When Retelling Old Stories...

    I recently read an article about retelling old stories, such as fairytales, legends, and even historical events. This is one of my personal favorite kinds of storytelling, so I found their suggestions interesting. If you are like me, you are likely already aware of much of their advice.
    First of all, stay true to the original. This does not mean that you cannot change things, but you must respect the source material. Remember the roots of the story, the heart of it, even if you change everything else about it.
    Consider such examples (for better or worse):

• Sleeping Beauty (fairytale)/Sleeping Beauty (animated movie)/Maleficent (live-action movie)
• Swan Lake (legend)/Swan Lake (ballet)/Swan Princess (movie)
• Harry Potter (books)/Harry Potter (movies)

    While it is expected that you stay true to the story that you have decided to tell, one cannot be afraid to come at the story from a new angle and make some changes. No one wants to hear the same old story the same old way.
    At the same time, that doesn’t mean that you have to make radical changes. Never make changes just for the sake of changes. It betrays the heart of the story. Think about it, and make informed decisions about the story you intend to tell

    If you want to retell a story without changing much, that is perfectly acceptable! Consider fleshing out certain aspects of it, for depth. Consider telling from an interesting point of view, emphasizing something new, or connecting it with a new theme (such as Frozen's theme of being yourself and not being afraid). 

    Old stories have lasted for dozens, sometimes hundreds of years. This means that there is some value and worth in them already. When retelling one, it is all too easy to destroy what made the story good to begin with.

    It is said that you get down to it, all stories have been told before. Good vs. Evil, Truth vs. Lies... These themes come back over and over, mixed and matched with different events. No idea is original. This is something to bear in mind when retelling an old story that has probably been retold countless times before. This stories are immortal, and bear retelling.

    Minimizing discrimination of old stories is also encouraged, as their social portrayal is often out of date, even archaic. Great old stories can be made horrid and disgusting by dated ideology. Sometimes, it is impossible to remove this from a story, and sometimes it is best not to try, but as a modern writer for modern readers, you must address it and show it for what it is.

    Good luck! I hope this helped you, as it did me.

Zoë

Quitter

    It takes a pretty inspiring idea to get someone to start writing. But as Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” In other words, it takes more than an exciting idea to finish a story.
    An important rule to finishing a project, for me, is knowing that once you are finished, it will be over. There will be no more intense writing. It is a projects, and all projects come to an end.
    Currently, I am having second thoughts about a novel I started. Aren’t there better things, even literarily, that could demand my time, like working on revisions for a novel I want to publish?
    Well, I want to encourage people to finish their ideas.
    But at the same time, it is okay to quit. If something happens in your life, it is OKAY to do postpone working on a project for a while. Some things are more important then seeing a story through to the end.
    But you have to realize that the likelihood of your finishing a project drops substantially once you set it aside for a while.
    If you need to stop something or a while, though, you should feel no shame!
    May I never say it again, but some things are more important than writing.
    Even so, I wish you luck and stamina.

Zoë 

And What of Publishing?

    Now, the truth must be known right off that I am not an expert in the publishing process. I do not fully know what constitutes a good book, to the publishers who read the thousands of excerpts sent to them from anxious writers everywhere.
    I have, however, a little experience from the author’s point of view.
    I am NOT published. (My poetry has been published a few times, but never yet a novel.)
    However, I hope to give you some ideas of what to keep in mind while pursuing the publishing process. I am currently reopening the publishing portion of my life after my first, unsuccessful phase.
    The process of submitting your work for publishers (and agents) is a rollercoaster ride of emotion. First, you feel confident, assured that no one could reject your book. Then the first rejection comes in and you are crushed, you wish you had never submitted at all. Then you build up your confidence again and keep going, caught in the rollercoaster that is publishing.

