The Fault In Our Stars

Reading is my favorite. And I am lucky enough that one of my favorite hobbies is often encouraged. People are always coming up with new studies & articles about why reading is so good for you and I love it! I've heard everything from 'reading can chill you out' to 'it might prevent Alzheimer's disease &keep your brain sharp'.

Those aren't necessarily my reasons for reading, but they sure do sound good. I like reading because I love learning. Sometimes the lessons come in unconventional ways, but I can generally say that I learned at least one thing in every single book that I have read. I also love reading because I am a writer. I love analyzing the technique that authors use and identifying patterns and writing styles throughout their books. Reading motivates me to not only write more but to write better. And heck, sometimes I just like to get lost in a book.

I read a lot when I travel. There is nothing I enjoy more than reading, writing, & people watching at the airport! This last week I traveled to Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho (the most beautiful town) and I brought The Fault In Our Stars by John Green along with me.

The Fault In Our Stars is a book about a teenage girl, Hazel, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer and grudgingly attends a cancer support group to please her parents. However while there, she meets a charming boy, Augustus Waters. Augustus has osteosarcoma, but has recently been in the clear. Hazel and Augustus experience a whirlwind of emotions including love, romance, sadness, and friendship throughout their adventure together. John Green did an amazing job writing a very realistic novel that will both humor and humble you. 

Building a character.

I love to read. My perfect day is cuddling up in a soft throw, wearing my fuzzy socks, sipping (or guzzling) tea, & reading a book that I can get lost in.

When I was in the 6th grade at Sawtooth Elementary in My. Hoy's class I read a book that lit my mind on fire. To this day I cannot recall the name of the book, but it inspired me to start writing. I used to write little short stories all the time, but I never really did anything with them other than bringing them home to my family to read. My mom is always telling me that I need to write a book, but how do you even kind of begin?

Throughout this blog I have mentioned that I want to be "known" for something, but that I don't know what that something is... well, my mom would say it is going to be for my future book. Maybe she's right? So after finishing two books in about 3 days (again) I started thinking about how if I started writing things myself maybe I wouldn't be so sad when every book ended. The reason that I say this is because it takes a long time to write 80,000 words that somebody else actually wants to read...which means there is no time to be sad (theoretically of course). Would it be strange for a marketing major who has two AA degrees in Political Science & Business to write a fictional story? I always thought so, but maybe not.

So thank you to Veronica Roth for writing some incredible stories, because now I feel like I absolutely have to keep writing. For those who don't know, Veronica Roth wrote the two books that I finished in 3 days (Divergent & Insurgent). If you haven't read them yet... DO!

Now I am working on building my main character. Sounds easy, right? It's not. If I am going to live in this persons head for the next who knows how long I sure as hell better like her. There are so many factors to consider, from her physical traits, to her emotions, preferences, name, family, the world she lives in, etc. I finally have a general idea of where I am going with things, but I'm sure I will change my mind thirty more times. But, that's the fun of writing. I am literally creating a world. 

Reading is my escape.

I read a lot. I enjoy reading all kinds of books, but prefer young adult books (because they are applicable to my young adult life). Yesterday I finished reading Reached—the final novel in the Ally Condie Matched trilogy. After reading the Hunger Games I didn’t think that I would enjoy reading another dystopian romance, but I was mistaken. All three books held my attention and left me wanting more. The second and third books switched between the views of the three main characters and that was kind of strange at first, but proved to be beneficial to really understanding all aspects of the story.

Now I want to see a movie! I almost always find the book to be 100% better than the movies, but it is fun to put faces to some of the characters and backdrops to some of the scenes. Plus, it allows me to relive those books for a few more hours.

 It is becoming more & more common to find books set in a “utopian” or “socialized” future world and it is scary to think of that being reality and not just fiction. People search for a leader and when they find that leader they will do almost anything for them. One thing that stood out to me in this book was how scary it can be to step out of your comfort zone and do what you believe in your heart to be right. Overall, awesome novel and I recommend that you read it!