On the Things that Distract Me from Writing

Hello, Blogland! Here's my effort to continue making actual posts. So today I gave away my shift at work with the intention of getting a lot of writing done for school. Because my final packet of the semester is due in exactly one week. And this month I was supposed to write 40 new pages of my novel. As of right now I have 7. I didn't slack off the whole time, though. I did read a lot of wonderful books. But I've been having trouble focusing on my writing. Mostly because I'm a little stuck for what to write. But also because, apparently, I'm easily distractable. There's just too many things out there in Internetland that have the potential to excite me.

So today I've found a nice place to sit with my laptop and my headphones where the lovely Florida sun is shining on me. And I'm making turtle-like progress. And I thought, "Hey, I should write about the things that are distracting me!" Which, in reality, is just another form of distraction/procrastination/djflksdajflsdj. But anyway, here it is.

Things That are Currently Distracting Me From Writing:

1. Blogger (obviously)
2.  Words With Friends (I just made "quoth" for 74 points!)
3. Nerdfighters on YouTube (especially Kristina Horner)
4. My new YouTube channel that my friend and I made to keep in regular contact with one another now that we're living far apart (just put up my first video and discovered that I like talking to myself and also watching myself talking to myself) ((no link because people really don't need to see that))
5. Awesome music on Pandora that's supposed to keep me in the writing zone (but really breaks me out of it every few minutes when I have to scribble down the name of a new song)
6. This crazy 20 questions computer thing that is freaky at guessing who you're thinking of. Check it out here. (He even knew Kristina Horner!)

And now I shall go back to my writing. (Maybe.)

Top Ten Tuesdays with TBR List for Winter

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic is your TBR list for this winter. I know after my "return to blogging" post, I didn't actually, um, return. And doing a meme really doesn't feel like it counts for me. But I saw this topic and what do you know? I already have a pile of 10 books that I plan on reading starting December 9th. That's the day after I turn in my last packet of the semester for grad school. Then I have exactly a month before school starts up again. So since I have to read only YA and children's books for school, I've been making a pile during the semester of adult books that I want to read during my break. And I just noticed something. My tastes in YA are almost strictly contemporary. But my tastes in adult books are much more widespread. Anyway, here's my list that I can't wait to get to!

1. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
2. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
3. Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky
4. Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch
5. Men, Women, & Children by Chad Kultgen
6. While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty
7. Drinking Closer to Home by Jessica Anya Blau
8. Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
10. My Best Friend was a Wookie by Tony Pacitti

She's Aliiiiive! (AKA My Return to Blogging)

Greetings Blogosphere! I took an accidental hiatus when I started grad school this July. Oops. I kind of knew this would happen because I'm a huge nerd who happily lets school take over her life. (BTW, if there is one school worth giving two years of my life to, it is definitely VCFA.) I've been busy reading and writing, which is nothing new for me, but now it's all very structured and with deadlines. I could gush about my amazing school forever, but I don't have the time, so instead I'll just say that going here was the best decision I've made in my entire life.

Now it's time to play a quick round of catch-up. I'm going to try to avoid a long babble-y post by just using a bullet list of things that are exciting in my life. And then I plan to make a better effort at updating. I certainly read enough to write regular reviews, but after doing short write-ups on everything I read for school, I don't think I'll want to review everything. (I think I may shy away from actual reviews and stick to more random drive-by this-is-awesome! type posts.)

And it's list time! (PS: I love lists!)

