Well.... 601 days later

Wow it's been a while hasn't it? Like a really really long while. Well, looking back at my posts, I've been inspired to restart this whole blogging thing, but at a new level. I want a more professional author website and want to have a regular schedule for posting. Schedules and deadlines are the only way I function, truly. Anyways, well what's happened since that post in December 2016.

Well I turned 22, then I turned 23 (current age) and now I'm making that lap to 24. I did end up joining an MBA program (despite my ranty previous post). I finished one year of my two for said MBA (starting year 2 in two weeks). I completely froze on a lot of story ideas, out of fear mostly. I let go of that fear and listened to the posts by my past self.

Oh also I'm posting on wattpad again. Melo Hearts should be done before the end of August, since I'm posting a chapter a day. Once I figure out how to set up a more professional looking blog I will update you guys with a fresh link. I don't think many people read this blog anyways, but in case somehow you end up here instead of my real website (TBD) I will keep a link here.

Link to wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/91046211-melo-hearts

Thank you for anyone who some how found this blog. I promise a much nicer looking one soon. :). I hope all your dreams come true (writing or otherwise). I really have so much to catch you up on.

<3 Daniela

MFA's and News

So here is an accurate representation of my life during my finals week:

Don't get me wrong, my grades were great and I did what I had to do, but it doesn't mean I enjoyed a second of it. In fact, this entire semester I've felt completely unmotivated in regards to school and to writing. I've put things off more than I ever have. I went to class, learned finance stuff, but barely felt like I was present. It just all felt so repetitive and I didn't feel like I was moving anywhere. Luckily, I did enjoy most of my actual classes. I helped start a new club at my university and I managed to pull myself out of the semester long rut.

I've decided to pursue an MFA in Creative writing for young adults sometime in the near future. I was originally planning on going to get an MBA and focus part time on writing. Why? Well I love business and finance, but this past semester I realized I need to focus on my first love. I've dedicated four years to finance. I can give at least two to writing. Sure finance is a safer path. With an MBA you can make well into the six figures, even before you turn 30. It's safe and wonderful, but it's not my dream. It's not what fulfills me or keeps me awake at night. Writing is what I could spend hours on hours doing. It's what makes me smile. It's what makes me whole.

People say an MFA won't pay much. It's a waste of money. Writing in general isn't secure. What's the point of studying an art form? In general I think people hear MFA or any art major and think they we'll starve. Well, I won't starve. I'm going to write and be happy. Even the thought of doing an MFA has made me happier and brighter than I have been all semester. Because that's what happens when you do what you love. You glow. You shine. You dream again.

Anyways moving on from the life rant, I have also decided to post a new version of one of my old novels on wattpad. The link to Melo Hearts is here:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/91046211-melo-heartshttps://www.wattpad.com/story/91046211-melo-hearts

I can't promise an upload schedule yet, but look forward to many updates as I am on winter break. Thank you everyone who has read it so far.

And update #2 I am working full time on my retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This project will be my focus for my winter break and next semester as I send it to agents. These are my two updates and my life rant. To whoever is reading, thanks. It means a lot. Again, follow your dreams. Do what you love. Life's too short not to.

<3 Daniela

It's Been a While

Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it?

My last post was July 4, 2015. That means it's been 1 year, 4 months, and 16 days since my last post. For a more rounded number, that's about 505 days. Talk about a hiatus. To be honest, I haven't thought a lot about this blog in the past year and however many days. That doesn't mean I haven't thought about writing and my goal to get published. It doesn't mean that I haven't thought about Delayed, or the unfinished sequel to it. It just means life happened, and I got a bit distracted with being a college student. Self-Publishing Delayed was nice, the novel is still out there, I made a little money to help me along. It was a good deal.