    Although I cannot speak from experience, I would say that the best way to get published is to be persistent. But keep writing and reading while you're working at it. Write you next book while you're waiting to hear back from publishers.
    If you are not able to find someone willing to publish your books, there are many options available to you.
    First of all, you may want to reedit and reevaluate your novel, just to make sure that it is the best it can be. No one wants to be published only to realize that they could have done much better. Take another look at your novel and consider if you should change anything, if it needs more polishing. After this, you may want to try submitting it again.
    Another popular option is self-publishing. You can do this many ways. I have known people to write novels chapter by chapter on blogs. Amazon allows you to sell online through them (see the link on the sidebar) with minimal cost and maximum royalties. Createspace is another option.
    NaNoWriMo winners receive discounts, or coupons, to many editing and publishing websites, so if you are looking into this option, I recommend participating in a year of NaNoWriMo.
    Some of the largest disadvantages to self-publishing are as follows: you are in charge of publicity, you will probably never see your book in a bookstore (every writer's dream!), you must find or make your own cover art, and you are fully in charge of editing the novel yourself.
    Now, all these obstacles can be overcome, but it is best to know what you are getting into before taking the plunge.
    In the second phase of my publishing efforts, I have already received one refusal. (Sigh...) But life goes on.

Good luck! and I will keep you posted.

Zoë 

Endings

    Sorry I’m behind! NaNoWriMo starts in less than a month, and I have a story that I want to write… but I don’t know the end!
    They say that you should never start writing a book until you have the ending planned. This is hard for me because I’m a beginning/ middle writer.
    There is a fantastic novel called the Book of Story Beginnings. It is about all those ideas and fragments of stories that people come up with but never finish. I recommend it, just for fun, though it isn’t too deep.
    But, as we saw in the Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling a few weeks ago, endings are hard. After all, they are one of the most important parts of the story told. If there was no ending, why bother telling it at all?
    Often (though not as often as I would like), good stories write themselves, if you let them. If you let your characters meld with their setting and their conflict, it may become clear what they must do, what will happen, and what has ‘got to give’, as they say.
    But then, isn’t it better to write the beginning of a story and wait for the end to come to you than not to write it at all? I am inclined to think that it is.
    Still, I feel restless while I don’t know.

Zoë 

On the Subject of Mythology...

    On the subject of mythology… I could talk for hours. Be it Greek, Norse, Celtic (those of which my heritage and cultural experience are closest to), Egyptian, Hindu, Native American groups (which I love, though I am far from an expert), to Australian and Chinese (neither of which I know much about, though I would like to).
    Ancient religious texts (stories, etc.) share certain parallels with each other that are most fascinating. Take wolves, for instance: in many cultures, wolves (or another canine hunter) share a key role in mythology

• Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf
• Fenrir of the Norse tales
• Anubis of Egypt
• Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs both have a ‘Big Bad Wolf’ in them
• Numerous Native American stories from various groups feature wolves
• Dingoes of Australia too hold a place in myths

    True, different cultures portray wolves (dingoes, jackals, etc.) in different lights, some positive, others negative, but it seems that ancient cultures agreed that these canines were important, so much so as to make them immortal in their mythos.
    Similarly, there are other character roles that are reflected across the geographical distances, similar in all places, such as the maverick, the bad brother: Loki, Mordred, Set…
    I cannot claim to be an expert on mythology, but their methods of storytelling are worth noting. As with fairytales, all is concise and exaggerated. There is more than one version of nearly every story, as they were originally oral telling.
    Mythology’s purpose was to explain the world, and explain the culture of a civilization. An interesting example is Hera and Zeus from Greek myths. Hera is often seen as the nagging jealous wife, but perhaps she was merely striving to protect her realm: the family.
    While Zeus is king of the gods, very powerful, masculine and all that, Hera was the woman of the house, the keeper of the family and the protector of women, the role of a woman in Greco-Roman times.
    Myths are extended metaphors and parables. Interesting stories to look at individually, but often, there is far more depth than one originally sees. People (including myself) like to retell these myths, fairytales, and legends, but when we do that, it is all too easy to lose this depth.
    Consider depth and deeper meaning when righting this week.

