Do you ever tell yourself that you should sit down and write, only to feel that nothing worth writing about has happened in your life? This was me. All summer.
Don’t get me wrong, I did things in the last couple of months. I’ve been hiking, helping around the house, taking krav maga classes, spending time with family and friends at the beach…but other than that, all I’ve really been doing is reading. I thought I would blog about my time spent preparing for exchange, but other than a day trip to San Francisco (or Mission: storm the consulate, as I like to refer to it) for my study permit processing, it hasn’t been all that riveting of a process.
My summer has instead been one of that spent reading, and I have loved every adventurous moment of it. Summer has always been my favorite time to get cozy with a good book and simply slip into the escape of a world more thrilling than that of concrete covered San Jose, and that is exactly what I did this summer, foregoing usual responsibilities such as finding a job or preparing for the oncoming semester.
Mostly I have been reading The Mortal Instruments series. I read the first novel, City of Bones, around winter time. I had seen the movie last summer, and, contrary to the majority of critics, I absolutely loved it. I could tell it was cheesy and I simply didn’t care; it was enthralling. And so, with school over by May 1st, I went to reading the second novel, City of Ashes, which quickly led to an entire entrapment I felt come over me by the series, and before I knew it I had read all six novels.
Now don’t get me wrong, the series isn’t the most mature or developed piece of literature I’ve read, and anyone who’s read fanficition before can identify the similar writing styles (that is the origin of the series). What I love so much about the series, something I loved in the other novel I read this summer, The Maze Runner, something I have loved in few series passed, and what will keep me reading Clare’s work so long as she is publishing it, is the sheer strength and bravery of the characters. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Inheritance Cycle, The Unwind Dystology, and The Divergent Trilogy have all had this in them and found special places in my heart for it. Yes, I am a little too YA driven. I can’t help it; I’m drawn to action, passion, and bravery beyond all else. They inspire me to be strong and agile in both mind and body, and they lead me to believe that I am capable of incredible feats.
My mother gets annoyed at how much time I spend reading, but I can’t help it, and I wouldn’t change it if I could. What about The Mortal Instruments that especially draws me in is the idea that this entire world exists within our own, and we are just too blind to see it. That extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people. I already know I’ll be looking for my own extraordinary adventures in life, starting when I get on that plane to Norway in two and a half weeks.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading my ramblings! I’ll try to post more before and after I leave. For now I’ll leave you with a quote:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once.”-George R.R. Martin
dream.think.work. 
I really can’t understand why people didn’t like The Mortal Instruments movie. I thought it was pretty good, one of the better book-to-movie adaptations, for sure. I guess people just WANT to be unhappy? I mean, obviously there isn’t enough time to include everything, and some changes get made. They’re different mediums, and I think both can be enjoyed.
If you’ve read TMI, have you gotten to The Infernal Devices? I actually liked those much better than TMI, but that’s just me!
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I agree, people will always nit-pick and be unhappy about adaptions. Having now read the book and rewatched the movie, I think there are obvious some holes in the screenwriting (Clary’s not supposed to get the cup at the end!!), but the characters are what drive the novels, and they, in my opinion, were very well cast.
I am actually now 54 pages into Clockwork Angel! That was the main plus sign on that page count. I intend on reading all of TID before I leave in two weeks and start school and new adventures. So far so good!
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I agree. I think the casting was really well done in that movie (for the most part). Yeah, I could nitpick a bit about Alec and more than a bit about Valentine, but that all gets down to personal opinions, really. I’m sure some people loved them in it. I really thought most of the casting was great.
I think the whole thing is that we could all complain about some part of a movie. I just don’t think that should be a reason to dislike it as a whole.
Kind of like with Vampire Academy, though. (I don’t know if you’ve seen it/read the books.) I LOVED the casting in that movie, but there were some major issues with pacing and whatnot. Still enjoyed it.
I really hope you enjoy TID. SO good.
What do you think about Will/Jem?
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I haven’t read/seen Vampire Academy, but I do agree on your point. Growing up with a big love for Harry Potter, I found the novels will always make the movies look bad, but if you can see them as stand-alone pieces, movie adaptions often deserve more credit than we give them (though some are still plain awful).
