My Maple Syrup Post

"The beauty of murder is wonderful. It really is a form of art. I am the Picasso of killing. The Van Gogh of manslaughter. The Michelangelo of bloodshed. My artwork is framed in bright yellow tape and photographed by professionals. You can read about my artwork in the paper. The only difference between what I do and what others who are considered real artist is that I remain nameless. My genius is overlooked by many and I can easily hide in the shadows."

In honor of the dreaded junior year coming to an end, I would like to do some reflecting. Sorry but this may be sappier than a maple tree. I want everyone to understand what a huge impact this project has had on my life.

This school year has made me a better me. Yes, junior year and the stress that comes with it. Props to you if you had a completely stress free junior year. But this year has made me a stronger person. I have been a lot happier and I am just taking every moment as it comes. In a year, I will be graduating and as much as I hate to admit it, I am going to miss all the small things about high school.

This project has allowed me to channel a more peaceful version of myself. I have learned the true meaning of patience. I really realized that writing a book is quite the process and I really need to give people who write books for a living more credit. It is a tough job.

A special thanks goes out to everyone who made this project possible. Thanks to Mrs. Hechlik, my wonderful English teacher, for introducing this project and letting us take time for ourselves even though junior year English has a lot of things that we need to get done. Also, I would like to thank my mentor, John Colbert. He was a great help for me. Lastly, I want to thank everyone who read my blog and supported me in everything I wrote about.

Hey I look forward to everyone one day holding my book in their hands. But until then, stay tuned to my blog!

RIP Graded Blogs

"'The funny thing was, I still wanted to kill. Killing has been the only thing that has made me feel alive. When I am not killing, I am a lifeless form with no purpose. So I created my own code of what was right and what was wrong. My own rules on who deserves life and who does not. I do not kill for fun; I kill for a purpose. And I hope that you can one day understand this too.'

So many thoughts whirled through my head. I wanted to hear more. I wanted to know this guy and learn his reasons and his rules. The way he spoke intrigued me. He spoke of something so bad like it was a hobby; killing to him was nothing more than a form of art. I didn’t hate this guy, like I should have. Something was different about this guy, but I just couldn’t put my hand on it."

Book-lovers!

So, don't get all teary-eyed on me but this is my last required blog post. Now before you go and have a mental breakdown (because what would you do without my blog???), know that just because this project in class has ended does not mean I am done. I plan to keep it going until the end of time (or until I realize no one is reading this anymore).

I am excited to say that the school year is almost over. End of the year means summer and summer means more time to write. Nothing against school, I know school has its purpose, but I need my life back. School has drained me of all my creativeness and my will to do work outside of homework. I'm chugging along with my book but I think it will pick up once the summer starts.

Having said that, I don't want my beloved fans to think I am not writing. I still am, just little chunks at a time. The process of writing a book, unfortunately, does not take five minutes. Maybe in ten years you'll be reading my blog and I will finally be done. Either way, this whole thing has brought me more joy than I can even explain and I am happy I chose to write a book.

Stay in touch.

The Sahara Desert of Blogs

"It is not hard to convince people to do what you want. You just have to let them believe they are doing it for themselves. You also have to convince them that you are who they want you to be. Every person wears a mask of what they want people to see them as. Some people know how to wear a successful mask and get what they want. Like me. I wear a mask of someone who lies, someone who can get girls in my car. You just can’t think of how they feel when they see your mask. Think of yourself and how you want to be seen. That’s how you convince them. You convince yourself first."

Friends! 

While, it has been quite some time since my last blog and I apologize for that. I know you were all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for my next post. But wait no more, because I am here. 

The 20-Time Project Fair was amazing! So many people came up and asked me about what I was doing and why I was doing it. It was extremely satisfying to be able to talk to people, face-to-face, about what I am doing. Although I wanted to cry the entire time because public speaking is not my thing, I found myself enjoying it a little more with every person I spoke to. This was because I was talking about something that I am so passionate about. 

I think that I am going to put up a new poll soon, but the winner is Maribel, so that will be Clay's next victim. Thanks to everyone who did vote. I will try to make another one soon, possibly something to do with another character name. 