However, the amount of time needed to dedicate myself to self publishing wasn't something I found all that appealing. Success is possible. It's really hard work, no matter what you do in life. Talent is half the battle, the other part of the coin is simply how willing you are to work for it. I have new plans for the upcoming year, really exciting news and so forth. For 2017 my goal is start pursuing a more traditional route. I'm going to be entering Grad school in Fall 2017, but I've decided to dedicate myself to writing as a full time job. Luckily, I'm at a place where that's possible for me. I'm young, (21 now), I have time, few bills, and low stress. The only responsibility I have is myself. So for the next few months keep your eyes peeled for news on my end. I promise not to abandon my blog again. I missed this old friend.

On the bright side, it's almost Thanksgiving. A crazy semester filled with group projects and life changing decisions is almost over, and I am finally in a more disciplined writing mood. I know I want to be a published author. I want to dedicate my life to writing. But I'm also a finance student. I love finance and business. This past semester has taught me that. So now my life is a balance between those two loves, well okay writing is my first love, my passion. Finance is something I've been curious about, and have learned to love as well. We'll see how it goes. I promise to write more and read more and announce my news very soon.

Now time to get back to some assignments for a Literature class I took as an elective. It's too much work, but somehow I love it.

Good luck to everyone, if anyone does read this blog. If not, good luck to future readers who might come across this post. Keep chasing your dreams and living life without letting fear get in the way.

Wishing you the best,

Daniela

Happy Fourth of July!

Just taking some time out of my binge writing session to tell everyone, my fellow writers and readers alike, to have a wonderful Fourth of July. Take some time to enjoy the lovely weather, alongside your family and friends. If you're far from home, give the people you care the most about a call. Write a little, read a little, do things in small bursts. For the most part grab a nice tall glass of lemonade and sit back for the day. I hope you all have a relaxing day. Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of delayed! You guys are wonderful.


Much love,

Daniela

Fairy Tale Retellings (aka my obsession with Cinder)

I'll admit it. I'm that person that takes about a solid year to two years to give in to a trend. One category in which I tend not to follow what's popular is my reading choices. It's not that I don't keep up with popular books, I do, both as a writer and reader. I like to know what people are interested in, while at the same time seeing how reader's tastes change over time.

Well I have been seeing the trend and hype for the book Cinder for the last, I'd say year and half. I've seen it on booktube, goodreads, on blogs I follow, and so forth. When I read the synopsis for it, I thought that it really wasn't for me. It sounded too difficult of a world to get into. Well fast forward to May 2015, and I finally gave in. Book outlet had both of the paperbacks for the first two books, and I had a five dollar coupon to cover most of the cost.

After a weekend of binge reading, and I realized why the book was so hyped. The world was amazing, the characters were tangible, and my love for fairy tale retellings had resurfaced. Marissa Meyer sucked me into a world that I still haven't quite gotten out of. Who would have thought, Cinderella, a cyborg living in a place called New Beijing. It was fresh and new, and gahhh amazing. (I apologize for the fangirling)

I've chosen to put off reading the third installment until the fourth one comes out, thereby saving both books for a weekend of binge reading.

Anyways back to my point. Fairy tale retellings have been popular for quite a while. I don't really think they're ever going to fade away completely, because they have an appeal to a large audience range. We (as in people born in the 1990s) grew up with fairy tales, but so did our parents, and our grandparents. They are a multi generational tradition.

I think each new generation that comes along, offers the opportunity for a brand new take on fairy tales. The idea of a happily ever after is timeless. People want to be taken out from reality and into another world. No two retellings are the same. I'm now on the search for more retellings, but I'm afraid none of them will live up to my expectations now that I've read Cinder. I'll find some, I'm sure.

In the meantime though, I will be working on a small side project of my own. A retelling of Beauty and the Beast but way beyond anything I've read. I also have to work on Breakup FM (contemporary). But I will keep you posted on my to be named Beauty and the beast retelling.

Keep writing, and keep reading friends. :)

Sometimes it's okay to let it go (no references to frozen)

The past few days have been a bit of paradox for me. On one hand, they've been the most stressful days I've had in a while, but on the other, they've been sort of liberating. I've been working on the second novel in the collection of YA contemporaries I am writing. The title of this one is Breakup FM. It's basically about a radio show where people call in to tell their relationship stories, and let listeners decide whether or not they should break up with their significant other over the air. Anyways that's the basic premise, and I have about 20,000 words of the novel ready to go. Or at least I thought I did.

