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‘Ello, friends!
It’s the second day into the New Year and I’m quite excited to see what 2015 has in store for me and my blog. And while I’m slowly lining up the next steps I’ll need to take in order to get closer to my goals (whatever they may be at the moment) and further myself in this world, I have to say that 2014 was filled with quite a few golden nuggets: Continue reading
I completed The Left Hand of Darkness with about 7 days left in the month to go, achieving my first goal of finishing the epic sci-fi novel before the end of May.
As I mentioned before, the book is slightly dense, and the hardest yet most endearing part of the book dealt with the journey of the two main characters, Genly and Estraven, across this massive ice land. I didn’t think I would make it through, much like the characters. But I did. And when I made it through with them, it was a quick succession of events that ended with me being very teary-eyed. I may have shed a tear or two.
So … what did I take from the book?
1. To Push Beyond the Envelope
If it’s one thing that Ursula definitely does throughout most of this novel, it’s making you think. From the introduction to the end of the book, this woman had my brain working overtime. First she gives me an an androgynous/sexless/hermaphroditic society, then he poses questions about the consequences of equality, and then she talks about the duality of a person, while weaving in all these sociological and political undertones. It was like:
2. To Make a Story Rich
TLHOD had a lot of vocabulary. At one point I thought I was straight out stupid because I didn’t know half of the words in this book. Then I realized that she made them up! And used them so flawlessly in between actual words that I couldn’t tell the difference. And of course, her story was made all the richer for it because her world was complete with its own words to describe its culture
and last but not least…
3. Don’t Be Afraid of a Long Tale
As I previously mentioned before, I only got into TLHOD after hearing it mentioned in a movie I watched a while back. It was only after I started reading the book, did I learn that it was a part of a larger tale. One of my fears it to have a story that’s really now and not interesting, but sometimes it does take several tales (sometimes even different ones that interweave in and out) to tell a story, or make it more interesting. Not to mention, I loved the way Ursula changed her narration between scientific findings, to the point of view of one character to the legend of a group people to the point of view of another character for the same event.
That’s about it for now. Oh, I’ve also started on book 12 of 13 in the Sookie Stackhouse Novels (aka the True Blood books) called Deadlock.
After this book, it’s Dead Ever After and then we can say goodbye to all the characters that I’ve grown to hate, dislike, loathe, can’t stand, and love. However, I did read somewhere that we can apparently expect an epilogue novel with a follow-up of all the main characters. *shrugs*
Con Amor,
-Alja
Hello ALL!
First, I apologize for my absence. For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on another project of mine which I was hoping to do a little bit better with all the energy that I’ve been putting into it. Now that the hardest part is over, I’m turning some of my attentions back to WRITING.
Now, back to reality: NANOWRIMO! Continue reading
Hello all,
Felt it was time I did an update. It’s not going to be pleasant, so here it is:
Haven’t written anything new, in regards to my novel. As you may have noticed, I have been posting poems and bits of prose more often. Things I actually thought you’d like…as it was a constant stream of literary work from the brainchild that is MOI. Guess not. BUT, it’s a step in the right direction, as I’ve been actively writing/typing. But alas, I haven’t added much to the novel. Does that mean I will stop writing it?
As a matter of fact, I’m actually holding out from writing a lot more on the Game of Hearts novel because I plan on using it as the foundation for NaNoWriMo this year. That’s write right! I will be participating in NaNoWriMo this year and I intend on completing this novel or at least the required amount of pages/words this year.
Aside from that, I wrote a poem for the first time in a long time. And I mean wrote – as in physically held a pen in my hand and placed it to paper and let ink run out on the page. It felt good. At first it seemed forced, but then it all of a sudden took a life of its own. Don’t know if I want to type it up though. Doesn’t seem like you guys are too keen on my poetic outlet =\
Anyway…that’s what I got so far. I’m currently working on some non-literary projects which takes my time away, but I’ll keep you entertained.
Hello Darling Followers,
This update comes from a rather not so happy and doleful place. I’ll get straight to the point:
I haven’t added anything new to what should’ve been the novel I “completed in a summer.” It seems that while I may have the entire plot mapped out to perfection, the words just aren’t coming to me. And though I hate to make excuses, I find that nothing is moving forward because I really don’t have much time to breath, with everything else sucking up all my energy. I know, I know – “if you want something bad enough, you’ll make time for it,” but this everything around me is just like a sinkhole of concentration. I intended on selling some of my hobby pieces this summer and that is constantly being pushed further and further into the future as new circumstances are constantly arising and because of this, the writing aspect of my life which I want to become vastly devoted to is taking a dive because of it. *sigh* I could stay up late and write until the crack of dawn, but I get so bogged down mentally, that nothing happens.
