Book Challenge Entry Six: A Book You Hated

Entry Six Prompt: A book you hated.

My Answer: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I love to read fiction and will likely try anything that sounds remotely interesting regardless of the genre. I do gravitate towards fantasy stories and young adult fiction more often than anything else but I’ve also enjoyed mysteries, slightly naughty romance stories, dystopians, and books with historical settings and that’s just been in the last few months. But I’m also guilty of following trends, meaning that if I hear that a book is to be turned into a movie I will most likely read it.

So that is why I picked up “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn a few months ago. Not only did I know it was going to be a movie but I had also seen it go out at the library again and again. And it looked like an interesting mystery series.

Now the gist of “Gone Girl” (for those that don’t already know) is that it starts with the disappearance of Amy Dunne. Soon enough evidence is found that suggests that she was killed by her husband Nick and the story is told through Nick’s point of view and through past diary entries of Amy’s. The good part was that the mystery really did keep me guessing and was fairly well thought through. What bothered me were the characters.

Here is where I’m going to spoil everything for you so don’t read if you don’t want to know/don’t already know what happens.

When it comes to a book I need someone to root for. That person doesn’t necessarily have to be good but there has to be something redeemable about them. No one in this book is redeemable. Nick is a cheating twisted man boy. Amy, both in her so obviously faked diary entries (I thought they were suspicious even before I found out they were fake/planned because nobody would write diary entries like that unless they are meant to be read. I’m a writer and I didn’t even write entries like that back when I kept a diary) and when we actually see her return and hear her methods. She’s a psychopath and by the end of the book I literally hoped Nick and Amy would just end up killing each other.

And, even worse, there was no justice and no resolution. Months later I still don’t get it.

The Importance of a Word

You know how sometimes you hear a word and it just sticks with you? It's happened to me and it truly makes me realize just how important words can be. So I'm going to share with you the story of that one word that I always seem to notice nowadays.

Back in 2008 I was just beginning a relationship with the man I now man to marry and we were talking mostly via online messaging. On one evening he used the word "reticent" to describe me which was interesting because I didn't know what the word meant which hardly ever happened (not to be a word snob but I've always been pretty good with words and context clues to find out what words I don't know actually mean).

When one is reticent they are quiet, restrained, so on and so forth which is a perfect example of me. I'm good with the written word and I can talk your ear off once I've gotten to know you but when you first meet me? I'll only talk in short awkward sentences or go hide on a couch and play with any animals you may have in the house.

But to continue on with the importance of words. I'm not entirely sure why it stuck with me so much but it has and I notice it every time I read it and now that I'm writing this article I really wish I had written down every instance where I noticed it because it would be interesting to see exactly what context it was always seen in and what type of books.

Some instances I found just by a search though my Kindle:
- Thirteen uses in the Sherlock Holmes series.
- Used in two of the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, set in a steampunk Victorian era.
- Used in four of the Goddess Summoning series by P.C. Cast each of which retells a myth with a modern twist.
- In four of the thirteen books I have received and reviewed for NetGalley. Each of those books had a historical element to them.

Just looking at that list makes me wonder if most of the books I've seen it in are of a historical nature. Is reticent an old school word that authors use to make modern books seem more time period appropriate?

Either way I find it interesting that just a simple occurrence, a simple mention of a word, made it so that I pay so much attention to said word.

Playing With History

I have written, outlined, and jotted thousands of words since I started writing a decade ago. And most of my novel ideas have a certain theme to them.

So here they are in all their vague glory! (Because I am not revealing all my creative details on the internet. Who would pay for a copy of my books, when I hopefully get them published, if all the details are free on my blog?)

Book Idea 1: The book I say is a female version of Lord of the Ring.

Book Idea 2: A book about teenaged mermaids who, during a certain birthday, get to choose whether or not they stay underwater or grow legs.

Book Idea 3: A period piece set in the early 1900's. Think Titanic meets Twilight only not as cheesy.

