Writers' Chasm

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk to help writers stay in touch. This is the first WUW of the new school year and let me tell you it feels fantastic to be back. Random question: If you use Blogger, do you have trouble inserting images from links? I feel like I have to put in the link and click the button about ten times before it'll actually work. What I'm Reading:  I pulled out an old favorite, Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce. It's been one of my favorite books for about ten years now so I'm hoping that it'll help me get back in the groove of actually reading. Seems to be working well so far. I only fall more in love with Numair the older I get. What I'm Writing:  On hold while I get settled in. I was going to start working on LP again today but then I took a look at my "to do" list and decided to make that tomorrow.   What Inspires Me:  Being back on campus. Settling into a set routine. K...

It's the first day of the semester for me, the last one of my undergrad years as I am now a senior. I was so busy packing and making sure everything's in order for my own first day that I didn't have time to think of a post for today. So here are my two "first day tips" posts compiled into one easy list.    #1: Dress to impress Wear something simple but nice. The most important thing is wearing something that makes you feel confident. If you feel confident, you'll look confident. Don't wander into class on the first day wearing a hoodie and sweatpants. It's okay to walk around the dorms or your apartment like that, but it's important to be more professional in the classroom. #2: Leave early  This is especially important if  you aren't sure where your classes are. Don't worry about arriving early; there's nothing wrong with that. I typically give myself a half hour to find my classes for the first week or so. It's better ...

If you're thinking about writing characters with other sexualities besides heterosexual, there are many things to consider. Representation is very important but it can go badly. The most important thing when writing LGBT characters is that they're just like all your other characters. They have pasts, futures, hopes, dreams, motivations. They're playing a part in this story. Start with doing your research. Don't rely on stereotypes or misconceptions. Not all gay men are interested in fashion. Lesbians do not hate men. Bisexuals are not incapable of having monogamous relationships. Don't perpetuate myths and remember that everyone is different. LGBT people also experience different environments depending on the area in which they live, their family, and their friends. Some are only out to certain people, some are out to everyone, and some aren't out at all. Your characters don't have to have a label. Sexuality can be fluid and not everyone wants to put a...

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk to help writers stay in touch. What I'm Reading:  Beta reading for a friend at the moment and that's it. Most of the books I want to read are currently packed away in preparation to take them with me back to school. Hopefully something will catch my attention once I'm there. What I'm Writing:  This is the worst writing month I've had all year, but I'm still making some progress on LP. I'm at a major turning point in the story so once I get through this rough patch, it should be easier from there. I tend to write quickly when I reach climactic points and I'm really excited about this one. What Inspires Me:  I'm feeling pretty uninspired at the moment. What Else I've Been Up To:  I took the GRE last week and just got my official scores today. I didn't do as well as I hoped and that's got me worried, but there isn't much I can do about tha...

Shopping for back-to-school supplies was much easier in grade school. There was usually a list detailing everything you needed, or at least a general expectation. Pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, folders, sometimes a calculator or a ruler. In college it's a lot trickier because what you need is determined by you. I prefer taking handwritten notes because I find that it helps me remember things better than typing or not taking notes at all. I've tried using a single notebook and keeping separate sections for each class;  writing all the notes into the notebook, coding them with the class name, and then tearing out the pages and putting them into individual binders; or leaving them in the notebook and typing the notes into individual documents. I haven't really found any of these methods to be very efficient. This year I think I'm going to just buy a notebook for each class. The important thing is to find the method that works for you. If that's handwriting, buy...

Each year I keep a list of the books I buy or check out of the library and in August I post a list of the books organized into why I picked them up. Past tallies can be found here going back to 2010.  My book buying has taken a hit over the past year. I've been so busy with class that I don't have much time to go to the library and, without a car, I have no way of getting the nearest bookstore when I'm on campus. Let's start with some percentages. Last year's stats are in brackets for comparison. Book in series: 37.5% [29%] Author: 25% [29%] Concept: 25% [N/A] Word of mouth: 12.5% [18%] I'm not surprised that book in series and author are so high. When I'm at school, I order books from B&N and it's a lot harder to say no when I'm already looking forward to a book and I know it's going to be good. I am surprised that concept is a category this year when it wasn't last year, but I shouldn't be because I spent so much time in...

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk to help writers stay in touch. What I'm Reading:  Nothing at the moment. The Horse Boy is a DNF. I did really want to see how it ended but it was dragging on a bit and my library books had to be returned whether I was done with them or not. Now I'm just doing a lot of reading of my GRE study book and grad school application information. What I'm Writing:  LP is progressing slowly. I'm up to a major turning point in the story and I'm still not quite sure how I'm going to pull it off. I'm also rough drafting my personal statement for applications. I can write 100k about a world completely of my own creation but when it comes to writing 1k about myself all of that just flies out the window. What Inspires Me:  Less than three weeks until classes start! I'm actually really excited. I love my friends and my professors and the routine of having a set schedule. Wha...

"College" is a series of posts for college students, present and future. It's based entirely on my experience as a current college student and that of my friends. It's that time of year again and I figured that meant I should bring these back.  If you're new to college and moving into the dorms this fall, you're probably trying to figure out what you need to bring. Here are a few things to keep in mind when picking the furniture for your dorm. Read housing regulations Different dorms have different rules on what you can and cannot bring. Don't grab that George Foreman grill only to arrive and find out they're not allowed. I'm not allowed to have candles or clip-on lamps, because of the fire hazard, so some things would be obvious on what's okay and what isn't. Rules can even vary between halls on the same campus, so make sure that your hall doesn't have anything specific. For instance, on my campus, custom lofts are allowed only in...

And it's the first day of August which means here we are again. I had a fantastic July. I got my drivers' license, turned 21, and had a lot of fun. It was a very eventful month! Writing:  Word count: 19,688 words I've been so busy the past few weeks that writing has fallen to the wayside. Doesn't help that I've been spending entire days away from the computer, but I still got a good bit done. LP is progressing nicely and I'm almost to halfway my target word count of 70k. Reading: Should be: 28 I'm not anywhere near there. I don't know why I can't finish anything these days. I might need to dig out one of my favorites and see if that helps. Movies:  Watched: 6 Total: 28 Should be: 28 I continued to feed my Marvel obsession with Daredevil and Spider-Man. No, I've never seen the original SM trilogy. Working on remedying that. Also The World's End which was shockingly good, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which was beautiful a...