Today I woke up, and realized I haven't been writing with enthusiasm for at least a week. I get up add to my word count, but feel completely stressed about how incomplete the manuscript feels thus far. I love my characters but the story right now feels bleh. It's not a lack of motivation or discipline, because I'm still writing. I want to write every day in fact. I love writing. It's just that I finally realized I have to scrap what I have so far. There is nothing to salvage from these 20,000 words, and honestly, I'm okay with that. I'm more than okay with it. I feel sort of relieved actually. I get to start fresh, with a concept I love, but in a different direction.

Time to start a new outline, and see where this project is headed. This was just my two cents about the matter of letting certain projects pass. To my writers out there, it's okay to let things okay. Don't wear out the muse. No writing is wasted writing. Everything builds up and makes you a better author. Okay time to get back to outlining. Love all my nonexistent readers.

<3

Daniela

Talent, Fears, and the Blank Page

Writing like any art form, any true skill, takes time to truly hone. There are the rare exceptions, of young geniuses and artists through history, but for now let's assume that you fall somewhere in the middle range of writing talent. Let's say you have a certain grasp on vocabulary, or you write dialogue that flows, or maybe settings are your forte. Whatever you are skilled at, the talent you have been told you have for writing, it won't make a best selling novelist. It won't even get you a finished novel.

I've spent the last two or so years learning this, truly grasping the concept that my own supposed talent for crafting a story, would get me nowhere.

Don't get me wrong, talent will get you somewhere. Without persistence though, talent will leave you in that dark corner of somewhere without a way out.

The key to finishing a novel, is persistence mixed with a sense of discipline. Talent gives you a head start in that arena. What I notice though, is that a lot of talented writers, young as they may be, get lazy because of the fact they think they're very talented. I'm not saying they're not. I'm not denying you the right to say you're a writer or a future bestselling author. You might very well be.

I didn't finish my first full novel until my freshman year of college. Up until that point, writing had always been a bit of hobby, some typing here, some character descriptions there, nothing more. My mind was an endless swarm of ideas, with nowhere to go. Then it hit me, this strange inspiration to write. I spent six weeks working on a pretty crappy first draft. But the feeling of holding my first novel in my hands, there is nothing in the world that can replace the happiness I felt that day.

I wrote a novel. Maybe it would stay in the bottom of my closet, but the impossible task I had thought would be accomplished in the distant future, was done. Writing a novel took away my fear of putting words to paper. It was magic. It really was. A week later, when I sat and read through it, I realized something else to. I had no sense of how to write a novel. I had the backbone of something, the hint of a story, but I needed to learn my craft. Talent convinced me to write the words, persistence kept me going, and discipline told me one novel wasn't enough.

To everyone out there, talented writers and newbies as well, if I can tell you one thing, it would be to write. Write every day. Write without thinking about when you're going to get published or whether anyone will read your story. Read. Write. Rinse. Repeat. I can tell you that a year of doing this, has improved my ability to write a novel immensely. I'm not saying that I'm a genius or that I've reached the pinnacle of my writing. I'm only 20 so I hope I haven't. But writing and publishing my work through different forms, some free, others paid, has allowed me to get rid of my fear of what the reader might think.

It's simple. Don't be afraid. You are in a field where fear is your worst enemy. Not the agent you emailed, or the Big 5: just fear. Write and expose your work to new eyes. Grow and learn that not everyone will love your book. And that's okay. Find the people that do, and shower them with appreciation by writing more. I can assure you for every story idea, there is someone who will fall in love with it. Go the traditional route or self-publish. Whatever your path is find it. But first hone your talent and let go of your fears.

In time I promise you'll make it past that blank page.

Those are my ramblings for tonight.

Love to all those writers out there. Your idea matters. You'll find your calling. Keep writing my friends.

- Daniela