I was browsing through some blogs recently when I found a couple of reviews for Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement. That one got my attention because I just so happen to have a short story with the same name. So I thought, huh, that's interesting. Similar titles are bound to come up every once in awhile, right? But after I read the reviews I found something a little more concerning. The expert sounds a lot like my plot.
No, as fun as it sounds, I'm not trying to come up with some crazy conspiracy theory about how Yovanoff sent ninja spys into my notebook to steal my plots. I am, however, presented with my first problem. Do I read this book or not? If I read it and I decide that I want to put some more work into my short than will everything I write suddenly sound like Yovanoff's? If I don't read it than I'll forever wonder if we two great minds that think a like.
Here's the second question. Will having a similar plot lower my chances of getting that story published? I don't believe that short of mine was ever meant to go anywhere but I've been told that if I were to expand it than it could be a really good book. Does it make any difference to agents or publishers if they've heard of something similar?
Well, I've decided I'd read The Replacement because it sounds like a pretty cool book. In fact, I've just started it and it seems to be a little more fantasy whereas mine is pretty realistic. I may do a review on it when I'm done.
What's your opinion? Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever seen a book that was close to something you wrote before?
(PS- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER!!! :) )
The scrambled notes of a writer.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
2011!!
Happy New Year everybody! I hope the first week of 2011 has gone well for you. We had a lot of fun with my family so mine has gone pretty well. But, along with going back to work and school, a lot of people are making resolutions. Since this is the first post of 2011 I thought I’d share some of my writing resolutions here so you can all yell at me if I’m not keeping to it. :) Lol. Here they go:
1. Write more shorts
Writing short stories is how I started writing in general. Lately though, it seems that I haven’t been doing many of them at all. I kind of miss it. So let’s put a number on it. I will write at least 3 shorts this year. Short number one is in progress by the way.
2. Finish editing/write a query letter for my 2009 NaNo novel
It has been sitting there unfinished long enough. Time to fix it up and see what I can do with it!
3. Do a little poetry
I’m going to try to get an internship and the portfolio that I have to fill out asks me to do poetry. I’ve never really tried poetry before. I had to do a couple of high school assignments here and there but really I have no experience in that. So this year that’s going to change too.
So that’s just a few things I want to do this year. What’s some of yours? Have you already gotten started? I have a feeling that 2011 is going to be made of awesome. Whoo!!
A new year could also bring new things to my blog. I have a couple ideas that I’m going to throw out there that could mean more posts. I was thinking about more book reviews and a ‘Poetry Slam Challenge’ series.
I want to do book reviews on random days because when I finish a book I like to do reviews as soon as I can so my idea of it is still fresh. So I figure why not post them as I read them? The ‘Poetry Slam Challenge’ could be every month. You all challenge me with a topic and the type of poem (like a haiku or…uh, well, that’s really the only kind I know. I really, really need to work on this) and I’ll do it and post it. It will help me learn more about poetry and keep my word on my resolution. Hopefully it'll be fun for you guys to be involved and see how I do with your challenge too. Maybe you could even do it with me and I’ll post a link to poems for that month’s challenge.
Let me know what you think. See you next post. :)
1. Write more shorts
Writing short stories is how I started writing in general. Lately though, it seems that I haven’t been doing many of them at all. I kind of miss it. So let’s put a number on it. I will write at least 3 shorts this year. Short number one is in progress by the way.
2. Finish editing/write a query letter for my 2009 NaNo novel
It has been sitting there unfinished long enough. Time to fix it up and see what I can do with it!
3. Do a little poetry
I’m going to try to get an internship and the portfolio that I have to fill out asks me to do poetry. I’ve never really tried poetry before. I had to do a couple of high school assignments here and there but really I have no experience in that. So this year that’s going to change too.
So that’s just a few things I want to do this year. What’s some of yours? Have you already gotten started? I have a feeling that 2011 is going to be made of awesome. Whoo!!
A new year could also bring new things to my blog. I have a couple ideas that I’m going to throw out there that could mean more posts. I was thinking about more book reviews and a ‘Poetry Slam Challenge’ series.
