Authorly Bucket List

Deborah @ The Road of a Writer ambiguously tagged me for the Authorly Bucket List. Thanks Deborah! Okay, actually I stole the tag. . . but who's talking technicalities?

All you do is list 3-7 things that you're really bad at in writing and then 3-7 things that you want to try in writing. Easy, right?

Ahem. So we'll see.

What I stink at

(because let's just rub it in)

1. Romance

Okay, so I will admit, I'm probably a little better than when I first started. What am I talking about? Everybody should be better at writing than when they first started! Unless you just started an hour ago. . . Even then you have more words written than you did an hour ago, and, sincerely, that is SOMETHING.

But how do you write a kissing scene? Seriously? Just how- Why- I don't understand. I don't think I'll ever do it. Just leave the scene in ambiguity while they're still gazing into each others' eyes or something cheesy like that.

Besides, Oddball would hate me forever if I ever let anybody see him kissing someone. I think he had me sign a privacy contract or something. . .

If I were a character, I'd make my author sign a privacy contract. Ain't nobody going catch me smooching another character. 

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2. Spelling

Without spell check I'm rather lost, and it doesn't help that I'm a terrible typist. So sometimes I spell things wrong without even meaning to. I can actually spell my own name wrong (isn't that something to brag about).

3. Organization

When I get an idea, what do I do? I skitter around and grab the first thing available and write. Sometimes it's a good thing. . . . other times, yeah, it's pretty bad.

Sometimes it's my hand and a pen. Then I wash my hand later. You see where this is going, right?

This is the sum of it:

"I know I wrote that scene down somewhere. Now where is it?"

"How could I have lost that guy's name? It was perfect too!"

"Maybe I didn't write that scene after all? Maybe I just mental wrote it while trying to sleep last night."

I mourn even more when I lose a good title idea, because:

4. Titles

Most of my books/ideas are named after the protagonist like Oddball or Sandy. But then there's things like the weird idea, fairytale, the allegory thing. Thing? What? I'm supposed to be an intelligent *cough* wordsmith and I title my book idea "thing"?  

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I've written a first draft, but you know something? I don't even have chapters. It's just a bunch of scenes. I would love for my chapters to have titles, but maybe there needs to be chapters first. Yeah, I would say yes.

5. What does this guy look like anyways?

Describing characters kind of goes out the window. I just forget about it unless it's moves the plot. . . or I need a beat in the dialogue and I finally remember "Hey, why not tell the reader what the character looks like?!" So then the reader gets something like:

"Her brown hair fell into her face."

Great description that.

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Once a writer friend and I sat beside each other at a seminar. The speaker addressed this particular question and said to never use the mirror trick to describe your protagonist. Because it's cheating (pfft, whatever). We both looked at each other. Oops. So maybe, we had read each others' mirror tricks.

I only had a vague description of Oddball in the book until someone pressed me and really wanted to know what he looked like besides possessing a mess of light brown hair. Hence the mirror. I find the scene quite funny and it shows a different side of Oddball. Personality-wise. So I might keep it. But since then there are now more POV characters who do the job nicely. . . when I think about it.

What I want to try

(now this is the good stuff!)

1. Retellings

Yes so much! I've been thinking of a fantasy realm where all the retellings should take place. What would also be cool is a retelling mash-up. Like two different tales mixed together.

I have been thinking up, maybe, possibly, a Phantom of the Opera retelling. But I don't know when I'll get to it. And- And- I wanted it to be fantasy. But so far it has stubbornly attached itself to the present day setting. It won't let go! Grr.

2. Superpowers

This would be the weird idea series that I mentioned earlier. It's kind of complex. It grew and grew, until it became so big.

I don't know if I'm worthy to write that. My skills- They fall short.

3. Break cliches

I take advantage of blog reading in this. I hear people bemoaning tropes while they review books and I realize that they're right. This particular portrayal/trope is overdone. Why are all these stereotypes running around?

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Let's just say I schemed up some plans. *rubs hands together*

So you know, if there's anything out there you think is cliched, let me know.

4. Diversity

I want to write a gothic character. And I want to write him/her properly and realistically. Not the way most people see gothic people.

But I don't know anyone gothic. I could do all the research in the world and still get this character wrong. So maybe I just need to befriend a gothic person.  Except I think I've only seen a gothic person maybe once in my life and that was ages ago.

5. Mental illnesses in fantasy

I want to do this. I don't know how.

That is all.

6. Fantasy mystery series

Come on, just try to tell me that doesn't sound cool.

It would be the best thing ever! It's fantasy and it's mystery. ALL IN ONE! Mystery would be so amazing with dragons and swords and- 

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IT SHALL BE AMAZING!

(I use that word far too much.)

So I'm actually going to tag a few people, because I never tag people. 

Emily @ Emily Etc. 

Anne Marie @ AM Station 

Carmel @ CARMEL

Skye @ Ink Castles

Rachel @ Secret Scribblings

If I didn't tag you, but you want to do it, go for it! It's a ton of fun. It also helped me reassess what I need to work on and where some of my goals are.

So now, what are some writing ambitions of yours? And what are some book cliches/tropes that drive you crazy?