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Extremely and irrationally so.
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If we set aside the entire Harry Potter series, then I have to say Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson.
That book came out in 2001, when I was ten years old. I had always loved reading, unlike most of my classmates, and wanted to read more adult books. My mom had read it and passed it on to me. It was the first romance novel that I read and even though I was so young, it struck a chord in me. It's such a beautiful and heartbreaking story. Other than the Harry Potter books, I have never cried so much while reading a book. But I think there is a sentimental value that contributes to me favoring it. -
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It depends on how detailed the outline is. If I do outline, I only go up until the part where I feel the story is really going to "take off".
The outline helps me stay on track during the "build up" chapters, but I like to just let the characters and story go wherever it once when it hits the part where the action is really happening. Also, I do a lot of writing out of order, and making out an outline sometimes helps me thread things together.
Whether or not the outline makes it boring simply depends on how you use it, in my opinion. I've spoken with writers who absolutely need an outline and also writers who shun outlines. It's all personal preference, really. Just don't be afraid to deviate from the outline if you write one... don't let it confine you! -
Toward the end of December. As of right now, I'm thinking New Year's Eve.
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I come up with a general idea of the story line, then I really get to the characters.
I have a notebook with pages of names, their meanings, and their origins. So usually, I sift through that or sites on the internet and pull some names. I try to at least somewhat match the meaning of the name to the character's personality or their story line.
After I come up with names for the characters that I know need to be created ahead of time, I open a word document and outline each character. For example:
BRYNN VANDERBURG
Name Meaning and Origin: Explanatory enough.
Relevance: If the name has relevance to the character/story, I give a bit of information about it.
Personality description: I list a bunch of adjectives, and then write some situational stuff. Meaning that I just take some notes on how they'd act in certain situations, so I have a feel for how they carry themselves.
Physical description: Very basic details, and any identifying marks (birthmark, tattoos, scars, etc.) if applicable. I also give a simple style description.
Misc. Notes: Basically what I include in this section is if/how I see the character changing throughout the story. Plus any other things I feel are necessary to jot down.
Now, here's where I get a bit ridiculous.
I have the Sims 2 installed on my computer, and I've downloaded a bunch of extra content from the internet (clothes, hair, skin tones, etc.) to make the Sims more realistic. I use the body shop to create a Sim for each character that I've created; I make them as close as possible to how I envision them. It drives me crazy to not have a tangible visual of my characters. Seeing as I can't draw, I use what I have, and it works well enough.
Another thing I occasionally do is create a "live action cast". I do some fantasizing about what actors and actresses I would like to see play my characters, and I list one to three of them per character. It's entertaining, but it also helps me form a stronger visual sometimes.
After the Sim creating happens, I move onto the family trees. This step is where I create family members that I maybe haven't thought much of (siblings, parents, grandparents, blood relations between characters).
For example, Brynn is nineteen and she has a sixteen year old sister. I go up from them, to their parents (and their siblings if they have any), and then to their grandparents. That's where I stop the tree at. I just need to have those three generations.
Once I've made the family tree, I write a family history. In the case of the Vanderburgs, I started with Brynn's paternal grandmother's parents. The Vanderburgs are a prestigious Hollywood name, so I needed to figure out how her grandmother on that side ended up in the family. Then I wrote about Richmond (Brynn's father) and his siblings, which then led me to Brynn's maternal side.
I realize that that may sound confusing. If you check out my creative writing Tumblr (elyssaallen.tumblr.com) or my blogspot (http://elyssaallen.blogspot.com/) , I think I'll share the Vanderburg history, as well as the family trees and a character description or two. So hopefully that'll help.
You can always ask me for clarification on here, though. :) -
I actually didn't do any sort of pre-writing for Carolina Summer at all. I read the prompt, thought about it for just a few minutes, then wrote.
When it comes to prompt replies, I don't plan anything ahead of time. It's actually quite freeing to not plan from time to time. -
I'm not, unfortunately. :( It's very difficult to balance reading for pleasure, with reading for school, doing homework, and trying to write whenever I can.
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Absolutely! I like to make playlists that are relevant to the project I'm working on, or even just scenes from the project, so I can listen while I work. For me, it helps shape the scene in an emotional sense.
Mat Musto's music was a huge part of Carolina Summer. He and Joe Brooks were all I listened to, though Mat was definitely dominant. -
Carolina Summer, the full-length book version:
I've already said this, but I don't have an outline or any solid, absolute ideas. However; I do have several scenes planned, written or at least partially written. I have a general idea of how it will all go, but again, nothing is set in stone.
Origin:
I had an outline for this book, but it keeps rapidly changing directions on me. It's falling more into the mystery/horror category than I had initially intended. I'm actually pretty excited about it, though. I have never written a mystery or a horror, so this is all very new to me. I can't wait to begin posting it, because I'm anxious to see what people think. I want to know if I'm doing the genres any justice.