I want to do book reviews on random days because when I finish a book I like to do reviews as soon as I can so my idea of it is still fresh. So I figure why not post them as I read them? The ‘Poetry Slam Challenge’ could be every month. You all challenge me with a topic and the type of poem (like a haiku or…uh, well, that’s really the only kind I know. I really, really need to work on this) and I’ll do it and post it. It will help me learn more about poetry and keep my word on my resolution. Hopefully it'll be fun for you guys to be involved and see how I do with your challenge too. Maybe you could even do it with me and I’ll post a link to poems for that month’s challenge.
Let me know what you think. See you next post. :)
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The Reindeer Games!
Hopefully we’re all remembering the real reason for the season and enjoying the time we’re having with our family and the blessings we’ve been given. This is just a fun little short story that I thought I’d write just for you guys. Hope you all like it. :)
Ah, the Reindeer Games. This had to be my favorite time of the year. I thought about the years that have passed as I sat in the reserved cushioned chair outside. The steam from my cup of hot chocolate filled my nose as I watched a light snow fall come down onto the stage in front of me.
It’s become more of a tradition then a job to me at this point. My family worked nearly every day at the Rudolph Ranch up in the mountains getting our team ready just for this moment. I started helping them when I was six and went straight for our Rudolphs of course. They were my favorite as any kid might say just because of their title. Over the next few years I shuffled through all four of our groups. I got tired of all the mathematics that it took to teach the Rudolphs about navigation, and the Dashers, Comets, and Blitzens involved way too much running and muscle strength. I liked the Dancers and Prancers at first but my sister and younger brother started to hint at my lack of coordination with their choreography. Soon I found that my place was with the Vixens, Cupids, and Donners. I liked to pay attention to the detail that had to go into the flight. I helped them learn to check everything to keep it all in top shape from the reins to the sled.
Every three years we would take the top of our groups, one of each title, to the Games and hope for the best. On Black Friday, while everyone else is out tearing up stores, we were out in the North prepping our team. On the first day they test them out together as a whole just to see what they’ve got. Then each day afterward they do the groups individually, putting each reindeer in groups with the others from different teams. Then at the end of the week they have the ceremony where they officially name nine of the reindeer after the originals that are forever repeated in children’s stories all over.
Finally, after years of hard work and determination we got to sit in the winner’s circle. Our Dancer and Prancer were called for the job. It has been so long since any of our own flew the sled that I was too young to barely remember. When we heard their names called we nearly went hoarse screaming so loud. We went forward to the stage to meet the Head Elf and Mr. Clause himself so they could present them with their medals.
And now we sit here, sipping our drinks close to midnight on Christmas Eve, waiting to see this year’s team pull away. I looked back at the seats behind us and the other trainers that have a reindeer on the team and remembered all the years that we were up there somewhere watching them fly. It was still fun there but it was something else being so close and knowing that one of them is ours.
The surrounding lights turned down and the stage lights brightened. The crowd hushed with all of their attention now turning to a door that opened and the reindeer proudly stepped into the view. Then the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts calling the names of their favorites. I tried to stay humble as I heard many Dancer and Prancer fans. Then the moment we were all waiting for came.
Mr. Clause came out and the crowd started up all over again. It was like they could do this all night. He laughed and waved to the crowd but once he climbed into that sled you could tell that he was all business. He grabbed the reins and shouted the words that no one could hear because they all were yelling it themselves.
“Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen. Now Rudolph guide us to the top of the porch, to the top of the wall. Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!!”
Of course they all knew the words from the famous story staying true to the book and only modifying slightly to include Rudolph. No sooner than the last command to dash away was called did disappear into the sky. It still amazed me how quick they were. It didn’t even take them a minute to get out of eyesight. That left the elf on stage to wish them Merry Christmas and us all a good night.
