Attempting to write my own book has presented me with many questions such as how my characters should behave, where the story should be set and, more recently, should they swear or not?
I did not intend to write a YA book but as the story has developed I can see how it would be marketed that way should it ever be published, which is absolutely fine with me. However, my characters have been voicing a few expletives along the way. I haven't written them in to cause controversy or to try and get away from the YA genre, I have only made my characters swear because I believe that is how they would naturally react in a certain situation. My concern is that most YA novels do not contain swearing and I will have to edit what my characters say. I don't have a problem with editing my work (you shouldn't really be a writer if you have a problem with editing, in my opinion) but I do want to be faithful to my characters and, sometimes, that means that they have to swear. I understand that parents don't want their children picking up bad words but, to me, the YA genre is for the ages 14-17 ish (a lot of adult readers read this genre, too, so it's difficult to pinpoint) and, personally, by the time I was 14 I knew A LOT of swear words. However, this didn't mean that I was using them in every other sentence; the wrath of my parents ensured that. So are we underestimating those who read YA? Is it possible for them to read a book with a few swear words and not become vicious hooligans? I think so, after all, there are millions of debates surrounding violence on television and in video games yet not every teenager who engages in these things ends up as a bloody murderer. So, for now, at least, I'm going to continue writing my book as I intended and if I'm ever lucky enough to have it printed we'll have to see what happens. Perhaps there is a new genre waiting to be discovered called 'Not Quite Adults But Almost' where swearing is acceptable? I think I might look in to that.
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What an eventful week it's been! Last night I landed in London after a few days in Barcelona and had to go straight to A and E as my foot is very swollen with a suspect rash all of it. I have no idea what it is and neither do the doctors, which is always very helpful. I can't walk properly and trying not to scratch the thing is a task in itself. On the plus side, I think this means that I can use my extended sofa time to do lots of writing and apply for jobs, hurrah!
I thought I'd write a post about Barcelona as I'm sure anyone who has ever been there can verify what a wonder it is for the eyes. I'm definitely a writer and not an artist but I now have a huge respect for Antoni Gaudi who was an architect whose influence over the city is just incredible. I thought I might enjoy his work as I've always had an affinity with the fantastical and the slightly strange and he did not disappoint. In fact, I have been so taken with his work that I'm going to rewrite some of my book as the essence of his buildings perfectly capture one of my crucial chapters. Of course, I would never dare to compare myself to Gaudi but his ideas and their creation have made me see my fantasy world in a new way. Finding inspiration can be one of the most challenging aspects of writing, particularly when you are desperate to write something but cannot for the life of you think of a decent, original idea. I haven't written even half of my book yet and I'm already doubting myself (but I will persevere!) I think that the key is to not over think these things and get too anxious about them; the best ideas are always the ones that just pop into your head. I think that you can probably speed the process up by travelling, listening to music or reading other books but I think that can still feel like a way of forcing your brain to be creative. I'm not sure if this is necessarily the case for most writers but it's just a thought from my little brain! Now I'm going to go and rewrite that chapter with my new ideas and see if it really will make a difference. I am writing to you today feeling a little bit sorry for myself. My ankle and calves have decided to cramp up whenever I walk and my stomach isn't feeling too great, either. I could usually cope with these things if I wasn't going away next week but I am and so the excitement that I've been feeling since January is now overshadowed by pain. But enough of my moaning, I have a blog to write!
Speaking of excitement, I thought that might be a good place to start for my first post. As someone who is just starting out in the grown up world of work and who has dreams of being a writer, I feel that excitement is vital to my success. I can be one of the most excitable people I know at times; whenever I'm about to go on holiday or even just go on a night out I am usually the one with biggest, cheesiest smile who is jumping up and down. Just in case you think I might be overly annoying, I can assure you that I have a nasty, cynical side, too. Anyway, I think a lot of people lack excitement or passion in their lives, particularly as they delve in to this world of work. I am not claiming to be an expert in this but from my own experiences it does seem pretty easy to fall in to a monotonous trap and end up hating the job you do. As most people my age I am praying that this doesn't happen to me but I'm not Mystic Meg so who knows what will happen? I like to think that my excitement over sitting down and writing or spending my time doing anything creative is what will continue to drive me forward in my career. If I am genuinely passionate about a project I try to throw myself in to it and get as involved as I can because how else am I going to experience the world if I don't embrace it? I don't mean to sound like a rubbish motivational speaker or come across as self righteous (those kinds of people tick me off no end) but I would like to spread the message that getting excited about something is cool and could help you in the long run. I'll check this post back in ten years time and see if I'm as chirpy then! |
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