Happy Halloween, and What's So Important About November?

Hey dudes! Happy Halloween! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays... y'know why? Because, when I'm a freak and try to scare people and/or creep them out, it isn't deeply frowned upon! XD

But seriously though, I loved Halloween growing up... still do, really. Back then, I loved it because I got to dress up however the heck I wanted, go around town carting the biggest pillow case we had, knock on people's doors and demand candy. It's every kid's wildest dream. Now I just love it for the costumes. This year I'm Dracula, and two of my best friends are Dracula's Bride and a random witch who lives in our attic. We came up with this whole elaborate story line and everything... apparently I'm some sort of playboy, or at least I was until I met my wife.

... Yeah, I don't know either. We just made it up as we went along, so... *awkward laughter*

But anyway, that's that for my Halloween stuff. I would do something with spooky literature, but I don't have anything to show. If you want you can go look at my Figment account, 'cause I have a few creepy-esque things there. Here's the URL to my homepage:

http://figment.com/users/341576-Kelli-Mac

Do come and check me out; I'm relatively new on the site, and I'm hoping to get some recognition...?

(haha, shameless advertisement. >XDD)

The next, and likely most important, thing I wanna talk to y'all about is what tomorrow means. Tomorrow is the first of November. And what is November? Why is it so important? Why did I make almost a whole post about it? When will I stop asking all these questions?

8D

But anyway, November is Write a Novel in a Month! ...month....

Yeah. Awkward name. ANYway, I am super excited!! *snoopy happy dance* I honestly never, ever succeed when I attempt to participate, but it won't stop me from trying!

For those of you who don't know what Write a Novel in a Month is, well, it's exactly what it sounds like. You try to write a full-fledged novel. In one month. The month of November, to be exact. Das it.

So, to all of you participating, good luck! Happy writing to all you guys!

Keep on keepin' on, teen writers! Kelli out.

Well, Maybe They Have a Point...

Writing is one of the coolest things in the world. Don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise. It allows the most mundane people to create worlds no one could have even imagined. One book can change someone's entire way of thinking. There are even stories of teens who change their corrupt ways after reading Shakespeare. So never underestimate writing. It has power and wonder beyond our wildest dreams.

But if you want to make a career out of it, it would only harm you to ignore the fact that a career in writing is not going to be easy to achieve. There are hardships that you will face in the pursuit of your craft, and, as much as it pains me to admit this, some of those personalities mentioned in the previous post have valid points. (This does not mean you should let them discourage you.)

I personally think that a career in writing is worth moving mountains, so I've educated myself to some of the things I'll encounter. If you think that being an author is an easy job, that it's guaranteed work, think again. 

First off, writers need thick skin. I've had one since I was young because of a combination of high self-esteem and always being a bit different from my peers. I started to show interest in writing sometime around second or third grade, but started to get serious about it early on in middle school. But anyway, back to why thick skin is important. There are going to be lots of different people you're going to encounter. People who love your writing, people who hate your writing, people who hate you and take it out on your writing, and people who don't care. Yes, not everyone is going to care about what you're writing. Sorry. But, let's be honest; do you look at every single book you see in the store, ever? If so, good for you. Most people won't.

Second, writers need to be patient. Writing is a process. Processes take time. Sure, there are people who can crank out short stories in a few hours, and novels in a few months. That's cool; good for you guys. Like before, most people aren't like that. I have written lots of short stories and poems before, but those took time. Novels take even longer. If you like your idea for your novel, and you're okay with taking the time to nurture and develop, then what's holding you back?

Third, writers need to be willing to make sacrifices. This one can take several different meanings. The main one is that, well, it's extremely unlikely that, as soon as your writing goes out into the world, someone will recognize your genius. It's gonna take some time. Which means if you go a year without any success, you can't give up. No way, Jose! You've gotta say, "Hey, you don't see my potential? Heh, sucks for you. You're gonna wish you had taken me when you had the chance. YOUR LOSS, BUB."

Well, you probably won't be that blunt. At least not to their face.

But anyway, I guess the point of that was that being a writer isn't for the faint of heart. It's a wonderful profession, and I personally can't see myself doing anything else with my life, but not everyone is cut out for such a lifestyle. If you're like me, and nothing short of death would keep you from writing, then CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE PASSED THE TEST.

That's all for now. Keep on keepin' on, teen writers! Kelli out.

Introductions and "That Guy"

Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog! Well, I guess you could probably look over to the left and check out the "About Me" page, but who has time for that? So, yes, my name's Kelli, and I'm a sophmore in high school. The reason I made this blog is because, well, I'm a writer. A teenage writer, one who happens to be very serious about her writing. There are more of us out there than we realize, simply because it's hard to weed us out from the rest of the teens who are just like, "Yeah, I wanna write. I'm a great writer. I write all the time. Oh, what do I write? Uh.... *curses you out for no reason, avoiding your question*" Because, apparently, writing is The Big Thing. It's "in." Writing is cool, therefore not only does everyone say they're a writer, but when you tell people that you write, they immediately dismiss you for one of those kids, and don't take you seriously.

So this blog is for those of us out there who are actually serious about our writing, and since I've been exposed to this kind of thing for half my life, I figure I could use my "knowledge" to help all my fellow-authors get through the rough patches in order to get to all the really cool stuff that comes with being a writer. For those of you just starting out, here are some of the personas you might encounter:

The Patronizer. "Oh, that's okay." *pats you on the head, gives you milk and sends you to bed* "It's just a phase, you'll grow out of it."

The Joy-Crusher. "Oh, really? That's too bad, because that's never gonna happen. You don't make nearly enough money, and that's only if you actually become a writer! Your chances of winning the lottery are greater than publishing a book! Be a doctor instead, there's lots of money in that."

The Analyzer. "That's cool, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you understand how unlikely that is. Writing as a hobby is fine and dandy, but if you're wanting to make it into a profession, might I suggest going into teaching creative writing instead. It gives you a steady source of income."

That One Guy. "Oh yeah, I wanted to be an author too when I was your age. I remember, it was the summer of 1909 when I first wrote a story about a guy who..." *and that's when you zone out*

So, if you're a teen writer who's serious about your writing, and you encounter some of these people, don't be discouraged. Instead, remember this: it will be all the more satisfying when they come to a signing and say they knew you when. And you can have security escort them out. (:

Keep on keepin' on, teen writers! Kelli out.