No, the party never stops . . . woah

Tonight is my eighth grade dinner dance/formal, whatever you wanna call it. I've got my hair drying in a towel, and I just returned from getting a mani and pedi :) While I wait for my hair to dry and the dance to arrive, I decided I'll post another little confidence booster of sorts. I'm hoping these little guys help some of you out there.


In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
Robert Frost

See that quote? Robert Frost was right; no matter what happens or how many things tear your life apart and break you down, your life will go on. You will make it through, and nothing is going to stop you from being you. I know, once upon a dreadful time, there were tons of places where people weren't allowed to be themselves, and they weren't allowed to speak up and stand out.

The world's a changing place, though. Maybe you don't live in the USA, like I do. Maybe you live in China or Cuba or Argentina. I don't know, and frankly, I don't have the time to stalk my thirteen followers and find out where all of them live.

I know there will always be people and leaders that try to keep others silenced. There will always be those who feel superior and try to make you feel like you're inferior. But you're not. To feel inferior or worthless or hopeless or anything, you must allow yourself to feel that way. You must give your mind, body and soul permission to think those things and treat yourself that way.

So, why treat yourself like you're worthless? Or helpless? Or stupid? Everyone has something special to give to the world; we all have a hidden talent, no matter how old or young, girl or boy, black or white. It doesn't matter. We are all human beings and we all have the power to voice our opinions.

I'm not saying to start a riot or try to assassinate the president. Those are very negative things, my dears. People who consider those types of things need to seek mental help, immedietely. What Frost was trying to say, as well as I, is that life will always go on, no matter what happens to you. So, if something bad happens to you, don't stand there and let it eat at you and destroy you, because your life will go on and you can't let that continue to happen.

Stand up for your beliefs. Stand up for others. Stand up for yourself.

Well, it's time I go and get ready, everybody. I hope you liked my little speech there. Kinda confusing, emotional and weird, but hey, if it helps anyone out there, I'll be satisfied. Wish me luck, fellow bloggers and followers!

InkieNoWriSum :D

See that jumble of letters? That's for Inkie Novel Writing Summer which will be like National Novel Writing Month, but we're gonna take the whole summer to write a project or continue one. My goal is to start 'Behind That Broken Smile' (the sequel to 'Behind These Amber Eyes') and get it up to at least 60,000 words.

InkieNoWriSum will go from June 14 to August 18, so I'm hoping for a good novel at the end of it. I know some of my followers aren't inkpop users, but that shouldn't stop you from setting your own goals this summer.

Want to write a novel? Do it.
Want to write a book of poetry? Do it.
Want to jump off a cliff? Do not - I repeat do NOT - do it!

So, that's the jist of my summer plans. I hope to finish up 'Your Name Was Joey' before June 14, but I won't mind working on it this summer if I must. :]

In the world of the media, here's my personal items on the agenda these days.

Currently Reading: Generation Dead
Currently Listening to: Joey by Sugarland, She Will Be Loved and Never Gonna Leave This Bed by Maroon 5
Currently Watching: Desperate Housewives finale tonight, Secret Life and Make It or Break It tomorrow night

So, there you have it, bloggers. I think I'll go make an icon for InkieNoWriSum :)

Come on, all you inkies!!!!

So, this is a random post to anyone that isn't a member of inkpop.com . . . For those inkies reading this though, a fellow inkie is in trouble. There was a major glitch on inkpop that had people logging in as other inkpoppers when they were actually trying to get onto their own accounts. During that time, a lot of projects were deleted by evil people.

One of the projects, Paradox, was in the top 5. With only one day left until the end of the month, the author needs a lot of help getting picks and feedback. We can get it back in the top 5, inkies! We have to!

Time is running out, and we need these picks fast! Don't tell me that the author may not deserve it or whatever if you haven't read the book, because it's a great book. Also, it was in the top 5 for almost the whole month! We need to make things right and get it back there!

Click this little link right here and then click "Add to picks list" because you know you want to!

http://inkpop.com/projects/90945/paradox/

In other news, expect a book review on 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" tomorrow afternoon!!

How Do I Publish a Book?

A lot of young (and old!) writers want to know how to get their novels published. It's not an easy path, but we all like to dream about that day when we walk into Barnes and Noble, and say, "That's my book! Right there!"
Here's the step by step process. It may not work. It may seem like a waste of time, but don't give up!

1. Write your book. Sounds easy, right? Try again. Write out your rough draft. Just write what you feel and what seems good to you. Then step back and admire your work.

2. After you admire your work, you're probably freaking out. How did you switch tenses halfway through? Why did so-and-so's little sister disappear? Calm down. We all slip up. Go through and edit your draft with a big, red pen. A bowl of Hershey kisses might help.

3. Once your draft is all shiny and perfect, let your friends and family overlook it. They'll help you realize it's not all that perfect, and that's okay. Revise and edit until you find satisfaction.
4. The next step is finding an agent. Agents can help you a lot with getting published. You have to query agents, wait for their response and most likely send them another email/letter before the deal is sealed. To see a list of agents, go to: http://agentquery.com/

5. If you find an agent, it will hopefully become easier. They can help you get your manuscript out to publishers and publish your writing. I haven't made it to this step yet. I'm still in the process of querying, but I can tell you one thing. Agents and publishers might turn you down. Your job is to get back up and get your book out there.

So, there you have it. It won't be a skip in the daisy field, but it'll be rewarding. It also won't be free, but costs differ on agents, publishers and more. Just remember that you can't give up.