Our cheers faded and we went to find our beds because when the excitement is over then sleep was right around the corner. We made sure that our other reindeer were comfortable and went directly to our own beds in the hotel because we all knew that Santa doesn’t come until he knows we’re sleeping.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
Ah, the Reindeer Games. This had to be my favorite time of the year. I thought about the years that have passed as I sat in the reserved cushioned chair outside. The steam from my cup of hot chocolate filled my nose as I watched a light snow fall come down onto the stage in front of me.
It’s become more of a tradition then a job to me at this point. My family worked nearly every day at the Rudolph Ranch up in the mountains getting our team ready just for this moment. I started helping them when I was six and went straight for our Rudolphs of course. They were my favorite as any kid might say just because of their title. Over the next few years I shuffled through all four of our groups. I got tired of all the mathematics that it took to teach the Rudolphs about navigation, and the Dashers, Comets, and Blitzens involved way too much running and muscle strength. I liked the Dancers and Prancers at first but my sister and younger brother started to hint at my lack of coordination with their choreography. Soon I found that my place was with the Vixens, Cupids, and Donners. I liked to pay attention to the detail that had to go into the flight. I helped them learn to check everything to keep it all in top shape from the reins to the sled.
Every three years we would take the top of our groups, one of each title, to the Games and hope for the best. On Black Friday, while everyone else is out tearing up stores, we were out in the North prepping our team. On the first day they test them out together as a whole just to see what they’ve got. Then each day afterward they do the groups individually, putting each reindeer in groups with the others from different teams. Then at the end of the week they have the ceremony where they officially name nine of the reindeer after the originals that are forever repeated in children’s stories all over.
Finally, after years of hard work and determination we got to sit in the winner’s circle. Our Dancer and Prancer were called for the job. It has been so long since any of our own flew the sled that I was too young to barely remember. When we heard their names called we nearly went hoarse screaming so loud. We went forward to the stage to meet the Head Elf and Mr. Clause himself so they could present them with their medals.
And now we sit here, sipping our drinks close to midnight on Christmas Eve, waiting to see this year’s team pull away. I looked back at the seats behind us and the other trainers that have a reindeer on the team and remembered all the years that we were up there somewhere watching them fly. It was still fun there but it was something else being so close and knowing that one of them is ours.
The surrounding lights turned down and the stage lights brightened. The crowd hushed with all of their attention now turning to a door that opened and the reindeer proudly stepped into the view. Then the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts calling the names of their favorites. I tried to stay humble as I heard many Dancer and Prancer fans. Then the moment we were all waiting for came.
Mr. Clause came out and the crowd started up all over again. It was like they could do this all night. He laughed and waved to the crowd but once he climbed into that sled you could tell that he was all business. He grabbed the reins and shouted the words that no one could hear because they all were yelling it themselves.
“Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen. Now Rudolph guide us to the top of the porch, to the top of the wall. Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!!”
Of course they all knew the words from the famous story staying true to the book and only modifying slightly to include Rudolph. No sooner than the last command to dash away was called did disappear into the sky. It still amazed me how quick they were. It didn’t even take them a minute to get out of eyesight. That left the elf on stage to wish them Merry Christmas and us all a good night.
Our cheers faded and we went to find our beds because when the excitement is over then sleep was right around the corner. We made sure that our other reindeer were comfortable and went directly to our own beds in the hotel because we all knew that Santa doesn’t come until he knows we’re sleeping.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The 12 Things in my Life that Reading/Writing Gave to me
Tis the season for cold winter weather and holiday cheer. I'm feeling particularly in the holiday spirit tonight because snow decided to make an appearance. Yea! I might be in the minority but that makes me happy. So I call for CHRISTMAS THEMED BLOG POSTS! Yes!
So I would like to talk about the 12 things in my life that reading and writing gave to me, minus the partridge in a pear tree:
12 thousand new friends
I have made so many new friends just through the shared love of writing. Whether you're in real life or here in the Internet life I appreciate you guys so much for inspiring me and keeping my creative fire burning.
11 hundred lost pencils
I promise, it's like every time I turn around I can't find a pencil. Even if I was just using it then it would be gone in two seconds. I'll blame it on a tiny pencil thief.
