Status Update:
My Bookmark's Current Home Nightshade by Andrea Creamer
I'm writing this blog over the duration of Bahamian curise aborad the Norweign Sky. It's been a great curise so far, given me a chance to disconnect from the world and just enjoy myself (and for once my family. I swear, it's like I love them or something. 0_0) It also has no internet. Well, wait, that's not entirly correct. It has internet, but they charge 40 cents a minute to use it. So yeah, basically no internet. So, yeah, I probably won't be able to post this up until after thanksgiving. So I might as well say it now. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (Free room service though.My sister and I ordered so much that we had to put some of the plates in front of my parents room so that they wouldn't think we were THAT fat.)
I've got to say that the best part of the trip was the shopping I did with my Mom and sis at Freeport and Nassau. Now I'm not one to enjoy shopping, but man do those bahamians bargian. Everywhere I looked it was "Let me come show you this" and "come here pretty girl" that. (Funny story, I was browsing around while my little bro was still hanging around us, and this one street vender kept on telling us to some over to come over to her booth. Mom sis and I kept on walking while my little bro started to walk into the very girly booth that unndoubtedly held nothing of interest for him. We pulled him aside and asked why he did it, and he replied with "I was scared.") And I got a dress all the way down to half off without even making a deal! (Needless to say that my Dad was very proud.) And everywhere we went the street venders kept on calling my sis "sexy lady" and asking for her name. For me, it was quite a fun experience. And, of course, the food was fantasic. I was sad to say goodbye to it all.
Now here we go. Since I live in Chicago and the cuirse set sail in Miami, I had to take a 24 hour car ride there and back. Which gave me plenty of time to write this blog.
Ahem. Onto the topic.
While I'm writing the first scene in a new idea I had when I realized that you have to be absolutely fearless when it comes to writing. Staying in your comfort zone is completely overated. See, how I came to this thought is I was writing about a girl who is basically skinny dipping in the ocean, something totally awkward for me to think about, much less write down on a page. And it's not only that. See, I come from a very christian family, and in my book No Matter What You Do, Stick With The Pack, the main character swears quite alot. Plus, writing in Young Adult Paranormal ficton, you don't get a lot of chances to glorify your faith. Heck, my Grandma (god bless her) got freaked out when I mentioned Demons in Scrapper.
Point in case, you have to be strong.
You have to be even more then brave, you have to be fearless. Your writing might take you to some pretty dark disgusting and even disturbing places, but you have to go through with it. Every word will make you strong, ever scene will take you farther, and every uncomfortable bit of inspiration will plung you deeper into your world of thoughts and dreams, because it's those moments that your trapped in the blunt truth of your story that will transform you into a truer teller of tales.
Yes, people will look at you differently.
After all, the craft of writing is a reflection of your soul. Everything you write comes from you, so when you go to dark places, people will noticed the dangerous words that dance on your page. It will be what they want, but they can't help but think of where this came from. And that is when they turn to you, and scoot away inconspicuously. Because now they've had a glimpse into your head, and they are freaked out by what your imagination can cook up. As well they should be. Imagination can be lethal.
But I urge you, tread with caution.
Another writer friend of mine, also very Christian, asked me about my point of view on swearing and using questionably appropriate scenes in her book. And as much as it might make me a hypocrite, I had to tell her, "If you have to ask, then there is your answer." Because if you can't get there by yourself, if you have to ask someone elses approval, then that means that it's not really coming from you. It's not an experience of YOURS. And you won't be able to do it justice. Now I'm not saying that if you haven't been shot you can't write about someone getting shot, to some extent you need to make it up (if you don't then basically it's non-fiction). I'm just saying if you someone to varify your actions, then don't even bother. Because that means your not ready to go there yet. And that's nothing to be ashamed of, it just means you've hit your limits, and you know yourself better as a writer.
So WOW this was a long post. I hope I didn't bore you to death. Again, Happy Thanksgiving! (Okay Radio, you can now justifiably play Christmas music...)
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