As for TID, I’m about 270 pages into Clockwork Angel, and so far, so good! I adore Will and Jem, and everyone else for that reason. I do love an overly cocky, yet secretly tortured and devilishly handsome hero any day of the week. I anticipated not liking Tessa, I think for the love triangle aspects I know will play into the trilogy more later, but as of yet I like her well enough.
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Vampire Academy is definitely one of my favorites. I remember picking it up and thinking it was going to be garbage because of the name, then it got past the first book and I just loved it.
I really do think the adaptations deserve more credit.
Hehe, yeah, it’s pretty easy to love Will and Jem. I think you described Will perfectly there!
It might just be me, but I ended up liking Tessa more than Clary. I don’t know if that would’ve been the same if TMI had stopped with the three instead of continuing on with six.
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So I have now finished TID and will be posting about it later today, but as for Tessa and Clary, there are things I like more about Tessa than Clary, such as her spirit and fight (and of course her love of books), as well as that for her doing the right thing was always for the ones she loved, all of them, whereas Clary mostly focuses on Jace. The only thing that makes her fall short in my book is the love trilogy part. I’m a little too traditionally focused and so the whole two soul mates part did sort of bother me. I felt as though her and Jem were friends, and when he confessed his feelings, she wanted what he wanted because she wanted him to be happy. All of that said, I like that that wasn’t the entire focus of her character; as they say, she’s too head-strong to truly belong to anyone but herself.
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I’m SO SORRY it took me so long to reply to this. I haven’t really been on here.
I’ll have to go check out what you posted about TID.
I totally agree with you. I kind of wondered if I was the only one who got that impression from Tessa/Jem. I mean, I had a difficult time deciding how I felt about Will/Jem (really loved both of them), but to me it seemed like with Tessa it was more, ‘I love him this way rather than this way,’ and with Will, it was, ‘I just love him’. Does that make sense?
It’s been a while since I’ve read the books. And I’ll be honest, I still haven’t gotten to the third. It’s been in a moving box since I bought it. (sadface) I know what happens though. The ‘two soul mates’ aspect doesn’t really bother me. It’s more of it being THOSE PARTICULAR ‘two soul mates’. And it is kind of like a cop-out, but that’s just my opinion. I still loved the books though.
But you’re right. Clary definitely mostly focuses on Jace. JaceJaceJace.
(Am I the only one that preferred Will over Jace?)
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No worries! It’s good to be busy.
I’ve read what Cassandra Clare has to say on the whole triangle bit and that she wanted to portray an unconventional type of love triangle just to show that they exist, and I’ve come to appreciate Jem/Tessa’s relationship, but I agree, with Will it was “I just love him.” My friend read Clockwork Angel because I recommended the series, and one of her reasons for not wanting to read Clockwork Prince was that Will was an asshole and the author clearly favored him, which is interesting since she has said she always kept a balance between him and Jem. I don’t think it came across as balanced as she thought.
And I agree about the two soul mates thing being a bit of a cop-out. Sort of like when everyone wondered if Harry Potter would die or not, and then JKR had him die but come back to life. In both cases the author picked one, but then let the other happen as well.
And no you are not the only one who preferred Will over Jace! I will defend Jace until the end..unless it is against Will.
I do recommend you read Clockwork Princess (it made me cry ugly tears despite all the spoilers), but of course you know you should when you have time, you’re one of the reasons I read the Infernal Devices.
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I think I would lose my mind completely if I didn’t keep busy. lol
Yeah, I read what she wrote about the ending as well. I definitely see why she did it. (Still think it was a cop-out with the way it was all set up.) I really like putting it out there that people can fall in love more than THE ONE TIME. But I’m holding on to what I said, even if I like the idea of it. Does that make sense? ha
I agree that it was VERY similar to the Harry Potter thing. That doesn’t stop me from loving the series (just like this whole TID won’t stop me from loving it either), but I guess it’s a bit of a letdown. Then again, when something is so good, the letdowns don’t seem like as big a deal as they would with others.
I don’t think Will was an assHOLE. I think he was just an ass. There’s such a big difference. I can see why people would think that though.
