The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The best way to describe how I feel about this book is to show you the letter I wrote to Ms. Morgenstern. So here it is!

I just wanted to take a second and thank you for writing The Night Circus. I've been an avid reader my whole life and two years ago I finally had an idea for writing a book myself. After two long years and all of the blood sweat and tears I had in my body, I finally finished last week. So, I decided to read a little to give myself a break and your book was the first one I picked up. From the first couple of pages I knew it was going to be incredible, but I wasn't prepared for how much your writing would effect me. I've read a lot of good writing in my time, but you have truly taken the top spot as my favorite. Reading your book, I was transported to every setting, every tent, every situation by your incredible descriptions. I tried to explain it to my husband and couldn't because it's just so hard to pinpoint. It's fantastical and beautiful and I felt like I could smell the things they could smell and see the things they could see. I fell in love with Marco and Celia and when I finished it last night I felt sad it was over.

You are one of the reasons I want to be a writer, because I want people to feel the way your book has made me feel. I want to touch the lives of other readers the way you have touched mine. Books have always given me an escape, and none more than yours. You created the most magical world I have ever had the pleasure of entering and as a fellow writer, you have opened my eyes to how important the five senses are and how they can open your book up in ways you never thought possible.

It's always amazing how someone elses writing can touch your own life but yours truly has. So, thank you. You've made me a better writer and given me something to strive for. You've reminded me why I do what I do and given me a book to cherish for the rest of my life.

Sincerely,
Brit Shay

Advice from the pros

 Me and Aprilynne Pike

Me and Dan Wells

Last night I went to a book signing. The first one I have ever gone to, surprisingly. I initially went to go meet Veronica Roth, the author of the Divergent series. I got there two hours early and found one of the last seats available. I ended up sitting next to a very nice gentleman and talking about books and writing for those two hours. God, I love fellow bookies! Anyway, so the panel comes out and I feel myself getting all giddy and lame. The authors that were there were Veronica Roth, Dan Wells, Aprilynne Pike and S.J. Kincaid. I had never heard of the other three but boy was I pleasantly surprised! Dan and April turned out to be hilarious and engaging and humored me with all of my questions. Offered me advice and some funny stories to cherish forever. So, of course, I go and buy their books really quick and wait in line to meet them.

April was awesome! She is VERY funny and outgoing and you can just tell she is incredibly smart. I told her about myself and she gave me a lot of advice. Dan was also hilarious and gave me some great tips! I would have picked their brains all night if I had the chance!

 Their stories and advice were very inspiring but also discouraging at the same time and gave me a lot to think about. One of their biggest pieces of advice was to learn to face rejection. April told me that she received over 2 hundred rejection letters before finally finding one agent and one editor that would take her. Both Dan and SJ wrote six other books before their seventh one got picked up. Veronica queried for over a year on one book before finally giving up and writing Divergent. April said that if your first book gets picked up right away you've basically won the lottery.

I'm not that lucky. All of this kind of makes me sad because the truth is, I haven't even thought about what I would do if I wasn't published. I can't imagine my book not being shown to the world. I can't imagine my characters story not being told. And yet there's a HUGE possibility that it won't. The thought breaks my heart. My book is like one of my children. I've given so much of my life to this story that I can't imagine it not seeing the light of day. April said that once you've gotten a hundred rejection letters it's time to move on to another book. But I don't think I'll ever give up on Vistoria. I'll write to every agent in the world until someone says yes. If they don't, I'll go to the publishing companies myself. If they say no, I'll publish it myself!

Watching them up there last night gave me a fresh burst of inspiration, because I know one day I'll be up there, and there will be another writer looking up at me wishing the same thing.

Some things about writing....

Just keep writing....

Well, my goal was to have my novel done by June 1st.... So much for that. But, the good news is that I am now kicking my ass into high gear. I have written 82,000 words and I have five chapters left. So, I've given myself two weeks to finish this book. I can do it! I have faith. I've already written 2,300 words this morning. True story. So, let's do it. I can see the finish line and after two years I'm dragging my sorry ass across it.

Life doesn't want me to write....

Life... it happens. I haven't written anything new in almost a month which makes me sad. I have just been so slammed with cake orders (yes I make awesome cakes and cake pops because I'm a fatty and it gives me an excuse to eat cake) and everything else under the son, so I have had NO time to write. I miss it.... I miss my characters. It's like not talking to your friends for a month. Did that sound pathetic? Yes, my fictional characters are my only friends. At least they've never slept with my high school boyfriend...

Okay, so back to it! Back to writing! Starting tomorrow.... :)

Back again.....

I know, I know, this is like the fourth blog I've made, then gotten rid of, then made again. But this time I'm sticking to it. Eventually, (hopefully) I want to be published, and when I am, I will need a blog. So I may as well start one right now.

So, let's see. Where am I at?

Well, I'm writing a Young Adult Dystopian novel called Vistoria. I have currently written  43,632 words, approximately 11 chapters. Finally after many months of "Why do today what you can do tomorrow?" I have finally caught up on all of my revisions and I am now ready to finish my book.

My goal?

To have Vistoria finished and ready for my editor (aka my mother) by June 1st.

Is this attainable?

It needs to be. I've been working on this book for almost two years now. And thank the lord, I've become a much better writer over time. So now it's time to get this done. I will finish this book by June 1st, even if it kills me.