10 hurting fingers
From typing to writing and back to typing these fingers keep moving and they can get a little tired. I've mentioned that I write by hand before. That wore my hand out this past month especially.
9 ways to procrastinate (at least)
I can find any reason to drop what I'm doing and read a book. And when I start reading I can spend forever in the pages no matter what has to be done. Is it wrong that I find that fantastic?
8 half empty journals
Probably more than that really. I like finding journals from when I was a kid and seeing what it was that I thought was so important back then. They were never full though, always had a bunch of empty pages sitting at the back.
7 days of 'vacation' a week
Have you ever heard someone say something about escaping into a book? How you can go anywhere when you have something to read? That's true. I lose track of time when I'm in a good book and even when I'm writing. I'm not thinking about anything that's going on in real life, just what's in my own made up world.
6 dollars of library fines
Unfortunately that's not a grand total. That's more like a bi-monthly thing. I told you I have problems with procrastination...
5 GOLD PLOT BUNNIES!!
If you do NaNoWriMo then you know what I'm talking about. OK, so I don't know if they're really gold and I don't believe there are only 5. When I get those creative juices flowing it's like plots populate my brain like bunnies reproducing. It's fantastic and horrible all at the same time. How am I suppose to write all these ideas at once!?
4 favorite snack foods
Chips, hot chocolate, tea, and candy. Anything hand held. Enough said.
3 hurting body parts
Most recently it has become my wrist. I may have carpal tunnel. Yea... Then when I'm staying up late reading or writing I usually get a headache and that's followed by a stomach ache. No fun.
2 sore eyes
Reading for a long amount of time can be really bad on my eyes and usually leads to one of the three things before. Not to mention looking at a computer screen for just as long when I'm typing something up.
And a binder full of short stories
The binder I have full of my stories from years ago till recently is one of the things that I love the most. It not only shows just how much work I've put into what is now going to be my career but a reminder of how I have so much fun with it. Most of the stories that I have in there is from before I ever thought of writing as a career. I see those and I remember why I do what I do.
What's a few of your twelve things that writing has given you?
So I would like to talk about the 12 things in my life that reading and writing gave to me, minus the partridge in a pear tree:
12 thousand new friends
I have made so many new friends just through the shared love of writing. Whether you're in real life or here in the Internet life I appreciate you guys so much for inspiring me and keeping my creative fire burning.
11 hundred lost pencils
I promise, it's like every time I turn around I can't find a pencil. Even if I was just using it then it would be gone in two seconds. I'll blame it on a tiny pencil thief.
10 hurting fingers
From typing to writing and back to typing these fingers keep moving and they can get a little tired. I've mentioned that I write by hand before. That wore my hand out this past month especially.
9 ways to procrastinate (at least)
I can find any reason to drop what I'm doing and read a book. And when I start reading I can spend forever in the pages no matter what has to be done. Is it wrong that I find that fantastic?
8 half empty journals
Probably more than that really. I like finding journals from when I was a kid and seeing what it was that I thought was so important back then. They were never full though, always had a bunch of empty pages sitting at the back.
7 days of 'vacation' a week
Have you ever heard someone say something about escaping into a book? How you can go anywhere when you have something to read? That's true. I lose track of time when I'm in a good book and even when I'm writing. I'm not thinking about anything that's going on in real life, just what's in my own made up world.
6 dollars of library fines
Unfortunately that's not a grand total. That's more like a bi-monthly thing. I told you I have problems with procrastination...
5 GOLD PLOT BUNNIES!!
If you do NaNoWriMo then you know what I'm talking about. OK, so I don't know if they're really gold and I don't believe there are only 5. When I get those creative juices flowing it's like plots populate my brain like bunnies reproducing. It's fantastic and horrible all at the same time. How am I suppose to write all these ideas at once!?
4 favorite snack foods
Chips, hot chocolate, tea, and candy. Anything hand held. Enough said.
3 hurting body parts
Most recently it has become my wrist. I may have carpal tunnel. Yea... Then when I'm staying up late reading or writing I usually get a headache and that's followed by a stomach ache. No fun.
