You wouldn't be able to tell from the way I complained about writing that damn Columbus paper, but I really do enjoy writing. I always have, since I was in 3rd grade writing poems about Halloween for fun at home. But mostly since my senior AP Lit class/college have I really become passionate about it. I have been reading a lot more, which I strongly believe makes you a better writer, and that has my interest sparked in attempting to write a book.

Now, you might say,"but Sam, you're only 21 and you aren't an English major or have any writing experience." To which I laugh. What does age have to do with anything, for one? I mean, you may as well say, "you can't write, you're a girl," or "you can't write because you live in California." Whatever. That goes for writing experience and my major. I may not have the same skills as an experienced writer or someone who has been studying English literature and writing techniques for the last 4 years, but I do have stuff to offer to the table. Being a History major, I write just about as often as an English major, it's just mostly academic papers (like that hideous Columbus thing I just wrote). I also have the benefit of knowing "stuff." That's not to say English majors don't know "stuff," but I have more knowledge of "stuff." One of my favorite moments from college was my first day in my 19th Century American History class. We learned the history of the weekend. You could probably go look that up on Wikipedia and write about it in some way, but I can use that knowledge I learned and talk about different points in time along the "path to the weekend." I know about why and what was going on when work days became shorter, when days were taken off... basically, I have more background knowledge, more "stuff," at my disposal. Like I said, you could be an English major and already know about how weekends were created. Good for you. I mean, to assume that an English major doesn't know "stuff" would be like the accusation I can't write because I'm not an English major. It's all relative. 

Anyway, I've been looking up ways to make myself a better writer (since I lack all that experience and whatnot). I regularly read the blog of one of my favorite authors, Scott Westerfeld. Turns out that his wife, Justine Larbalestier, is also a writer. How cute. Anyway, this month she is writing about writing in her blog, giving tips and helping other wouldbe writers out there. So I've been reading these blogs and came upon this one. It talks about generating ideas, something that I can do but I'm not very good at. She says to start out, try deconstructing a story you already know, look at the pieces and decide what you would do differently. 

So I did an experiment.

I started with Cinderella (something easy) and ended up with a mightbe story of war-torn romance. WTH? Exactly. It's actually been so fun and I'm only taking a break to write this blog because I need to leave here soon and didn't want to get too wrapped up in working out details. Now, if you're still asking, "WTH?" here's my thought process. 

Cinderella: Story about someone who is kept from happiness by someone else (Evil Stepmother). It is only through the help of another someone else (Fairy Godmother) that they are given the opportunity to enjoy happiness (Prince Charming) briefly before returning to reality. Happiness eventually finds Cinderella without her trying. "And they lived happily ever after."

My Version: Why can't Cinderella be Cinderfella? Guy's can have fantastic stories about happiness too. And does these Evil Stepmother and Fairy Godmother have to be actual people? I vote no. Why not make them objects or situations? I mean, war is evil and it can keep people from happiness, just like the Evil Stepmother. But with war is it ever "happily ever after?"

I'm not going to give away anymore. I actually like this idea, A LOT. I don't want it to be taken away or anything (since it's not like I'm not "borrowing" the idea from anyone already haha). Plus, I still have A LOT more work to do to it. I have 5 possible settings (using that great "stuff" I know as a History major) and I need to work at the kinks to the initial plot, and then do all those "fun" details, like name characters and whatnot. So still a lot more to be done, but at least I generated an idea :D.

Oh, and I finished Invisible Monsters. WOW! I loved it. I mean, I already read the plot summary on Wikipedia (yes, I'm horribly impatient. So sue me.), but it was still so much better than I expected. Thanks Melania for telling me to read it!

Off to pick up my bro from school and choreograph some stuff. 

Bon Chance!