I was supposed to go to a place not too far away for a day of relaxation and pure typing, but that didn’t happen. If I have my way, I’ll go soon…if…
I spoke with a friend the other day who told me that I should release some of my work, over a course of time, bit by bit to gain an audience and feedback and while I’ve started that with this post, I haven’t got much of a response which obviously has left a bad taste in my mouth. Is writing really for me?
Anyhow, I will try to continue on…and I’ll be doing so with a bit of “Erotic Fan-Fiction” but not on novels or T.V. shows or anything like that. Nope, just on men. Men, will be the source of this fiction- famous men…or at least men I find incredulously handsome and would love to get my hands on but know (in the front of my mind) that I never will. I got the idea from Tina (of Bob’s Burgers) cause she does the same…but with her friends…and zombies.
I’ve always wanted to do it, but thought that in a world with so much social media and googling and shiz, people would think that it was a real story but, now I don’t really care. I’ve been dreaming of these guys too frequently to not indulge in a little fantasy and well…get some writing done.
The first of these Fan-Fiction pieces will be called “The Elf & His Princess,” a mock interview piece that I wrote in high school about me and Orlando Bloom (when he was hot off the LOTR circuit). It’s long…and it’s out there, but it was based on like a four-part dream I had for several weeks so…yeah.
w/love
-Alja
Darling followers,
I would first like to apologize for my lack of posts. When I first started this blog, my intention was the write and post as frequently as possible, giving you an insight to my writing style (that you hopefully grow to enjoy). Unfortunately, I’ve been bombarded by bouts of confusion, blockage and (downright) laziness, that I haven’t been able to provide you with anything new.
But it hasn’t just been this blog – I haven’t been able to do anything new. My design projects are happening mostly in my head partly due to lack of energy, and my writing efforts on this novel I imagined I’d have finished by the end of the summer, aren’t going well either. I guess, you can say that I’ve once again stumbled on that dreadful thing called writer’s block. *ugh* Despite the fact that I’ve got the plot for the story all mapped out, and I know how I’d like to play out the ups and downs of the for my characters, the words, the damn words aren’t coming to me.
BUT, I have to say that something else has popped into my head (which is usually the case when I’m stuck on one story – hence all my unfinished stories). It was a dream actually, and it involved a retelling of Snow White.
In the dream, Edward Scissorhands made an appearance (lol), but with him taken out, it’s a very modern take on it. I guess that Grimm marathon with my sister and my anticipation for season 2 of Once Upon A Time has finally got to me. It has some aspects of Cinderella, but in my dream it was meshed together so well, that I don’t think you’ll really notice it. I’m pretty torn between writing it to be honest. I mean, how many re-telling of classics can people endure, right? But then I thought, this could be…the thing that showcases my talent?! AND I’ve been clinging on to this idea of a steam-punk retelling of beauty and the beast too…so I don’t know… *scratches head*
Sometimes I fear that I’ll have compiled nothing but scraps of paper with the beginnings to so many stories and have only a small fraction of them actually completed and like zip published…*sigh*
In other news, my sister has created an idea for a children’s book and has graciously granted me the task of writing it! HA! She called me yesterday to ask on the progress of it as well…so I need to get cracking on that.
Hmm…this is turning out to be one hazy summer. Yikes.
I promise to give you a progress report, hopefully better than this one.
Thanks for listening,
-Alja
And so, in trying to keep with documenting my success in finishing a novel by the end of Summer, I am here to inform you that my muse is sickly. Not only is she sickly, but it seems that she’s got laryngitis as I haven’t heard a peep from her in some days. A few times during showers she may muster up some form of plot development, but aside from that, I haven’t added much to what I’ve already got, which is okay because I’ve mustered up something in the 10-11 thousand word range. But, considering that I need to be somewhere around the 80-100 thousand range by September…it is a bit worrisome.
Nonetheless, I shall prevail. I think my sudden blockage may be due to the fact that I need a good book to put me in the frame of mind of the time. With that being said, I’m looking to read a good copy of ‘Jane Eyre,’ preferably on a beach soaking up some sun and much needed relaxation time. I am hopeful that I will procure my copy of the book soon, though I’m not sure if I want to borrow if from the library -which I haven’t been to in MONTHS- or if I should just get the bloody copy from a Barnes and Nobles and hold on to it in hopes that it’ll be one of those books that I read every Spring or something. It can be added to the ‘classics’ section of my personal library which already includes such books as “Mansfield Park,” “Little Women,” “This Side of Paradise,” ” The Jungle,” “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Wuthering Heights,” “Frankenstein,” “The Awakening,” and “The Jungle.” None of which I’ve actually read yet. Jeez-Louise I need to get better with my reading.
Well, that’s all I have for you so far. I will be posting up excerpts of what I have AND I will also be posting up some poetry and short stories as I started in the past. I need to make this blog thing a little more lively, then hopefully people will like me enough to actually want to read more.
W/love,
-Alja
I know, you’re looking at the title of this post and going “Oh goodness gracious, this girl is nutters.”