Book Idea 4: A story of fairy godmothers and the classes they must take to reach that status.

Book Idea 5: Werewolves and prophecies and a group of young campers who get stuck in the middle of a turf war.

Did you catch the theme? Did you? Obviously it's fairy tale creatures and epic journeys.

But what is my most recent story idea? A historical/supernatural mix up. Not only do I want to add supernatural elements to a time period that I'd have to research even more in depth than the random movies/internet searches/class work that I've already done but I also want to use characters that really existed.

That means I'll have to do even more research because I know I've read historical fiction about people like Anne Boleyn but what things do I have to worry about when I write about someone real? Would someone be offended if I added supernatural elements to a certain time period/situation? I really like my idea, and I already did some research and outlining, but I'm honestly not sure I'm up to the challenge.

Writer Problems: Too Many Ideas

I've realized over the years that I work better when I set myself writing goals so that's what I've been doing since the beginning of the year, making a list in my monthly planner of what I'd like to accomplish during each month be it writerly goals or otherwise. Sometimes I struggle to reach those goals while other times I fly by my goals. Last month I struggled, not exactly meeting my June goals until quite a few hours into July (but I counted it as meeting my June goal in the hopes I'll be able to overcompensate in July).

So one evening last week I was happily writing along, going back and forth between working on a fanfiction piece and one of my unfinished novels (unfinished in this instance meaning not fully written...other blog posts may mention an unfinished novel that is written but not edited enough for any attempts to publish; confusing I know). I work better when I hand write things before I type them (plus hand writing and then typing gives me a chance for a first edit) and I had just counted up how many lines I'd written so far this month and was happy to discover I was ahead on both projects. Minutes after discovering that happy little fact an idea niggled its way into my head. The best and worst possible idea at a time like this.

The idea for another new novel!

Why is that both good and bad at the same time you may ask? It's good because I always have to have something to write but sometimes coming up with a place to start is the hardest part. It's bad because I already have three epic fanfiction ideas to work on, two completed novels to edit, and two half finished novels! And when I get an idea I want to work on it right away, naming characters and doing research, but with everything else going on I can't.

(Well I probably could but then it would mean I'd have another half finished novel which is never good because it's so hard to get back into something after I've put it on hiatus for months or years. Believe me, it's happened before and it's awful. If you can I suggest you always finish a project even if you finish it horribly. At least you'll have an idea of what you wanted to do with it instead of having to figure it out all over again because the outline you wrote years ago doesn't make any sense anymore).

That's where I am, and have been since last week, too full of ideas. At times like this I wish something would fall into place and I could just be a full time author.

Book Challenge Entry Five: Favorite Classic

Entry Five Prompt: Favorite Classic Book

My Answer: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I first read "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen back in eighth grade. I don't know why because it wasn't part of my required school reading (not that those were the only books I read because they weren't). But I do remember finding a lonely little copy of it in the middle school library, a copy that probably hadn't been checked out for months or possibly even years. I don't think I was purposefully looking for it (it has been about twelve years since the event so maybe I just don't remember it) but the book went home with me nonetheless.

And I loved it. I've probably read the book, and watched the Keira Knightley version of the movie, about a half dozen times or more and if I read it again today I would still love it. But I probably won't because I have a massive "to read" list and I'd like to get it some new things/finish up some series I started awhile ago before I re-read other things.

Now onto why I loved it so much.

And even though the internet is full of women and memorabilia honoring the love of Fitzwilliam Darcy I honestly think the main reason I loved the book was Elizabeth Bennet. She's smart and loves books, she doesn't subscribe to the rules and restrictions of her time period and gender, because of that she wants to marry for love. Those are the makings of a strong heroine to me, a woman who isn't afraid to be intelligent and who doesn't really give a damn about societal conventions and it was even more interesting that she was a character in a book written by a woman who had published her books anonymously because of exactly what Austen was writing about, societal conventions. I have always thought that was both interesting and ironic.

