Crossing Sanctuaries

Blog based off the novel in process, Crossing Sanctuaries. Everything posted here is to help me or fellow other writers/artists, along with some updates on my writing life. Enjoy!

[crossingsanctuarieshasmoved]

THIS BLOG WILL BE MOVING

A long time ago I made the mistake of creating my other blogs on separate accounts instead of as side blogs. Although it was easier for me to keep everything separate and to follow specific blogs, it got harder and harder to manage. So, I will be simply be redirecting this blog to another exact copy of it. Just letting you all know in advance!

[crossingsanctuarieshasmoved]

Fool's Road by Alexander Winters

Paul, Roger, Archie, and Theresa are as opposite of each other as it gets. Yet, despite their differences, they all have one thing in common: an immortal friend named Alice.

You can read my new story here on my Wattpad! Check it out and let me know what you think. Wrote one chapter quickly for fun but still looking for beta readers if possible!

[crossingsanctuarieshasmoved]

So this blog will no longer be a writing blog just for my one novel, since I plan on writing many more. This will be just a general writing blog for me to update my process on anything that involves writing in general. I have put anything involving my art on a separate blog now which you can find here. I have been very busy since November of last year and haven’t had the time to do anything, so hopefully that will change soon. I am planning on reorganizing this blog soon as well to fit my writer needs and to make it more accessible and organized. 

Other than that, you can also check out my writing which I update here on wattpad.

Stay tuned!

[tibbitoo]

[a-meme-loving-fuck-deactivated2]

ALL MY WRITERS

I think the best piece of writing advice I ever got was from an author of locally popular novels that visited my school when I was in grade eight. He said that when you want to write a novel, or any kind of story, the typical system of “What is my story about? Who is it about? What will happen?” are pretty much the worst thing you can do.

Writing is far simpler than that.

His advice was to ask yourself three questions that I’ll never forget:

Who is the character?

What does the character want more than anything?

And how can I prevent them from getting it?

[p0ltergeist-blog-blog]

[lesmiserablephantom]

WOW KATNISS THATS DEEP

[maggie-stiefvater-deactivated20]

[thewritershandbook]

[misandryprime-deactivated201903]

[msgenevieve447]

in case anyone needs this today

Writing is fun.  

It is also hard.  

Every single writer has days when we think our writing absolutely stinks, and anyone who says otherwise isn’t being honest with themselves.

If you want to write, write the stories that are bursting to come out of your head and your heart.  If you read, read the stories that speak to you and be kind to the people whose work doesn’t (for whatever reason) move you. Always strive to push and challenge yourself, but don’t (this is a hard one, this one!) compare yourself to anyone else.

Fiction is a matter of personal taste.  Just because someone doesn’t like something, that doesn’t mean that it’s bad.  It just means it’s not their cup of tea.

Because every single story is someone’s favourite, and every single writer has someone who think they rock.  

And if you made it this far through my ramblings, you rock too.  

[nickanimation]

The Nick Writing Program is now accepting applications for the 2016/2017 cycle! If you’re an aspiring TV writer, this is a great (PAID!) way to hone your skills and make industry contacts.

And get this – there are Domestic AND International programs.

Check out our website for application instructions and answers to any questions you might have.

Writers… do the thing!

[casthegrumpy]

i could be such a good writer if i would just *clenches fist* write

[clevergirlhelps]

Do you have any tips for writing a socially awkward character?

Nervous in social settings. Socially awkward characters are not comfortable around others, especially others they don’t know and/or need to impress. Their nerves might lend them a demeanor others find creepy or strange.

Not understanding context or appropriateness. For example, making jokes at a funeral. Or accidentally joking about the disabled, a religious group, or an ethnic group.

Oblivious to social cues. Ex. someone changes the subject away from iron ores and wants to talk about circuses instead. SAC changes the conversation right back to iron ores and won’t let anyone interrupt their flow.

Few friends. Poor social skills mean that few people will spend enough time with the SAC to become friends. The SAC may be a target for ridicule or simply avoided or cut out of conversations.

Don’t know how to make small talk. They don’t know the appropriate topics or how to respond to a noncommittal answer. Their conversations might appear halting or slow.

Avoiding awkward zones. Potential areas for the highest awkwardness are hellos/goodbyes (with all that handshake/fistbump/hug weirdness), one-on-one weirdness (like getting your hair cut, casual talk), and telling jokes.

You can find out more from

Socially Awkward Penguin Meme

21 Signs You’re Socially Awkward

19 Difficult Situations for the Socially Awkward

Socially Inept

[crossingsanctuarieshasmoved]

One thing that I find helps a lot when it comes to finding inspiration for what to write next for a scene is making up your own soundtrack for your book. I’m a very visual person, so I always picture my book as a progressing movie, so naturally I need soundtrack music to accompany that. I guess a lot of writers already play background music to inspire themselves, but what I’m talking about is being more specific. A small example from a half a scene from my book and playlist that goes along with it:

1. We’re a Team by James Newton Howard -- Evan and Rain are exhausted and trudging through a forest in the pouring rain, searching for any signs of the Invisible Base. 2. The Offer by Marco Beltrami -- Both these characters find a strange spot that could be the Invisible Base and investigate further. 3. The Ganali Device by James Horner -- Evan figures out a trick and gets the Invisible Base to show itself and open its doors. Rain and Evan wander inside, much to their amazement. 4. The Medallion by Henry Jackman & Matthew Margeson -- Evan discovers something new inside the base about himself and others.

(And so forth...)

I find it helps a lot, especially if it’s soundtrack music, because soundtrack music is commonly used to give a scene more emotional effect. A perfect example of someone that considers soundtrack music a lot for writing is Quentin Tarantino. For example, in Kill Bill Vol. 1, when The Bride arrives with her Hattori Hanzo sword, calls out O-Ren Ishii, and the epic music starts to play, Tarantino specifically wrote that scene based off of the Ennio Morricone score he found.

So in many ways, music can help you come up with scenes to write if you really let it guide you, instead of leaving it in the background to play while you write in hopes of it inspiring you. Absorb the music and let it direct your imagination. Let the little quiet stops or the big drums or the piano tell you what to write next into your scene. (I hope all of this made some sense, sorry if my English is off)

[crossingsanctuarieshasmoved]

Me getting new books: yay yay yay yay yay yay yay!!!!!!!

Me looking for a place to put them: oh shit

[butteryplanet]

[crossingsanctuarieshasmoved]

So after almost a year of not working on my book after having gone through so many personal, school, and just general life problems stopping me from doing so, I can now proudly say I have gone back to writing again. So far my progress consists of naming a Pomeranian dog, Engelbert.