When I write, it’s all I think about, even when I stop writing, it’s all I think about, about how I should change something or how I could progress it. Same thing with my lyrics, and that’s how I know I need to stop writing that portion and work on something else, when I think about it too much. When my hands just go, whether it be typing or writing, and I don’t think about what I’m typing or writing, that’s when I know I have written something good. My family doesn’t like my writing, but my friends do and that’s what matters to me, I like it, sometimes, but my friends are supportive of what I write. Most importantly though, I write for me, not to please my family with what I do or do not write.
Sometimes it can be consuming. Although, a lot of times I find that when stories wont leave me alone, or wont get out of my head, it means there's something special there. That's hard when your family doesn't enjoy your art. Just remember to write for you.
It’s really hard, especially when my mother tries destroying my writing, especially my lyrics. What she says make it hard, sometimes, to keep writing, but writing is part of what keeps me going. The lyrics are just how I feel or what I’ve been through. I want to share them with people, because music makes me feel like I’m not alone, and I want others, who have been through what I have, to know that they’re not alone.
were all so excited to see your personal success. we all enjoy every piece of creativity you present, whether its through photos, videos, music, literature, etc... writing is hard and i am proud that you got through a first draft. kudos to you! take some time before a big tour you have coming up and remember that no matter when you give us content, we will all still love it! im so happy to see your ideas come to fruition. i hope you're doing great! vestra frui diebus!
That's exactly what makes creating new stories exciting, the fact that you start reading and don't know what's coming next. Everything takes unimaginable turns and that's magnificent.
So glad to see another post on here from you. Even though I follow you everywhere else and stay up to date, haha. So excited for the novel but relieved you’re going at your own pace. We’ll be here when it’s ready for the world to read.
Been around for a long time and intend on sticking around. For whatever nonsense, or non-nonsense, you keep creating.
Hi! I’m a new fan and didn’t realize this existed, but I’m really happy I found it! I’m a writer too (or I’m trying to be) so it’s really inspiring to see this. I get the feeling I’m gonna be sticking around for a long time. <3
Good luck with your second draft! (I really need to get back to revising mine-)
Hello, coming back to this again to ask for a little advice? I’ve sort of written myself into a worldbuilding corner—trying to combine fantasy with the more modern technology I need for the plot to work. Do you have any advice on worldbuilding and how to balance elements so there’s enough suspension of disbelief that it works well even if those elements might not always go together?
(I feel like I said that weird but I don’t know how else to phrase it, sorry…)
Hi, Raina! It's a bit tough for me to give specifics without knowing the context but, as a general rule of thumb, you shouldn't worry too much about this type of thing until you're able to revise the piece as a whole. The most important thing is that you get it all out. That way, you have the entire story in front of you and you'll be better informed of how to make these elements work within the framework you've provided. If I were you, I would make a small note that this sentence, paragraph, chapter, etc needs work and come back to it after you've finished the whole story. It may also be helpful to spend some time jotting down ideas for the history of this technology/how it works/etc. A lot of times when I get backed up like this I find that it's because I don't know enough about my world/characters or their past. I think it's second nature for readers to suspend disbelief so don't get too caught up in it at this stage.
Just discovered this, don’t know how exactly I got onto it. But I love to read and I’m excited to hear about your novel! Congrats on getting that first draft done!
Welcome back! You are always worth the wait. It’s not like you hit under a rock; a gold record, hugely successful album drop, international touring, and 2 top ten songs kinda make your absence understandable, right? And all those videos, of course.
When I guessed you were clocking 10k on tour, I didn’t know it would be the LAST 10k - that’s exciting! I’ve heard that you should throw a draft in the drawer for a month…will you last a week!? Still, it must feel good to have it down.
There’s a great book that you may find useful. “Refuse to Be Done” by Matt Bell that focuses on the revision process. It’s concise and has some fresh suggestions. He believes in letting inspiration and creativity to drive the first draft, and to outline and organize after. I’m a pantser, so this really appealed to me. Outlining first can make me convince myself that deep cleaning the fridge is urgent. (I have a summary doc if you’re interested).
Are you going to go with an independent small press (North Lake) or query traditional publishers? I know creative control varies greatly. I’m prepping two shorts/flash submissions to a few small press monthlies. I picked the ones that I’m prepared to open rejection letters from, ha ha.
It’s great to have you back. Thanks for always sharing your thoughts and work; it means more that you probably think. Looking forward to the next.