I’m SO GLAD someone else preferred Will over Jace! I re-read some of TMI (this was before the newest ones were released) after the first TID and I was like . . . “Yeah, no comparison really.”
I’m sure some people thought it was balanced between Will and Jem (or more than I thought), but there was always a clear distinction in my mind. I do have to wonder if the way I personally felt about Will (he’s one of my favorite book boys ever) impacted how I looked at the story as a whole. I’ll have to re-read the first two before getting to the third (once I get the third out of that box!), so I might try to look at it a bit more objectively this next time . . .
I’m glad I was part of the reason you read the books. 😀
(Sorry this was so long!)
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I love how long this is. And how much we tend to agree with each other. The let downs in my favorite series never bother me like the small problems in decent series, because I just love them so much already. And I think it’s important for people to realize you can have two soul mates and fall in love more than once, but I guess I’m still unsure about it happening at the same time.
I have the same exact problem with not knowing if the clear distinction I saw of Tessa and Will having a greater love was because of how it was written or just because I personally love Will better. I think it may be a combination of my love for Will and the fact that Jem and Tessa aren’t really romantic until Clockwork Prince, whereas her and Will have had a couple of moments by then. I’ve noticed that when Clare posted art of intimate moments between Jem and Tessa and Will and Tessa at the same time, the one of Will and Tessa quickly got almost twice as many notes as the one of Jem and Tessa, so I get the feeling that we aren’t alone in favoring him/their relationship.
And I love Jem as well! I just prefer the characters that burn the brightest. I don’t have terribly strong feelings for Alec or Simon either. I know it’s unfair, and I do appreciate them, but they just aren’t my favorites. And as sweet and beautiful of a character as Jem was, knowing from the start that he was going to die, he at times did feel a bit like dead weight (that sounds harsh).
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Okay, I’m glad the length didn’t weird you out. Sometimes I have to stop myself by saying, “Come on now, C. Nobody is going to want to respond to a comment that’s as long as their post.”
I get carried away sometimes (and don’t listen to that reasoning) . . .
BUT! It’s pretty easy to do that when you’re agreeing with someone. And it’s much more enjoyable to write a lot when you’re agreeing than disagreeing. (You see how much I’ve already written without saying much of anything? I have major issues. XD)
I totally agree with that. The SMALLEST things can get to me (and irk the CRAP out of me) when I’m not really into a book, and they wouldn’t bother me at all in a different one.
I don’t think I ever really contemplated the soulmate thing in that aspect, with them being at the same time. I guess my issue with it was who they were to each other. I mean, I guess that sort of thing HAPPENS. Just a bit weird to me. (I’m a firm believer that weird doesn’t equate to bad, at least not always.) So yeah, you bringing up the timing aspect of it is kind of making me look at it in a whole new light. Because you think about these love ‘triangles’ in these books (more like ‘love V’s’), and one always comes out on top. Not saying that if it were ‘real life’ they would stay together or whatever. But in this, there is no actual choice made.
I really need to get that third book read so I can have better input on this. What I really want to question is . . . Would it have ended up the way it did if not for Jem’s illness?
I guess this is the sign of a good book/series.
ha
And isn’t it almost a shame that we’re not alone in the Will preference? As I said, I really think that if Jem was in ANY other YA series, this would be totally different. Then again, he’s not the ‘bad boy’ that most people seem to flock to, so maybe I’m wrong all around with that. But I really did love Jem.
Just . . . WILL. GAH.
Don’t you wish you could see what Will actually looks like in Clare’s head?
This is why I wish I could draw, so I could hold it up and say, “This is what my characters look like. Now you know.”
All I’m left with is perusing IMDB (which I do anyway) and piecing together bits of people (in my head, obvs) that have some quality that reminds me of whichever character I’ve written.
I definitely never really cared for Alec. Maybe that’s bad of me, but I just never really did. Liked Magnus, of course. (And how great was the actor in the movie for him? Wish he’d had more screen time.)
Okay, okay, maybe your dead weight comment was a bit harsh. I laughed anyway. I don’t know if I was supposed to, but I did.
Hm. Maybe that’s partially the reason you don’t gravitate as much to Jem as you potentially could? Because it’s always in your mind that he’s dying?