• I made the greatest friends at my first grad school residency. I didn't expect to bond instantly with everyone and to keep in touch so frequently during the semester. I love everyone in my class, but I just have to say that my e-mail posse has kept me motivated during all the difficult writing times. (Lauren, Stacey, Courtney, Megan, Claire, Ashlee, and Brittany, I heart you!)
• My advisor, Jane Kurtz, is brilliant. I thought she'd be an easy, cuddly advisor. But she's kicked my ass all semester! And I couldn't be more grateful. There were times when I read her responses and wanted to cry, but the huge amount of improvement I already see in my work thanks to her is incredible.I can't believe I only have a month left with her. But I'm guessing my next advisor will be just as incredible and right for me. (I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Coe Booth.)Which leads me to...
• "Trust the Process" (VCFA motto. You will get the advisor you need.)
• Proof that my school kicks ass: This year's National Book Awards finalists for YA include one alum, Debby Dahl Edwardson for My Name is Not Easy, and one faculty member, Franny Billingsley for Chime.(Plus Lauren Myracle who was mistakenly announced as a finalist is also an alum.)
• More proof: A girl that was graduating at this July's residency got an agent for the incredibly funny MG novel she wrote at VCFA just a few months later. And then.... TWO WEEKS LATER her agent got her a THREE BOOK DEAL! And the amount of the deal... Oh Em Gee. Now, I know this does not happen to everyone after graduating, but still. My school is made of awesomeness!
• Lauren Myracle should have been a finalist for the award, IMO, because Shine was one of the best books I've read in I can't even remember how long. It blew my the F away. Seriously. Everyone, go read it. Right now.
• In not so spectacular news, I moved from Connecticut to Florida. Eh. One thing I'll say is that I hate snow. So I am definitely loving the fact that I can still wear shorts and tank tops in November here. It's pretty spectacular. Other than that... I don't know. I left my life. Luckily, school has kept me way too busy to think about it much.
• When I got here I found a tutoring job at Huntington Learning Center. I help teens study for the ACT and SAT and write their college app essays. And I love it! I didn't know I could love a job so much. Unfortunately it pays practically nothing. And I've hard a hard time finding a serving job. At first I was excited for the break from slinging food (because as anyone who knows me knows, I despise the idea of being a server), but then after a few months... I realized this is the longest I've gone in the last 6 years without a serving job. And huh. I kinda missed it. What is wrong with me? Haha. So anyway, I just got hired at a cool Greek Diner. And I'm actually looking forward to it. (Maybe I was really just missing the part where I come home with a wad of cash in my pocket each night.)
• I've discovered (thanks to my friend Lauren) that John Green is the shit. After reading like 5 pages of Looking for Alaska, he soared to the top of my favorite YA authors list. Let me just tell you, he's close to knocking Sarah Dessen out of the Number 1 spot. Paper Towns was perhaps even more fabulous. And I'm now getting ready to read Will Grayson, Will Grayson. NERDY BOY MC'S RULE!
• Since I don't think I'll go back and do any reviews on books I've read over the last few months, I'll just mention some of the others I loved. You Against Me, Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks, The Sky is Everywhere, Moonglass, If I Tell, The Half-Life of Planets, The Day Before, Small Town Sinners.
• New TV show obsessions (as if I don't have enough already): 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, Hart of Dixie, The Lying Game, The Secret Circle, The New Girl. Also totally loved Switched at Birth. Not that new, but I don't think I've mentioned it here. Oh and that's three comedies, btw, which is new for me. I'm usually way more interested in drama. (PS: Getting to see Rachel Bilson of OC fame again in Hart of Dixie is fab-u-lous!)
• I've discovered my love of pineapple salsa.
• One more good thing about Florida... ice cream places open year round. I am not living less than ten minutes away from shaved ice. Heaven.

Finally, I'll leave you with something that makes me go squeee. Pretty Little Liars Spencer/Toby adorable fluffiness.

And that's all folks. My return to the world of blogging. Will resume normal updates now. Off to read Will Grayson, Will Grayson for the next few hours before I have to go to work. Ciao!

Teaser Tuesdays with Sisterhood Everlasting

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

"Lena was good at convincing herself of things, and dangerously good at thinking she could be herself without these friends of hers. As the three of them yapped contentedly all the way to the gate, through the lengthy boarding process, onto the plane with its blankets and pillows that gave it the atmosphere of an international slumber party, she felt her face opening into expressions she'd forgotten how to make. Lena remembered herself in all the old familiar things they said. She existed in her friends; there she was. All the parts of herself she'd forgotten. She knew herself best when she was with them." ~Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares, p.48

I always cheat! I know that was way more than two sentences, but it was so beautiful. I had to use it all!

Teaser Tuesdays with Instructions for a Broken Heart

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser: 

"The restaurant walls were too close, pressing in at Jessa at odd, fragmented angles. The tables all seemed a bit too snug, the chairs too small, and Jessa felt suddenly like Alice, fumbling her way through Wonderland." ~Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson, p78

Kim Culbertson is amazing. Her first novel, Songs for a Teenage Nomad, was beautiful. This one is too. I am so, so jealous of her writing talent. And Jennifer Echols wrote the blurb on the cover of this one comparing it too Sarah Dessen's books. Double score! And she's totally right.

My Very First ARC: Shut Out

 So I haven’t really been blogging about reading and writing lately, because I’ve been too busy, you know, actually reading and writing. But there is a lot I’d like to blog about, and I’m starting with this.

