Monday, April 22, 2024

April 22, 2024

 When I was a child, I told my mother I wanted to be an author. Her immediate response was, "Well, you're going to need another job. You can't just be an author." She meant that I would have to work while trying to become an author. 

I learned later, though, that my mother thought I couldn't write. This was based on a paper I wrote in third grade while ill and, admittedly, I did not read the book the paper was about. She thought my paper, which was indeed gobbledygook, was awful and that I was never going to be a writer. She still thought that, even as I easily passed writing proficiency in high school (I got a 10 on a mock exam). It wasn't until she read the first book I self-published that she finally understood that I could write.

What does this have to do with anything when I haven't updated my blog in four years?

I got a job. Which means that I have been slacking off with writing. I still had writer's block as well. A few weeks ago I came up with, what I hope, is a great plot for book 4. I hope to get to writing again soon. I wrote a few years ago that I had written nearly a whole manuscript for book 4, but I had been forcing the characters and had to start over. I don't feel like I will be forcing the characters with this new direction.

Brittany

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

September 15, 2020

It's already been nearly a year since I last updated this blog. I expect most people who have come across this site it was by accident, and that makes me okay with what I want to write about today.

Not long after my previous post, I began planning a vacation to Japan. I had wanted to visit Japan for at least twenty years (probably, most definitely, longer than that) and my third oldest sister said, "We have to go, soon." So, I planned our trip.

Late on the night of February 9th my sister and I landed in Osaka, Japan after a six-hour flight delay. We managed to take some of the last trains and made it to our hotel after midnight on February 10th. We spent five full days in Osaka before we spent a week in Tokyo.

I was so fired up to write when I returned home. I was going to finish book #4 in March. It was my goal.

Then, the lockdowns happened. Instead of being inspired I found myself with good old writer's block.

An update?

I feel like I might be able to write again soon.

Though - and this hard to write - three weeks ago, my oldest sister unexpectedly died.

I'm still in denial, but I know she's gone.

I was thinking of writing through my feelings, since grieving my sister is different than grieving the death of our father, but I think I'll just write how important my sister was to me.

I have three older sisters, I'm the baby. I've been close to each one of my sisters at different points in my life. My second oldest sister hogged me when I was a baby, so I usually say that's when we were closest. My third oldest sister and I are really close now and she's one of my best friends.

My oldest sister, who was eleven years older than me, was closest to me at a crucial time in my life: Junior High. Seventh grade was brutal for me. My best friends pretty much ditched me and I was hurt. I wasn't perfect with dealing with it, and I still cringe at some of the things I said, but I know I'm not the only one who had a miserable seventh grade year. There’s just something about seventh grade.

My sister worked at the school I attended. I went to a K-8th grade school. She was the fifth-grade teachers' aide. We would listen to Natalie Imbruglia, Third Eye Blind, and Matchbox Twenty when she drove me to school. She was a champion for her sisters. If anyone was going to be mean to us, she had our backs. She wasn't the aide during my recesses, but if she was filling in for another aide, I was always happy. She gave the girls who gave me problems an awesome glare that made them know, "Don't mess with my sister." She really helped me through that year and eighth grade too.

My sister won a trip to Florida a few years ago. It was trip for two, so I decided to go with her. We went on the trip in 2018. I'm really happy we had that trip.

My sister liked my books, though I only know for a fact she read the first one. I asked her on that Florida trip if I could name a character in a book after her at some point. She didn’t like her first name and always went by a shorter version of it, but I love her first name and wanted to know if it would upset her if I used it.

She told me I could use it and I will.

Brittany

Friday, September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019

I have written 3/4 of book #4. It's coming along...slowly. I have written a lot I am proud of, but I am worried about forcing my characters into situations they are fighting me on (fellow writers, you know what I mean). "I don't want to do that!" they are screaming at me.

I have also started a non-fiction book I may or may not self-publish.

Brittany

Thursday, April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

My first update since Google+ ceased to be.

Writing has been slow.

That's about it. I hope to have a better update soon.

Brittany

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

December 11, 2018

It took a bit longer than I had hoped, but book #1's 2nd edition is finished and available.

The 2nd edition contains fixed typos (though I'm sure I still missed some 😕), as well as changes in descriptions, days and dates, and a few other odds and ends to make sure book #1 fits well with books #2 and #3.

Now, book #4 has been giving me headaches, but I had an epiphany the other day. I realized what I should be doing, and, like usual, I'm excited about what I've figured out. However, this has created a situation where I am now working on book #4 and two spin-off books.

Brittany


Tuesday, November 20, 2018

November 20, 2018

Just a quick update on the second edition of book #1.

I'm proofreading the physical copy of book #1. The book will be available shortly.

Brittany

Friday, November 2, 2018

November 2, 2018

Book #1 will be offline for an undetermined amount of time. I finished my official 2nd edition and now have to recheck the book.

Kindle is online.

Brittany