A Healthy Dose of PMS ~#

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

So, hello there!

I figure since I'm new here, I might as well start up some kind of journal of my own. ;] First off, though, a few things about me.

Although my full username is Psychotic Maniacal Sanity (as you can see, dur), nobody ever calls me that because it's such a long name. Mostly I go by PMS around here, or Psycho, and ocassionally even Sani. If you want a more simple, relatively normal name, I use my pen name Kitty. So, feel free to call me whatever you like. =)

I'm 17 years old, currently studying in a local Sixth Form (college? I don't know how it works in America...) and I come from the middle of England where, yes, it really does rain nearly all of the time. X3

I've been writing now for a number of years, seriously over the last three or four. I'm currently writing a Dark Cabaret/Fantasy trilogy called Exos: The Blonde, The Bad, and The Artificial, containing the three books: Purple Mist, Black Hour and Roboto. I can therefore guarentee that most of what I write in here will be ranting/progress about that, or whatever I choose to write for my NaNo (whereupon I'll be taking a break from the trilogy). Currently I have complete the first draft of Purple Mist, and I am working on getting halfway into Black Hour (around 80,000 words, that is) before NaNoWriMo 2008.

As of yet I'm not a published author, nor do I think my work is of the right kind of quality, yet if you have any tips, or want to read any of my writing, then I'd be very appreciative.

What else... I love all kinds of music. I like to dabble in all sorts of genres, from rock, to pop, to synthpop, to classical, though my favourite would have to be musical theatre/show tunes, such as Wicked, Chicago, We Will Rock You etc. and I tend to love music by the people who sing in these kinds of shows, like Kerry Ellis, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

Yes. I'm a Wicked Obsessed Freak (W.O.F). Sorry. You'll have to get used to that. *sweat*

Also, I tend to be very verbose, even in my writing. I'm having to cut myself down in this post, because I don't want to ramble on for too long, but there's a warning for the future anyway.

I created a Blogger account a couple of years ago, so if anybody else has a blogger, or just feels like laughing at reading what's going on in my life, feel free to do so. =3

I think that's all for now, other than, well, hello, I guess. It's nice to meet you all. ;3 I'll probably add some more novel information in my next post or something, but if you have any questions in the meantime, then feel free to ask away! =P  

[SugarRos]

England sounds fun!

I think your Sixth form is either high school or community college for us, based on your age. ^.^

I'm going to see Wicked next month! October 14th! XD I'm excited! The book I read in college, it was REALLY good. I loved it, and I'd like to read it again.  

[DesertRoseFallen]

Haha, welcome! I also go to sixth form in the East of England. Haha.

Don't worry about rambling, most of us do it xD

 

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

Ros, awesome! Are you going to see it on Broadway then? KerryEllisFTW I'm hoping to go and see it again soon. In fact, a friend and I are wanting to go sometime in December with our sisters, when Kerry comes back to the West End. Not that I'm obsessed or anything... >_>

Also, I totally agree. The book is awesome. It's actually one of my favourite books, and, well, it's a big source of inspiration. X3

Rose, I'm in the East Midlands. =P And, as for the rambling, we're writers! It's what we do! We find new and exciting ways to bore people about our lives influence and enlighten people. :B



~Monday September 15th, 2008.
Oh-ho. A real journal entry! =O

Picture a normal Monday morning. The sun rises cool and yellow, the air sweet and autumn-fresh. For once, it is not raining. Today, I wake up feeling great. No not just 'great', I feel wonderful. Today is the first morning in months that I have woken with my story in my head.

Today, once I tumble out of bed and climb into the show I cannot wait to sit down and write, cannot wait to realise my true potential and write the Great British Novel. That is, until I realise that I have school. Sixth Form. Forget working 9-5, I'm working 7am-8pm in this place. So, I set off with a heavy heart, and find myself at school with a blossoming migraine.

Such is life. rolleyes

So, what lead up to this wonderful display of inspiration? Well, that would be yeaterday. Yesterday, after a horrible writing blockage/slump I managed to find myself able to write. Perhaps it had something to do with joining the guild, or perhaps it was that something in my brain finally clicked and I realised that First Draft definitely does not equal Quality. Whatever the cause, tonight I'm looking forward to settling down and actually getting something written.

It doesn't need to be good.
Hell, it doesn't even need to be comprehensible. Something has always got to be better than Nothing. =3  

[saint_savin]

Welcome! Your books sound really BAD-a** biggrin . I hope that we are able to help you as much as possible with them. Because you should finish them biggrin .

. . .I've skipped school to read though. So I'm probably a bad influence!  

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

Why, thank you! I didn't expect a comment like that. XD It certainly made my day though! =D

I hope you guys can help too, and obviously I'd love to help anybody who wants my advice too. Your novels seem nice and lengthy- I think I'm only aiming for around 140-200k for each of my three novels. I guess overall that's quite a lot of novel, but it's all split up. ;]

Don't mind me for being lazy/nosy, but what are you writing about? =)

Hehe, not a bad influence at all! If I thought it would be more beneficial to skip school to read, I might actually do it. The only thing holding me back is the promise of an English Literature and Creative Writing degree course at university next year. =O  

[sally_black]

Let me just warn you that a degree in English Literature does not actually guarantee you exciting reading... I actually read less novels than I normally do when I was in university, because I had to read the ones for school and really think about them. xp

But I still think it's a fun major. That's actually exactly what I did: English lit and creative writing. Keep in mind that I now live in rural India teaching English to small children... but it's still a good course of study.  

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

I study English Literature at the moment, and I think no matter what book is thrown my way I'll enjoy it. Hell, last term I even managed to excite myself about Chaucer and walk out with a grade A on the paper. xd If that's not dedication, I don't know what is.

