"Failure is not an option."

Technically speaking, I guess I failed. I missed two days in a row for the 100 for 100 Challenge, and as they straddled two different weeks, so I'm out of the game. (You only have one grace week, which I used this past week while enjoying my sister's birthday celebrations.)

Does that mean I'm quitting? Heck no!

 In fact, just last night I wrote approximately 2 1/2 chapters of my novel in one sitting. How exciting is that!? All of the best scenes are coming up. I wish I had more hours in a day so that I could get them all on paper!

I'm planning to make a note on the 100 for 100 spreadsheet that I've technically lost the challenge, but I would like to continue writing alongside the other competitors. Something about being part of a program makes it a lot easier for me to keep up with my writing.

On another note...

I just blew through two historical fiction novels in three days! The first was Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, and the second was Interrupted by Rachel Coker. I'm planning to write more expansive reviews for my account on Goodreads, which you can access by clicking the Goodreads pic on the right-hand sidebar. Until then, I'll give my blog friends a quick preview of what I thought of both!

 

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (Buy a copy here!)

Out of the Easy had my attention from the very first page. Warning, fellow readers: It's pretty mature content. There isn't anything overly explicit, but be aware, this book deals with prostitution. (Doesn't that make it sound so scandalous?) Sepetys does an amazing job of conveying the 1950's New Orleans setting. She has affirmed in me the need to thoroughly research your location if you want to give your reader the "feel" of the place. The main character, Josie, is likeable and totally worth cheering for. My only disappointment has to do with one of the characters. If anyone has read it, I would be happy to hear your thoughts. I couldn't put this book down and I will gladly sing its praises if anyone is interested.

Interrupted by Rachel Coker (Buy a copy here!)

Interrupted was good. However, I will be honest: It seemed more of a first draft than a completed novel. The pacing was sort of off, the characters not fully developed, etc. It's set in the early 1940's for the most part, but the setting has little bearing on the story. In fact, the details that pertain to World War II feel thrown in and out of place. Certain words were certainly not period appropriate, namely "creep" and "jerk". The Christian ending is kind of sudden. And people's mouths twitch... a lot. But I really think that Coker has talent (she published this at FIFTEEN, people) and I do pass some of the blame onto the editors who should have caught the historical errors. I plan to read her sophomore novel, Chasing Jupiter, in spite of Interrupted's shortcomings. Besides, Interrupted has, like, the most gorgeous trailer ever. 

I wasn't paid to read these books or comment upon them. This is just my way of passing along the literary treasures I have uncovered!

100-4-100: Day 1

Day #: 1
Today's Word Count: 340
Overall Word Count: 340

Time for my first 100 for 100 Challenge update!

Obviously, I exceeded my 100 word goal... by over 200 words! Excitement! Of course, this felt like scribbles compared to the 1,667 words I churn out per day during NaNo. I think that's why I produced more work than I needed to: My perspective has been distorted by too much NaNoing.

I found that I couldn't hold out any longer: I'm writing that Irish novel I always drone on and on about. I'm trying to research as I go. Not great for historical accuracy, but fantastic for getting a feel for the "spirit" of the story. I wrote all of my stuff today at school, which meant school filters. I found it ironic that Google Docs is blocked at school, but in my search for facts on pipes, I can access a wealth of information concerning how to smoke pot. The school system at its finest.

What I wrote isn't exactly poetry. In fact, it's teetering on being pure garbage. But you know what? This wonderful story that has been pent up inside me for over a year now is getting a chance to see the light. I'm certain that I'll hate what I've written: the crummy attempts at prose, the foolish mistakes, the cringe-worthy historical inaccuracies. Yet today is Day 1, and for today, I'm going to enjoy the process. Just this once.

Why, hello there.

You've probably forgotten all about me. I mean, I haven't posted since break. In that time, I had a lovely Christmas, came down with a bout of "something" (unidentified potentially flu-like thing), and made myself a pair of nerd shoes. Yes, nerd shoes. Old white sneaks from South Pacific converted to quote-o-rific, bona fide nerd shoes. Gonna be a real hit this summer.

Since that last post, I attended a local writer's support group. It was my second time going. There were only four of us, and that's counting my sister and I. The one other person our age was busy getting ready for his black belt test, otherwise we would have been five. I should also add that I was coming down with the flu-like thing over the course of the meeting. Now, I would like to talk a little bit about writer's groups and all that rot.

I always mean my compliments. Rest assured, fellow writers!

I don't know about you all, but my writing is pretty goshdarn personal. No one ever gets to see it. Not my parents, not my siblings, not my best friends, not anyone. That's because there's this half of me that knows some of the stuff in there is pretty terrible, and there's this other half that thinks some of the stuff is the best stuff since Shakespeare. Knowing that someone might see the bad, or even worse, not like the good, terrifies me. So it takes a lot of courage for me to share a paragraph, much less a chapter, of a WIP.

Sharing my work a week or two ago with three more people than usual was scary. Do I have some regrets? Definitely. But it also taught me a thing or two.

* Note: I brought a WIP short story with me to the group. That's what I'm talking about below.

The good news. I noticed a lot of stuff I hadn't when the document was sitting on my desk. For example, my character greeted someone in a way that probably wasn't historically accurate. I needed an adult to point that out. Also, my character was starting to sound kind of whiny for no reason. I needed my sister to point that out. Talking with my sister after the meeting helped me to work out a) why I had made the character so whiny (she is really unhappy with her situation and she is lashing out on her loved ones) and b) where I need to change my manuscript (her mindset doesn't come across very well, just her behavior).

The bad. I'm someone who needs some praise to help me wash down the medicine that is criticism. A few compliments on a character here, a couple "nice sentence" remarks there, and voila! I will gladly listen to what you have to say! However, most of my follow-up consisted of questions, comments, and concerns. My immediate reaction was to diss my own writing, criticize myself, and give up. I'm still hesitant to pick the project back up. Entrusting my work to adults was somewhat intimidating. I think I'll save my true "babies" for my eyes and maybe those of my parents, best friend, or sister.

If you like to have a lot of feedback, I would encourage you to join a writer's group and put yourself out there. I got a lot of helpful comments. My story was historically based, so sometimes I need help finding flaws in the historical component. See, helpful! But if you're like me and prefer to keep your stuff close to the chest, don't feel pressured to share to soon. I myself will probably wait until the 2nd or 3rd draft to get criticism from now on. By then I will hopefully have a better idea of what needs help. And I'll probably keep my writer's group limited, too.

How about you all? Ever shared your work with a writer's group? Feel free to comment and share your experience.