• Blog,  Music

    Revision updates

    I have been missing in action and it’s a good thing. It means I’ve been busy revising my manuscript… on who-knows-what draft number I’m on. But this round of revision with my young adult manuscript feels good. I don’t know how to explain it??

    It’s a story about first love, and a young girl’s journey into making choices. I haven’t drifted away so much with the themes from my previous revisions, but there are significant changes in the trajectory of her journey.

    Reading my manuscript now feels like my voice is there. Before it felt robotic and forced. I have to thank the rejection I received from a very, well known literary agent. Well known agent has an impressive client list, so even though they requested my full manuscript to read and then later reject, it gave me hope.

    Whoever said that revising a manuscript was similar to putting together a puzzle? Well, they were right. I’ve been piecing together my puzzle, slowly, methodically, sometimes pushing in the pieces when they do not fit…forcing them together. Now it feels like my puzzle authentically fits and it’s coming together nicely.

    Revising isn’t the only thing I’ve been doing. I’ve been listening to my writing playlist as a reward after revising. Two of my favorite songs right now: Sara Evan’s Crazy Love and If I can’t Have You. These two songs fit the mood of my protagonist perfectly. In the end of each writing session, I drift right back into the story I’m writing. The lyrics are perfect, and I don’t want to leave the fantasy world I’ve created for my character…but the dirty dishes in my sink need to be washed, and I don’t have anyone else to do them for me.

    *sigh.

    If you’re curious and want to listen, I included her audio here. Enjoy!

    XO, K.

  • 2020 Reading List,  Blog,  Classics Literature Book Club

    June Classic Literature

    Hello there! Just added this month’s classic literature read. If you’re following along with me, you’ll discover that this month’s book is my first science fiction choice. It seems I’ve steered on the path of romantic literature, so for this month I thought we should go sci-fi.

    Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is my favorite science fiction book of all time. In my opinion, Bradbury is a genius in storytelling, with this book being his only science fiction work . His imagination of a futuristic society is what inspires today’s tech moguls into designing and manufacturing cool futuristic gadgets (think Apple earbuds, iPhones, and iPads). He also described characters watching excessive amounts of wall-size flat screens (hello?? flat screen tv?). This book was first published in 1953, so that in itself is brilliant in regards to predicting the future.

    The story follows Guy Montag, who is the protagonist in this story. A fireman in a futuristic dystopian society. Instead of putting out fires, they start them. In this world, people do not read books. Books are burned.

    In an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, Bradbury explained the inspiration for his book was from Hitler. Bradbury was 15 when Hitler burned books.

    I hope you’ll read this book and take away something positive from his message. I’d love to hear what you think and what you consider his message to be. Happy reading!

    K.