And the love of "Pride and Prejudice" has led me to read several other of Jane Austen's works and buy a collection which I have yet to finish (but will most likely work on in the near future).

Rant #1: Mockingjay Trailer

I've decided something. This is my blog so I think it is my right to rant about things on occasion, but since this blog does have a theme (since quill's in the title and all my posts have been about writing and books I think you can probably figure out what that theme is) I am only going to rant about things to do with books and writing. So I'm thinking that movies based on said books should be allowed. Let's just go with that, okay?

One of my friends, one who went with me to see Catching Fire back in November, knew I'd been waiting for the release of the trailer for Mockingjay so she posted it on my Facebook wall. I watched the teaser trailer several times yesterday and, of course, had to look at the comments about it because I thought it was amazing. I was surprised to see so many people complaining! So surprised that I even created a Facebook status about it. That status read as follows:

Personally I think the new Mockingjay teaser trailer is perfect even though it doesn't give much insight into the movie like people expect a teaser trailer to do (I saw complaints around the interwebs). That's kind of the point of the promo and is a major point in the books/movies themselves. In Panem the Capitol controls the media...at least until Beetee gets involved.

(That was a pretty insightful post for a late night Facebook status, don't you think?)

Because it's so true. I actually like that they chose to promote it like that. If you've read the books or even just watched the movies you should understand that the power of the Capitol to influence the media is so very prevalent that that is how the rebellion is really fought for the first half of the book. The Districts in Panem really only get their news from the Capitol so that's why Thirteen keeps fighting to interrupt the broadcasts with some of their own, with symbols of the Mockingjay, because they want the Districts to know their side of the story. 

So bravo to the makers of that teaser trailer. Instead of catering to the expectations of the masses you created something that perfectly reflects the spirit of the books your movie is based on.  

Book Challenge Entry Four: Favorite Book of a Series

Entry Four Prompt: Favorite Book of Your Favorite Series

My Answer: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

It may seem a little odd that my favorite book of a series is neither the first book nor the last book but it's true.

Let me set you a scene. It was the year I was in sixth grade so it would have been around 1999/2000. I don't remember if it was the beginning of the school year or the end, all I know is that was when I started hearing whispers, whispers of a fantasy book series that was amazing. And boy did I love reading, especially fantasy books so of course I was interested.

But then I looked through my homeroom teacher's classroom library as well as the school library and guess what? The first book in the series I had been hearing about, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", was checked out! So what to do, wait for the first book to return or read the second book which was sitting on the shelves just begging for me to pick it up?

Oddly enough for me, a girl who likes organization and order I chose to read the second book first. And even though I didn't read the initial set up with Harry and the Dursleys and Harry's rough start to school and the wizarding world, I was hooked. I'm not certain but I think I may have read the second book, then the first and then I read the second one again so that I knew them in the correct order.

Either way, that started the obsession. An obsession that led to pre-ordered purchases of books four through seven. An obsession that lead to movie showings and purchased VHS's, DVD's, jewelry, and clothing related to the franchise. And, even fourteen years after I first started the series, I am seriously considering a Harry Potter related tattoo and I am also regretting the fact that I didn't buy a pair of Deathly Hallows earrings when I was out shopping last weekend because I would rock those things.

Because, as many other fans of the series have said before me, the magic of Harry Potter is very real. And I have a feeling that, if I'm eighty years old and someone asks me if I still love the fandom, I'll be saying "always."

Book Challenge Entry Three: Favorite Poem

Entry Three Prompt: Favorite Poem

My Answer: The River-Merchant's Wife by Ezra Pound

This poem is my favorite for probably a silly, prideful reason. Let me set you up with a little story. In my senior year of high school I was in AP English with a teacher that quite a few students hated because she was pretty tough. I liked her though because she loved literature and so did I!

