Keep Calm and Write On

C-calm?! What!? No! I can't be calm! It's nearly the end of my junior year, I have a bajillion papers to write and books to read and studying to do for the ACT and SAT! No! No time for calm! Plus my job is starting soon, how am I supposed to find time for anything then!? Answer: I'm not! Calm is not a word in my vocabulary!

Just before this, while making my daily blog visits, my stomach started churning (which has NOTHING to do with the flu in my house--I've already made my mind up, I'm not going to get sick) as I thought of all I need to do in the next couple of months. I should not be writing, I should be doing a million other things!

Another freak-out moment happened yesterday. I've begun planning yet another novel (while still in the midst of editing...ugh. This should be interesting) and I realized that it is about to take over my life. I am literally obsessed with this story and my main character. I totally started to panic as I realized that this is the busiest time of the year for me, and here I am, sitting on my bed PLANNING A NOVEL. Which means I'm going to put off everything else until the last second and just work on my new WIP.

Usually, I do not have a problem making time for writing. Writing kind of runs my life.

But when I get out of the habit of writing every day, then the craziness of school, volunteering, and family stuff takes over. It seeps into the hours set aside for writing and steals all my energy. Then I begin to resent writing, and feel guilty about it...it becomes something I should be doing, rather than something I want to be doing.

The only way to remedy this is just JUMP IN AGAIN. Pen and paper is much more forgiving than the writer. It will always be there. We just need to get over the fact that we haven't written in a while and put one word in front of the other.

Of course, the best way to not fall away from writing is to just write. Write something every single day. It's probably something that you've heard a million times, but it has been proven true in my life time and time again. Whether it's a paragraph, ten chapters, blog post, or journal entry--JUST WRITE.

For goodness' sakes, we're writers. Don't let the busyness of the world steal that from you. You're a writer. You write. So go write.

Just got back from the library. . .

. . .and it's going to be a fantastic week.

Well, when it comes to books, at least.

Also, this Tuesday (August 6th) is one week until school starts for me. Uh, can we say CRAZY?!

And good luck to Jen Wagner with BOUT OF BOOKS 8.0! Check out her blog here to see what it's all about=)

Have a wonderful week!

Dementor Girls

Many of you may know that I am a freshman in high school at an all girl's Catholic school. It has been quite the leap-- going from being homeschooled for six years to a school with 300 girls. Not large, I know, but slightly overwhelming coming from a class of six kids.

A few weeks ago, we had an all school Mass. "All school" includes our brother school from down the street.

Yep. Today we got to see real live boys. Short ones, tall ones, fat ones, muscular ones, blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes. 350+ boys. SO exciting. Like, oh my goodness, this one guy like totally glanced at me, so he's definitely going to be like totally asking me to prom.

Ugh.

Ok, so of course everyone has on their mascara and liner and shadow. I was completely blinded by the pinks and purples and greens. Hair usually worn in a messy bun or pony tale was worn straight down the back or in ringlet curls. I sort of missed the memo, so that must have been why I didn't get a date.

The whole bus ride there, all I could hear was, "Oh, my gosh, I get to see Andy!" and "I wonder if I'll see that hot guy who rides my bus. . ." and "Ugh, I so don't want to see Jack again." I wanted to scream, "How about thinking about the most amazing guy ever who you are going to recieve into your heart and soul?!" Not that I have a problem with guys (that's not completely true. . .I have rather large problems with certain guys), but c'mon.

The first thing that came to my mind to describe these girls were dementors. If you've read Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, you know that dementors feed off of human emotions. You would have thought these girls were human dementors feeding off the presence of boys. The very presence of the opposite gender caused backs to straighten, eyes to widen, and smiles to be glued upon faces.

           Seriously, though. It's sad to me how teens can change personalities and appearence at the first whisper of "boy." If I ever get married, I want to marry a man who will love me for who I am. I know everybody says this, but how much do people truly believe it?

            It was all rather sickening to me, but then again, I have a whole new scene for my book. . .if only I ever have time to write it.

             Ah. Girl Dementors. What an interesting concept. . . but so true.

I'm really not dead!

       Ok, so, whenever I'd hear the phrase "surving high school," I'd always think people were joking.

       The last four weeks have taught me that that is so not a joke.

        I owe you, dear readers, an apology. It has been weeks since I last blogged and I assure you, I haven't forgotten. It has just been ever so crazy-- trying to finish homework, sort out drama with both girls and teachers, finding time to just be with my family, and then writing my novel, and reading, and add trying to blog and I'm dead tired. However, I feel like I'm settling into the rhythm of things a little more, and I'm really excited about some blog posts I've been working on.

        Within the next week or two:

1. Gayle Forman's If I Stay and Where I Went, and how it inspired me.
2. How dementors and high school girls are alike. . .and how chocolate can fix the way both make you feel.
3. Pre-NaNoWriMo doubts.
4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.
5. Music, and how it influnces my writing. . .plus, a new project I'm working on.

        . . .AND I have a three day weekend! Woohoo! Haha, I'm expirencing something I never got as a homeschoolee-- teacher inservices=)

        But, just so you all know, I am not dead, I'm very much alive and writing! High school hasn't killed me. . .yet. . .=)