain. I might combine a few into one... maybe. Although I would love your input! Which one would you guys read?
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Breaking Hearts
Hehe I am soooo not a romance person... Despite this, my writing always seems to have a sprinkling of romance in it. What can I say? I'm a fan of the guy getting the girl. So I decided I haven't written any posts that have specifically to do with writing, so this is me. Doing that.
Right. On with it.
My favorite romantic archetype is the love-hate relationship. I know, it's horribly cliche, but when done right it's simply adorable! And by "done right" I mean not having a "boy meets girl, girl hates boy, something happens and then they make out" plotline. C'mon, people, when does anything work like that?
I like twisting cliches. In my book Oops, Maya kidnaps Rocky, so naturally they should hate each other. But after the many times Maya saves Rocky's life, he falls for her hard. It's Maya who has a hard time admitting her feelings about Rocky. See-- a love-hate relationship! A fun one, if you're asking me!
In Death and Other Things I Fail At, Sophia and Eli have an awkward relationship-- she posesses him (literally) and he hates her for doing so. Not to mention, Eli likes Kari but she doesn't give him the time of day. It's another one of those love-hate relationships that sort of makes sense but doesn't at the same time. I like the idea that falling in love is a slow process, one that should last either the entire book or the entire series (like Maya and Rocky's relationship. Or Lucky and Ava's).
((SPOILER AHEAD FOR THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES))
It's probably one of the reasons I despised the Peeta/Katniss relationship. How many ups and downs can you have in one series? I mean, LITERAL ones? First she hated him and he loved her, then she pretended to like him and he still loved her, then he found out and hated her, then she had to pretend again, and then-- dude, my brain can only take so much.
((END SPOILER))
Like I said, I'm not a romantic expert. Never had a boyfriend, let alone a first date or breakup. Or a first kiss for that matter. But those are sentimental things to me, y'know? So love should be sentimental. It should mean something, not only be a plot device to move the story along.
What about you guys? Got any romantic preferences? Hit me up!
Right. On with it.
PHOTO CREDIT: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Broken_heart.svg/220px-Broken_heart.svg.png
My favorite romantic archetype is the love-hate relationship. I know, it's horribly cliche, but when done right it's simply adorable! And by "done right" I mean not having a "boy meets girl, girl hates boy, something happens and then they make out" plotline. C'mon, people, when does anything work like that?
I like twisting cliches. In my book Oops, Maya kidnaps Rocky, so naturally they should hate each other. But after the many times Maya saves Rocky's life, he falls for her hard. It's Maya who has a hard time admitting her feelings about Rocky. See-- a love-hate relationship! A fun one, if you're asking me!
In Death and Other Things I Fail At, Sophia and Eli have an awkward relationship-- she posesses him (literally) and he hates her for doing so. Not to mention, Eli likes Kari but she doesn't give him the time of day. It's another one of those love-hate relationships that sort of makes sense but doesn't at the same time. I like the idea that falling in love is a slow process, one that should last either the entire book or the entire series (like Maya and Rocky's relationship. Or Lucky and Ava's).
((SPOILER AHEAD FOR THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES))
It's probably one of the reasons I despised the Peeta/Katniss relationship. How many ups and downs can you have in one series? I mean, LITERAL ones? First she hated him and he loved her, then she pretended to like him and he still loved her, then he found out and hated her, then she had to pretend again, and then-- dude, my brain can only take so much.
((END SPOILER))
Like I said, I'm not a romantic expert. Never had a boyfriend, let alone a first date or breakup. Or a first kiss for that matter. But those are sentimental things to me, y'know? So love should be sentimental. It should mean something, not only be a plot device to move the story along.
What about you guys? Got any romantic preferences? Hit me up!
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