write what you don't know

When I was little, I would get so frustrated when I tried to write something and it just didn't work out. And I often blamed this on my parents.

Was it their fault that I didn't plot out story lines so I would know what had to happen next? Was it their fault my characters and scenarios were so cliche they bordered on absurd? Was it their fault I had little to no will power when it came to sticking to one story?

No. No, it wasn't.

But even at the tender age of eight, I had heard the phrase "Write what you know!" so many times, that I believed I could only write truthfully about things that had happened to me, or people I knew. So I blamed my parents for giving me such a happy, fulfilling, even generic childhood. Sure, it had its bad times, but I wasn't raised by wolves or the abandoned child of royalty (I look far too much like both my parents for this to be true).

I blamed them for robbing me of my possible stories.

And then I read some books on writing, and I went to a summer camp for young writers, and I learned some stuff. Specifically: Write what you love. How did J.R.R. Tolkein write about Middle Earth when he had obviously never been there? How does any fantasy, sci-fi, or paranormal fiction writer come up with the things they do--they've never ridden a dragon or piloted a space ship to Mars.

So, in my humble, utterly-unpublished-and-under-qualified opinion, there's really only one rule as far as writing goes. Write something that you would love to read. And, to make it feel true, you have to take it to a place that you know emotionally.

For example, I've spent the past few months desperately trying to write a contemporary YA novel. Why? Because I wanted to write something that I knew. And, somewhere in the back of my mind, this little voice is saying, "People respect contemporary writing. People will take you seriously and say that your book is beautiful and profound. If you write an Urban Fantasy novel, people will ignore you or laugh at you."

That isn't true. And I know better. The thing is, I really couldn't get myself beyond this doubt until just a few days ago, when I started writing something that's kind of fantasy-ish. And it's way more fun than that contemporary ever would've been.

I don't mean to knock true-to-life stories, or even contemporary fiction. I just want you to embrace whatever it is that makes your heart race, and put it down on paper.

Happy Monday,

Erika

feeling the love

I just wanted to quickly apologize to you guys for being such a fail blogger lately. I haven't posted regularly in a while, and I'm really sorry. But March is the beginning of a new era! (Or... something like that.) I hope to be seeing much more of you.

And also, fourteen followers?! Holy crap! Thank you guys so much for thinking I'm even remotely interesting. Thank you for being amazing and supportive and every other positive adjective in the entire dictionary, including but not limited to the following: sensational, fantastic, electrifying, heart-warming, lovely, and beautiful. You make my day.

As an added thanks: Belated baby panda pictures!


I can't even begin to comprehend how adorable baby pandas are. Really.

friends who like books

Sorry sorry sorry guys. I know I haven't posted in, um, a while. Are you going through some serious baby animal withdrawal? I know I am.

The first thing I wanted to talk about is the squiggly red line that shows up under misspelled words on Microsoft Word. It annoys me so much, especially when I'm sure that I've spelled the word right. The funny part is that even if I haven't spelled it right, as I soon discover, I will remain utterly convinced that my mediocre spelling is correct, and a computer loaded with countless dictionary programs is wrong. Still, if you ignore the line long enough, it sometimes goes away.

Thing number two: Guilt. My mom always says that guilt is a useless emotion. You can't really do anything constructive with it (unless that guilt inspires another emotional), and it certainly isn't good for you. So I think we all need to stop feeling so guilty. Easier said than done, I know.

And finally, the main event. I love my friends. I love books. Combine the two, and you have the perfect sandwich of perfect stuff ever created: friends who love books. It's such a great thing to see your friend get all excited about a book, especially if you read it/have read it and can be excited about it, too. Sharing an experience like that, listening to the same stories, making it through hundreds of the same pages, can make you indescribably close.

See you later, friends.

Erika

ARGH (or, why high school bugs me)

I am so incredibly jealous of all you people who are done with high school. Really, you have no idea.

There are a few things I absolutely cannot stand about high school:

1. Teachers who really don't want to be there and do not enjoy teaching.
   
2. Students who really don't want to be there, and insist on making stupid comments that distract everyone else.
3. Having to pack a lunch that's easy to pack and transport.
4. High school relationships. Really? Really?
   
5. Other people judging you on what you're wearing and who you're hanging out with.
6. People constantly assuming that teenagers are wild and crazy and love to party--and insisting that high school is the best time of your life.

And then there are the things that generally make it worthwhile:

1. My friends, people who I would never get to spend all day, five days a week, hanging out with, in any other location.
   
2. Meeting people that you would never meet anywhere else.
3. Learning new things. I know that sounds stupid, but how many people are going to study the history of Canadian fur trading unless they're getting graded on it?
4. Decorating your lockers--it's like the ultimate personal space, even if it's painfully small and sometimes hard to remember the combo to.
5. Band. If I didn't go to high school, I wouldn't be in school band. If I wasn't in school band, I wouldn't get to have those amazing, almost out-of-body experiences when all that matters is this wonderful noise that you're creating.

This year, I've decided to make Valentine's for all the lovely people who make high school enjoyable (to be fair, I actually enjoy it most of the time--tonight I'm just particularly frustrated!). Sooo... this has been my ridiculously long winded way of asking you if you know any dorky jokes/cheesy pick up lines/lame Valentine's sayings. Really, the worse the better.

Have a great weekend,

Erika

little things 3

La la life. Sa-sa-Saturday. Th-th-ings I love:

1. Books.
2. The color pink
3. Valentine's Day--only nine more days!

Today has been one of those days when it's hard to pick out the good stuff. What about you? What puts a smile on your face?

baby animal of the week: giraffe

Good evening. What was that? What did you say? Oh, um, maybe... GIRAFFE?

Giraffes are my mom's favorite animal. She visited the zoo once when she was little, and a giraffe licked her. Giraffes have purple tongues. Oh my gosh.

I kind of love giraffes because they're awkward, and have pretty patterns, and they're tall. I love tall animals. They make me feel better about my height.

And they have purple tongues.

literary soulmates

Name: Erika
Genre: anything YA
Likes: chocolate, of course. ABBA, cats, photography and the ocean. Also, long walks on the beach.
Dislikes: almond milk (bleh!), cantaloupe and shrimp. Spelling mistakes, and people who use text talk in emails.
Looking for: A critique partner/partner in crime who is also starting or planning a new project. Someone who can hold me accountable for not writing, not take excuses, and hopefully understand my random babbling. Someone who's excited about their story, and can be excited about mine, too.

Looking for your literary soul mate? (Since when is that two words?!) The super nice and always hilarious writer Natalie Whipple is arranging the online dating site of critique partners. I kid you not.

She had a few quick questions on her blog that you just answer, email to her, and watch as the magic happens. I think it's a really fantastic idea, and a great way to get in touch with other people with the same interests or desires. Oh yes, I went there.

Happy Tuesday, guys.

Erika