Or wouldn’t that make you gravitate to him more?
GAH! All the questions!
(These are getting longer. Apologies. haha)
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Wow I really enjoyed reading all of that. I’m afraid I may have looked a little strange smiling into my laptop in the dining hall. Oh well!
Words are your craft, of course you like to use a lot of them! I always find it’s easier to write a 50 word sentence than to say the same amount in half the words, at least without it sounding completely juvenile.
I think the fact that their relationships and how it was written is so weird to us really does prove Clare wrote something special. I constantly have to push my own mental boundaries to appreciate and understand what she was trying to do. I’ve always wondered about Jem’s illness as well. Would Tessa have agreed to marry him if he wasn’t dying? I believe in polyamory but usually to a certain extent. Multiple soulmates at different times? Yes, 100%. Liking two people at the same time? Sure, it totally happens. Finding two soulmates at the same time, and loving them equally? It’s just a stretch for me. And Clare’s said that Will was more suited for Tessa in her younger days and Jem for her after she’s lived a long life, which falls under my two soulmates at different times category, except she falls in love with them at the same time. Maybe it’s just one of those less than one in a million odds that you find two people perfect for you who happen to both be in love with you at the same time, and that’s why I’m disbelieving.
I do love Jem, don’t get me wrong. Even if I did see him a bit as dead weight..I’m very good at detaching from things I know I can’t keep. Plus, I knew he’d be the lovable character everyone would want to weep for with his illness and pure heart, and I naturally rebel against the system. That really made it sound like I don’t love him. I tried to rebel! But I still love him, especially with the new story Clare posted on her Tumblr of a Jessa scene. He really is strong-willed and admirable.
I know what you mean about seeing the characters. Clare has her friend Cassandra Jean make artwork of the characters all the time, but they’re not realistic enough for me. And now that I’m starting to write my own book, I try drawing my characters, but what comes out on the page doesn’t even portray the picture in my head accurately. It’s rather frustrating.
I was wondering, with how much you read in the same genre that you write, do you ever start to question how original your stories and characters really are? I haven’t read your books (though I plan to!) but starting to write now it’s hard not to question myself. I just think as I shape the story over time it will more clearly stand out as my own.
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Sorry it took me a bit to reply to this. I spent the last week or so writing. I did hop on here to write up a blog and I had every intention of responding to comments then. Unfortunately I was super tired and decided against doing that. I say weird stuff when I’m tired . . .
LoL. I’m sorry about the potential strangeness in the dining hall! (I’m glad I don’t have to worry about people staring at me while I’m on here. You wanna talk about strangeness? I’d have the cops called on me when I’m writing/editing sometimes, I bet. ‘That weird chick is crying and/or talking to herself. I think she’s insane.’)
XD
I get what you’re saying. It’s definitely easier for me to write more than less. I like knowing that if anyone misunderstands what I mean, it’s either because I’m a moron and couldn’t get it out, or it just doesn’t translate well to text. (I write on my blog how I talk, only without the stuttering, which I’m sure leads to people thinking I’m a moron.) I just like being as in-depth as possible with responses and whatnot. I don’t want people to think I didn’t pay attention to what they were saying.
That’s what I love about books, seriously. I think anything that can make people push those mental boundaries and/or look at ANYTHING in a different light is a good thing. Promoting openness and all that. 🙂
Hm. THAT is a VERY GOOD QUESTION. WOULD she have agreed to it if he wasn’t sick? I mean, was she just trying to make him happy because he was dying? WHAT WAS IT?
I guess we’ll never know . . .
Hm.
I guess then (with what you said after that) it gets into soulmates in general. CAN you love any two people equally? I feel like, if it’s down to strictly two people – even at different times – one of them is always going to be more than the other to you. At least in some way. I really do think that would have to be those one in a million odds you said.
LOL That Jem paragraph cracked me up. I haven’t seen that scene (lol, seen the scene) she posted. I’d probably need to have read that third book anyway . . .
He really was just a fantastic character. Such a shame . . . All around, just such a shame. I loved him. I just wish I’d liked him more, if that makes sense. And I should have, because he was just so great.
BUT WILL. But I do love Jem.