Take care, ~V
PS - say hi to AI Rick. He helped to get you back to storytelling, after all.
Thanks, Vicki. There's a sort of home feeling I get when I post and interact on this site. I'm not sure what is. I've definitely been busy, that's for sure.
Haha! You know, I started writing it out the week before we left, so I'd already made a decent dent. I think I wrote about 40,000+ words while we were gone. Definitely the meat of the story, anyway. I couldn't help it, I had so much free time and all I could think about was writing. It didn't help that I only saw the sun twice during the entire month we were in Europe. Was very fitting for the story. The stars aligned, I suppose.
It's funny you mention "Refuse to be Done"—I'm about 75% of the way through it now. I love Matt Bell's work. When I saw he'd put that out I thought, "perfect timing." So, as much as I cannot stand the idea of putting the my story away and trying to forget about it, I'm going to take Matt's advice and do just that. I've begun working on a couple other things in the interim that have already got my gears turning for my next project.
Good question. I think it's time for me to put on some thick skin and throw my neck in the game of traditional publishing. Whether that's smaller, independent companies or more well known publishing ones, that's really up in the air. I suppose it's a matter of who bites (if they do). More importantly, once my manuscript is as good as it can be, I think I need to find a literary agent first. If I can manage that, getting it into the hands of publishers of either size is going to be considerably easier. So, I think that's my goal down the road. Good luck with the submissions! It's a terrifying thing, but I think it's an important one in the overall process.
Thanks, as always, for being here! Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Welcome back Rick! Glad to see that you’re back and things are going well. I’m so excited to hear that you’re working on a new book! As a writer myself, I know the excitement that comes about when a new idea pops into your head and those exciting (and sometimes rare) moments where you just want to write and write and write! You really are quite the unique storyteller and I can’t wait to hear what new adventure you’ll present to us next! Best of luck to you with the next draft (I always feel like the first one is the hardest so you got that out of the way) and keep doing what you do, my dude 💜
I'm so happy that you're writing a book. I'll be super duper stoked to purchase when it's released one day. Do people still used stoked? Or super duper for that matter? 🤣 Maybe this is my way of saying that I'm a little old.
I'll be honest, I have been looking forward to a post from you for a very long time. Though, I don't want you to rush in posting again, it's lovely to see you writing again (that's out in the world, I mean).
I hope all is well with you and I look forward to your next post as well as (not set in stone yet), but I'm praying buffalo in July!!
Missed you! I definitely feel connected to a lot of what you said in this post. I haven’t written in FOREVER. And recently I’ve felt that itch come back to start typing, even if it doesn’t make any sense just to see where it goes. I have the hardest time sticking with things and I usually just give up. But, I guess forcing myself is a start. Even if I hate everything I write, it’s still something, right? I always have so many ideas fly across my brain but I never write them down, either thinking, ‘eh, I’ll remember it later’ (which I never do), or telling myself it’s not worth it. All those wasted thoughts haunt me sometimes… So, even though I hate to see you having similar struggles, it’s nice to know that even someone I look up to has those same days of feeling like nothing will work out. But I believe in us and anyone else who feels the same! I wish you luck and am super excited to hear about your novel in the works!! I missed out the last time you wrote a book, so this is definitely exciting for me. I am always so stoked to see what you come up with. :)
I totally agree! Good luck with your writing, and as Ricky says, don't give up and just keep on at it! You got this and so do we :)
P.S: If you ever come across ideas, just jot them down anywhere, even if you don't feel they're worth anything or if they're not drawn to your tastes asap. One time, I wrote on my arm not to forget it. The pen didn't wash off very well... but it was worth it!
What a joy to read you again, Ricky. I had expected an update from you but without pressing you at the same time, I really love reading about your thoughts and the way you tell stories, it's a great talent and I'm happy that you share it with us.
It has nothing to do with it but many times I play Asleep by The smiths when it comes to reading you, I feel that it has become part of the habits that give me comfort
Hey Ricky! So glad to hear about your wave of inspiration and I can’t wait to see where it goes. Definitely take a break to rest and recharge, you deserve it. Can’t wait to read more about the novel!
When I write, it’s all I think about, even when I stop writing, it’s all I think about, about how I should change something or how I could progress it. Same thing with my lyrics, and that’s how I know I need to stop writing that portion and work on something else, when I think about it too much. When my hands just go, whether it be typing or writing, and I don’t think about what I’m typing or writing, that’s when I know I have written something good. My family doesn’t like my writing, but my friends do and that’s what matters to me, I like it, sometimes, but my friends are supportive of what I write. Most importantly though, I write for me, not to please my family with what I do or do not write.
