Not Reading

Recently, I've found that I'll pick up a book and find myself unable to read it. That's not because the book isn't good - in fact, it's worse if the book is good. I'll find that the book is so good that I'll put it down because I want to write, instead. It's led to a lot of books not being finished recently. It's such an annoying habit that I'm trying to put an end to.

As a writer, I find that there are days where it is impossible for me to write. When I try, I get nowhere. And when I stop, sit back, and think about what I want to write, it seems so attainable, but when I try to write it doesn't work.

Usually, these moments last entire days. I'll wake up one morning and find that I can't write that day. And then the next morning, I'll find that I'm able to write again. It's inexplicable, and I don't quite understand it.

Is it just me, or has this ever happened to anybody else?

Run-Ins

I have several characters in the novels that I write who decide to butt in on normal every day activities. It's especially bad when your friends know about your characters and are writers themselves - they only add to the situation.

An example of this would be my character Rowan Cordone, an FBI Profiler/Agent. She's only a side character, but she's one of those characters that seem to write themselves. There are times when I'll look at something a person or someone on TV did and think "that was a very Rowan thing to do."

Or, have you ever practically run into your characters on the street? Either by looks or personality? I've done that several times.

Novels and Characters

Sometimes, there are characters that take over your writing. They were intended to be side characters that appear once and then exit stage left, never to be seen again.

Like people from life, there are those characters who decide they're sticking around no matter what you try to do to them. I have a character in my current novel - a detective named Theodore Wallace - who was supposed to be so insignifgant that he never truly had a first name.

Like I said, sometimes characters decide they just need to stick around: for either the case of love, of hate, or perhaps they just have a bigger part to play. "Wallace" is now working the kidnapping case as the first detective assigned - he made me realize that there was a whole other story before the novel begins to take place.

Does anybody else have a character like that? Ones who take over?

Writing and TV

Does this happen to anybody else?

When I write during the later evening hours, the TV is on. Hey, what can I say - I'm eighteen, I'm going to watch TV. It's something my family and I do every night - we sit down and watch TV together, which is something that I am truly proud that we do. (There is no fighting over the remote - only who HAS to control it, because they're the one who has to fast-forward the DVR.)

To the point of this post,

I do a lot of writing while I'm watching TV. It doesn't bother me or hinder me: it, in fact, sometimes gives me the time to pause and write thoughtfully instead of too quickly, as I do often.

Does anybody else do this?

Pen to Paper

Writers, have you ever noticed this?

You'll sit down to write, the notebook and pen - or perhaps laptop - in front of you, and you'll stare into space. You can do this for hours, thinking about what you want to write and what you want to get accomplished with this bit of writing, and it will all seem so clear in your mind.

However, when you put the pen to paper, it all flows away and nothing will come out right.

I highly doubt that this phenomenon is solely mine.

Welcome, Good Day, It's One Thirty AM

I see that you've stopped by my blog.

From here on, you can do one of two things:

1. You can remain here at Chelsea Writes and begin to read the slightly insane, slightly insomniac, more or less crazy chronicling of my writing adventures/insight/thoughts/craziness from day to day, or,


2. You can go running for the hills.

I'd truly love it if you stuck around. ;)

Have you ever noticed how writers - not all, but a lot of them - seem to be nocturnal? It's nearly one thirty AM on the East Coast of the United States when I'm writing this blog post. I'm not too sure why this fact is true - perhaps it is because of the general quite atmosphere at this time of night - morning? - or maybe it is simply because of what one thirty and so forth really is to the writer's mind.

During this time of night, everyone is asleep. The world is quiet and it's only you. It's only the writer who is viewing the world. Everything looks different at this time, different to each person viewing it and to the same person who viewed it at a different time during the day as well.

I believe that each writer has their time - be it 1:30, 2:00, or 4 in the morning - where they can write their best because the world is different at that time for them. I haven't found my time yet.

I realize that I've yet to introduce myself. I've gone and rambled for quite awhile without ever really telling you who I am, haven't I?

Well, let's fix that, shall we?

My name is Chelsea. I'm eighteen as of recently, and I'm still a senior in high school. I've been diabetic - type one - since I was fifteen months old, but I hardly think about it because I've lived with it all of my life.

By any standards, I'm ordinary. I call myself a writer because that is what I am, but I've never been published - not like I'd like to be published, that is. The school newspaper isn't a novel, after all. But just because I'm not published doesn't mean that I'm not writing novels/fiction/random things at one thirty in the morning. I'm always writing. In fact, if you were to run into me randomly, you won't find me without a pen, a notebook, and perhaps my recently acquired Neo.

There, I've introduced myself: I hope that suffices for now. Whatever I am missing in there - I'd love it if you commented and asked questions. Please, don't be shy. I'm shy enough for the both of us.

Now, even though I have previously said that every author has their time when the world is different to them and everything falls into place ... I'm still a student, and being a student means that I've got essays to write in the morning and places to be that aren't here.

So, until next time, adieu.