Slow and steady...

I have really no idea if anyone will read this, or want to read it, for that matter. I have a feeling this blog will involve a lot of writing-angst, though I will make a concentrated effort to keep the angst at a minimum. It will not be a day-to-day account of my admittedly Not So Exciting life, but I am sure I will vent about a few things, or gloat about the newest trick Braxton (my dog--the Miniature Schnauzer) has learned, or about whatever else I think you all may find interesting.

I've created this entirely on a whim, as primarily an outlet for me to just write my thoughts, my ideas, and whatever else brain-spew I might throw up. I'm not sure where to start, exactly, so I suppose I will introduce myself:

For those who may or may not know me, I am Jennifer. I plowed my way through high school with the highest dreams of getting a wonderful artsy job, doing amazingly artsy things, making a decent living, becoming as close to famous as I could as a theater-major, and just basically being the epitome of a college success story.

And here I am...none of those things. =)

Long, angsty story short: I ended up getting my ass kicked financially, and now I am enrolled in an online certification course to become a certified Pharmacy Technician, so that I might have a steady income while I attempt to pay off some of my debt and go back to college. I am working at Bank of America so that I may fund this online-school-thing, and so that I might buy a car (did I mention I don't have one of those?) and, hopefully, move somewhere Far Far Away with my wonderful boyfriend.

Anyways...

After a few months of I-hate-my-life sentiments, self-pity, and much whining, I decided that, while I have all this free time, I might as well pursue my childhood dream of becoming a published author. Frankly, I don't care so much about becoming the next J.K. Rowling (I suck at writing fantasy, anyways)--I just want to write. I don't want to work in a pharmacy and/or banking for the rest of my days, despite how much money it will make me.

This sort of lifestyle means that I have no choice but to become published. It would be pretty kick-ass to be published, so I'm going to go ahead and see if I can't just make my living off of writing. Don't misunderstand me; I am still going to get a degree. However, I want to give this dream a shot, because it's been put on the wayside for many years now, and I feel like this is the opportune moment (thanks, Capt. Sparrow for those words of wisdom) for pursuing something I've wanted since childhood.

I fell extremely short shooting for the stars, so this time, I'm going to shoot for the treetops and make my way up from there. Slow and steady wins the race, after all.

I guess I will tell you just a little bit on my book.

I enjoy being entertaining, and I love books of all sizes and genres. In my books (or unfinished manuscripts, rather) I try to shy away from plots with ridiculously subtle political points and symbolism. I like happy, floaty things--not 'bog-you-down-in-a-lot-of-sad-depressing-stuff' things. That isn't to say my ideas are all flowers and frolicking puppies--but it does say that if you ever do read one of my future published works, you will hopefully not have to concentrate too hard on understanding it, and it shouldn't make you feel too unhappy about life and about society.

Moving on.

I write primarily historical fiction with paranormal twists. The current manuscript I am working on was intended to be Adult, but somehow it just worked better as a Young Adult. It is set in 1800's England, and the main character is a girl of about 15--strong headed and extremely rebellious against the stereotypes and norms of her time. She made herself this way--not me. I do hope that this makes her easy to relate to for my future younger (and no doubt rebellious themselves) readers. I know that nowadays the huge thing is modern-day stories with vampires and damsels in distress; therefore,I hope that this manuscript will offer a nice little Something Different. It features a female character that is anything BUT a damsel in distress. I also think it would be quite exciting to get the younger generation interested in history--especially British history, as it is so very colorful and interesting. The 1800s particularly marked a very tumultuous time period for the redcoats, their neighbors, and the Colonies. My manuscript will touch on those important events, but it will not be about them, therefore, it will not be a lecture-y, text book-y read. =)

This blog will focus mostly on my writing process and my journey, however, I will have to--for obvious reasons--keep exact details on my manuscript rather vague. The plot, for instance, is something that I will not delve in to very deeply. I will try to convey the gist of it, however. As for excerpts--I'm debating on whether or not to post a bit here and there. I most likely will post only small amounts. Sorry, but only those whom I know on a personal level will get to read the manuscript in it's entirety. =( The rest of you will just have to wait until the book comes out! Hehe.

I'll add that I'm calling this blog "Gravestone Confessions," because it correlates well with the gist of my story, and because I thought it sounded artsy. Teehee.

If you are reading this, please don't be shy and say hello! I'll need all the support, comments, suggestions, funny stories, and coffee-donations that I can get!!!

With love,
Jennifer M!