Discovering My Writing Flaws

The title of this post basically says it all.

Everyone has their own writing flaws, things that cause the writer to look their book and think, "Was I high when I wrote this?" or "What uneducated 10 year old wrote this?"  Today I discovered some of my very own writing flaws, and I want to dedicate this post to that.  I always want to point out that a Writing Flaw is not necessarily something you do "wrong" but it is more of something you do that could use improvement.

So the first thing I do that's "wrong" is rush my story.  I have a very hard time writing the beginning of the book because I want to get to the meat of my story;  or if you're a vegetarian, the fruit of the story.  When I begin a book, while I don't necessarily have a step-by-step plot outline, I know what the main climax is going to be, so most of the book is me writing to see how my characters get to the climax.  I love seeing my characters take on a life of their own.

The problem with that is that these characters aren't supposed to know all holy hell is about to break loose in their world, which means I have to train myself to not force the climax to come quicker than it needs to.  While I go through and edit BEFORE I BREAK, I am definitely adding a lot more things than there was originally going to be.

Secondly, I am terrible at description.  When I read a book, I always get annoyed if an author uses too much description, describing every intricate detail about the room.  Like, seriously, I do not need a whole paragraph describing the color of the wall.  So when I write, I tend to lack writing description and realize when I read my book it's difficult to imagine things in my head, or at least it would be for a reader.

Today is the day that I fix those problems.  While I edit, I hope I can make BEFORE I BREAK one of the best books you guys have ever read.  Be sure to check out my GoFundMe page, my Facebook page, and my book on GoodReads.

http://www.gofundme.com/alecbellebook

https://www.facebook.com/alecbellefanpage?ref=hl&ref_type=bookmark

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22573592-before-i-break

First Day of Edits (And Fighting and Crying and Stress)

Today was one of those days that seemed to be great overall, but there were seriously some parts I could have lived without.  Even now as I sit here writing this, I swear I might nod off any second.  Unfortunately, I feel like I have been slacking on you guys lately.

As many of you know, my very first book, BEFORE I BREAK, is coming soon.  Today, there were some revelations for me and some good news.  First of all, I have raised $125 on GoFundMe so far, which is enough to pay my cover artist (who is author Nikki Rae, by the way).  I should have the cover in like 2 weeks, and possibly less depending on how quickly she works.  Secondly, apparently there is a way to get hardcovers of my book, as opposed to the paperback and ebook you can order off of Amazon.com.  I have to personally order the hardcovers and sell them myself, meaning you will need to come to a signing in order to receive a hardcover.

That to me is a big deal because hardcovers have always been my favorite, no matter what.  The other good news is that I am aiming for an October 20th release date--this may or may not change depending on how long the editing process takes.  All of this is very exciting and very overwhelming.

Also, just to let everyone know, this may be my only book published through Createspace.  I have been looking into DogEar publishing for my first series, which I plan to release in the fall of next year.  I refuse to speak too much about that, but unlike BEFORE I BREAK, it is a paranormal series about Monster Hunters and mental illnesses, cutting, etc.  Does it sound intense?  It will be.

So now after a long day, I am officially ready to go to sleep.  Be prepared.  Tell your friends.  Spread the word.  This book is coming and it's going to be one that any John Green and Ellen Hopkins fan will love for sure (they were my influences as I wrote this).

Everyone have a good weekend, while I sit and stare at my word vomit I call a book.

GoFundMe Page

So I was originally going to do a Kikstarter, but that didn't seem to be too successful.  Instead, I decided to start a GoFundMe.  I have offered some rewards to anyone who donates the money to help support the creation of my first book!

http://www.gofundme.com/as8n8s

Getting Back to Work

A lot of you may be wondering why I have yet to post anything about my first novel, BEFORE I BREAK.  For the last couple of weeks, my life has basically been a living hell, so I haven't really had the time to focus on my book like I would have wished.  Now that I am finally having some free time (most likely 6 months, to be exact), I can work on the book I feel like I was born to write.

The first thing that I am working on is getting a Kikstarter.  Because I am under the age of 18, my aunt is deciding to use it for me, so I can get the money I need to publish this book, which is only about $500.  On Kikstarter, if you don't know what that is, you can basically add little gifts to people who donate money for your project.  You, the backer, doesn't get charged for the money you donated until after the project is fully funded.  Also, another interesting fact, is that I can set a date between 30 to 60 days, and if I don't reach the amount of money I need within that time, I do not get any of the money and no one gets charged for donating.

I am not 100% that this is going to happen yet, but I will post in a few days if it goes up.  Help spread the word about BEFORE I BREAK to raise to hype!

Wattpad Series "Contemno"

As a writer, I ask that if you get the chance, check out my Wattpad series "Contemno."

Contemno is a story about a group of high school students who face every day challenges, plus the living threat of a killer.  The following link will take you to the series.

http://wattpad.com/story/19247662?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_story