I’m sure everyone has gotten really into something before, whether it’s a movie, book, new school, relationship, whatever, only to be very, very let down by whatever it was we were anticipating. It happens, pretty often. It’s probably why we often ask whether or not something “will live up to the hype” surrounding it.
That, is how I feel about summer almost every year. (more…)
Today I got some new books, not for fiction reading (which is also incredibly important), but I decided that if I wasn’t going to take a writing class this summer (like I had been planning to…), I had to get some real writing books and buckle down and just do it.
As I’ve probably stated on this blog before, I love writing. It is near and dear to my heart and it would be a dream come true to be able to make a living off of writing some day. However, writing is typically a pretty solitary endeavor and I am a hopelessly extroverted person. Yes, I know that there are critique groups and writing clubs and things like that, but at least for me, I need to be alone if I’m actually going to do any productive writing, which I also suspect is the case for many other people.
Thus, it is really, really, really hard for me to make myself sit down and just write sometimes. I love being around people and socializing and getting out of the house. In fact, I actually get really antsy and even cranky when I’m trapped inside for too long. It will usually get to the point where I’m literally doing nothing but sitting around and I still won’t be able to convince myself to write.
But I think that at this time in my life it’s about time that I either give up writing or really get going. After all, I’m not in school for English and I really don’t plan on it. My reasoning behind that is I really do not want to teach, which is what I feel like I’ll end up doing if I don’t have a novel or something take off soon enough. Now, I love teachers. I love taking classes in everything, including writing, but it’s just not for me.
So here I go. It’s time to get serious and do this.
Do any of you guys feel like you have to force yourselves to write even though you love it? I know that’s a weird dichotomy, but I’m sure there must be others out there. What do you do? Let me know in the comments below!
Hello, everyone and happy July!
It’s so strange to think that one-third of summer is already over. I feel like it just started yesterday, but that’s just another reason to make sure that every day counts (and to make sure we all get enough words in per day on our manuscripts!)
Today, I want to start a discussion about short stories. What do you guys think about short stories? (more…)
There are so many different things that go into writing a novel. You need to have a killer plot, or at least one that hooks people (since people have said there are only anywhere from 3-9 original plots in the universe). You need to make your characters relatable and realistic. You need all these things. So, sometimes as a writer you need to do uncomfortable things in order to polish your craft. (more…)
Ah. It’s been a little over a week now since I last posted, signaling my return to this little blog I’ve got going here. And it’s really a shame, since I’ve been meaning to post more regularly on here, but it’s just time, and the lack of it. Even though it’s summer now (school got out for me about three weeks ago), I still find it so hard to find time to do anything, especially write, much less blog. It’s a terrible feeling, to be strapped for time even after school is out. (more…)
Hello everyone!
It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted on here! It appears as if my senior year wasn’t much of a slide at all. I was really quite busy this year, and to be honest, completely forgot that this blog even existed. I really don’t mean for this to be solely a summer project, but that seems like what it’s become, seeing as I haven’t been back for a year!
Anyways, this is just a quick update for everyone, in case you’re still following StoryCloset.
I’m still working on my novel-in-progress (as I have been for over 4 years). It’s had quite a few bumps along the way and characters and plots have been changed. It’s been an adventure, and I’m still trying to work out the details without second guessing myself, which has been happening a lot lately.
Most of my doubts come from me thinking, “would people actually read this?” I just feel like the story needs to be perfect and incredibly original. However, there are only so many different structures that stories can have, so I’ve been trying to figure out what I want this story to be, and polish THAT story. Anyway, it’s been a year’s worth of crazy thoughts about this book, and I really do want it to work. I’ve written a couple of short stories during that time, but other than that, I’ve mostly been chugging away at this book and trying to make it happen, which includes reading more! I just finished The Fault in Our Stars, so I’m gonna throw that little product placement out there, just because John Green is a fantastic writer.
At any rate, if any of you have had similar experiences, or even anything you’d want to throw in, let me know in the comments! As usual, I love talking with any fellow writers out there!
Hello fellow writers and any other readers 🙂
I know this is my first update in quite a while and I’m really sorry for that! It’s been a busy summer and I’ve been working hard to keep up with all of my weekly page goals, maintaining a social life, moving, and my job of course.
As the title suggests, I want to address something that pertains strongly to the writing community: the impending release of the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones film.
I think that this is a wonderful opportunity, as are other films based on books, to give the fiction community more exposure.
Now, while I don’t often actually make it to the theater to see movies, I do manage to see my own fair share of teasers and trailers and things like that on TV, online, and other such media. From my experience, it seems to me that Hollywood is running out of ideas for films. Each seems to be more of the same, raunchy, comedic, and thoughtless films that, while commercially successful most of the time, require little actual writing and effort to produce I think. Whereas, for novels to become movies, they must so exceptionally well-written (excluding the Twilight Saga…) to draw in readers that Hollywood seeks to profit off of their success and fame. Harry Potter and The Hunger Games come to mind immediately.
Of course, that’s not to say that every comedic film is unworthy of being scene. In fact, quite the contrary is true. I often find myself tired of the slew of action movies that Hollywood also churns out, and would like something more relaxing to indulge in. To that I reference Pitch Perfect. If you’ve not seen it (which I conclude to be highly unlikely) you must.
My point is simply that I find it incredibly exciting to see another film based off of a quality novel that I have still yet to complete. The writing world is not as easy to break into as other sectors of the entertainment industry in my opinion. As writers, authors, and novelists, we do not have the luxury of a plethora of highly publicized TV shows searching for the next big thing. I do not mean to belittle the work that winners of American Idol, The Voice, X Factor, or any other competition do. Artists successful in those areas have worked hard and deserve what they have earned. I only mean to point out that as writers, we often do not have the same level of exposure as other industries do.
In light of more and more films being based off of novels, I solely redirect more of my hard work to finishing my own novel in hopes that someday I could be that successful. In addition, I encourage anyone else reading this post to press on with your writing even if it seems like you’re getting nowhere. We must always remember that these writers also had to build their audience and start somewhere.
I once read that J.K. Rowling was hardly making rent before she finished the first novel in her Harry Potter series. That first novel took her several years to complete, but she is now wealthier than the Queen of England.
Perhaps none of my novels will ever be that successful, but if my writing is able to one day pay my bills, I think I would be content. However, these novels becoming renown and famous, that is one of my dreams and goals as a writer.
Needless to say, it’s impossible to say who will draft the next bestseller that becomes a motion picture, but it could be any of us. So press on. Every page you write every day will make you better and more polished, even pages that you end up erasing or scrapping later on. Every word you write will further you toward your goal and refine your craft.
Goodnight and keep writing always~
Just finished the complete skeleton outline for the entirety of my first book. This is starting to look like it might be the final version too! No more complete overhauls would be nice after all but you never know.
Here’s a quick look, although I’ve kept all the exciting stuff secret.
I realize I haven’t posted in forever, but I just don’t have anything to say!!
This is just a short update! Talk to me if you want to interact and give me ideas! Just got a Twitter @jonah_venegas17 so you can hit me up on there!
For today. Just this.
Yup. Total of 16 pages last week and 9 pages in one day. And the zeros. Those are zeros of shame.
Heyy! 🙂
I did another very very very short contest entry this morning.
Word limit: 50 words or less
The prompt: Imagine you have just died. What is the first thing you see?
I lay there, no longer feeling the knife protruding from my chest. There was no pain anymore. I didn’t feel anything at all. I couldn’t smell anything. I didn’t hear anything except for the dead silence. I could only see, and what I saw was his face, my killer’s face.
That’s all for today! I hope everyone likes it!
StoryCloset 