Can you write if you don’t read?

I haven’t really read any Stephen King books. Don’t shoot me please! It’s just not my favourite genre but he has a lot of great writing advice and tips. This quote caught my eye the other day. Writers are often told to read widely and this is vital to help us write.

I read a blog post the other day and completely failed to take down any of the links but the blogger was talking about an author who was quoted as saying she never read as she was worried she’d end up copying other writers. I don’t understand this. One – I love to read and even if I didn’t write, I couldn’t give up reading. But as I do write, I’m confused by her point of view. I write YA so I read a lot of YA – it helps me to see what else is being published in the genre sure and it helps to understand teens trends etc, but mostly I just enjoy it. Why write something you wouldn’t enjoy reading yourself?

As for the potential to copy, I don’t think there really are original stories anymore – how many books have you read with a love triangle, or a girl who discovers she has supernatural powers, or forbidden love between a human and a creature or boy meets girl, they fall out, then they get back together? The point is to put your own spin, your own voice on a story. I just don’t think it’s possible to write like someone else, because even if you know their writing, you don’t know them. Our environment, our past and our likes and dislikes all shape our stories and unless you knew everything about them, I don’t think you could write the same way and the same story as them.

Plus other writers can be inspiring – their setting or their story might inspire you in an emotional way,might make you want to tap into the same feelings but it doesn’t make you want to write the same exact story. That would be boring and pretty pointless. I’ve read a few YA books that do have some of the same traits and plot lines but they always have a unique plot and new characters, a hook to stand out. They have their own voice.

I think that author is missing out on discovering not only great books to enjoy, but great writing. And every writer should be inspired by great writing – to make their own writing better. Surely that’s the goal of all of us.

So I’m sticking with Stephen on this one. I’d never give up reading. Reading helps my writing. And I love them both too much to do one without the other.

What about you?

Victoria

xoxo

9 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 17, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in inspiration, Musings, Writing

Tagged inspiration, musings, Stephen King, writing

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 17, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/17/can-you-write-if-you-dont-read/

Weather vs Mood

I’m often struck by how weather affects my mood. Usually I smile at how fiction from other countries portray England as always being wet – lately though, this is spot on. It seems like it’s endlessly raining. And it’s pretty depressing.

Writers and film makers often use weather to convey mood. Whether using rain to tug at our emotional heartstrings or a storm to create suspense or fear or warm sunshine to let us know the characters are happy. But they also use it in the opposite way – hang the sun jar a character who is upset or depressed or having characters who have just fallen in love kiss in the rain (though I’ve never understood the appeal of that!)

I often wonder if people living in warm sunny places are happier than those of use who live in a country with unpredictable weather. I mean, you can plan days out without contingency plans, you probably get less colds and coughs, and you don’t need to buy a coat that makes you feel like a sump wrestler. Conversely, I bet those who live in the warm miss the seasons and fantasise about playing in the snow. We usually want what we can’t have. But I’m sure all of us have discussed the weather in relation to our mood and have had weather in a story make us feel something.

As I’m writing this, a hint of sunshine is appearing through the clouds. Suggesting new possibilities.

I like the sound of that.

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!”
― Dolly Parton

Does weather affect your mood? Do you like how writers and film makes use weather to make us feel something?

Victoria

xoxo

20 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 15, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in inspiration, Musings, nature, Writing

Tagged inspiration, musings, nature, weather, writing

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 15, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/15/weather-vs-mood/

Capturing moments

When I did some clearing out this week, I found some old photos. It got me thinking how I don’t place as much importance on photos anymore – you can take them far more easily now, I can use my phone or digital camera or even my laptop but I don’t bother as much. I think it’s because they end up sitting on these devices, never to be looked at again. I used to get excited collecting prints from Boots wondering how they had come out and laughing at ones I didn’t even remember taking. Now I just don’t bother printing that many out.

I’ve decided I need to make myself take more photos and at least share them on here so they aren’t forgotten forever. I went outside on Saturday for the first time in like a week as the sun finally came out. I didn’t go anywhere exciting – just a garden centre but I got some much needed fresh air and was inspired by the pretty flowers and took a couple of photos. When I got home, I decided to make use of the new photo technology and jazz them up a bit.

I checked out Instagram but I prefer two older photo apps actually – Camera+ and ShakeitPhoto. Here are the results:

And here was my self-portrait. You really can jazz up any photo

Photos capture moments. I must remember to capture mine.

Do you miss printed photos? How do you use photos now?

Victoria

xoxo

12 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 14, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Musings, Photography

Tagged musings, photography

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 14, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/14/capturing-moments/

Sunday songs

I love David Cook’s voice. Plus I have a crush on him!

The last song I’ll write for you:

This Snow Patrol song is gorgeous. This isn’t everything you are:

Train are fast becoming one of my favourite bands. Drive by:

I’m a big Carrie Underwood fan and am looking forward to her new album coming out here. Good girl:

What have you been listening to?