2 sore eyes
Reading for a long amount of time can be really bad on my eyes and usually leads to one of the three things before. Not to mention looking at a computer screen for just as long when I'm typing something up.
And a binder full of short stories
The binder I have full of my stories from years ago till recently is one of the things that I love the most. It not only shows just how much work I've put into what is now going to be my career but a reminder of how I have so much fun with it. Most of the stories that I have in there is from before I ever thought of writing as a career. I see those and I remember why I do what I do.
What's a few of your twelve things that writing has given you?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Welcome December!
Yes, it is December the first which means that both November and NaNoWriMo have come to an end. How did I do? *makes drum roll noises* I didn't quite make it. :/ 38333 words was my stopping point, and you know what? I don't think I'm as disappointed as I thought I was going to be.
I pushed hard that last day. It wasn't until someone suggested that I start typing that afternoon that the words really started pouring in. I never thought that I was that fast at typing. I have always been a hand writer and always will be, but somehow when I was typing the words just came out all that much faster. I managed to get just over 14k words in just that one day.
I don't like that I didn't make it all the way, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy with the epic number of words that I pulled off. I didn't quit, I kept writing till the very last second and got way closer to the finish line than I thought I would. I'm proud of myself. If you didn't finish this year, then I'm still proud of you too because you tried or at least got started. Congratulations to the ones that did win! And to those who didn't join us this month I do hope you'll be able to do so next year.
Anyways, thank you guys so much for putting up with my sporadic posts. I know I haven't been posting like I should because November has been such a crazy month, but we will now return to the regular schedule this month. I'll see you all next Saturday! :)
I pushed hard that last day. It wasn't until someone suggested that I start typing that afternoon that the words really started pouring in. I never thought that I was that fast at typing. I have always been a hand writer and always will be, but somehow when I was typing the words just came out all that much faster. I managed to get just over 14k words in just that one day.
I don't like that I didn't make it all the way, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy with the epic number of words that I pulled off. I didn't quit, I kept writing till the very last second and got way closer to the finish line than I thought I would. I'm proud of myself. If you didn't finish this year, then I'm still proud of you too because you tried or at least got started. Congratulations to the ones that did win! And to those who didn't join us this month I do hope you'll be able to do so next year.
Anyways, thank you guys so much for putting up with my sporadic posts. I know I haven't been posting like I should because November has been such a crazy month, but we will now return to the regular schedule this month. I'll see you all next Saturday! :)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Week number....?
Number 3? It's the 18th so I'm suppose to be at 30k so I'm going to say yes. This is disorienting. I hope you'll forgive me for messing up my regular posting schedule. It's been pretty hectic around here. Everything will be normal when December comes around.
Any who... 30k. That's where I'm suppose to be. Where am I actually at? Just broke 15k an hour ago. This is going to be a long month. Actually, it won't be and that's the problem. It will only make me insane... Even more so than usual.
But it's OK because I think I've figured things out. Today is another of my personal NANO MARATHON DAYS! Last time I tried that I did a ten minute sprint (seeing how many words I can write in that time limit) ever 30 mins. It got me the daily word requirement which is good but I needed more if I'm going to catch up. So I was reminded by someone on the forums about something that Mr. Chris Baty himself said in his book No Plot? No Problem!
He suggested that you take a day where you have time 2 hours of spare time at least three times during the day. Get up early, eat, then write three times in 30 minutes blocks separated by 10 minute breaks. (So 30 mins writing/10 mins break /30 mins/10 mins/30 mins)
After that you can go do whatever you want. Then come back after lunch and do it again and the same after dinner. If it goes well you should get about 6k that day. Awesome, right? I write by hand so I think I'll be doing good to get 4k.
I figure it like this.* At the end of my first round I got 1087 words. If I get that the next two times I'll have 3261. If I get that for the 7 days of my Thanksgiving Break I'll only have 3000 a day to still be able to win.
*This should not be confused with me liking math.