I’m kind of sitting here chuckling a bit at how Clare managed to do this. XD
Yeah, if I were able to draw my characters (or had someone who could), I would definitely want them to be realistic. I would for sure nitpick over it and how things weren’t JUST RIGHT. So I can imagine how frustrating that would be for you. >.<
Still, it's probably better than saying, "If you mixed up this part of so and so's face with this part of so and so's face, then throw this other person's hair on top . . . Yeah, that's still not close enough, but it's passable."
As for your question about writing . . .
The first series I wrote was in the genre I read most often (YA, Paranormal). Most of the stories I've written lately haven't been in either. (It was the only one in both.) Changing the genre DEFINITELY changes everything.
With that first series, I was basically just flying blind the entire time. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, or what I should do, or how it should be done. (Still don't know if I found a clue, haha.)
That's definitely something that's crossed my mind, and honestly? That's part of the reason my reading has slowed down to what it has. Along with having essentially zero time TO read, I'm concerned about inadvertently . . . not TAKING something, but that something I read might alter something already in my head. I've never had that happen, but I don't WANT that to happen. (This bit will make the most sense after the end note.)
But when I first started out and was writing in that genre, it's DEFINITELY hard to escape from that. I mean, even if you see something as completely original in your head, SOMEONE might think it's similar to something else (be it the story itself, the characters, setting, anything). LoL, there are only so many hair colors, you know?
The way I can sort of explain it is: Superhero movies. They're all essentially the same. Superhero goes up against villain. All hope is lost. Superhero saves the day.
But I don't look at any of them as similar past the premise. There are always different things, different explosions, different SOMETHING.
I think the way to look at is . . . You're making something original. Unless you're actually TAKING things from other books, in which case . . . not-original and very bad. And people like what they like. If you're writing a story about werewolves, people who like werewolf books are going to read it. I mean, you can do what you want with it and make it as crazy as you want, but in the end . . . it's still a book about werewolves. You know what I mean?
I just know that when I started writing in Fantasy, it changed everything for me. (My entire writing style. Everything.) And truth be told? I haven't read that many fantasy novels. I'm glad about that because you sort of get these little 'rules' (to which I say, "Good day, Sir.") with any genre that say certain things HAVE to be a certain way. It's like . . . I don't care if Elves are a certain way in other books. They're going to be what they are in my head, and that's just the end of it.
I say just do what feels right to you and try not to worry about that sort of stuff. I know in my experience (definitely can't speak for everyone), once you start writing them, they definitely stand out as YOURS.
I hope all of that made sense . . .
(Might be hard with all the ellipses . . . . . . . . .) XD
(End note: Also, I read a while back on Stephen King's FAQ page, he talked about how many times he's been sued for plagiarism despite not plagiarizing. He said something about how there's really nothing to deal with if you haven't even read the book they're talking about. That's sort of the way I go about it now, to be honest. If I haven't read something, I don't have to worry about someone potentially skewering my original thought into theirs. You know?)
I really do hope all this made sense.
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I think this is your longest yet! I spent most of my week in bed so no worries, I understand being just too tired to do things.
I don’t think she agreed to marry him JUST because he was sick, I think she thought it would make them both happy, BUT, after Will declares his feelings for her, she seems a bit regretful, which is what I wonder about most. Would she have called it off at that point? Because you can’t just stop your engagement with a dying man. But like you said, we’ll never know.
Now if you believe that you have to love one more than the other, even in some small way, that goes against what Clare is arguing to have done. But then such is the beauty of words and what we’re allowed to build with them. It’s just harder to digest them when you aren’t sure of their merit in our world.
Every time you start saying you love Jem, it always ends in “BUT WILL”. Which is pretty much what my brain does, too. What I find funny is that I consider Will to be a bit of a whiny brat, who handles his problems in a much less mature way than Jem, and I love Jem for everything he is, and yet I STILL love Will more. It’s just hard to fully appreciate the beauty of the moon when the sun is outshining it.