I know I have the absolute worse track record when it comes to completing things, but remember the story I was talking about in this post? Well, one night after cruising the internet, looking at pictures of really hot men and creating fantasy castings for books-turned-movies, I decided, I will go forth with my story “Game of Hearts.” As it is, my (would be) novella is steeped in some kind of surreal fiction, and it would nice for a change for me to write something a little different, but equally entertaining AND a period piece at that. So, I decided that I’d give the novella a break so it can simmer on the back burner of the brain and went in search of an expert to help me with my new project.
A friend of mine (and fellow writer) is always writing pieces with the African diaspora, so I sent him a quick message about wanting to do a French period piece around people of African/mixed race descent. He was immediately hooked and as he gave me some references and points of research, I gave him a quick summation of where I’d like the general story to go and he was instantly in love with the idea. He even gave me a few things to consider which was great.
One of my inspirations: Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos & its 1988 film adaptation, Dangerous Liaisons
I told him of my apprehensions and then he said that “it’s been spoken to much into existence for you not to.” His encouragement was just what I needed, especially since he noted that many writer of color don’t think to go along the route of period pieces. So, after looking over the initial three paragraphs that I had written over a year ago, I started typing. And I typed. And then I started talking to myself aloud. And I found myself looking for paper (which I have an abundance of) and then I just opened up the post-it feature on my laptop and like…a breached flood, the plot outline for my story came to me. It has sex, intrigue, back-stabbing, rakish behavior, the marquise de sade (influences anyway), mistaken identity and people of color!
From three paragraphs, I’m now 28 pages into a story that I never thought would happen. 28 pages, however, of scattered plot, as I now how to tie in different elements from the outlined plot and the story doesn’t come to me chronologically. I like to say that my muse speaks to me but often has a sore-throat so I have to strain to hear her or she speaks staccato fragments to me that I then have to plug in different places to make sense. The writing is no where near finished and I can’t imagine how many pages it’ll be when I’m done.
It would be a lie to say that I wouldn’t like to finish this by the end of the summer. For once, I’d like to completely finish a full fledge (potential) novel. I have three others I’ve started since high school waiting for me as well as my novella. I must break the cycle. This story must be finished. Especially since I’ve created all the story arcs for the main characters. Not to mention, I’ve started researching – yeah! – on the history of French caribbean islands, free color of people, historical clothing, condoms (yep, I want my people smart and shiz), architecture, & titles of nobility.
Wish me luck guys. I’m going in.
As the story continues, I intend on leaking some scenes (maybe even a sex scene or two) for your reading pleasure.
W/love,
-Alja
I was told about Fifty Shades of Grey by a friend before Wendy Williams briefly spoke about it in hot topics. My sister (hearing all the hype about it) decided to buy all three books and in my curiosity at her voracious devouring of the novels, I decided that I would read this “mommy porn” as they call it. Now, why it is called a “twilight knockoff,” I spent about 12 hours straight reading this book, with about another 5-6 hours needed to actually complete it.
Of course, if you’ve read the book, you’d know that it’s chock full of all kinds of kinkery and sexiness. I also have to say that it’s well written a quick fun read, at least in my opinion. The constant mood swings between the characters to me emulate what it is to be human. Yes, the main character can be a bit repetitive, but so was Sookie Stackhouse in the Southern Vampire Series, and I enjoy those books just the same. The phrases that the protagonist comes up with aren’t that stilted, but she does use a lot of non-American phrases and it’s chock full of vocabulary which I love. And it makes perfect sense as the main character is an english major who wants to work in publishing.
The book has kind of both renewed my inspiration to write that story ‘Game of Hearts,’ but also makes me feel so nervous and uncertain. The last few days I’ve been wondering if I have the chops at all to be a writer. I have so many distractions and on top of that, writing does not pay the bills and my attempts at making money at the moment are not panning out like I hoped they would.
Any how, back to the writing portion of this dilemma: I find myself stuck in my head often. I have the words, but they don’t come out write, or when they do they don’t sound good enough. My sister tells me “people write books all the time, some not as good as the stuff that you write,” but yet they still get a green light while I’m constantly rejected by publishers for not being “what they need right now.” And maybe that’s the roadblock too. I won’t say that I have writers block, because I’m sure that if I wanted to produce a piece of fiction, I could. I guess it’s more mental than anything.
I haven’t written new poetry in so long, I’m ashamed of myself.
I don’t know what more I can really say at this point. A friend said to me that she wanted to make a pact for us to read and write every day. I told her that I would try my best. My track record with pacts isn’t great, as evident by my own novella challenge. And it doesn’t seem like I was really missing out, as my story wasn’t picked as a finalist or semi-finalist any how. *Le Sigh*
Sorry for the dark lament, but I’m having a Sylvia Plath moment.
Thanks for listening,
w/love
-alja
AljaTheWriter 