Chick Lit Goddess

...because every author wants to feel like a goddess!

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I’m Suddenly More Inspired…and Here’s Why!

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Today I became, once again, inspired to become a writer!  I went to the local Barnes & Noble to get some of my writing work completed.  Being surrounded with book after book, I felt at home, and was off in my own world.

After reading and critiquing, I walked around the store, admiring the published authors’.  I read the back of several books, including a few first pages of some.  Each of them had a certain twist, making them different, but they all had one thing in common — they hooked me.

All next week, I plan on going to B&N at least four days next week to work on my own book.  I know it will definitely help me stay focused on my goal of becoming a writer, and I know that sitting among many brilliant writers’, I know I will make it!

The Thrill of Having Deadlines and Why I Love Them

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Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines!  All deadlines are meant for a reason, whether it be meant for work, school, or even for your personal gratification.  A lot of people do not like having deadlines, though a lot of people thrive on them, and I’m one of them.

When I’m trying to meet a writing deadline, I tend to work really hard at first, but then I get a little burnt out, so I take a day, two, or five off.  I give myself time to reevaluate the piece and think about the storyline, the characters, what should be changed, deleted, and added.  A couple of days before the deadline, I then begin writing my heart out until, very happily, I meet the goal.

I also must say, and this goes out to a few people who call me an “overachiever,” I’m not that at all.  I have been known to turn my work in early, but I would prefer to be ahead of schedule.  I (try to) keep a tight schedule, and not just follow it, but stay way in front of needs to get done.

My advice: (1) Make a schedule, and put writing time on your calendar.  (2) Take it day by day and page by page.  (3) Don’t stress.  (4) Try not to edit until you’re finished writing, because this can lead to distractions.  (5) Submit your work, and pat yourself on the back for doing a job well done!

Helpful Writing Books…and Why I Use Them!

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How many of you have bought a book to help you write?  At a young age, I began buying books, hoping that by reading them, would help me along in my writing journey.  To this day, I cannot even begin to count how many of these books I have collected.

As some of you know, I seriously begun writing in March, and am proud of the accomplishments I have made.  Over the past six month, I have learned A LOT, but I can’t say I’ve done it all alone.  The classes that I have and am taking at Gotham Writers’ Workshop, have taught me so much about my writing life, and about myself.  During this time, a few books are to be given credit for.  They are as follows:

(1) Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Oxford-American-Writers-Thesaurus/Oxford-University-Press-Staff/e/9780195342840/?itm=21&USRI=thesaurus

I have had many thesauruses, but I really think the title says, “…Writer’s Thesaurus.”  In this book, there is every word that a writer would possibly use.  This book is very concise, direct, and easy to understand.  The synonyms that are suggested, can be very usable in any way that author wants.  I do prefer book thesauruses because you can be searching for one word, but then see another word, which can give you another idea…and so on.  As for an internet thesaurus, http://thesaurus.com/, this is another source I use.

(2) See Jane Write: A Girl’s Guide to Writing Chick Lit, http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=see+jane+write

I am only a quarter through this book, but I already love it.  If you’re a woman who wants to write a Chick Lit, this book is for you!  (And no, I’m not joking).  When you first pick this book up, you plan on it being one of the do this, do that, and you’re published, but no…this book will test you to see if you are really Chick Lit writer material, and then explains on why you want to write a book like this.  As the book continues, it will guide you step-by-step, on how to write your book — dealing character descriptions, style, with writer’s block, working on personal deadlines, editing, and the manuscript submission process).  The two women who wrote this book, Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs are two smart ladies who know what they are talking about!

(3) On Writing Romance: How to Craft a Novel That Sells, http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Romance-Craft-Novel-Sells/dp/1582974365

Ahh…Leigh Michaels’ book…It’s absolutely brilliant!  I have taken two of Leigh’s classes, thanks again to GWW, and am about to start my third.  I owe everything I’ve learned about Romance Writing to her.  She is a brilliant wave of information, but no only that, she’s like a lighthouse, who asks you questions, and you find the answer.  She lets you write your story, but gives and helps you write what needs to be told.  Through the an classes we will learn even more — it’s like she’s with you every step of the way, during your journey.  Her book answers your questions, and will help you in any way gain all the knowledge to help you write your perfect Romance book.

Achieving Writing Goals…?

I was recently asked what my writing goals are, and then they said something about how inspire people with my writing.  Okay, #1: I write because I love it — it’s what makes me most happy.  My writing goals have advanced over the years.  The begging of this year, I only wanted to write a book, but as I began the journey, my fingers eagerly typed, which now leads me to want to strive to have my book published…AND to one day have it turned into a movie, and yes, it would be a Romantic Comedy. #2, I thank them for the compliment about how my writing inspire people, but I look at it as more of that I want to entertain people.  I want people to relate to my stories, and after they have read it, feel as if they have looked inside my life and my character’s lives.  After hearing the quote “If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,” by Toni Morrison, it inspired me to write even more.  My story needs to be written!

Many people who write usually have a goal in mind, which can be from one end of the spectrum to the other.  Goals are made all the time, but what helps you achieve them?