See, but because I’m not great at drawing, my attempts at drawing are still “her nose, but her eyes, and maybe her hair”, because I can’t see the details in my mind clearly enough to be able to draw them with any skill. If only we could print our mental images like polaroids…
Thank you so much about the uncertainties with writing. I definitely understand what you mean of just not reading things that might influence what you’re writing, and it eventually becoming your own. My inspiration came in the genre I love most, YA fantasy, so I think it’s natural to feel that my favorite books are possibly influencing the story, even if it’s my own. Right now I’m reading through the rest of the Maze Runner series, so that’s a dystopian, and then I had already decided I need to start reading more classics, and I think that will be a good change while I’m writing. Then if there’s influence it may be from themes, but overall themes of stories haven’t changed since the ancient Greeks, so no one’s original in that regard.
I have yet to read a single Stephen King book, and yet how I love him so. And it’s true, so long as I believe the ideas are my own, and I haven’t read something that could make me think otherwise, then there’s nothing I can do. Now I just need to find the time to start really writing (without completely ignoring school and my need for a source of income).
Thank you again!
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Yeaaaah, they seem to be getting longer. (Apologies!) Maybe I can keep this one a bit shorter. (Not holding my breath for that, but I’ll try.)
Were you sick last week? 😦
Hm. That’s a good question. If Jem WASN’T dying . . . WOULD she have called it off? You’re totally right in saying we’ll never know, but it’s something to ponder on.
You’re also totally right in saying that it [my statement] undermined what she was trying to do. I didn’t realize that until you said it, but yeah, you’re right. I guess it’s just hard for me (from a realistic standpoint) to think, ‘Yeah, okay, that’s possible.’ And maybe it’s just getting back to what we started out saying – that it always seemed like she preferred Will, making it not as even as intended. I really need to re-read those. The question is whether or not I can separate my feelings from it to see what’s actually (potentially) there.
Loved what you said about the moon/sun. PERFECTLY described. There were definitely times where you sort of had to just shake your head at Will and his immaturity, but . . . can’t help but love him anyway.
So weird how that works.
GAH. Mental images to polariods. IF ONLY. So badly wish that were possible.
I was looking at drawing tutorials the other day, and I really wish I could draw to save my life. I just don’t know that I have the patience for it. It takes so long and I’m always so busy. >.< (But I've never had the patience for that sort of thing, unfortunately.)
If your favorite is YA fantasy . . . have you read Graceling? (Have I asked you that?) It's one of my favorites.
I haven't read any of the Maze Runner books. I'm going to, but I'm waiting to watch the first movie.
How is the reading classics thing going? I should really read some of those . . .
Stephen King books are REALLY hit-or-miss. There are some of them that I absolutely love, and there were some I just couldn't finish. As exceptional as his writing is (or can be) (in my opinion), I don't know that I've ever got the 'I CANNOT PUT THIS DOWN' feeling from any of them. There were some I DIDN'T put down, but that was due to a lack of other things to do. I really want to read The Stand at some point, but that's a massive undertaking.
Hopefully you find the time to write soon! It really is hard to balance that and 'other things'.
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Okay, I officially win for longest response time. So sorry about that! I fell off the face of the earth for two weeks while I crammed in some papers for school, and I’m just now really getting back into the swing of things.
And yes, reading and separating feelings to analyze the structure and content really isn’t easy. Literature is intended to invoke emotions, and Clare definitely does that, whether or not they’re the emotions she intends. I can only hope I can write something that makes people feel so strongly, that would surely make me feel accomplished.
Yeahh, I’m starting to give up on the drawing my characters thing. I really want to, but I need to be writing and not stressing over it not looking perfect. Because it will never look perfect. My artistic ability is one that is faked..kind of like forged paintings. If I sit down long enough I can replicate something (though not well enough to make a living like they do), but I can’t just make something original look good.
I haven’t heard of Graceling, but I’ll add it to my list of books to read. I’m almost done with the last Maze Runner book, haven’t moved on to the classics yet. I plan on doing so after finishing this one. I really like the Maze Runner trilogy. I hate generalizing and stereotyping, but I do tend to find that male YA authors write more plot-driven stories, so it’s kind of the opposite of the Infernal Devices. Instead of having these beautiful characters and a simple plot, you get characters that might take you a book or two for you to warm up to because they don’t have much information or development, but they’re thrown into crazy situations that you can’t stop reading about.
