August 26, 2015

So sakuyasworld from DeviantArt finished the illustration for Heath and I practically swooned when I saw it. She really brought him to life; as I've said before, if you're ever looking to commission from someone, she's the person to go to.

August 24, 2015

So, here's a bit of an update.

I start school on Wednesday and am going to take four classes this semester; I also plan on finding a part-time job, to help with school and whatnot, so evidently, with all the moving out and moving in and making last minute school shopping, it's difficult to find time to write. Whilst in Colorado, I showed my plans for Twisted to my older sister because she's a hard critic when it comes to original ideas and whatnot - she strives for the non-cliche, which is why I went to her. And let me say, she didn't hold back.

Basically, she pointed a lot of things out to me. At first, I figured I'd be able to do some quick fixes, but I feel like I felt that way mostly because I was so thrilled to have actually finished a story. But after more thinking, I came to one deadly conclusion:

I have to start over. Rewrite.

She pointed out tons of things about my story that were entirely cliche. As a writer, I want my story to be set away from things that have been overdone, to make it stand out more in the publishing stance, so this devastated me a bit. While writing a manuscript, it's so hard to look at it through a neutral point and see things differently. But thanks to my sister's critique, I've got fresher ideas, and I have even more to work with. Now, I just have to complete the story...again. A lot of things will change because of that, but I'm confident that it's far more interesting than the other I had in mind. One thing a writer must realize is that there will never be one draft. There will be several, with revising and editing. 

Anyhow, I've got a bit written for the beginning; this newer idea will take more research, so it's going to take more time, but I'm confident I'll find the time to do so with the passion I have for completing it. Because of that, I'm not worried, but am entirely thrilled.

August 17, 2015

Now that I've finally completed the manuscript for Twisted, I will be fixing plot holes and tweaking characterizations; then, the manuscript will be sent to three beta readers so I can have extra pairs of eyes catching mistakes I missed. Then, I'll start looking for an agent.

It turned out to be around 60,000 words, which is 20,000 longer than I originally intended, but I'm okay with that. I'm just so excited to have a completed story and have something to work with. I'll have to start doing intensive research on agents and publishers set for Twisted, as well as beginning the query letter. 

Let the adventure begin! 

August 16, 2015

So, I'm excited.

I have three more scenes left to write, then I'm finished writing Twisted.

THREE MORE SCENES.

This doesn't mean I'm finished with the editing and everything else that comes with it, of course. But it means I have stuff to work with now, some kind of template. Plus I finally finished a story!! 

Overall, I plan on having 3 drafts before I get a beta reader to look over it. My 2nd draft will consist of me looking over plot lines and characterization because evidently I've got serious plot holes to consider and my characters seem super flat, so there's that. Then my 3rd draft will be punctuation - the actual writing. I'm just so excited that I finally reached this point! There's much work to do still, but it's certainly progress. 

August 15, 2015

Alright, so I'm speechless.

sakuyasworld (you can go to her profile from here) from DeviantArt, one of the lovely artists I've commissioned from for the illustration of Heath, came out with the sketch! She's going to send me the base coloring once I give her approval, and then the final picture. I'm just...this is so surreal because she had everything spot on, and she practically brought my character to life. A massive thank you to her, and hey, if you ever need something commissioned, I highly recommend her. She's super friendly, and is great to work with - not to mention her prices are very reasonable. Needless to say, this'll be my source of inspiration for a while! 

August 14, 2015

Just some scene references I've got in mind from Twisted:

August 13, 2015

I've found two wonderful artists to commission from, for my Heath character illustration - one of them being a close friend, and the other a talented artist on DeviantArt. My friend has already begin the commission, and the other is going to start Friday, since there's a bit of a line. I cannot wait to see the result; I love paying for art, since it seems a thing that's not widely appreciated. 