Zoë 

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

    This week, I happened across Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. I think that there is a lot of truth in these rules, not just fortune-cookie wisdom written by someone who knows nothing about good writing… or ‘storytelling’.
    Pixar is known for its fantastic computer-animated movies. (Fantastic is a word of opinion. If you disagree, do not be offended: they are well-constructed stories, generally.) They have (as of today) released 14 full-length films, not including many more shorts.
    You could say that Pixar is known for their stories having heart. Some are heartbreaking, but all are beautiful, to me, and their advice is simple and heartfelt. Here is their list, copied from their site.

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Let’s take some advice from Pixar. After all, they have many successes.

Zoë 

The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R. Tolkien

    I recently finished J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, his first volume in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As many know, this is his three-part epic inspired by ancient Norse culture, the seed of all modern fantasy, and a very popular movie series, now.
    A few years ago, I had started this book, but never finished. About three days ago, however, I finally did, and this is my conclusion: wonderful.
    Tolkien writes very well. His balance between dialogue and description is very good, and the story is phenomenal. At some points, I was a bit confused about what was happening, but I blame that on watching the movies first.
    Reading the book really helped me to appreciate the characters better. Some say that Merry and Pippin are hard to tell apart in the books, at least until later on, but partly from seeing the movie first, their differences seemed evident far earlier.
    I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and good writing. The Lord of the Rings, I think, is the seed from which modern fantasy has sprung.
    Before Tolkien, elves were thought of generally as being tricksy thieves with pointed ears, small in size and not particularly ‘cool’. Now, elves, tall woodland folk, often skilled in archery, have become a staple to the fantasy world.
    I still have two more books to read, but generally, I really like them, and encourage you to try them, if you have not already.

My Favorites:

• Character:
• Aragorn, “Strider” (and other aliases)
• Passage:
• “‘And it is not our part here to take though only for a season, for a few lives of Men, or for a passing age of the world. We should seek a final end of this menace, even if we do not hope to make one.’”
   -J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf

(Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, I just had by wisdom teeth removed.)

Distraction

    Distractions are one of the banes of writers, at least in my opinion. Some distractions are good: relaxing ones, decompressing ones, fun ones… But sometimes it is hard to be in control of you distractions and not let them control you.
    I can’t tell you how many times I have been distracted by Pinterest, Facebook, a book I’m reading, or any number of things. Here are some ideas to help overcome distraction:

• Set a timer. If you set a timer, it helps block writing time away from work or play time. However long you set it for, don’t go on the internet, don’t get up and wash dishes. That is writing time. Writing time is sacred. 
• Have a writing spot. Sit at your table when you write. Sit at your desk, you sofa, somewhere specific. It will help your brain to recognize that when you are there, it is your ‘Writing Zone’. Do other work other places. 
• Set goals. Say to yourself, ‘I won’t check Facebook until I have written XXX number of words’. Once you have, check Facebook, or whatever you do. Set a timer. Give yourself five minutes. Get back to writing. 
• Keep away from the internet! The internet is one of the biggest distractions out there. Feel free to look up things if you must, but try to keep internet use to a minimal. Search engines are notorious for scattering thoughts and making it hard to concentrate on one thing. 

    Maybe this list helps you a little bit. Come up with your own. Identify what distracts you so you can work around it. And again, for most of us, our lives do not center around writing. That is why it is important to set a timer and make time for it, without outward distractions.

