Five Things I Wish For YOU This New Year

So. The New Year is upon us. UPON US, I tell you.

This got me thinking about Things I Wish For Myself. But hey, those are for me. If I told you what they were, you'd get bored. Not because they are Boring Things. Because they are A Lot Of OMG How Many Things Are On This Caterpillar's List. 

Which is why I've decided to share what I wish for YOU this New Year. 

Oh, yes. There are five Things I want you to have. 

Here they are:

Happiness

Whichever the source, I want it to give you the kind of happiness that leaves you so full that you don't fit in any chairs ever made. I want you to smile from all the gooey goodness in your soul. I want you to laugh at funny and beautiful things all the time. Because you should.

Good books

If you read this blog, you're probably a writer. Or an avid reader of books. Or a hardcore Jensen Ackles fan. I cannot blame you for any of these. I can, however, wish for you to find books that leave you stupid. Which means you cannot fathom how someone possesses such brilliance and is able to put it into words. It is this brilliance you wish to emulate, but you'll feel content knowing that you can never achieve it because you have a brilliance all your own. And your brilliance is worth respecting.

Magic

Not Harry Potter magic (although that would be BOSSYPANTS). Magic that sneaks up on you. Magic that comes from the unplanned, the unexpected. Awesome things that have yet to be discovered. I want YOU to be the first to discover them and enjoy them and make them yours. Then you can tell me all about it with a smug smile on your face.

Candy

What? I just really like candy. You should, too.

I don't need to explain this one, do I?

So there you go. Five things just for YOU.

You're welcome.

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Blog Chain: Advice To Newbie Writers

For this blog chain round, the awesome Cole asks the following:

Christmas is a time of gift giving. If you could gift aspiring authors with one piece of advice, what would it be?

I have a ton of things I'd love to say, but the most important is one I've already shared on the Operation Awesome blog: bleed on the page.

What do I mean by that? Well, I explained it to the best of my ability in the OA post, so I'll just go ahead and show y'all what I wrote:

When I say I want you to bleed on the page, what I mean is, whatever you write (short story/poem/novel), please write it from a place that makes you feel. It can hurt, make you laugh till you cry, or both. Doesn't matter. I want you to sit down and write something that costs you. Something that stirs the deepest parts of your core and never. Lets. Go. Most importantly, I want you to write something that forces you to pour everything that makes you you on that page. 

I'm not asking you to seek publication, or to write something suitable for publication. I'm not asking you to follow trends, or write something you think will be a trend in the coming months. 

I'm asking you to write for yourself.

Confession: I wrote for myself this year. I ended up with a (messy) first draft of a book I thought I could never even begin. Now I'm revising it. Horribly slowly, but revising it. 

And I'm the happiest I've been in a while. 

So yeah. Follow all sorts of guidelines in terms of manuscript format, hone your writing craft as best you can, but always bleed on the page. It's hard, but oh is it worth it. 

Thanks to Cole for this topic! Make sure to check out what she had to say, then stay tuned tomorrow for Margie's take on it. 

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Blog Chain: Why I Don't Like The "Dark" Label But Love Everything Labeled "Dark"

This blog chain round is perhaps my favorite so far! The awesome Christine asks the following questions:

I've been described as a writer of highly emotional and dark stories. So much so, that some could not read Transcend saying that while it was "beautifully crafted and written", the story was just too dark. So I ask you...How dark is too dark for your asthetic? And is writing "dark" and "emotional" a "bad" thing?

Confession: I am a passionate hater of describing all evil or difficult or sad things as "dark." Here's what the trusty Dictionary.com has to say about the word "dark": 

1. having very little or no light: a dark room.

2. radiating, admitting, or reflecting little light: a dark color.

3. approaching black in hue: a dark brown.

4. not pale or fair; swarthy: a dark complexion.

5. brunette; dark-colored: dark eyebrows.

Notice how none of those things are evil or difficult or sad. Yes, it's the popular way of describing those things, be it in literature (the Dark Lord a.k.a. Voldemort from Harry Potter/Sauron, the Orcs and the Uruk-hai from Lord of the Rings), film (Pitch from Rise of the Guardians is a recent example), and history (the Dark Ages as opposed to the Enlightenment). The reasons behind this constant use of "dark" as "OMG STAY AWAY FROM IT!" are plenty, but I've chosen not to go into them for fear of derailing myself. 

So. Back to Christine's questions. Nothing is too evil/difficult/sad for my aesthetic. I am a fan of stories and of storytellers. I don't care if the story's about incest or murder or the zombie apocalypse in a preschool. If the story's well written and has three-dimensional characters, I'm going to read it. I'm more of a quality person than a what's-this-about? person. A reason for this is because I learn from everything, especially from experiences that have never happened to me. It fulfills me to read these kinds of stories. They're usually the ones that stick with me long after I've read the last page. Funny/cute stories are enjoyable, sure, but they rarely make an impact on me. Unless they have depth, of course. Depth makes all the difference. :)

And do I think stories about evil/difficult/sad things are bad? Hells no. 

Look, if you have limits, by all means honor them. I know of people who can't read cancer stories because it hits too close to home. Same goes for rape. I support anyone's decision to say no to a particular premise because it hurts them. But if it doesn't hurt you? I say challenge yourself. It's not the only way you're going to grow, but it sure is the best.

Thank you to Christine for this chain's amazeballs topic! Don't miss Cole's post, and you can catch Margie's tomorrow! 

I Blame One Direction--My December So Far In Pictures

So. December's here. YAAAAAAY. I know it's only been a few days into this month, BUT I am so. Freaking. Stoked. And to demonstrate why, I've chosen to show y'all in a picture essay of sorts.

I am currently working on this:

Draft 2 of le WIP. Which is EXCITING and AWESOME and NOT SO MUCH all at the same time.

I bought my first ever Blu-Ray film:

I still prefer regular DVDs, though. BUT THE SPECIAL FEATURES. I couldn't resist. 

I've been planning for my January trip here:

This will be my first time going to Vegas (!!!!!!!). And my mom's going with me (O_O). 

I've also been listening to a lot of this:

and this:

I... I don't know what to tell you. It just... happened. One day, I was minding my own business and BAM. One of their songs came on the radio and I was like, "OMG CRAPPY SONG IS CRAPPY." Then I heard it again and was like, "OMG CRAPPY SONG IS SORT OF OKAY." Then I was like, "OMG CRAPPY SONG IS PERFECT FOR DANCING AND DOING BOY BAND GESTURES TO RANDOM STRANGERS ON THE STREET." 

I have been singing One Direction for weeks now. I have also been choreographing a few of their songs in my head. One day, folks, I will be in a boy band and I will be the Harry Styles of said boy band. Just. You. Wait.

I don't care if I've traumatized you My apologies if I've traumatized any of you. This is a hard reality to swallow, I know. But it is my truth, and only now as I speak can I be free at last. 

One Direction makes me do ALL the boy band dance moves, and it has made all the difference in my writing. Maybe. I think. Sort of.

Happy Friday!!