As of now, I'm a little over 34,000 words for Twisted and would consider myself halfway through the plot. My original goal of 40,000 is closer than ever, and I'm positive that it's going to be a bit longer than what I originally thought. Of course, through editing and whatnot, I'm probably going to shorten it a couple thousand words; it's just hard to judge that at the stage of writing. I'll have to take a much closer look when I actually finish. 

It's only the beginning of the journey; I've got a long way to go, but I'm so excited to take off on this and see where it takes me. I'm so excited to share this story with people; I just hope I can get it there. 

August 12, 2015

Playlist for Twisted so far:

Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Bubbly (Acoustic Version) - Colbie Caillat
Chasing Cars - Boyce Avenue
More Than Words - Extreme
All I Need - Within Temptation
My Demons - Starset
I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace

August 11, 2015

Just wanted to recognize the readers who have been with Twisted from the very beginning. I want to thank everyone for their encouraging words and for giving my writing a chance, you have no idea how much it's meant to me and inspired me. Your words are motivation and inspiration. I don't know if I'd have the courage to do what I do if not for you. All the love xx

August 10, 2015

So I'm loosely gathering a playlist for Twisted, songs I've used to inspire me write, as well as songs that I feel pertain much to the story. I'm still looking for an artist to commission from, and I've been thinking of making a book trailer - any thoughts to that? That's an iffy thing so far, I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to be able to do that. 

Also, here's another outfit illustration, a Claire formal wear:

August 9, 2015

Roxy's outfit profile:

Today, I'm on the search for an artist currently taking commissions. I've messaged a few on DeviantArt and am looking for someone who can do realistic illustrations, preferably with digital art. I hope to hear back from them and see their price ranges. I'm not looking to spend an absolute ton of money on this, I just need some kind of source of inspiration whenever I feel dishearted while writing. And as of now, I've reached a hole in the story that I can't seem to fill. I'm going to be patient and wait until I can fix that; in the meantime, I'll focus on putting together a playlist of songs that pertain to the book, as well as more references. I hope everyone's having an amazing day! All the love xx

August 8, 2015

Claire's hair color: 

Her eye color:

Typical outfit:

August 7, 2015

I forgot to mention yesterday that I plan on making this a short series, for Twisted to be the first book, and Unstable to be the sequel. I don't plan on making a third book, however.
Part of me wants to show someone what I already have written, just to let me know if it's interesting or not. But every time I do that, I never seem to finish the story. I get sidetracked and spend more time revising before I even finish it. The first and foremost step to finishing a book is to write the book. Don't worry about punctuation or making errors, that's why you have a couple of drafts. The writing process is strenuous work and doesn't happen in one go. I'm really coming to terms with patience as of now. 
Anyway, I just want to thank all my readers once again, from when Twisted was a fanfic. Because of the warm and encouraging words of support, I had the confidence and ability to purse my love for writing, as well as the determination to make Twisted something bigger. Without ya'll, I don't know if Twisted would ever have become a thing...or if I'd be here right now, writing this story. I love you all.
Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to post references here and there on here, pertaining to the story. My first reference would be the jackets that Heath and the gang members wear. Here's how I picture them to look:

August 6, 2015

My goal for Twisted is 40k words, and right now, I've got a little over 20k, so I'm very excited to see that the story's moving along great. I tend to have issues finishing a story; typically halfway through, I lose inspiration and leave it unfinished. But with this, I'm reminding myself daily of how much I love the characters and the story - I'm determined to reach the end, not just for me, but for Heath and Claire.
Twisted is a romance/thriller and a contemporary, but it takes place in a fictional country. I won't say too much about it, however, since I don't want to reveal anything important. I can tell the readers who have read the fanfictions that the rewrite will have different characters, and there is a change in the plotline, but overall, many of the scenes will still be there (which I'm very excited about!). I'm growing restless and want to just dive into those said scenes, but I'm staying patient and working bit by bit for the story. Anyhow, I'm going to keep ya'll updated on how the story is coming along. I've got a bowl of strawberries and a cup of coffee, and I'm about to set out writing for it. Hope everyone is having a lovely day, all the love. xx