Zoë 

Writing Magic

    July, a month of writing, is over… and what do I have to show for it? I have half of a rough… rough novel that is very rough... did I say it was rough? It is. Rough. But I have half of it! And that is cause for celebration, if nothing else is.
    Stories are like rare, tropical birds… very difficult to catch without damaging their beauty…
    Yes, I haven’t gotten out much for the past month.
    Working on the same story every day for a month is tiring, not to mention boring, as I mentioned in my last post. After a while, you forget why you haven’t met with your friends in weeks, why you haven’t showered in days, and why the only food you’ve made the time to prepare yourself is PB & J.
    Why even bother? All I got was half of a ROUGH novel. It hurts me to even think about it, it’s so rough!
    I don’t have any answers. If you write, you do it because you are forced.
    I’m not joking.
    Who likes writing for the sake of writing? (Okay, I liked it when I was two, and I discovered Microsoft Word and felt like a grownup, wondering why there were so many squiggly red lines under my beautiful words.) That’s right: very, very few people.
    I remember getting horrible cramps in first grade after laboriously forming letters. It hurt! Writing was painful. I remember failing at typing, after the excitement wore off.
    No one likes being judged.
    No one likes exhibiting his or her work for other’s to judge. Writing (or art, or music, or anything else that requires creativity) is an expression of one’s self. It is a piece of us. If it is bad, so are we.
    We write because we are forced, like a student in English class.
    We’ll go crazy if we don’t write down the stories in our heads and hearts. Don’t worry. All writers hear voices: character’s voices, your voices in the guise of one of your characters.
    Writing isn’t fun.
    Reading’s fun.
    Sharing stories is fun. Hearing stories, experiencing ordinary or great things in the comfort of your own room…
    That’s magic.

Zoë 

Lousy Days

    When you are writing a lot in a short amount of time, there is the distinct possibility that not everything you put down will be good. Some of you may be amazing super-writers who can write prose poetry in a hurried first draft, but I am not one of those people.
    The beginning of this month was very discouraging for me: lots of words, not a whole lot of quality. By the halfway point of my writing, I was close to despairing. All I wanted to do was work on my Avalon Trilogy. This made me feel pathetic, to some extent, but to be honest, I needed a break.

    So I did it: I spent a day reading and tacking on a little to my most recent draft. To be sure, I didn’t add very much, but it was a break, a relief, really. It gave me enough separation to calm me and let me get back to writing my planned story.

    I had a musical theatre camp last week at the local college, and it was seven and a half hour long each day for five days in a row. In the evening, I watched House M.D. (good for relaxation) and I didn’t worry any more about it.
    I didn’t get many words or any planning done that week.
    Now, however, I’m back ‘on a roll’, at least in my mind, and am eager to keep working on my most recent story. I’ve made the 50,000 word count goal for the novel already, but there is still a lot of story to go…
    But that will be another post.

Over and out,

Zoë 

July Novel

    July NaNoWriMo Camp begins tomorrow. I have an idea for a new fairy-tale fantasy novel (inspired by the Amazing Spiderman 2 trailer). I am super excited about it, and will share sketches, etc. However, I do not want to get ahead of myself and talk about it before I have a good grasp on the story.
    Having been busy for the past month moving, looking at colleges, and attending a church conference, I have not written much. This trend will likely continue for the next month, as it will be a heavy writing month for me, and all of you who decide to participate in this camp.
    Here is a cool list of character-development questions I found on the NaNo blog that may help you better develop your characters as it did me:

1. Name:
2. Age:
3. Height:
4. Eye color:
5. Physical appearance:
6. Strange or unique physical attributes:
7. Favorite clothing style/outfit:
8. Where does he or she live? What is it like there?
9. Defining gestures/movements (i.e., curling his or her lip when he or she speaks, always keeping his or her eyes on the ground, etc.):
10. Things about his or her appearance he or she would most like to change:
11. Speaking style (fast, talkative, monotone, etc.):
12. Pet peeves:
13. Fondest memory:
14. Hobbies/interests:
15. Special skills/abilities:
16. Insecurities:
17. Quirks/eccentricities:
18. Temperament (easygoing, easily angered, etc.):
19. Negative traits: 
20. Things that upset him or her:
21. Things that embarrass him or her: 
22. This character is highly opinionated about:
23. Any phobias?
24. Things that make him or her happy:
25. Family (describe):
26. Deepest, darkest secret:
27. Reason he or she kept this secret for so long:
28. Other people’s opinions of this character (What do people like about this character? What do they dislike about this character?):
29. Favorite bands/songs/type of music:
30. Favorite movies:
31. Favorite TV shows:
32. Favorite books:
33. Favorite foods: 
34. Favorite sports/sports teams:
35. Political views: 
36. Religion/philosophy of life:
37. Physical health: 
38. Dream vacation:
39. Description of his or her house:
40. Description of his or her bedroom:
41. Any pets?
42. Best thing that has ever happened to this character:
43. Worst thing that has ever happened to this character:
44. Superstitions:
45. Three words to describe this character:
46. If a song played every time this character walked into the room, what song would it be?

