Be unique.

We're thirteen days into the month of August now and Nellie is going at an okay pace. I'm glad I can still manage to write a few words into the novel most every day! I foresee those Holy-Grailed "The End" words to be written down before September as long as I can keep a pace of 1,500 words per weekday. So far, so good, seeing as I wrote 1,700 words today! :) And I've just written the first scene where Nellie stops suffering what happens to her, but instead takes the lead in her own story. I've been waiting for that moment for ever! So yay! Now, I deserve a break... :P

In other news, I've just finished reading The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero.

Aside from the fact that (if you're used to reading that type of story) it can get long and predictable at times, I absolutely loved the story and the base idea and the way the story jumps from one "media" to another (diary entries, video's transcript, etc.) I totally recommend it! It's got a few twists that had me go like: o_O "No way!" And it's as eerie and creepy as it is inspiring. And the ending: awesome! :) A great adventure!

Alright.
Now, let's get serious.

I totally loved the book but it got me reacquainted with an old "friend": envy. (Or is it jealousy? Or insecurity?) You know, that mean little voice that says stuff like "I wish I had thought of it first" or "Why bother with writing; I'm nothing special and this guy does it waaaay better"?
It's easy nowadays to feel like an impostor and/or to succumb to defeatist thoughts such as "Everything's already been written." I totally know what you mean! I used to think like that too. I mean, just look at how many writers emerge every day through the Internet, what with all its writing communities, blogs and such. 

There are so many of us that it can get very difficult to feel special. (And not only as an artist! When you have access to an entire world filled with unique people sharing their opinions, ideals, likes and dislikes, you start to realize you're just a drop in an ocean of unique people, nothing special... Margaret Mead said: "Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." That quote never actually made me feel better... Isn't it a fact that a world filled with unique people actually works in removing one's uniqueness?)

Being special has always been very important to me.
I grew up being mostly invisible or the subject of name-calling sessions and mean tricks from those bullies I'm sure we all meet while growing up. I was even told by kids and teachers alike that I would never amount to anything. For a girl like me, becoming someone special is everything... It becomes the ultimate dream, the ultimate weapon against negative thoughts, the ultimate buoy... And I held on to it. But eventually, reality catches up and you gotta face the music: you are about as special as everyone else...
That way of thinking can go on for a long time, I'm not gonna lie to you. But have hope because one day, someday, something will happen and all of a sudden, things will go differently...

I was terrified at the idea of reading The Supernatural Enhancements because, no matter how much it intrigued me, it also felt like I was some sort of failure; I was too late; that guy had also "stolen my story" (well, he never actually stole anything, we just happened to think of the same thing). Fortunately for me, my reading of this novel coincided with my starting to read another book (one filled with advice on "how to write") and somehow, as though it was pinpointing my exact feelings, the advice book said something like "Every artist's work anywhere in the world is inspired by another artist." Put simply: we're all inspired by each other but no two artworks are exactly the same. You can try over and over again to copy the work of your favorite artist, but you won't succeed! (Unless, of course, you blatantly copy/paste. :P) And in the end, that advice book was right: The Supernatural Enhancements turned out to share very little with my own idea for a story! ^_^
And even if they did come close, isn't that a good thing somehow? The readers who have loved the other writer's work will be happy to find a new home in your novel as well! :D

The point is: even though you and another writer (or a hundred other writers for that matter!) have had the same base idea for a story, its rendering will always be (slightly or grandly) different because people are (slightly or grandly) different. So Margaret Mead was right: we're all unique. (And no, the fact that everyone else is just the same does not remove to our uniqueness! :P) I think what she meant was: even though we all experience love, hate, desire, sadness, dream, tragedy, we all experience them in our own unique way...

So go on.
Go write your own Romeo & Juliet and know that, yes, you're right: everything about love has already been written...

...but not by you. :)

A problem, a solution... and an update!

Camp NaNo is done and gone.

Haha Camp NaNo is not that bad, don't worry! :P

I did not reach my 40k goal, but I do not feel bad about it since I've managed to get as close as 39, 307 words! And since my last post (July 30th), I've passed the 40k mark with relative ease. Nellie IV has reached 42,853 words and is therefore well underway although I must admit once again that I do look forward to finally be working on something else...

I've made the decision not to write anything else until that final volume which I've dragged for far too long is finally cleared. I owe it to many of my readers (who are patiently waiting for that fourth volume to come out) to finally get down to the task, stop postponing and finding excuses and write the damn thing.

So I'll do it if it's the last book I ever write!
I will emerge victorious.
I. Shall. Conquer!

Hopefully, it won't be the last book I'll ever write...

Cause yeah, I rant and I rant about being a writer (no money, no real recognition, etc.) but the truth is that it's a pretty neat life:

1) I make my own schedule (I can work late and sleep late if I want!);

2) No real boss (except my readers ^_^);

3) I get to work at home (geek t-shirts and boxers are my typical office outfit);

4) I get to go on book signings and meet with my readers;

5) Basically, my job is to make up intricate lies to put down in books people will want to buy!

Really, how awesome is that?
It's a great life! I urge you to live it! :P (Just... have a backup plan for rent, 'kay?)

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! I don't think it's the last book I'll ever write... giving that I can't stop coming up with cool settings and characters. :P

But I have one big giant flaw in all that: I can't come up with good plots. (Now, don't try to flatter me, I know this to be true.) I've always had this feeling, this hint that all of my stories lacked directions, foundations... Like I'm just plucking ideas out of thin air and never really link them, you know? They don't make sense, they don't seem real and most of the time, I think the readers can't feel for my characters... I lack the sense of realness. It's a thing! I've been reading a book on how to write and the author says that: a book is a form a contract between the reader and the writer, like "I know you're lying to me, but do it well". And the key to doing it well, to make the story believable is to make it seem real. THAT's where I'm found lacking...
And so far, I haven't found how to fix this...
If you've got any ideas, please, lemme know!

But there's one thing I've managed to fix.

You see, I'm a Lazy Lass. :P I don't like to work and I most certainly don't like to work hard! At least, that was true last week so what changed?

I've started training again.

Yep. You read correctly! I've started training again and the simple fact of moving my fat butt around at some point during the week has jolted my brain and got the cogs a-turning! Actually, it's so badly beneficial that I've come to a point where I don't mind doing research! o_O




(A new story idea assailed me a couple of days ago and I went to the library today to stock up on some research material. Care to venture a theme? ^_^)

A photo posted by Valérie L. (@valouche13) on Aug 6, 2015 at 2:10pm PDT

Worse: I don't even worry about my future anymore! (I know what you're thinking: OMG, what happened to you? Good ol' neurotic you! We demand that you bring that anxiety-prone, self-doubting wreck back again!!! ^_^ Don't worry, at some point, she'll come back I'm sure :P But for now, I'm fine.) I don't care about whoever won't like my stories. I don't care if I don't get huge and famous and rich and popular and pretty and all that! :P For now, I am perfectly fine. :)

But my moods have been known to swing around faster than chimps in trees so... we'll see what tomorrow brings! ^_^
For now, that is all. I'm sure you guys have better things to do than to read my ramblings :P
And I've got me a novel to finish reading ^_^
Toodles!