Victoria

xoxo

10 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 13, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Music, Sunday Songs

Tagged music, Sunday Songs

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 13, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/13/sunday-songs-39/

The future’s not bright, its dystopian

If you read YA books like me then you should be pretty scared about what the future might bring. According to the new dystopian trend, it could give us a scary reality TV show (The Hunger Games), arranged marriages (Matched), or a queen that will try to suck the life out of you (The Pledge). Or it might be the world shown in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth – a society spilt into factions you choose based on a simulation affinity test.

Whatever it brings, it looks pretty bleak.

I love dystopian fiction – they are always imaginative, stark and scary. Even if the future is nothing like they predict, they are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of you seat. And they tend to include things that could happen, making you think about the direction our society might go in one day especially if there’s another World War. But mostly I enjoy their escapism and dark danger and the strong central characters that will do anything to survive. People you can really root for.

I’m pretty sure if you suddenly transported me to one of these future worlds, I’d fail miserably at surviving

I just finished the sequel to Divergent – Insurgent. I was nervous about the sequel as I loved Divergent so much but it was better than I hoped. Both books are thrilling page turners and the sequel has a mighty cliff hanger at the need. If you like dystopian fiction or just a cracking good read, don’t miss this series. I might get shot for saying this but I think I like it more than The Hunger Games

I think this YA trend might go the same way as vampires soon but for now, there’s some great books out there to read. And hopefully more films like The Hunger Games. I’d love to see Divergent on the big screen! I just hope that none of these stories get the future right because that would mean the world is going to become a very scary place

Any recommendations for dystopian books I should read?

Victoria

xoxo

8 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 11, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Books, Reviews

Tagged book reviews, dystopian fiction, Insurgent, Veronica Roth, YA

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 11, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/11/the-futures-not-bright-its-dystopian/

Tagged x2

The lovely Becky from blogs-of-a-bookaholic tagged me with some questions to answer so here we go!

Would you ever try using a Ouiji board?

No – I don’t think I believe in ghosts (I’ve never seen one) and I don’t think you’d know if the glass was moving because of a ghost or someone was moving it themselves.

Kindle or physical book?

Physical book for me. Yesterday I cleared out some cupboards to make room for some of my books:

I might succumb to a Kindle one day for travelling but I’d never give up print books (unless they stopped making them!! Which I really hope doesn’t happen) – I like to collect fancy editions of my favourite books.

Do you find it easy to forgive and forget?

No, not really. I kind of hold grudges. I need to work on that!

Writing or reading?

That’s like Sophie’s choice! I love both I’m afraid so I can’t possible pick

If you had the chance to spend a whole hour with a celebrity, who would you choose?

Either JK Rowling in the hope I pick up tips of how to have a billion-selling book or Joshua Jackson and trick him into marrying me

Least favorite genre of book?

I don’t have a least favourite but I don’t read memoirs / biographies. I stick to fiction!

Disney or Pixar?

Another tough one and I could get technical here and say the films they made together! But I only had Disney growing up so I’ll go with that.

Your favorite quote?

I just found a good one:

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e. e. Cummins

Favorite mythical creature? (can range from vampires to Dragons etc)

Vampires!

Which stereotype do/did you fall under in school? (e.g. The Jock, the cheerleader, goth, geek etc)

I don’ t really think I did, I don’t think we have them as much over here. If I had to pick out of those I’d go for geek.

What colour is your bedroom?

Brown and cream.

What about you guys?

Victoria

xoxo

16 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 10, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Fun

Tagged fun, tagged

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 10, 2012

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Inspiration from The Help

I love a good inspirational story – especially when I’m feeling down in the dumps. So yesterday when it rained for maybe the twentieth day in a row and I kept thinking about everything that was wrong with my WIP, I was pretty desperate for something inspirational.

And along came The Help.

I read the book a couple of months ago and approached the film like I do every film that adapts a book I enjoyed – nervously. The story if you don’t know it by now is about black maids in 1960′s Mississippi who look after white children. When Miss Skeeter, a young white woman just out of college, decides to tell their story she forms a unique friendship with two of the maids and rocks the town of Jackson and the publishing world. Although the story looks at racism and Civil Rights, it focuses on friendship and the inspirational women who lived in that time and place.

The film captured the heart of the book for me – it was funny, moving and a brilliant character study. The actors were who I imagined the characters would look and sound and act like and the setting was perfect on screen. I had tears in my eyes at the end.

The story of The Help is inspiring in itself but so is the story behind it. The author Kathryn Stockett was rejected by over sixty literary agents but she never gave up, so determined to tell the story. She in turn was inspired by her own black maid growing up. The film also has its own inspiring story – her friend decided to film the story even before she had an agent or a book deal but no studio wanted to back it. Once she got published and the book started selling, the big-wigs read his screenplay and backed him. Again, they could have both given up but they didn’t and they got a best-selling books and Oscar-winning film in the end.