Ugh... This is starting to look improbable. Not impossible, just improbable. But I'm not giving up! And neither should you. Let's keep going! I better get back to work.
Any who... 30k. That's where I'm suppose to be. Where am I actually at? Just broke 15k an hour ago. This is going to be a long month. Actually, it won't be and that's the problem. It will only make me insane... Even more so than usual.
But it's OK because I think I've figured things out. Today is another of my personal NANO MARATHON DAYS! Last time I tried that I did a ten minute sprint (seeing how many words I can write in that time limit) ever 30 mins. It got me the daily word requirement which is good but I needed more if I'm going to catch up. So I was reminded by someone on the forums about something that Mr. Chris Baty himself said in his book No Plot? No Problem!
He suggested that you take a day where you have time 2 hours of spare time at least three times during the day. Get up early, eat, then write three times in 30 minutes blocks separated by 10 minute breaks. (So 30 mins writing/10 mins break /30 mins/10 mins/30 mins)
After that you can go do whatever you want. Then come back after lunch and do it again and the same after dinner. If it goes well you should get about 6k that day. Awesome, right? I write by hand so I think I'll be doing good to get 4k.
I figure it like this.* At the end of my first round I got 1087 words. If I get that the next two times I'll have 3261. If I get that for the 7 days of my Thanksgiving Break I'll only have 3000 a day to still be able to win.
*This should not be confused with me liking math.
Ugh... This is starting to look improbable. Not impossible, just improbable. But I'm not giving up! And neither should you. Let's keep going! I better get back to work.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Behind after week one.
And so begins week two of NaNoWriMo. Just a really quick update from where I am. You may notice that the title doesn't seem as excited as Day 1 did. That's because it's been a very tiring weekend for NaNo.
I started off fine. I was on track every day and I thought I was doing pretty good, but Friday night I didn't reach my goal before midnight. You see, me and my sister have this bet going on that I will owe her a dollar for every day that I'm behind on my word count. (And just a side note in case she reads this, from where I'm at now that bet seems highly unfair. We will have to rewrite the rules of this thing.) That was when the motivation stopped driving me from that end. I had stacked up all these days that I was doing good and then it stopped. Don't get me wrong, 50000 words is still my main motivation and goal. I'm going to carry on but maybe not so hardcore.
It was a bitter sweet moment losing that four day streak of awesomeness. The next day my allergies caught up to me and I didn't feel like writing a thing. So you know what? I didn't. And it's OK. I told myself that I had 5 hardcore days of awesome so I deserve a day of rest. Sunday was a write-in so I went and wrote 2000 words that day taking me over 10,000 and only a day behind!
Where am I at now? Let's not talk of such things... OK, so I'm at 10,255. Not bad and not great if you like to be on schedule. But who needs a schedule anyways.
Hope you all are doing well on yours. Onward toward 50k! After a piece of 10k celebration pumpkin pie. :)
I started off fine. I was on track every day and I thought I was doing pretty good, but Friday night I didn't reach my goal before midnight. You see, me and my sister have this bet going on that I will owe her a dollar for every day that I'm behind on my word count. (And just a side note in case she reads this, from where I'm at now that bet seems highly unfair. We will have to rewrite the rules of this thing.) That was when the motivation stopped driving me from that end. I had stacked up all these days that I was doing good and then it stopped. Don't get me wrong, 50000 words is still my main motivation and goal. I'm going to carry on but maybe not so hardcore.
It was a bitter sweet moment losing that four day streak of awesomeness. The next day my allergies caught up to me and I didn't feel like writing a thing. So you know what? I didn't. And it's OK. I told myself that I had 5 hardcore days of awesome so I deserve a day of rest. Sunday was a write-in so I went and wrote 2000 words that day taking me over 10,000 and only a day behind!
Where am I at now? Let's not talk of such things... OK, so I'm at 10,255. Not bad and not great if you like to be on schedule. But who needs a schedule anyways.
Hope you all are doing well on yours. Onward toward 50k! After a piece of 10k celebration pumpkin pie. :)
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