A few weeks ago I received an ARC of Shut Out by Kody Keplinger. I’ve never had the chance to read an ARC before, so I knew that I’d be blogging my review of the book. I was so excited to see the little circle on the cover that said “Advance Reading Copy. Not For Sale.” Shut Out comes out September 5^th and any fan of contemporary YA should get it.

From the back cover: 

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Now, I absolutely LOVE Kody’s first novel The Duff, but I’m actually torn on how I feel about Shut Out. Don’t get me wrong, I tore through it in about 24 hours. It was definitely entertaining, and of course I loved the boy. (Don’t we always love the boys?) But from a writing perspective, I wasn’t as impressed with this novel as I was with The Duff.

I think the biggest reason I couldn’t fall in love with this novel was because I didn’t like the main character, Lissa. Couldn’t stand her, actually. And it’s kinda hard to love a story if the narrator annoys you. Basically, Lissa’s a control freak. Now I have to admit that Kody had a good reason for making her that way (no spoilers!) and she deserves credit for that. It makes the story work. It’s just that Lissa drove me nuts. And she makes bad decisions for all the wrong reasons. I know it’s good to have a flawed character, and characters should make mistakes, and yadda yadda yadda. But the fact that she’s going about things completely wrong is so glaringly obvious that it’s kind of obnoxious to have to watch her screw up. I think dealing with someone like Lissa in real life would be ridiculously frustrating. (But once again, remember: she has legit reasons for acting the way she does.) Here ends the rant.

What I did ADORE about this story were the library scenes. Lissa and Cash end up working together in a public library. And these scenes made me feel all gooey inside. I love libraries and I love cute boys. And I especially love cute boys in libraries who actually read. (Not that I’ve ever encountered that elusive specimen of boy.) It was scenes like these that kept me flying through the book.

I also loved some of the supporting characters. Kody created a very dynamic group of girls. They were each very different and didn’t all like each other, which made for some hilarious dialogue. And what Kody did was use all of these different girls to flesh out her theme of teenage sexuality (no pun intended). Slowly the girls came to realize that everybody feels differently about sex, but at the same time, there is a lot that they have in common with one another when it comes to desires and anxieties.

Bottom line: Kudos to Kody for tackling the subject of sexuality head on! And anyone who enjoyed The Duff should be ready to grab Shut Out as soon as it’s released. It’s fun and romantic and comes with a great message for any teens who wonder if they’re “normal” with their sexuality. Do what’s right for you, don’t worry what anybody else is doing. Just be smart about it.

Side note: I won this ARC in the Help Write Now auction. It also came with a critique by Kody of the first three chapters of my manuscript. And Kody was super helpful. She recognized the problems with my story that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I’ve known for a while now that something felt off, even after a handful of revisions. Turns out it’s the pacing. I’d actually started thinking that the story moves too slowly, but Kody pointed out how it really moves too fast. And once I read her comments, I totally got it. She’s so right. She also told me that the supporting characters have more characterization than my MC. I’ve known this the whole time I was writing, but I still haven’t worked on it. The fact that my MC is kinda blah is probably why I’ve been reluctant to really get back in there and fix this manuscript. Now that Kody’s advice has shown me what I need to do to get this publish-ready, I could revise again if I wanted to. But I’m starting my MFA program soon and I don’t think this story is worth the time right now. Maybe I’ll come back to it at some point though…

Fictional Father Figures

I wasn't planning on posting today, but I just saw a list of fictional fathers by Priya at Tabula Rasa and her first one is one of my favorites so I had to do my own list. Like usual, mine will be more from TV shows than books, but what can I say? Also, I'm doing my list strictly on father figures - not biological fathers. Remember, someone doesn't have to be blood to be like a father to you!
(PS: You should check out Priya's list here!

1. Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The ultimate father figure. If anyone could use a parent to lean on when things get tough, it's Buffy. Giles loves her.

2. Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls. Does everything he can for the daughter of a single mother. He even says he cares more about her than he does himself.

3. Keith Scott from One Tree Hill. Helps his brother's ex-girlfriend raise her son after his brother abandons them.

4. Sandy Cohen from The O.C. A public defender who adopts one of his teenage clients because he comes from a crappy home.

5. Sirius Black from Harry Potter. As soon as he meets his godson, he offers him a home.

(Sidenote: I just noticed that in 3 of the 5 pictures there's coffee drinking involved!)