Sometimes it can be consuming. Although, a lot of times I find that when stories wont leave me alone, or wont get out of my head, it means there's something special there. That's hard when your family doesn't enjoy your art. Just remember to write for you.
It’s really hard, especially when my mother tries destroying my writing, especially my lyrics. What she says make it hard, sometimes, to keep writing, but writing is part of what keeps me going. The lyrics are just how I feel or what I’ve been through. I want to share them with people, because music makes me feel like I’m not alone, and I want others, who have been through what I have, to know that they’re not alone.
were all so excited to see your personal success. we all enjoy every piece of creativity you present, whether its through photos, videos, music, literature, etc... writing is hard and i am proud that you got through a first draft. kudos to you! take some time before a big tour you have coming up and remember that no matter when you give us content, we will all still love it! im so happy to see your ideas come to fruition. i hope you're doing great! vestra frui diebus!
Thanks, Christina!
That's exactly what makes creating new stories exciting, the fact that you start reading and don't know what's coming next. Everything takes unimaginable turns and that's magnificent.
Good luck with your second draft!!
I'm new here but excited! Can't wait to eventually read what youve been working on!
So glad to see another post on here from you. Even though I follow you everywhere else and stay up to date, haha. So excited for the novel but relieved you’re going at your own pace. We’ll be here when it’s ready for the world to read.
Been around for a long time and intend on sticking around. For whatever nonsense, or non-nonsense, you keep creating.
Hi! I’m a new fan and didn’t realize this existed, but I’m really happy I found it! I’m a writer too (or I’m trying to be) so it’s really inspiring to see this. I get the feeling I’m gonna be sticking around for a long time. <3
Good luck with your second draft! (I really need to get back to revising mine-)
Thanks, Raina. Glad you're here! Good luck with your own revisions!
Hello, coming back to this again to ask for a little advice? I’ve sort of written myself into a worldbuilding corner—trying to combine fantasy with the more modern technology I need for the plot to work. Do you have any advice on worldbuilding and how to balance elements so there’s enough suspension of disbelief that it works well even if those elements might not always go together?
(I feel like I said that weird but I don’t know how else to phrase it, sorry…)
Hi, Raina! It's a bit tough for me to give specifics without knowing the context but, as a general rule of thumb, you shouldn't worry too much about this type of thing until you're able to revise the piece as a whole. The most important thing is that you get it all out. That way, you have the entire story in front of you and you'll be better informed of how to make these elements work within the framework you've provided. If I were you, I would make a small note that this sentence, paragraph, chapter, etc needs work and come back to it after you've finished the whole story. It may also be helpful to spend some time jotting down ideas for the history of this technology/how it works/etc. A lot of times when I get backed up like this I find that it's because I don't know enough about my world/characters or their past. I think it's second nature for readers to suspend disbelief so don't get too caught up in it at this stage.
Just discovered this, don’t know how exactly I got onto it. But I love to read and I’m excited to hear about your novel! Congrats on getting that first draft done!
Welcome back! You are always worth the wait. It’s not like you hit under a rock; a gold record, hugely successful album drop, international touring, and 2 top ten songs kinda make your absence understandable, right? And all those videos, of course.
When I guessed you were clocking 10k on tour, I didn’t know it would be the LAST 10k - that’s exciting! I’ve heard that you should throw a draft in the drawer for a month…will you last a week!? Still, it must feel good to have it down.
There’s a great book that you may find useful. “Refuse to Be Done” by Matt Bell that focuses on the revision process. It’s concise and has some fresh suggestions. He believes in letting inspiration and creativity to drive the first draft, and to outline and organize after. I’m a pantser, so this really appealed to me. Outlining first can make me convince myself that deep cleaning the fridge is urgent. (I have a summary doc if you’re interested).
Are you going to go with an independent small press (North Lake) or query traditional publishers? I know creative control varies greatly. I’m prepping two shorts/flash submissions to a few small press monthlies. I picked the ones that I’m prepared to open rejection letters from, ha ha.
It’s great to have you back. Thanks for always sharing your thoughts and work; it means more that you probably think. Looking forward to the next.
Take care, ~V
PS - say hi to AI Rick. He helped to get you back to storytelling, after all.