I have some very fond memories of that class. Except for the assignment where we were asked to pick a poem and dissect it for the class. I chose "The River-Merchant's Wife" (I think I just randomly found it in our anthology and I liked the flow and the imagery) and I really sunk myself into it, examining each line very thoroughly. I reached the conclusion that the narrator in the poem was forced into an arranged marriage but by the end of it she truly did love her spouse.

But my teacher disagreed even when I explained why I had reached that conclusion. I was so disappointed! (Though I did feel a little better when most of my classmates admitted they had read into it the same way I had.)

So when I got a chance to complete the same type of assignment in a college course I chose the same poem with the same conclusion that I had reached in high school. And guess what? My professor told me he thought I was spot on!

That's why this poem has always had a soft spot in my heart (though every time I think of it I have to spend forever trying to find it because I can never remember the title). It's the poem that proved to myself that, even though I'm not really a fan of poetry, I can still critically look at and understand poetry. Plus, I think it also goes to show that meanings in poetry can be subjective.

Here's the poem for your perusal: "The River-Merchant's Wife" by Ezra Pound

While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead

I played about the front gate, pulling flowers.

You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse,

You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums.   

And we went on living in the village of Chōkan:

Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.   

At fourteen I married My Lord you.

I never laughed, being bashful.

Lowering my head, I looked at the wall.

Called to, a thousand times, I never looked back.

At fifteen I stopped scowling,

I desired my dust to be mingled with yours

Forever and forever, and forever.

Why should I climb the look out?

At sixteen you departed

You went into far Ku-tō-en, by the river of swirling eddies,

And you have been gone five months.

The monkeys make sorrowful noise overhead.

You dragged your feet when you went out.

By the gate now, the moss is grown, the different mosses,

Too deep to clear them away!

The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind.

The paired butterflies are already yellow with August

Over the grass in the West garden;

They hurt me.

I grow older.

If you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang,

Please let me know beforehand,

And I will come out to meet you

                        As far as Chō-fū-Sa.

Book Challenge Entry Two: Book Series That Needs to End

Entry Two Prompt: A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already!

My Answer: Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich

I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to rant a little bit about both of these book series because oh my goodness have they went on far too long! (And series like these are part of the reason why I'd be afraid to wish that a book series I love would go on for longer. Just like with TV shows, what starts off as a fresh new idea can very easily lose its steam).

First of all, the Pretty Little Liars series. Yes I am far from the target audience for the series but what can I say? The ABC Family show got me hooked into the teenage drama concerning four friends and the manipulative friend that had supposedly went missing and then wound up supposedly dead. (No direct spoilers here, not this time!)

And the books were a quick and easy read with just enough unbelievable suspense to keep me interested. Then what was an interesting premise turned so convoluted and what do you know? The "my book series is now a TV show so I have to milk it for all I can" bug hit and then what could have been a decent four book series added in another mildly entertaining four book arc. At that point I was hopeful that it would just end already because it was already starting to get too crazy, too ridiculous but it did not. Now, in the late spring of 2014 (nearly eight years after the first book was published) there are still two books in the sixteen book series left! It's too much and I'm half tempted not to even bother with them but I'm sure I will (though they will be borrowed from the library and not bought).

Now onwards to poor poor Stephanie Plum. Within months of working at a library I knew how very popular Janet Evanovich's books were what with the amount of people that wanted to be placed on hold for her books pretty much as soon as they were released. So, having decided to branch out from my normal repertoire, I thought I'd give them a shot. I immediately loved them! Stephanie was flawed, kind of hopeless and wandering, with a love of baked goods and hot men. The bounty hunter world was interesting. The books were quick reads and sometimes very funny. And then after a few books I realized something. Every single book is the same.