Not all of our goals are the same.  So, how do you set a writing goal?  I skimmed over several Google articles about setting a writing goal, and this was the one that seemed useful to me: http://www.writerstechnology.com/2008/07/how-to-set-smart-writing-goals.   I think the article had some SMART  (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) ideas, but not only that, the strategies seem reasonable for a beginning to expert writer, (yes, even expert writers still set goals).

As my writing advances, my confidence increases, which makes me want to achieve my goals.  I don’t want to be the old woman on her death-bed who says that I should have done this, or I should have done this, but instead, I want to be that woman in her thirties who is out in the World, with nothing stopping me.  I know that some days will be easier than some, but as long as I take it one day at a time, I truly feel that I will and can excel in what I put my mind to, my goals.

Writing the Right Way

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Grammar.  Is it really that hard to write grammatically correct?  The answer should be no, but for some people, the answer is yes.  When one is reading something and it isn’t written smoothly, it might be hard for the reader to understand what the writer is trying to relay, (a period, comma, or an apostrophe in the wrong place can change the meaning of what is meant to be said.  Misspelled words can be a problem too, (ex. Right vs. Write and To, Too, Two).

Now, I know that I’m not 100% perfect when it comes to my grammar, but I at least try to make my writing seem smooth, and easy for the reader.

Often times, when I read someone’s work, and they haven’t put the time and effort into their grammar, it really irritates me.  Sometimes, it make me wonder if they even care about their work.  Yes, writing is hard work (coming up with a story, creating characters, inserting conflict…), but isn’t using grammar part of the writing process too?

A great website that explains grammar perfectly, is http://theoatmeal.com/.  I love two of their posters, http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling and http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe.

My advice, if you want to be a writer and want to have something published, be sure that your grammar is great, and learn it if you don’t know it already.  Oh, and this is key — many publishers will automatically put your work in the “slush” pile if you do not write correctly.

I Write Chick-Lit Because…

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Before I explain why I want to be a Chick-Lit writer, let me give you the definition.  According to http://www.dictionary.com, Chick-Lit is “a genre of fiction concentrating on young working women and their emotional lives.

I’ve read several genres of books — mystery, biographies, non-fiction, YA, romance, and of course, the sub-genre of romance, Chick-Lit.  I don’t really remember my first “woman’s fiction” as they sometimes call it, but the earliest I do remember is reading “Bad Boys,” by the late Olivia Goldsmith.  Right away, I could relate to the Heroine, on more levels than one.  It was an easy read, fun, and I was sad when the book ended.  (Just maybe, like her book “The First Wives’ Club,” it will be turned into a movie).  After I read “Bad Boys,” I was on a hunt to find other similar books.  At the time though, Chick-Lit was only slowly emerging, so it was difficult to find good authors, but when I finally did, I found two — Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner.  I have come to love these two amazing writers, and find myself lost in their stories.  I think that their styles are very much alike, though very distinct in their own ways: Emily Giffin’s stories are the books with the happy ending…and everything ends how you want it to.  With Jennifer Weiner’s stories, there is still the happy ending, but I feel that at the end, her books send some sort of message.

Now, onto why I write Chick-Lit…Have you ever just wanted to write you “biography” or re-write your early/mid adult life, but not want anyone to know that it’s your story?  As a woman in my late twenties, I’m writing a story, Second Thoughts of the Sexless Fiancée. In some parts, certain instances and feelings are written. Another reason I’m writing Chick-Lit is because I’m writing what I know…life in my twenties/thirties.

I would love to entertain readers of all ages, and have them enjoy my stories.

My goal is to write a bestseller Chick-Lit and have it be turned into a movie…wish me luck!

The Past, The Present & Future of these Things We Call Books

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When I was a kid, one of my favorite smells was the smell of a book.  There was nothing like it, and there still isn’t, but times are changing, and though I must admit that some pretty cool stuff has been and probably will be invented, I’m going to miss flipping the pages when I read my children a bedtime story.

From the original hard back Golden Books, The Berenstain Bears, The Baby-Sitter’s Club series, and numerous Judy Blume classics, time has changed, and so has the way books are made.  There are no longer the hard back covers of the Golden Books, The baby-sitter’s are grown ups and probably have their own kids, and these days, children don’t know who Stan and Jan Berenstain and Judy Blume are.  I always had a book in my hand, and often, got made fun of by my brother, but I treasure each and every book I’ve ever read.  (If only I knew exactly how many!)

Right now I feel that we are at the end of paper and at the beginning of reading books on computers, iPhones, Blackberry’s, Kindles…oh, and don’t forget about the Nook.  (Now, don’t get me wrong, I have a Kindle, and love it, but as a book lover, it’s hard to call my Kindle a book!)  Every single time we turn around, something new has been created for us, but is this a good thing?  I understand that by making books electronically, it is and will be cheaper, but will that make books obsolete.  Right now, according to http://www.dictionary.com, the word book means, “a written or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers.”  When technology gets tighter grip on books, what will the new definition?

Until I need a power cord to “open” my book, I will do just fine with flipping the pages!