Friday's are the writer's candy

Well, I just got back from a short trip to my aunt's house. And long car trips/vacation downtime are great for getting me on task with my writing. I think it's the lack of internet that helps best. But while I was gone I couldn't work on The Conqueror because everything I have written for that so far, and all my sticky notes with ideas, were at home on my desk and bulletin board. Fortunately I had everything I needed to work on Zarcona written down in small easy-to-pack notebooks. Now I'm happy to say I have the basic plot of the first book all written down. Of coarse this isn't all the little details or anything, it's just an overview, but it's a big step.

In other news, Friday's are the days I usually like to have off to give the creative juices a break. I find that a day spent with friends and having fun can be good to keep my stories from becoming dull and dry.

Writer's Checklist

I was thinking the other day, and I decided that there are 5 things a writer needs and why. I decided to write it down for all of you.

Computer- I usually need to sit at my computer and just start typing to really get a storyline to work for me. I can come up with a plot, but I can't get it to work unless I'm typing and staring at the light of my laptop's screen. Plus it comes with a spell checker.

Paper & Pen- First off, it should always be pen, pencil smudges and erases. Never erase something because even if it sounds stupid after you write it, who knows, maybe it will work for something later? And I usually keep at least two pens of different colours on me when I'm writing on paper because I can make notes that I know will stand out against the paragraphs of writing. The old fashioned way is good too. I like to write down ideas on paper, and type them up later. Plus, I don't always have access to my computer when I get a fantastic idea, and I can always write something down.

Someone else- Another human being. They don't have to be a writer or an editer, just someone who will listen to your crazy ranting for awhile. Or who will read through your early drafts and point out all your plot holes for you. It's always nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. I have two: my friend Jess (also a writer) and my sister (who has to sit next to me on the bus every day and listen to my ideas for writing, poor thing). They can point out things or ask questions about something you didn't think about before. They can also give you ideas to go off of in your early stages of writing.

Imagination- Even when writing non-fic you need imagination as a writer. You need to think of a good way of describing something that will make the reader see it in their head. And in fiction you need to make the whole story. Especially the characters, the characters are pivitol in a story, so you have to see these made up events through some made up eyes. I don't know how anyone could do that if they didn't have imagination.

May 2006 Reading List

Here's all the books/manga I read in the month of May, in order.

Café Kichijouji (manga) by Yuki Miyamoto
Ouran Host Club (manga) by Bisco Hatori
Ouran Host Club Vol 2 (manga) by Bisco Hatori
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles Vol 3 (manga) by CLAMP
Tokyo Pop Manga Sampler
Shounen Jump Manga Sampler
Ouran Host Club Vol 3 (manga) by Bisco Hatori
Ouran Host Club Vol 4 (manga) by Bisco Hatori
Ouran Host Club Vol 5 (manga) by Bisco Hatori
Ouran Host Club Vol 6 (manga) by Bisco Hatori
Fruits Basket Vol 1 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Mandie and the Graduation Mystery by Lois Gladys Leppard (Mandie book 40)
Fruits Basket Vol 2 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Flyte by Angie Sage (Septimus Heap book 2)
Fruits Basket Vol 3 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 4 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 5 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Midnighters Vol 1: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
Fruits Basket Vol 6 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 7 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 8 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 9 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 10 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 11 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 12 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Fruits Basket Vol 13 (manga) by Natsuki Tayaka
Midnighters Vol 2: Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld
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And this month I plan on reading Midnighters Vol 3, Peeps, Specials, and anything else that jumps out at me. I've already half way through Midnighters, I love that series!