Burned-Out

   I have taken a break from writing in the past few weeks. I have a tendency to write in waves. My last wave lasted from November through April, so I am pretty well spent now. Lately, I’ve spent most of my free time doing character sketches (will post as soon as I amount the gumption to scan them) and have just begun work on actually drawing out my graphic novel.

    I have never undertaken the creation of a graphic novel before, due to the sheer amount of work involved and the fact that I have trouble drawing with consistency. That is why I’ve been spending the past few months drawing constantly. I am better than I was, but am by no means perfect.

    If-when I finish this graphic novel, I hope to distribute it between my family and friends. I have no intention of trying to publish it, except perhaps openly online for anyone to read. I have the first volume (of six) planned out and written, so now all I have to do is draw about sixty pages and color them.

    There are moments when I wonder why I had to decide to be a writer. “God (or whoever else I ought to be complaining to), why couldn’t you make me something straightforward and simple? Is there anything straightforward and simple?”

    Admittedly, I have been putting off getting into writing again, at least a little. (I have also been putting off picking up French horn again so that I’m ready for auditions, but that’s another story.) Writing comes in cycles (at least for me):

• write hard for a while
• burn out
• delve into other activities without even thinking about stories
• start thinking about stories again
• reread/ lightly edit former projects
• tack a little more writing onto the ends of unfinished drafts
• dive back into writing 

   So, I’ve pulled out Camelot High, and Merlin’s Dream today and started rereading what I wrote last. I won’t have time to get back into writing for a while yet because I’m moving at the end of the month, but I’m starting to get back into it.  
   I’ve spent countless hours in the past two weeks on Pinterest, storyboarding my finished and not-yet-started projects. Lately, many bizarre ideas and themes have come to me about possible stories, and I wrote them down (because otherwise I’d never remember them). The way I figure it, when I’m 50 (or 40 or 30) I may run out of ideas, so I’ll collect them now while I have them. 
    I usually spend time thinking about my stories through the day, between tasks, during walks, and while waiting for sleep. However, recently, my thoughts have been jumbled and flighty, jumping from one story to another. This is probably due to my spending so much time graphing various stories on Pinterest, so now I must train myself out of it.

    Now, nearly every paragraph here began with the word ‘I’, or some variation thereof, so I will close thus: When you get sick of writing for a while, don’t be scared, just go with the flow. Listen to yourself. People need breaks from almost everything. Take it easy and don’t fret. Love of writing doesn’t leave permanently, although it sometimes goes asleep for a while.

Happy writing,

Zoë 

The Watchmen, writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons

    I was given the book The Watchmen for Christmas with a high recommendation. (This graphic novel appears on Time’s List of the 100 Best Novels, a list compiled of books written between 1923 and 2005 in the English language.) 
    The story addresses the possibility and possible issues of living in a society with costumed vigilantes, ‘heroes’, or ‘watchmen’. Only one being in the story actually has ‘superpowers’, all the others are merely good fighters.

    Some of the heroes, perhaps most of them, have a skewed sense of ethics and justice. This, combine with everyday problems, as we have today, made for an interesting story and a surprising, rending ending.

    This book makes you wonder about what is right and what is wrong, and how far you should go to achieve the better end. The movie is an amazing adaptation from the book and nearly entirely the same.

