A Li'l Insight... but Mainly Just Whining

For those of you wondering why it takes me so farking long to update anything, here's a little bit of why:

Having just graduated from college, I'm searching desperately for a job because a). I owe a fuckton on school loans, and b). living with my parents again is not recommended for my mental health. Because of these reasons I'm finding it hard to not be depressed about: my current unemployed situation; the fear of not finding a job soon to start getting my life going; and not wanting to go crazy because my mother still treats me like I'm a child and not like an adult. It's very discouraging when one's personal life is in the crapper, and thus it kills any creativity I have to write anything of quality to post.

Also, when I write, I try to get into character somehow, if that makes any sense. Sort of putting myself in the characters' shoes. I used to write so much and so well in high school/early college and when I wrote, it was like wrapping myself in a cozy blanket and being a part of the world I was writing about. I think with posting my stuff for everyone to see sort of puts me on the spot wondering how everything will be received by others and I no longer feel the "cozy blanket" and I try to please everyone and forget how it feels to be my characters anymore, despite this being fanfic and the characters aren't mine to begin with.

I've learned all sorts of lessons in this process, though, and feel that if I were to begin something new, I would definitely outline before I started a thing on it. I've definitely learned my lesson about outlining as I'm now having great difficulty writing new chapters for Someone to Watch Over Me because I have no set plan. I know where I want to go, but I have no knowledge of how to get there. Thus, making it up as I go, I think I have painted myself into having elements I don't think I would have had if I'd just had an outline. Someone suggested a rewrite, but I don't want to have to pull the story and lose all my awesome reviews and alerts just because I'm a moron who didn't think ahead. I'll just research, try to salvage what I want to happen and maybe outline it so I'm not driving in the dark, and hopefully get the fucker done before I'm 30.

Want something to read while you're waiting on me? I have a few reccs, though they're actual paper and ink books to read (OMIGOD, people still READ those? Yes). Having recently acquired a library card for the first time in six years, I've been perusing the library to expand my tastes and read something without the names Edward or Bella or reading about Edward "New Mooning" Bella yet again in an angsty rewrite of the Twilight saga. There are only so many lemons I can read before I start skimming because they're typical or creepy.

ANYWHO, check out Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. It's about a little girl named Jane who has an imaginary friend named Michael because her mom is this high-powered producer of Broadway shows who ignores her daughter except to point out her flaws. Michael leaves Jane when she turns nine, because it's a rule that imaginary friends can't stay around longer than age eight, and this devastates Jane. She grows up to be a successful playwright herself, having produced a play based on her childhood memories with Michael (despite Michael swearing that she'll forget he even existed), and ends up running into her former imaginary BFF one day, to both of their surprises. It's light and a bit fluffy, and only has a touch of angst here or there, but it's a great read if you want something like that. There aren't any lemons, but some sweet kisses and implications and has a wonderful ending.

Want something funnier, maybe a little grittier? Check out the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. They come in numerical order, starting with One For The Money and continuing on through Finger Lickin' Fifteen, with more on the way! I'm only on the fifth book, High Five, but I've loved the series from book one. Stephanie Plum is single and unemployed, with no prospects in either area. She ends up working for her sexual deviant cousin Vinnie, who is a bond agent, bringing in bail skippers (failure-to-appears) who "forget their court date" so that she can make rent and not have to move back home with her overbearing parents and crazy-but-funny Grandma Mazur. She makes friends along the way, including Lula, a 200 lb. former prostitute, and dodges (though sometimes unsuccessfully) sexual advances from cop Joe Morelli, a man she's known since childhood and has a heated partnership (and made heated memories) with while trying to bring in the criminals. Sometimes the simplest cases turn into complicated hi-jinks and make for a good time to read. :)

Okay, now that I'm done plugging books to avoid stressing my own writing, I'll end it at that. If you'd like to see what fanfics I've been reading, check out my Fanfiction.net profile and pick one of the AWESOME stories from one of my favorites. :) Happy reading!

P.S.- If you still have faith in me despite my discouraging bit about writing earlier, don't forget I'm participating in the Support Stacie April Author's Auction! Click the picture link to the right and check it out! Bidding begins this Friday at 11:59 CST! If bidding on me doesn't sound like your cuppa, there are plenty of AWESOME authors to choose from. (If you check out my bit on the site, you'll see what I'm offering and you'll have your say in a Twi-fic by me! Yes, we'll hammer out a plan and everything, so it'll be written to your specifications and get done in a timely manner! I PROMISE!)