The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

So I tried working through this book while I was in college, and I think I got to like...week 6...which honestly tracks. So I listened to the whole thing, and I think I'll go through it week by week with already finished.
I really need to get back into writing morning pages....and artist's dates.... like. fsjkdlsasfjkld
272 Pages

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Starting off when the Lin Manuel Miranda quote. Chef's kiss. 
Only 19 but my mind is older
Two bros chillin' in a hot tub
Ohhhhh this is giving me Dead Poet's Society vibes.....
I'm just going to go over there and collapse.
Four months to write a book. HALP.
I love the writing style and just. like....fsnkda
Tanner the bi-con. 
I liked that the authors didn't try to vilify religion, because I feel like in a lot of coming out stories, religion is used as the villain, so it was nice to see religious characters as multi-faceted.
Also can we just talk about Sebastian and his relationship with God. Someone help me; I love that nerd. 
416 Pages

Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott

Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott

Pages: 320

4 out of 5 stars

 Filled with atmospheric descriptions of Cambridge, past and present, of seventeenth-century glassmaking, alchemy, the Great Plague, and Newton’s scientific innovations, Ghostwalk centers around a real historical mystery that author, Rebecca Stott has uncovered involving Newton’s alchemy.

Lydia Brooke is asked to complete the biography of Isaac Newton after the original author is found drowned. The mother of a former lover, Lydia, is well acquainted with Elizabeth's writing and research methods and agrees to complete the manuscript. This leads Lydia down Elizabeth's path of obsession with the 17th century in Cambridge. She soon discovers that the present-day violence in Cambridge is linked to murders in Newton's time at Cambridge. She learns about a dangerous present day conspiracy and the danger of awakening ghosts of a past that wants to remain a secret.

Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development by K.M. Weiland

Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development
by K.M. Weiland

284 pages

4/5

Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters—but it just isn’t grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It’s time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs. Internationally published, award-winning novelist K.M. Weiland shares her acclaimed method for achieving memorable and moving character arcs in every book you write.

By applying the foundation of the Three-Act Story Structure and then delving even deeper into the psychology of realistic and dynamic human change, Weiland offers a beat-by-beat checklist of character arc guidelines that flexes to fit any type of story.

This comprehensive book will teach you:

• How to determine which arc—positive, negative, or flat—is right for your character.
• Why you should NEVER pit plot against character. Instead, learn how to blend story structure and character development.
• How to recognize and avoid the worst pitfalls of writing novels without character arcs.
• How to hack the secret to using overarching character arcs to create amazing trilogies and series.
• And much more!

I am on a 'reading about writing' kick at the moment, so I really enjoyed this take on characters and character arcs.  Weiland uses a variety of examples which are really helpful when talking about the various details of creating a well-rounded character.  Most of this book is dedicated to discussing positive character arcs, and I was left wishing she discussed the alternate types of arcs (negative, flat, etc.) more.  Overall, though, I am glad to have read it and, I did order the workbook.

Dearest Series by Lex Martin

Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

I was worried about revisiting this series, because I really loved it the first time through, but that was 4 years ago. I've read so many books in the past 4 years, that I've found I've become a bit more demanding in regards to what I feel makes a good story.

Revisiting old favorites is like snuggling up with a puppy and your favorite blanket, but there's always this 5% chance that the puppy could pee on you and chew up your favorite blanket, after which you may still love the puppy but you'll be pretty frustrated.

So yeah, I took some fear into my second read, and it was all wasted anxiety, as I still absolutely loved this story. Lex Martin has a way of developing characters that really draws you in, and when you put down the books, it's pretty upsetting to find that your brand new amazing friends are no longer part of your life.

Also, this story has an undercurrent of mystery/suspense that just added an extra touch to an already good read.

Book 328 read in 2018

Pages: 370

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
This novel is sweet and sexy with an edgy undertone. I couldn't stand to put it down! Clementine is fascinating and relatable despite her harsh edges (probably because of them), and Gavin made me swoon constantly. Wow! That boy set a new book boyfriend standard.

Here’s the math:
2 parts sizzle
1 part snark
1 part giggles (me, not the characters...well, sometimes the characters but mostly me)
1 part mystery/suspense
Plenty of Awwwwwwww!!!! *swoon*
And a very memorable voice

I can’t wait to read more about Jax and Dani in Finding Dandelion!

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This YA novel is about a teenage boy named Tanner who enrolls in a novel-writing class. Tanner is half-Jewish and bisexual, and he has some immediate chemistry with the class assistant, Sebastian. Sebastian wrote a novel the previous year and came back to help the next group of students. This would typically be the start of an adorable romance, except Sebastian is Mormon. Cue conflict and heartache.

I loved this story. It's both adorable and heart-wrenching. It has a gentle but honest way of showing what happens when what someone feels conflicts with what someone has grown up believing.

Book 281 read in 2018

Pages: 407

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This surprised me on so many levels. I love the storyline, and all of the conflict. I also love all the beautiful words and thoughts that are sprinkled throughout. Plus, it's heated and the drama is fueled by years worth of emotion.

I think this is the ultimate reversal on the enemies to friends trope, and sparks fly everywhere as these two knock heads. Also, there's so much character growth, which is fun to watch.

Character-wise, this would be a YA romance. Graphic content-wise, it leans hard towards an adult, or new adult audience. I mean, don't get me wrong. I would have definitely read this in high school, but my mother always let me read whatever I wanted, from birth on. A more fearful parent of a teen might stroke out if they realized their teen had read this story, so if you're a teen with a more challenging, judgmental, controlling, and/or very conservative parent, be sure to respect your parent and read this book as far away from your house as is possible. ;)

Book 276 read in 2018

Pages: 343

Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron

Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I confess I picked this up out of a desire to understand the human brain's need and desire for story. We are creatures of story, so much so that I'd put story near the bottom level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right there with food, rest and health.