My Favorites:

• Character:
• Rorschach, Ozymandias
• Scene: 
• the climax in Antarctica
• Passage:
•  “I did it thirty-five minutes ago.”

A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

    I just recently finished Anthony Burgess's story A Clockwork Orange. (This book appears on Time’s List of the 100 Best Novels, a list compiled of books written between 1923 and 2005 in the English language.)

BEWARE SPOILERS 

    The story was published in 1962 and takes place in a futuristic New York City where the streets are ruled with gangs and filled with crime, the police force and societal mentality at least as brutal as these lawless gangs. 

    One of the most singular traits of this book is the thick slang that Alex (the narrator) uses to tell the story: ‘rookers’ (hands), ‘litso’ (face), ‘starry’ (old), ‘devotchka’ (girl), ‘horrorshow’ (swell), etcetera. It takes a while to get into the swing of the slang, especially without a glossary. However, after reading the book, one starts trying to employ this new slang into everyday usage.

    The story follows the progress of an adolescent gangster, rapist, and murderer (Alex) as he is arrested and treated for his violent tendencies before being released back into the world. The first few chapters follow him and his ‘droogs’ (friends) as they spend a typical night out committing the old ‘ultraviolence’.

    Through causing physical pain (headaches, panic, nausea) while viewing videos of violent encounters of all natures, they teach Alex’s body to abhor violence in any form, including art, love, and music. As it happens, Alex has a passion for music, but his will no longer allow him to listen to it, which he finds doubly painful.

     The question of Ethics (and Good and Evil) is the reason to read the story. Burgess leaves no question that Alex is capable of great evil. When they force him to do good in effort to abate the nausea that fills him at the thought of violence, we can see that he still truly wants to do evil, and it is that desire that brings on the sickness, forcing him to do good.

    People with political agenda’s exploit Alex’s predicament to bring down the current minister. Questions arise, such as: does someone have the right to remove someone’s moral choice? And does a person, as an individual, have a right to do evil?

My Favorites:

• Scene: 

• When Alex throws himself out the window as music blares

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

    Dracula was an interesting story, the classic novel of vampires and ‘evil’ written by Dublin-born author, Bram Stoker. I liked the style and method of writing, the story told through various journal entries, letters, telegrams, and newspaper clippings, a novel way of writing. This method of storytelling allowed for showing the story through the eyes of different characters and allowed the reader to put the pieces together on their own and make their own deductions.

    Slowly, as the book progresses, we see each of the characters reach the conclusion that Count Dracula is some sort of monster. It is wonderful to watch a story that started out as tangible and ordinary be corrupted and overwhelmed by the invasive fantasy and horror. The writing is excellent. The reader feels as if they really are reading the entries of different characters and current news although Bram Stoker was the sole author.

    Several discrepancies between the original story and following renditions in media and films are noticed, such as the fact that Count Dracula is very old at the beginning and slowly becomes younger as the story progresses. However, these arm minimal. There are also one or two interesting female characters, which is always notable in such old stories. Mina Harker is not Katniss Everdeen, but for a book written in 1897 by man, she stands on her own.

    My one qualm with Dracula is that the themes are not as deep as I had hoped. When thinking about reading it, I decided to read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein first. Frankenstein is laced with the questions of ethics regarding the creation of a new life and the expanse of science. It was a very deep, unnerving story. Dracula was a classic -- perhaps the classic -- monster story, and it does not go much deeper than that, at least not for me.

My Favorites:

• Character:
• Renfield
• Scene:
• Renfield’s death 

Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

    I recently finished reading John Steinbeck’s classic Grapes of Wrath: poetry in novel form. This book appears on Time’s List of the 100 Best Novels, a list compiled of books written between 1923 and 2005 in the English language. It was remarkable to read, each word meant to be there, no extra, none missing. The writing style was simple but poetic. The story does not have a classic rising and falling action, climax between, but is more of a journey. Steinbeck’s skill with words is truly phenomenal.