So what Stephen King books do you recommend? I’m inclined towards Carrie or It just because of the movies, and I know King hates Carrie even though it got him his fame, which makes me want to read it more.
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I’ll go weeks without being on here sometimes, so long response times are totally fine with me. I get it! Real life comes first. 🙂
That’s always the hope, that someone will feel something or take something positive away from your work. I think as long as you stay focused on that, you’ll be able to accomplish it. 🙂
I’ve never been able to draw by imagination either. And when I say ‘draw’ I mean it loosely. I’m lucky to get decent stick figures by imagination. But I guess with the way you were describing what works for you with it . . . how does ALTERING those images go for you? Just wondering.
I really loved Graceling. I know I said that, but I seriously did. There was just something about it . . .
I still have yet to see The Maze Runner. I want to pretty badly. Not looking good for finding the time to get to the theater though.
Hm. I think in my experience with YA books, you’re right about the differences between the genders of the authors. I’ve noticed that when I’m reading them by male authors, the characters are taken as secondary to plot in my head whether that was intended or not. But I think a lot of times it’s easier for men to write in that way, if that makes sense. (I know I have a difficult time with action and that I’m always WAY more focused on characters and their developments/interactions.) Really is strange how that works. Or maybe not. Maybe INTERESTING would be a better word there.
Hm (again). Which Stephen King books I’d recommend would depend on what you’re into, I guess. He writes such a wide variety of stuff. By NO MEANS have I read a crapton of his work, but I’ve read quite a few – mostly when I was younger. I think my favorite of his that I read was Insomnia, but I’m not sure I’d feel the same way about it now. I also remember liking Dreamcatcher quite a bit at the time I read it, but if you’re not into aliens . . .
I might’ve said this already (and if I did, I apologize), but I’ve always wanted to read The Stand. (I think I DID say it.) I watched the movie when I was younger and I think it would be interesting to read the book. I’ve actually never seen Carrie though, and I didn’t know he hated it.
So weird how people can’t always see what other people see in their work. (Which could get me into a whole thing about people not seeing what a person DOES see in their work and how everything is so subjective.)
That kind of makes me want to read it too, and I’d never had too much interest in that particular book.
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Unfortunately it does. And while I love learning, I do hate how much school has to take over my life sometimes. I love learning, hate assignments.
I’m just really starting to write now (I was plotting and figuring out characters as much as I could before) and I have to say, my words feel so…simple. I know I can be a good writer, I’m just so self-conscious. I keep feeling like my story would be better told in someone else’s words. Hopefully I can get more confident in my ability to make a great novel that will mean something to someone.
Altering them was difficult, because it meant there was always something I had to draw from my imagination to make one person’s eyes fit another person’s nose. I may invest more time and energy in it when I actually have a book, but for now I had to stop frustrating myself that way.
I still need to see the Maze Runner. I’ve heard the changes they made to it only made the story better, so I’m excited to see what those are.
Yes, I do think it’s a bit from gender stereotypes, and there are definitely exceptions (John Green), but the majority of the YA books I’ve read that were written by men have definitely been more focused on plot than characters. It can be a nice break though, from reading heavily emotional books.
Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that someone had told King that he couldn’t write a story about a girl, so he wrote the iconic scene where Carrie gets her period in gym class and doesn’t know what it is as a short story, and then his wife encouraged him to turn it into a novel, and it became his first successful novel and film, but he doesn’t like it. It’s interesting how you can put so much of your best side out into the world, but be known for one thing you didn’t mean to represent you at all. That’s something I think about now with this blog and starting to make youtube videos; I only want to put out things that 15 years from now I would still be okay with being connected to me.
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I definitely understand that. I was the same way in school, and I couldn’t even CONTEMPLATE going to college for quite a while. I’ve thought about taking some classes now that I’m older or whatever, but I still don’t know if I really want to or not. That probably sounds bad. And I DO like learning. I just have issues with learning in a lot of the ways teachers TEACH. Also, I’m just way too busy (and broke) at the moment to think too much about it as of now.
What you said is EXACTLY how I felt about my books for a number of years. ‘I worry that someone else could’ve told this story better.’