I'm sorry for this blog post. It is possibly the driest thing I have ever written. But spring will be spring and it will always be the busiest season of all. I don't want this to change your mind about my book though. I only write when my creative juices are flowing and I refuse to write when my thoughts are in a different world. It is the only way to create a worth-while book. 

Thanks for bearing with me through this desert of a blog, and stay tuned for some better ones!
  

Cringe-Worthy Writing

"Sebastian. Apparently they called him Seb. That’s something they do. They give each other nicknames. Mine had been given to me by The Others. Clay, because my victims look as elegant as clay sculptures when I’m done. I didn't argue. I remember, my favorite had been Jane Smith. She wore a beautiful white dress and a bow in her hair. I had posed her limp body in a way that made her appear to be dancing. I had soaked that pretty white dress in her blood and when she wore it, she looked as though she had gracefully twirled out of Hell. A true masterpiece. She had such dancers fingers, I had to take the pinkies." 

WARNING: You have now entered the dark realm of my blog. Content is not suitable for those who lack an open mind. Not to be read by those who have a weak stomach and a disrespect for the genius of horror.

To those who have just joined the journey, welcome. To those who have been fans from day 1, you are the real MVPs. To those I've forced to read my blog, sorry but it's for your own good. My goal is to write something that is good enough to be considered a book. Getting my writing published would be amazing but is not the reason I am doing this. I am writing because it makes me happy and is something I would choose to spend all my time doing.

I am writing a book about blood. I am writing a book about guts. I am writing a book about gore. Not exactly everyones first choice, but it is for me. Yes I do realize that murder and death are not things that should make someone excited. But I want to be able to write something that will make people uncomfortable. I want to make people squirm and get shivers down their back. I want to write something that will mess with peoples emotions. That's what I want my writing to be.

I originally began wanting to write after I read the book Game by Barry Lyga. Now if you actually look this book up, you'll notice that it's the second book in the series. Why didn't the first book inspire me to want to write? Well, my friends, I read the second book first, not realizing there was a whole book ahead of it until the last few pages. I quickly read through the first book after that, but the second book still stuck with me. That feeling of wanting to write a gore-filled book stayed with me for two years until I was given the opportunity through this project.

Telling myself I need to write every week was not the easiest thing to do. I've always been one of those leave-it-until-the-night-before kind of people. But through this project, I have found something that I am driven to work on. I did not choose a topic that I thought would be easy. It is not easy to be a junior in high school and write a book. No, I chose it because it is something that I was motivated to work on. I love writing enough to make time for it. If that means one less Netflix movie, so be it. I am determined that this project, whether I publish a book or not, will have a positive impact and I will not regret it.

I hope that one day, you all read a book that makes you cringe. A book that cuts you deep and makes you incredibly uneasy. And I hope that book will be mine.

The Guts of Writing

"I watched as he slowly stood, never breaking focus with me. Tears rolled down my face, the warm salty mixture pouring into my mouth. The taste made me feel weak. Made me feel vulnerable. I couldn’t let it show. If there was one thing I had learned, it was to never show weakness to a killer. They feed on weakness; they strive for it. I stiffened my body and sat up straight. He laughed with a bitter edge that sent shivers running down my back. I had never heard this laugh before. I wanted a warm laugh that would fill the room with music. I yearned for my ears to dance to that laugh. But it never came and I knew it never would. I wouldn’t be alive. My eyes were heavy as they struggled to bring this scene to life."

Writing has been a little slow lately, seeing as spring tends to be my busiest season. I write every chance I get. I have a really broad outline of where my story is going, but the in betweens is what I am really struggling with. As the weather warms up, though, I can sit outside and write. The fresh air helps me think much better. Something about being cramped up in my room just doesn't help me write. It's too similar to the cramped room of a good old fashion torture chamber. And though you'd think it'd help me write, I prefer not to feel like a victim while I let my creativity flow into my book.

On the side of my blog, I have added a poll that you can take to decide the name of the next character in my book. Coming up with names for character's is not exactly my strong suit, so maybe having other people decide will save me some time.

I have started a new book called Shutter Island by Dennis Lahane. Yes, I know that it is a horror movie and surprisingly I have not seen it yet. I have enjoyed the first 30 pages of it and hopefully it will give me some inspiration for my book. The more books and movies I watch, the more horrific ideas I get for my book, which means I am able to write more. 