Humanity is made of story. We tell the stories of ourselves and our lives. We use story to make almost every decision. We crave story. We dream in stories. Our evolution is based on story, and how passing that information, knowledge, and outcomes down has helped us become something that is more than what it used to be. What we do, who we are, how we see ourselves, the things we enjoy, the people we love, and what becomes of us when we are gone is all tied to story. Without story, humanity would not be what it is.

For those reasons, I read this book, and I came away with so much great information on how to write a decent story that I'll probably listen to this one again. It says some of the same stuff that you would expect to hear, but in new ways, and it turns a few things that I thought I knew completely upside down. I think it really helped me, but there was so much to take in that I definitely didn't absorb it all on the first time through. There's just too much to consider and apply, so I'll probably revisit this one on audio, since it's so easy to consume in that format.

Book 166 Read in 2018

Pages: 262

Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't write screenplays, but a lot of this information is still applicable to writing a good novel. I especially appreciated how he broke down all the different components, or beats, of a good story and explained how to successfully portray (or not) those segments.

Some of the examples felt obscure and meant nothing to me, but there was a lot here that was applicable. I was less interested in the end of the book, which is more about selling yourself and your ideas, but the whole stretch in the middle on story structure was helpful and appealing.

I'll take some of the comments about selling with a grain of salt, since I don't currently write for that purpose, but even despite that, many of his best ways to sell a story are tied to having a decent story in the first place, which is something that is relevant to anyone who wants to write a good story.

I'm currently editing/rewriting one of my previous sci-fi novels, so I think I'm going to compare my story to his structure and double check for all the beats, as well as an emotional change and conflict in every scene, as those suggestions all resonated with me. We will see how it goes. I am sure it definitely can't hurt, and I suspect it will actually help.

Book 111 read in 2018

Pages: 195

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is adorable. Absolutely everything written by Kasie West seems to be adorable, and heartfelt, with enough depth to run you through the gamut of emotions, leaving you perfectly satisfied at the end of the story.

The characters are well-developed, and the concept is sweet. This is the ideal book for a quick read or for dealing with emotional exhaustion (due to either other books or to life), because it returns more to you than it takes from you.

Pages: 330

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this book to be really helpful, not because it told me stuff I don’t know, but because it reminded me of things I knew but have sometimes been shortsighted about. Also, the examples and suggestions were great. Every single time I read a chunk of this book, it made me want to go write, or edit, which is how I want to feel after reading something like this.

There were sections that didn’t apply to me or felt too basic, so I just skimmed over those. That’s to be expected though, as every writer has different strengths and knowledge. There were sections that explained something I thought I was confident and competent with in a way that made me realize I could do even better if I’d put a little more editing focus on that particular topic or subject. Since first drafts are terrible, it’s easy to focus on the major issues first and never get back around to those smaller things that can make a huge difference.

I didn’t read this to perfect the first 5 pages of any of my novels. I read it, because I think all the pages in a novel have to be as good as the first 5. I figured the advice would apply to a whole novel, and it definitely does.

Pages: 208

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I avoided this book for years, but it’s fantastic! I worried it would be tiresome or sound too much like Self-Help, which is a genre I generally dislike. I also worried it would make me realize I don't have what it takes to be a writer, which was not something I wanted to have confirmed.

What I got was an engaging book, full of moments that helped shape who Stephen King is as a person and a writer. In addition, he provides a lot of advice on writing, but it’s never annoying or pretentious. He’s honest about his process, and that was really helpful and reassuring to me.

In fact, he said so many unexpected things about writing that remind me of myself and the way I approach writing, that I had some serious “Ah-Ha” moments while reading. I found myself writing “Me too!” in the margins, and I realized that I can and probably should ignore all those people who tell me if I don’t plot and outline my book to death (their way), it won’t be readable. I mean, I’ve mostly ignored them, but I did let it nag at me and weigh on my mind.

I’ve barely written the past year, because I suffered a serious crisis of writing faith. My attitude went from happy and determined to the lowest of the low. I couldn’t reason with myself. I started drafting two novels and quit halfway, which is something I had never done before. I tried to convince myself I’m just a reader and don’t have what it takes to be a writer. That I should give up. But somehow I found myself still dabbling, even when I insisted I was giving up.

I suffered endless pep talks from myself and other writers. I read inspirational quotes and appreciated funny comics about writing. I lectured myself and allowed others to lecture me. I tried and tried and tried but continued to struggle, hating very minute of the wasted time and paralyzing self-doubt.
At the end of each day, I still felt terrible about my writing, which made it really hard to be writing. I forced myself to write anyway, but it was without the joy I used to bring to the table.

Reading this book helped me see that even writers like Stephen King struggle. They have self-doubt. They have failed projects, and sometimes they even panic and throw out something that could be great. Reading this book made me excited about finishing both my half started novels, and it made me interested in revisiting some of my past novels, to see what I could do to improve them.

Now, my only writing crisis is that there isn’t enough time in the day to tackle everything I want to work on, so I owe this book a lot. It did something for me in 3 days that I seemed to be incapable of doing for myself across the span of a whole year. It gave me back the desire to write, the courage to tell my fears to bug off, and the motivation to do the work with as much honesty as possible, regardless of outcome.

Pages: 288