Another Carolina Summer, a short story in Tatum's perspective:
That title might not stick, because sometimes I look at it and want to vomit because it sounds ridiculous. Anyway. . . This is only a possibility. I'm quite fond of Tatum, so I'd love to give a story about her to my readers who enjoy her. Nothing is set in stone for this, either. I do have a few ideas jotted down, though!
Samuel's Star:
This little guy is something I've been working on for three years; it's my baby. The story is really important to me, and because I want it to mean something to someone, I'm taking my time with it. I want it to translate to paper as beautifully as I see it in my head.
When Sorry Isn't Enough:
This was a novella that I wrote a few years ago with alternating perspective (first person, between male and female main characters). I recently went back and took the female out and focused on Mason, the male main character. I posted it on my writing Tumblr a while ago, but as of now, I've been doing some work on it here and there. I'm trying to thread the girl back in and lengthen it a bit. I'm not sure when or if it'll be put up on Inkpop, or ever see the light of day outside of the Tumblr postings. Who knows!
Three Little Lies:
This began as a journal entry, but ended up as the beginning of what will either be a short story or novella. I'm leaning more toward short story, though. I haven't really looked at it in a while, so it's probably lowest on my list of project priorities. -
Naturally, the biggest problem for Tanner and Molly is going to be the distance. Once summer is over, Tanner goes back to school in Baltimore, while Molly stays in North Carolina.
Any small issue that may arise throughout their story will likely be related to that main problem. It's a matter of them overcoming it. -
No! I didn't plan the perspective ahead of time, but when I began writing, it came out in third person.
I've been writing solely in the first person perspective for years. I think the last time I used third was when I wrote Milly the Monkey books back in fifth grade. So it's quite a change for me, and it may be a bit of a challenge now and again, but it's exciting. -
Overall, I'm actually rather content with what Carolina Summer is, in terms of being a short story.
If I had to pick something that bothers me, I'd go with the lack of physical description on Tanner's part. What people don't always seem to realize, though, is that writing in a physical description for the narrator of a first person perspective isn't so simple.
You don't want to have the narrator walk into the bathroom and say, "My sky-blue eyes and purple hair were looking exceptionally bright and wonderful today . . ." Not that I have a character with purple hair, but, you get the point. You don't want it to be pompous or ridiculous.
What I ended up doing was writing a scene that took place in Tanner's car with Tatum and Cheyenne. It expands from the point where Tatum says to Tanner, "It's because they think you're cute that they don't ask their parents to drive."
I like it quite a bit, but it just wasn't fitting in properly with the rest of the story as it was. It's something that will definitely be in the full length, though! I will not compromise on that. -
I feel as though Tanner is a likable guy, but he definitely has his flaws. I don't think they're so bad that you'll end up hating him, though.
No worries . . . . I hope. -
I didn't find it too difficult, to be honest. I know I didn't do a perfect job, but I wasn't aiming for Tanner to be the perfect picture of a typical dude.
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You'll definitely see more of everyone's personality, especially Tanner's.
He isn't always as wonderful as he seems. You'll definitely be seeing his flaws, one in particular that will threaten his relationship with Molly.
As for Tanner's little sister, she's pretty Type A, and that will become more apparent in the full length. Tatum is very driven, and likes to keep busy.
You'll also see more of Cheyenne, who is very blunt, but also rather funny. And of course, you'll see more of Molly. Throughout the book, you'll see what made her fall in love with Tanner, and it will be more apparent why he fell in love with her. -
Overall, I think Tanner and Tatum's relationship holds a really special place with me.
I feel as though a lot of books and stories portray sibling relations as very love/hate, with more of the latter. Tatum and Tanner may tease each other, and even get on eachother's nerves, but they're actually quite close.
Really, there's a sense of mutual admiration that will be seen a little more clearly when the story is expanded. -
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If I'm not writing from a prompt, then I always map out a short outline. Most of the time, I don't stick to it, though.
The one thing that I always do before writing is develop my characters. Full name, birthday, birthplace, physical description, family tree, a relationship web with descriptions, and a basic psychoanalysis.
I make them real to me before I do anything further. -
Honestly, no. I've always loved reading. When I was ten years old, I was reading Nicholas Sparks and James Patterson while my classmates whined about having to read anything at all.
I really started writing when I was eleven. I wrote terrible poetry and children's books that generally focused on animals, specifically monkeys. In fact, my first book was called, [i]Milly Monkey Goes to the Zoo[/i]. It's floating around my house somewhere, but that will never see the light of day!
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Elyssa Allen’s Bio
Aspiring author and full-time college student.
My short story, Carolina Summer is now in Inkpop's top five for August!
Personal formspring: formspring.me/lyssaloveless