I've watched some pretty good horror movies in my time and if you ever need a movie, don't hesitate to ask me. Just don't come crying back to me when you can't take the heat of my perfect horror selection. Or better yet wait until I finish my book and read that. I can guarantee more blood than Carrie had dumped on her at prom.

I am really happy about the comments I have gotten concerning my blog. Many people have told me they are excited to read my book, which means a lot to me. Maybe I'll never be a published author, but I think having the support of my friends and family is just as good.

Meet and Greet

"It was as black as night but something made it seem even darker than that. There was an artificial dark that loomed over the room. It seeped over my hands, into my skin, into my throat, into my very being. I had never seen darkness like this and it chilled me. The world was spinning even though I saw no physical signs of it. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was not just a practical joke. This darkness was not created by something normal. It was created by pure evil."


Meet the characters of my book:

Sebastian (Seb): Seb is the main character. He is an easy-going, happy with life high school student. He has a girlfriend named Apryl, but not too many friends otherwise. 

Clay: Serial killer. Not necessarily the villain. What more must I say?

Hazel/Maria/Aubrey: Clay's victims. There were many before but these are just the ones I have written about so far. More to come.

I have been emailing my mentor, and we have been talking about what perspective I am writing my book in: 1st person or 3rd person. I have been writing it from 1st person so far, but there are benefits to both perspectives. 3rd person allows you to explain the scene outside of what the characters can see. But I have chosen 1st person with a bit of a twist. I am splitting my book into short sections and each section is from the perspective of a different character. Sebastian will tell part of the story, Clay will tell the other part. Here and there, Clay's victims will tell the story of their deaths, like the quote in the beginning of this post. I feel that this gives the reader an inside look on what is occurring. The reader will be in the minds of the two protagonists.

I originally started writing this story by hand about a year ago. I got about 20 pages into this notebook before I got too busy to work on it. Now that I have time during 20-Time, I am excited to be picking up where I left off. Although, I have determined it is so much more efficient to type my story.

Writing has been going smoothly. I really have no idea how long my book will end up being, but I am certain that it won't be finished before our school year ends. But over the summer I plan to finish it up and find some way to get it into people's hands. I want everyone to be able to read my book.

Enjoy!

I'm a Night Person

"The thing that struck me as odd was the smile. Not the teeth, tinted and chipped. Not the lips, thin and chapped. Surely not the dimples, one bigger than the other in a cute quirky way. No, it was the authenticity. When he smiled, everything felt real. The world became sharp and crisp. For a second, I felt safe. Then, as if my quick comfort had reminded him, the smile shifted into a smirk. His lips slowly curled up, bringing wrinkles to his face that gave him a panicked look. His eyes were strong. They grasped every movement with swift motions. If his eyes hadn’t been so determined, I would have thought he wasn’t going to hurt me. His hands were moist as they ran through my hair, stopping only temporarily to see how I would react. I’m not sure he got what he wanted. You see, I really didn’t know how I should react."


Okay, I have decided to start each of my blog posts with something I have written in my book. This is the first paragraph in my entire book. I am not sure if this is how I should start it off, but I decided to show you guys what the first thing I wrote was.

I would like to address a few things that I may have been pretty unclear about. I am writing a horror book. Murder, scandal, and a sickening amount of blood and guts; everything that intrigues me. I apologize if you are one of those people who enjoys sappy romance novels, because you have come to the wrong blog. There is no point in lying to you, so I am warning you now that my grim taste is not for everyone. 

I would love to think of myself as the next Stephen King, but I also realize that no one can be as cleverly gruesome as the King of Horror himself (pun intended). I do admit that my obsession with horror movies may have gone too far when I realized that I had watched almost all the movies under the category of horror on Netflix. Fortunately Netflix, mixed with the genius of King, have inspired me to write rather than try to make a horror film (which would epically fail). 

So far, my writing has been going quite smoothly. I don't seem to be having any issues, which is a miracle for me. I have been able to write 12 pages (in a document, not in book sized pages; yes, there is a difference). I plan to spend most of my class time just writing as much as I possibly can, as well as writing in my free time out of school. I am not sure how long I intend to make my book so setting a limit at this point would make no sense. I am going to play it by ear and you guys will know almost as soon as I do when I finish my book. 

Have a gore-tastic day!