In an interview with the author on the DVD, she says that when anyone tells her she can’t have or do something, it makes her want it even more. If that isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what it is

Did anything inspire you this weekend?

Victoria

xoxo

27 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 8, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Books, Films, inspiration, Reviews

Tagged books, film reviews, inspiration, The Help

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 8, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/08/inspiration-from-the-help/

Sunday Songs

This song was on the first episode of Hart of Dixie, which they just started showing here.

Sugarland – Little Miss

I love Debra Arlyn and her new song La La La is cute and catchy:

Rebecca Ferguson’s album is gorgeous and this is the latest single from it – Glitter & Gold

The Pretty Reckless are one of my favourite bands and this is their new song – Hit me like a Man:

Any suggestions for me?

Victoria

xoxo

11 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 6, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Music, Sunday Songs

Tagged music, Sunday Songs

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 6, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/06/sunday-songs-38/

Boarding school stories

I just started reading “The Name of the Star” by Maureen Johnson which is set at a London boarding school. It got me thinking about how many books I’ve read that are set at a boarding school.

I find the fascination literature and films have with boarding schools weird. For one, I don’t think many people in the world go to them and for another, they’re written as fun and magical places full of midnight feasts, sneaking out and playing games. They never really deal with things like bullying and homesicknesses, which I’m sure are just as big a part of life for kids there.

I wonder where we came to view them as places of fantasy, places we wished we’d have grown up in. I never really felt that way growing up. Even reading the Enid Blyton classics set there, they were fun to read but I never wished to go myself. I think the one boarding school that I’d go back to being a kid to attend is Hogwarts but that’s really more to do with the magic than being away at school plus the ghosts there would creep me out

My favourite boarding school stories growing up were:

Malory Towers – Enid Blyton

Trebizon – Anne Digby

St Clares – Enid Blyton

The Worst Witch – Jill Murphy

What’s funny about there being so many boarding school stories is I could easily write one myself even though I’ve never even visited one. I could just remember all the things books and films have told me happens while you’re there. Things like common rooms, housemistresses, prep, playing far too much sport, dormitories, shared bathrooms, playing hockey in bad weather and pillow fights. But I just don’t believe that’s what they’re really like.

Probably due to Harry Potter, there’s now a ton of YA books set in boarding schools with supernatural elements. I’m not sure what Enid Blyton would make of vampires threatening midnight feasts but they have injected something new into the well-worn genre. Lately, I’ve read some great YA boarding school books both realistic and supernatural and it looks like boarding schools will continue to fascinate writers and readers.

I think I’d steer clear of writing my own boarding school story though, I prefer living with the fantasy versions safe in the knowledge I’ll never have to attend one.

My favourite YA boarding school stories:

Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead

The House of Night – P.C and Kristin Cast

Harry Potter series – JK Rowling

Night School – C J Daugherty

Anna and The French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins

Do you like reading books set at boarding school – what are your favourites? Would you have wanted to go to boarding school yourself?

Victoria

xoxo

18 Comments

by Victoria-writes on May 4, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Books, Musings, My fave things

Tagged boarding school stories, books, musings, my favourite things

Posted by Victoria-writes on May 4, 2012

http://victoria-writes.com/2012/05/04/boarding-school-stories/

My new routine

For almost seven years, I got up at 6.15am, caught a train an hour later then got on the Tube (with a change) then walked to my work and did it all again at 5.30pm, five days a week. I was out of the house twelve hours a day. For the last month, I’ve had no commute. I can do my job wherever I want at whatever time a want. It’s felt really strange not having a set routine after so long. It’s like my body is adjusting to not moving at fast speed all the time. I’ve actually felt more tired this month, I think everything is shutting down and trying to grab as much rest as possible after being at full pace for so long.

It’s helped that the weather over here has been completely miserable. With the rain hammering against the window, it’s far easier to open up the computer and write as I’m not longing to be outside. But I’ve also been ill this week and this has slowed down my work rate – yesterday, I watched films all afternoon. But I’m learning to focus on the good things like finishing my first draft and not the lack of activity yesterday. Sometimes you just have to take a break.

The more I sit and write, the more I’m convinced this is what I want to do forever. If God, the universe, the publishing industry, fate etc allow me to obviously. I need to take on some part time work soon so I don’t obliterate any savings but right now I’m enjoying my full-time writing. And I’m building my own routine. Luckily, I don’t tend to sleep particularly well – I lost the ability to lie in until 10am when I left uni so I’m getting to it early, dividing my time between writing, languishing on the internet, watching the rain drip down the window and reading like any good writer does

It’s amazing how quickly we can adjust to change. I don’t really miss working. I think as an only child I’m self-built to handle being alone working, and when you fill your days coming up with characters and stories, you’re never really alone anyway. I just hope that my new routine can last because the longer I spend my days like this, the more the thought of full-time working in an office for someone else again feels me with dread!

I think my next task is finding some writers nearby I can meet up with for coffee, I mean to work with, of course!