Besides which, I love the analysis part. It makes me think a whole lot more about what I'm writing, and these days I often find myself slipping symbolism and foreshadowing in where maybe nobody will notice unless they go through with a fine tooth comb. If I didn't study the Literature like I do now, I know my writing would be a lot flatter because of it. XD

I'm looking forward to constructive workshops for my writing as well, because it would be nice to have people my stuff (which is something in itself) and be totally honest with me. I don't have to do what they say, but it's always better to have that choice. Online it's difficult to get the people to read, never mind comment with more than "holyfehwuiknf this sucks a**" or "Omg, write more plz". rolleyes

I was about to stop by your thread just now, until I saw your reply here, so I figure I'll just yell out a hello in here. :B  

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

~Tuesday September 16th, 2008.

Tonight, I seem to be doing everything in my willpower possible so that I don't have to write. I've written a thousand word rant in my blog, which is scarily more coherent than the damn novel itself, and have since been finding new places to post around the place and more conversations to immerse myself in. It makes me wish that the writer's forum were more active. If I wasn't refreshing the page every second waiting for a reply that isn't going to come, I might write in the interval between posts.

So, I'm sat here now, writing this and thinking that perhaps once I'm done I should see how much I can get written. Seriously, how hard can it be to fight writer's block? I suppose it would be more useful if I was excited about what I'm writing, but right now I just feel all dull about it, and bored.

A worrying thought which I must not allow myself to entertain. I have two hours to write. I'd better make it good.

But, for now, dinner is ready. Maybe it will give me a new lease of life.
Whatever. I can hope, right?  

[SugarRos]

I know exactly how you feel, PMS. I do the same thing you do when I don't have the urge to write.

Here are some of the things I do to get inspired:

I read a favorite book of mine that inspired me to write in the beginning. I read over a favorite scene or two that makes me really feel like writing. Also, sometimes I read scenes books that I know I can write better than, if you know what I mean. I read a scene or two out of books like that, and I think: Well, if HE/SHE can do it, then I certainly can!!

Another thing I do is read Pub Rants, literary agent Kristin Nelson's blog about the buisness and the writers she agents. I've never gotten more inspired than when reading her blog. I strongly suggest backing up and checking her archives, too, she has some great, great advice, and I check it every day.

Also, sometimes I write out 'about the author' blurbs for what I'd want on the back of my book, or a fake news article on my book and myself as an author, or, I write up an interview. Sure, it sounds horribly corny and not in the least bit moddest, but it's fun as hell, and it makes me want to write to actually be able to do an actual interview, you know? XD

See, none of those things have to do with writing your actual book, but they all inadvertently deal with you and your story. I hope this helps you out!  

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

Thank you!

I'll probably have a flick through Wicked tonight, before bed (since I don't have time really before that, now that I've wasted my evening) but for now I'm going to have a look at that blog and hope something inspires me.

I was just saying to a friend: I think my biggest problem is that in November 2006 I wrote this novel which I loved every minute of. It was corny and flawed, but I loved it so much that now, even two years later, everything else just doesn't seem as good any more. And with it getting so close to NaNo I have these memories of it more, and I can't help but get all nostalgic and think "Why isn't this novel as good at that? Why can't I write something like that again? Why can't I just enjoy it?" and then I get all upset and bored.

rofl

Ohdear. Sorry, a bit of writer angst there. >_>;  

[DesertRoseFallen]

Writer's angst is fun.

I wanted to do English literature until I found out it included more Shakespeare but my school dropped the course anyway, so I'm doing English language which pretty much overlaps my media course.

I love my old corny stuff but sometimes I really hate some too. It brings back great memories biggrin I miss being young and careless with my writing. Now I seem to have a lack of inspiration.

And wow 7 - 8 at sixth form?! That's manic!

 

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

Well, I'm not at school for that time, but I'm working all the while. It's so I can keep my A grades. gonk

I love English Literature. We only did one piece of Shakespeare, and at was Othello last year. This year there is no Shakespeare in sight, and that makes me somewhat happy- it's the first year I've not had to study Shakespeare in four years. O_O

I do love my corny old stuff. I do, do, do. <3 Some of it is actually pretty good. Some of it is even better than my new stuff, which is worrying. XD

~Wednesday September 17th, 2008.

Short journal tonight, because it's bed time and I actually want to write some more before I have to go and waste another 8 hours sleeping. rolleyes Today has been, on the whole, unproductive. Although I have done homework, written a little over 600 words (poor effort, pooooor effort) and had some friends over, I've found that those friends took up more time than I allowed for (I love them too much; bad planning on my part), and so my whole evening was thrown out of whack. Plus, tonight is the night I watch Lost In Austen (one of the best TV shows for a long while) and so I have not written more as I intended. Nor have I done anything else, except for blog and post a couple of posts on Gaia.

I feel utterly useless, and yet a great deal of pleasant emotion. There would be more if I had finished reading what I was supposed to reading for my English class BEFORE the class tomorrow. >_> I guess tonight I won't be getting much sleep.

For now, though, I've gone on too long and I should get writing before I end up killing myself from sleep deprivation or something else so unfortunately tragic.  

[SugarRos]

Eh, try not to force the writing if it won't come. Like this morning? Yeah, instead of getting 2,000 words done, I got 300... ^.^ That's pathetic, only half a page! >.< But it's okay, because sometimes you have to just write that little bit to keep you going.

Did you check out pub rants yet?  

[saint_savin]

Off days, they can sneak up on you. It's OK, not the end of the world by a long shot.

What do you get to read this year then biggrin ?