The results are in!!!

Remember two weeks ago when I was freaking out about an interview and wouldn't tell you what it was about?

It had something to do with:




The type of streets you just can't find in Canada.

A place called Amiens.......

Which just so happens, has the largest Notre Dame cathedral.....

....Amiens is also only an hour from the  Eiffel Tower. 

It's always been a dream of mine to go to Europe.

And I'll be living and studying there, for a month this summer. 

I'll get to visit both Paris and London and do awesome things like climb the Eiffel Tower, go to the Tower of London (torture devices rock!), and stroll along Kensington gardens. 

Yeah, life is good. 

Again, thank you for all your support with the interview, it helped me get through it and now....one of my dreams is coming true!

Do you have any good news to share? Have you ever studied abroad? Been to Europe? Where are some places I should look at going (in France or England)? 

Kill doubt in five simple steps

I'm a doubter. 

I have a giant Doubt Monster lurking behind me when it comes to the quality of my writing. (I would really appreciate it if two extremely hot brothers who deal with the Supernatural regularly would get on with killing it. I mean, it might as well be a demon.)

When it  comes to other books, the Doubt Monster and I curl up on the couch together. I can only suspend my disbelief so far. 

Here's some general rules to slay my Doubt Monster when I read your book. (This message is to unpublished and published writers alike. Also, while I say my, I'm positive this can be generalized to encompass most readers.)

1. If two characters are going to be madly in love, I need a bigger reason then she/he's hot. That isn't love, it's lust. And, I'm sorry, but lust isn't worth much more than a quick wham, bam, thank you ma'am!

2. If your character is going to go into a dangerous situation, they need a really good reason. Humans have something called a sense of self-preservation and if they're going to ignore their instincts, I want a why.

3. If there are paranormal or fantasy elements or you're creating a new world (dystopian, fantasy, sci-fi, even a tiny town) then you need a solid and logical foundation. Without a basic set of rules and standards, you have nothing to offer me but chaos and a world that makes no sense. 

4. Never use characters for plot purposes alone. I don't care if you need Minor Character X in a bar to let slip Important Fact Y to your MC. If Minor Character X is only there to tell MC something, I will notice. And I will not be happy. Just like Main Characters, Minor Characters need to have their own purposes, motivations and goals - it doesn't matter if the reader knows them but it sure as heck matters if you do. 

5. A plot twist is only a plot twist if it happens right in front of me. Meaning, that, once the twist is revealed, I should be able to look back at your story and see there was hints the whole time, they were just so subtle and well done that I didn't pick up on it. Blatant lying to create a plot twist isn't a good illusion, it's a cheap parlor trick and breaks the author/reader trust. 

How do you feel when you encounter things on this list? Do you have anything to add? 

If pictures say a thousand words....

It's final project time now. My next month or so is going to be a study in sleep deprivation and working myself into a coma. But then I'm off. I can't decide whether I want time to speed up (so it can be over already) or slow down (so I can finish everything without killing myself - accidentally, of course). (Also, I probably won't be as good at getting to your blogs so I'm sorry and I still think your awesome but something has to give!)

So today, all I've got for you is this: 

A collage of ******** 

(AKA pictures that remind me of My-Top-Secret-Fantasy-World)

Do you make collages or draw pictures? 

Also, please let me live vicariously through you, What are your plans this weekend?

It's the little things

When your having one of those days, the kind where you just don't know how you're going to make it through.

Opening your messages to something like this, hits you just the right way. You can feel your stress evaporating because no matter how bad your day was going, someone gives a crap. They're there, even  when they didn't know you needed them. And that's special.

I've had enough superficial and fair-weather friends to know that finding true, real friends is rare. Take in the odds of how big the world is and you could never find anyone whose going to stick with you no matter what. Who understands you and your dreams, who you can both laugh and be vulnerable with, who is unfailingly encouraging and supportive.

I owe blogger a lot because it made the world a small enough place for me to find a person like that.

This post is dedicated to Erica Mitchell-Spickard for being the kind of friend I've always needed. And the twin I always wanted. Applebee's won't know what hit em! I hope this post makes your day as much as you made mine on Monday.

And seriously you guys, you need to check out Erica's blog. She's doing this awesome series on her writing journey and the things she's learned along the way. You'll find yourself relating, laughing and cringing, all at the same time. Plus, it's illustrated so there's fun pictures like this:

What has blogger done for you? 

If there's someone in your life whose awesome, and makes this journey easier and better, tell them. You never know, you could be turning a bad day into a good one. 

It's all about the framework

When I was younger, Mom bought a Tiger T-shirt. She loved the imagery on it so much, she framed it. 

That sounds kind of silly, doesn't it? Framing a shirt. 

But, people comment on how gorgeous the Tiger picture is. They choose it over the other pictures and paintings in our living room. I always laugh because I know it's a shirt. When I tell them, they never believe me. 

If Mom had just worn the shirt, people would've probably thought it was nice, but they wouldn't be stunned by it. And, from this scenario, I've learned a valuable lesson. 

Presentation matters.

What you show and don't show counts. Where you draw the readers attention counts. 

Framing your story incorrectly can make an excellent idea boring just as framing a mediocre idea well can make it a huge success. 

Do you struggle with framing your story?

Imagination will be the death of me

I just want to thank everyone for all your encouragement on my last post. I was totally freaking out and yet again, you guys amaze me with how supportive and understanding you are. It wasn't as bad as I feared - my interviewers were very kind and the interview was much more like a conversation than an interview. And conversations...I'm good at those. I'll know the results by March 15th, and I'll obviously let you know (and reveal what this whole thing was about!). 

I honestly think I'd be bored all the time without my imagination. But sometimes, I wish it wasn't so hyperactive. Especially on nights like last night.

Picture it:

You're home alone, trying to write an essay. You're dog starts barking and growling like he's been possessed. It startles you so badly you knock your laptop to the floor. You tell your dog to cut it out but he's staring out the slightly open window, hackles raised.

There's something out there. It's just a cat or a squirrel, you tell yourself. But your heart still beats too fast. Then there's a flash of light followed by the rolling boom of thunder. The lights in your living room flicker, briefly plunging you into darkness.

You know what this all means. You've seen enough TV, read enough books. It means there's a demonic spirit or ghost and you're going to die......

Every creak and shadow in my house had me gritting my teeth and picturing my own murder. Needless to say, I didn't get any sleep.

I wouldn't trade my imagination for anything but boy, sometimes I wish I could turn it off.

Does your imagination ever get away from you? 

Fake it until you make it

I have a really important interview today. If all goes well, one of my dreams will come true.

Talk about pressure.

I'm pretty sure three people are interviewing me at the same time. Those odds are imposing. I'm already shrinking. My insides are ripping themselves into bloody tatters (yes, it feels as gross as it sounds).

I've never liked interviews. (Who does?)My aversion is kind of weird though: I'm extroverted and social, I love being the center of attention and, at the risk of sounding narcissistic, I can talk about myself for hours. I think it may have something to do with the formality of it all. I'm not good in formal situations, they never fail to make me fidget.

There's only one way I'm going to get through tomorrow. I'm going to have to fake it - plaster on my charming smile, laugh instead of puking, and project confidence. I have to make them want me as much as I want this.

But, I figure, if I fake it with enough conviction maybe I won't be faking it at all.

How do you get through uncomfortable situations? Have you ever done something you hated to make a dream of yours become a reality?