I don’t think it was until recently that it really struck me how inaccurate that was. It’s YOUR story. No one else could tell it. Then it would be THEIR story.
Also, I know what you mean on feeling like it’s so (or ‘too’) simple. That’s not a bad thing.
1) You’re on the first draft. There’s space and time to ‘fill it in’. I truly believe that getting the story OUT is the most important thing. You can get it (as close) to the point you want it later.
2) Simple isn’t bad. Simple is relateable.
I really do know how you feel though. I don’t want to say that I’m self-conscious, but I’m VERY self-deprecating. I have a hard time getting out of the mindset that everything I do/touch is crap. I know it’s hard, but try not to get too down on yourself or your writing while you’re writing. There’s time to stress about all that later. Just get your story out! (I tend to ‘get the story out’ and tell my negative self to shut the hell up. It shuts up on its own (usually) while I’m actually writing. Screams the rest of the time, lol.)
I guess if the drawing was/is frustrating you, I can see why you would put it on the back burner for a while. Hopefully when you get back to it, you’ll feel better about it in general. 🙂
I think my husband and I are going to see The Maze Runner on Monday. I wouldn’t know anything about any changes. Wondering if it will make me NEED to get the book right then.
I’ve never read a John Green novel. I’d like to get around to some (or one) of them eventually. I’m just worried they couldn’t grab and/or hold my attention/interest. I also don’t know that I want to sit around crying for an entire day.
That’s crazy about Carrie. O.o
And I agree with what you said. It really is crazy thinking about that.
I try to keep that in mind when I’m doing things on here – what I would/wouldn’t be alright with having ‘out there’ after a stretch of time. I don’t think about it as much with books. I’m usually stressing so much over the content and what my mom and/or mamaw would think of it. O.o
I watched a couple of your videos a few days ago! (The one with you walking around there and I think the first one.) It’s super cool that you’re doing that! Takes a lot of guts, for sure. I’m still trying to potentially post a video Q&A I did. O.o
Plus, I’m sure that sort of stuff (the walking around) is good for your family and friends back home, to see where you are and whatnot. 🙂
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Do I win yet for the longest response time? I meant to respond to this before heading off to Scotland for the week, but of course I forgot, and then there was no stable wifi to do anything, and I came back sick, and blah. Life. It hit me like a truck.
For me there never seemed to be any path but school. I think I decided I wanted to go to college when I was 8, and when I put my mind to something, it happens. I’m too stubborn to let myself be swayed. So regardless of intense procrastination, lack of economic means, and constantly underachieving, I’m at my dream school and still underachieving and procrastinating. Oh well.
Thank you so much about the writing. I realized the first draft bit, that I can always go back and add more finesse to the language if I want, but I just have to keep reminding myself that no one can tell my story better than I can. And then maybe hopefully feel like my story is worth telling. I think I just need to find a better balance in my life where I can “get the story out” more efficiently than I have been and start to feel better about it 🙂
Have you seen the Maze Runner now? If so, what did you think? I still haven’t seen it, but I’ve finally finished the reading the trilogy.
As for John Green, I’ve only read Looking for Alaska, and I enjoyed it. It hasn’t made me want to read his other books that much, just because his language is something I can only take in doses, but also from what I’ve heard Looking for Alaska has some more adult content than his others. I even shared it with a regular customer at my work, an older woman with a lot of attitude who used to travel the world as a nun and now makes her living painting patron saints, and even she enjoyed it, so I guess that says something.
Yeah, I saw you post a while back that you would do a Q&A video. Honestly, the first time you post a video is always the hardest. It’s not as nerve-wracking as it seems. 🙂
Also, thanks for watching some of my videos! It is good to keep family updated with where I am and what I’m doing, but also for my videos that aren’t following me around, it’s just a good creative outlet to work on speaking and story telling and whatever I feel like.
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Even though I wrote a super long comment, I feel like I have to add . . .
I loved Jem as well, just in a different way. (haha, Maybe I DID put a bit too much of my own feelings into it!) I think Jem was extremely sweet, and he was just great. If he had been in ANY OTHER SERIES . . .
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I see that one TMI book that doesn’t belong :p
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I said that The Maze Runner is the other novel I read, if that’s what you mean.
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