     The story begins in rural Oklahoma during the Great Depression and documents a family’s journey to California. The story contains little happiness, save for the little things. As the pages turn, the family starves, looses one member after another, and generally loses heart. Has the story grows, so does the anger, the ‘grapes of wrath’ on the vine. Families starve as food goes to waste, burned and destroyed by the owners of farms. Big businesses take over the smaller ones, lives are overturned, and the world darkens.

    For those interested in literature and without the need of adventure in their reading, Grapes of Wrath is a great book and I recommend it. It is not a pretty, happy, or fulfilling story, but it means something, and it is worth the read.

My Favorites:

• Character:
• Tom Joad, Jr. 
• Scene:
• the stand-down in Hooverville

Bye-Bye, April

    As April winds to a close, so does my month of novel-writing that I (brashly) began four weeks ago. This past month, I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel-writing Month), an organization that encourages busy people to become busier novelists in certain months of the year, namely November. However, they set up camps a few times during the spring and summer for those who do not want to limit their novel-writing to one a year. This year, 2014, camps will be held in April and July. And -- as I mentioned above -- the April NaNo-camp is coming to a close.

    My project this April was attempting to complete a second draft of Paramount, my second novel. To be frank, I didn’t finish. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote some 50,000 words (the goal for a NaNo writing month), but the estimated length of the second draft is 93,351 words, according to my forecasting. For any of you who have any doubts, this is a lot of words. When I burned out, I had just started the fourth of six chapters, so I am disappointed that I did not get farther (especially with only two chapters (20,000 words) left of my 225,182 word, three-month ‘November’ writing project, my fairytale book).

    It was probably foolhardy to attempt such large projects, but I have to admit, that starting these kinds of projects with a goal and a clipped pace make them seem a little less daunting. In all likelihood, I would never have gotten that far if I hadn’t jumped right into it without thinking about how hard it would be. At this point, I’m far more likely to finish those final two chapters, not that I’ve come so far, the same thing being the case with Paramount (although my chapters are averaging just fewer than 50 pages in that book). Editing a 650-page manuscript, however, will take another leap of gumption (and a rather large pair of scissors).

    Many people I know want to write. Nearly half of my friends have expressed some desire to write at some time or another. Most have not completed a full draft of anything, though, despite their interest. Maybe it is because they do not have the stamina or discipline.
   However, I think they would sooner commit to something else, like work, school, etc., than to the story inside of them. Don’t get me wrong -- work, school, choir, community groups, and so forth are all important. However, if you want to do something, you have to make time for it. Writing often requires a shuffling of priorities. Goodness knows that my priorities could use a responsible reorganizing.

    If you want to write a novel, don’t say to yourself, “I can write when I’m out of school,” then, “I can write when I get a better paying job,” then “I’ll write when I retire,” and so forth until you run out of time. Time is limited. Death and taxes. You have a finite amount of time and opportunity, so use that time to what you love: writing, painting, singing, playing baseball, traveling, eating great food, making people laugh, gardening, fishing, (and probably work to, if you need, to support yourself while taking time to do the things you love).

    I apologize for that rather lofty former paragraph, but I wanted to remind you how important it is to take care of you and spend your time as you see fit. I have spent many, many hours writing in the past five years -- and I will be the first to admit that some of that time was more productive than other ones were -- but I love writing.
    Well, no. As Murray on the MaryTyler Moore Show said (this is paraphrased, I’m afraid, so if anyone has the real quote, please let me know): I like reading my writing, I like getting paid for my writing, and I like hearing, but I don’t think I like writing my writing.

    April is wrapping up, and so am I. Life interrupts and intervenes in projects, in writing, to which we can all testify. You have to know, or try to find out, when it’s best to power through a project or to let go and use your priceless time for something else. I’ll end with this: don’t be afraid to leave a project unfinished if you know (as best you can) that you will return.

Zoë Gallagher