I was hoping that after awhile Stephanie would show some growth but even in the most recent book I read (I think it was the fifteenth which means I still have more than six books to read that are currently published and who knows how many expected to be released) that hasn't happened yet. What one can expect from the books are the following: Stephanie will chase after a skip and end up getting shot at/covered in some disgusting substance/fall on her face or ass, anywhere between one and six cars will be destroyed, Stephanie will have sex or make out with either Ranger or Morelli or both, her grandmother and friend Lula will shoot at somebody. And even though all the above things happen Stephanie still hasn't bothered to really learn how to defend herself which would be smart since by this point I think she's been targeted by no less than four murderers.

It just makes me wonder why authors think they need to overkill things and how authors manage to sell books even though they literally tell the exact same story over and over again. I mean come on, I have new ideas! I have fresh ideas! Can I be published maybe?

Book Challenge Entry One: Best Book of the Year

Personally I think that reading and writing go hand in hand. One cannot be a good writer if they do not read. So when I randomly stumbled across a Book Challenge issued specifically for blog writers I decided that I would give that a try. But I know myself well enough to know that I have too many things going on to post something on this blog everyday for a month so instead of doing that I am just going to post sporadically, once a week or more. Each post will be the answer to a prompt of sorts about book dislikes, likes, etc. And I've picked the prompts from a variety of different lists I found online so here goes.

Entry Two Prompt: The best book you've read in the last 12 months.

My answer: Alienated by Melissa Landers

Alienated was one of the first books that I received via NetGalley, a website that will allow you to request advanced copies of certain books in exchange for an honest review. And although it was really nice to get a free copy, that in no way affected why it's the best book I've read in the past year. Not only did I absolutely LOVE the storyline and characters but it's also really cool because Alienated started out as a National Novel Writing Month entry and because Melissa Landers is from Ohio (and in case you did not know that intrigues me because I have written several entries for National Novel Writing Month and I'm also from Ohio).

Now, since I already have one written up, I'll add my lovely review of the story right here even though you can also find it on my book review blog because I add it right here you won't have to follow silly links or anything. And just as a note, I wrote the review in such a hurry (I was just that happy with the book) that I'm not entirely sure I spelled some things right because some of the names were tricky. I apologize.

Alienated is the story of Cara, a human teenage girl, and Aeylx, an alien, and their involvement in the first every exchange program between the humans and the genetically similar L’ehirs. This novel had it all! Lively characters that jumped out of the pages/Kindle screen, conflict, and romance!

When Alienated starts Cara is being offered an incredible chance to be one of the first ever humans to host a L’ehir exchange student, and then to travel to L’ehir to be an exchange student and then at the end she’d get a scholarship for any college or university who’ll accept her. Sounds like an awesome opportunity, right? But Cara has more to worry about then how much she might miss her friends and family if she goes to another planet for a year of school. She has to worry that she might lose her friends when she’s still on Earth since there are so many people that are against any contact with the L’ehir’s. A brief look into Aeylx’s life shows that he and his fellow foreign exchange students want even less to do with the humans than the humans want with them.

But then, after spending months practically glued to each other’s sides (one of the rules they were given) and prosecution from Cara’s schoolmates, Cara and Aelyx’s relationship changes. That changes everything and even when the humans start treating the L’ehir’s horribly (a move that very well might bite them in the butt later on) they stick together in the cutest way. For the rest you’ll have to read for yourself (a move that I will very much encourage!)

I very much loved the characterization of all the characters, even the secondary ones were fleshed out and so lively that I was surprised to see that Alienated was the first novel by Melissa Landers. Although we humans haven’t made contact with life from other planets (at least not as far as I’m aware) I thought the depictions of how the two species interacted were very believable. How some characters were willing right off the bat to keep an open mind while others learned, like Cara and Aelyx learned how compatible they really were, how some were fanatically pro-L’ehir while others behaved as though the very idea of peace between the two planets would be a death sentence for everyone.

And because of all of the above I am very much looking forward to the second installment in this series and I’m sad that it won’t be coming out for another year!