Thanks, Vicki. There's a sort of home feeling I get when I post and interact on this site. I'm not sure what is. I've definitely been busy, that's for sure.
Haha! You know, I started writing it out the week before we left, so I'd already made a decent dent. I think I wrote about 40,000+ words while we were gone. Definitely the meat of the story, anyway. I couldn't help it, I had so much free time and all I could think about was writing. It didn't help that I only saw the sun twice during the entire month we were in Europe. Was very fitting for the story. The stars aligned, I suppose.
It's funny you mention "Refuse to be Done"—I'm about 75% of the way through it now. I love Matt Bell's work. When I saw he'd put that out I thought, "perfect timing." So, as much as I cannot stand the idea of putting the my story away and trying to forget about it, I'm going to take Matt's advice and do just that. I've begun working on a couple other things in the interim that have already got my gears turning for my next project.
Good question. I think it's time for me to put on some thick skin and throw my neck in the game of traditional publishing. Whether that's smaller, independent companies or more well known publishing ones, that's really up in the air. I suppose it's a matter of who bites (if they do). More importantly, once my manuscript is as good as it can be, I think I need to find a literary agent first. If I can manage that, getting it into the hands of publishers of either size is going to be considerably easier. So, I think that's my goal down the road. Good luck with the submissions! It's a terrifying thing, but I think it's an important one in the overall process.
Thanks, as always, for being here! Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Welcome back Rick! Glad to see that you’re back and things are going well. I’m so excited to hear that you’re working on a new book! As a writer myself, I know the excitement that comes about when a new idea pops into your head and those exciting (and sometimes rare) moments where you just want to write and write and write! You really are quite the unique storyteller and I can’t wait to hear what new adventure you’ll present to us next! Best of luck to you with the next draft (I always feel like the first one is the hardest so you got that out of the way) and keep doing what you do, my dude 💜
Appreciate it, Stephanie. Thank you!
Hi Ricky, it's been a while.
I'm so happy that you're writing a book. I'll be super duper stoked to purchase when it's released one day. Do people still used stoked? Or super duper for that matter? 🤣 Maybe this is my way of saying that I'm a little old.
I'll be honest, I have been looking forward to a post from you for a very long time. Though, I don't want you to rush in posting again, it's lovely to see you writing again (that's out in the world, I mean).
I hope all is well with you and I look forward to your next post as well as (not set in stone yet), but I'm praying buffalo in July!!
Until next time,
Karissa
Missed you! I definitely feel connected to a lot of what you said in this post. I haven’t written in FOREVER. And recently I’ve felt that itch come back to start typing, even if it doesn’t make any sense just to see where it goes. I have the hardest time sticking with things and I usually just give up. But, I guess forcing myself is a start. Even if I hate everything I write, it’s still something, right? I always have so many ideas fly across my brain but I never write them down, either thinking, ‘eh, I’ll remember it later’ (which I never do), or telling myself it’s not worth it. All those wasted thoughts haunt me sometimes… So, even though I hate to see you having similar struggles, it’s nice to know that even someone I look up to has those same days of feeling like nothing will work out. But I believe in us and anyone else who feels the same! I wish you luck and am super excited to hear about your novel in the works!! I missed out the last time you wrote a book, so this is definitely exciting for me. I am always so stoked to see what you come up with. :)
I totally agree! Good luck with your writing, and as Ricky says, don't give up and just keep on at it! You got this and so do we :)
P.S: If you ever come across ideas, just jot them down anywhere, even if you don't feel they're worth anything or if they're not drawn to your tastes asap. One time, I wrote on my arm not to forget it. The pen didn't wash off very well... but it was worth it!
What a joy to read you again, Ricky. I had expected an update from you but without pressing you at the same time, I really love reading about your thoughts and the way you tell stories, it's a great talent and I'm happy that you share it with us.
It has nothing to do with it but many times I play Asleep by The smiths when it comes to reading you, I feel that it has become part of the habits that give me comfort
Glad to have you back, Yessi. Always a pleasure having you here.
Thank you! happy to be here
Hey Ricky! So glad to hear about your wave of inspiration and I can’t wait to see where it goes. Definitely take a break to rest and recharge, you deserve it. Can’t wait to read more about the novel!
Thanks, Becca!
Okay,it's been two years since this post. I'm still waiting to read anything from you,honestly.
Sounds good my love!
Please more!!!!