A Few Changes

Not that I'm certain I have any avid followers but I thought I should address the change for those of you who have read the few entries from when this blog was called "Tweeting Fanfiction." So here goes. Anyone who read the original blog knows that it stemmed from an idea of an experiment to see if creating a blog and a faux Twitter account would help my fanfiction reader count. But it all became too much.

Trying to maintain that fake Twitter account and keep it up to date so I could post a new fanfiction each week was hard enough (there were too many questions I kept asking myself...should I update it in real time or all at once, etc.) and I was actually on the verge of deleting the PanemHermione Twitter account just a few minutes ago. Then I logged on and found that a few people were actually following the account to learn more about the fanfiction, even Tweeting at me about enjoying the story, so I did not. But trying to do all of the above and then translate it all over here into a blog like I had originally planned was just too much.

(Has this every happened to you? You've gotten this idea and then it becomes bigger and bigger and it could have been amazing but now it's too big and out of control and you can't handle it anymore?"

So instead this has become the place where I will write and complain about anything writing related be it writing fanfiction, novels, editing, or the hassles of finding an agent or publisher (though I haven't done the last thing I know I'll get around to it eventually).

But if you are interested in the Harry Potter/Hunger Games fanfiction mentioned in earlier posts the story is currently about halfway through its postings and can be found over at fanfiction.net.

My fanfiction author profile: https://www.fanfiction.net/~leprechaunsfairy

The First Annual Tweeting Fanfiction Experiment Has Begun

You remember how way back when at the beginning of the year I promised you all an interesting look at how one can link various forms of social media to create a story? Well it’s about that time and as a lovely Easter gift to anyone who is paying attention to this blog, my PanemHermione Twitter account, or my fanfiction.net alter ego today is the official start to my TwitterFiction/fanfiction/blog experiment!

I have completed my fanfiction story, a crossover between the worlds of Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, and will start posting full chapters under my fanfiction penname, Leprechaun'sFairy, within the next few weeks. I of course need to do some extensive editing (since I’ll have to not only just check my spelling and word choice but also fact check information from both the Harry Potter world as well as the Hunger Games world) and then the posting can begin!

In the meantime I’m going to start Tweeting from the perspective of Hermione Granger, a Harry Potter character who through the course of my story, gets stuck in the world of Panem from the Hunger Games. Originally I had planned on having the story, basically word for word and line by line, appear first as Tweets and then shifted over to fanfiction.net to see how many more people I can reach with the use of the two websites (three if you also include the blog).

But now I’m going to do it a bit differently and although in my story Hermione won’t actually be shown sending out Tweets (she will have a phone and technically be capable of it) but my Twitter account for her will be the Tweets she may have sent out during her adventures if she had chosen to do so. So while the fanfiction story and the Twitter account will both follow the same story most lines from the Twitter account won’t directly be in the full story. I will however, compile all the Tweets here and let you know when I update the fanfiction account.

Twitter Handle: Hermione Granger @PanemHermione
 https://twitter.com/PanemHermione

Fanfiction Profile: Leprechaun's Fairy
https://www.fanfiction.net/~leprechaunsfairy

Twitter Fiction Update 3/3/14

So a few things have changed since my last post and I'm afraid that I'm going to have to delay the start of my Twitter Fiction experiment until at least April if not later. Since I was denied my request to *officially* partake in the Twitter Fiction Festival I think it matters little exactly when I start posting as long as I do it eventually.

Now the causes for the delay are varied. First of all when I write fanfiction I always have most, if not all of it, done before I start posting chapters online. My reasons are twofold:

1- I really don't want to start a story and then lose my steam halfway through for my benefit and the readers. I know how much it sucks when you're loving a story and the author never bothers to finish it or takes years to do so. Not that I'm assuming I have a huge fanbase but I have had a few nice reviews.

2- I'm far more used to writing novels than I am short stories. Even if I plan for a short story or a one shot it never turns out that way. And, for me, that means that plot points can change and making something that happened earlier in the story null and void which is why I want to have it all written before I start posting. (I give major kudos out to fanfiction writers who can post chapters as they're writing and keep everything cohesive.)

And because I've been working extra hours and I spent most of February editing the novel I submitted to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest I didn't really get a chance to work on my Hunger Games/Harry Potter crossover fanfiction. But I will post here when I finally get the ball rolling on this Twitter, fanfiction, blog experiment thing I have planned out.

Further Information

When I looked over the suggestions for the Twitter Fiction Festival I saw the emphasis on new and innovative ways to use social media, which is what sparked the idea that I’ll put into motion either during the Festival in March if I’m approved or before if I get denied. So here’s a little more information about my idea than what I posted about in my introduction.

The idea I came up with is to combine Twitter, this blog, and my Fanfiction.net account to kind of experiment with what people prefer (short bursts of information like on Twitter or more drawn out paragraphs like what I’ll showcase in my fanfiction stories.) I can see how well it pans out based on how many likes, retweets, and follows on Twitter and how many more page views I get on my fanfiction account.

Like I explained earlier the setup for the story is that Hermione Granger from the world of Harry Potter somehow ends up in Panem, the world of the Hunger Games. Her wand is confiscated but she doesn’t want to expose her magic until she knows exactly how to get home. What does work is her smart phone and it will still connect to Panem’s Internet thought it won’t work as an actual phone. That means she cannot call anyone from her world but she is able to Tweet about her experiences until she figures out the best way to get home. Things become especially difficult when the 74^th Hunger Games are announced and Hermione becomes in a way she never could have imagined.

How I plan to go about everything is simple but also ridiculously complicated at the same time. I’ll craft Tweets that “Hermione” (my Twitter alter-ego PanemHermione) will be sending out. At that point I may or not answer questions or take suggestions from any followers, depending on if they can be answered in character or fit into the basic plotline I’m aiming for. After a certain amount of Tweets I’ll consolidate them on this blog so that if anyone catches a random Tweet and wants to catch up in an easier way they can. These Tweets will create a basic outline with all the important bits of the story but it won’t be fleshed out until later when I create a more descriptive fanfiction.

It’s still up into the air as to whether I’ll write and update the fanfiction while Hermione is sending new Tweets or whether I’ll do all the Tweeting and then post the fanfiction after all the Tweets are done. That will all depend on how big this project becomes once I officially start.

The Gist of This

I specialize in fantasy fiction for the young adult and I have six novels in various stages of completion. One is about 93% done (I'm just afraid to ask someone else to proofread it for me) four of them are just rough drafts and the most recent is about five pages of outlining.

My only drawback is that I have a tendency to finish writing something and want to start writing something else instead of editing the first. Plus I'm afraid to show my novels to other people because, like many, I fear rejection. So my hopes are that writing shorter fanfiction pieces means I can still use my writing talents, and get reviews/critiques of my writing along the way, but I will also have time to edit those novels on the back burners. It is by no means easy to craft a truly awesome work of fanfiction but at least someone else has done all the world building for me. I just get to play with their characters.

So reads my FanFiction.net author profile where I've posted several stories. But what I want to do here is different and inspired by the Twitter Fiction Festival which I submitted an idea for though I think I'm overreaching and will need more than the five days the festival takes place over.

My idea: Create a Twitter persona, update her statuses in an almost novel like form, consolidate them here on this blog, and then create a huge fanfiction story about it back at fanfiction.net.

The story: Hermione Granger falls asleep in the Hogwarts library. When she wakes up she's in District 3 in Panem, just weeks before the 74th Hunger Games.

Twitter Handle: Hermione Granger @PanemHermione
 https://twitter.com/PanemHermione

Fanfiction Profile: Leprechaun's Fairy
https://www.fanfiction.net/~leprechaunsfairy