how do you write like you're running out of time?

So this is a little different to what I normally post, but it’s for a Twitter challenge called Pitch Wars, where you can submit your manuscript to an experienced writer/agent/editor for mentoring! (if that sounds like something you’re interested in you should totally check it out!)

my twitter [< link here!!!] is @/bookiemonster14 if you wanna check it out!

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT DOING PITCH WARS THIS YEAR. I thought that I might do it back when I finished Draft 3 of my MS, which I will be calling FIREBOOK on this post, but then I got a million ideas for Draft 4 and also I’m starting uni in September and I’m JUST SO BUSY so this is just to make friends!

So, without further ado. . .

ABOUT MY MANUSCRIPT - formal

In an alternate London, a date on your arm reveals the day you will die. Most think this is thanks to destiny, but in truth a group of state-sponsored assassins called the Fates collect these dates then kill the owner when it comes around.

Ezra is a death-fearing teenager and brother to Verity Vynson, the leader of the Fates. He knows too much about the Fates, and his cowardice paralyses him into accepting their murderous ways - until he falls in love with one of his targets.

“People like us, we live life with no strings attached. If you do make any knots, you have to cut the rope yourself, no matter how painful it is to watch the other person fall.”

 ABOUT MY MANUSCRIPT - informal

4th draft M/M speculative fiction, V For Vendetta meets They Both Die At The End

It features. . .

a Slytherin protagonist!

a (named) bi protagonist!

an emotionally repressed protagonist!

(it’s not just me i promise)

a conceptual twist on the “assassin falls in love w. target” trope

lots and lots of moral ambiguity

a story that focuses on choosing to live against all odds

people being set on fire

a dysfunctional family

me viciously retconning homophobia out of the church

a kind of old England on fire aesthetic

the main character developing and understanding PTSD

is safe captivity better than uncertain liberty?

Characters:

EZRA VYNSON. Reluctant government worker who quashes his doubts about the Fates in favour of keeping his head down and doing what has to be done. The greater good is not a concept he understands. Here is a thing he wants: to stay out of trouble. Here is a thing he fears: death or discovery – he’s not sure which one terrifies him more.

JUDE LYONS. Devoted to church and not much else, though that’s because he won’t live long enough for other things to be worthwhile. Here is a thing he wants: meaning. Here is a thing he fears: that life holds none of it.

VERITY VYNSON. Ezra’s sister and highest ranking member of the Fates. Only knows loyalty from her head; her heart stays cold and tieless. The definition of lawful evil. Here is a thing she wants: to do what needs to be done. Here is a thing she fears: failing at her own role in the game.

and more!

Inspiration for FIREBOOK. . .

a buzzfeed quiz lmao

the great library series by rachel caine

reece king’s face (aka my no1 ezra fc!)

the entire black parade album

buzzcut season by lorde

ABOUT ME

hi i’m an awkward 18 year old who loves food & cats & adam parrish

the only straight i am is straight-up annoying

i’m a mancunian and very very proud of it

it’s physically impossible for me to write an unproblematic protagonist

i’m studying english language and politics at university in september!

somehow i’ve become obsessed with love island over this summer

i’m mildly synesthetic

This is a bit late but I’ve been wanting to name my top books of 2018 so far! The start of the year was a bit flat in terms of enjoyment of books but since maybe June everything I’ve read has been at least four stars, with a bunch of recent reads that have just left me BREATHLESS!

So without further ado, here are my top 5 reads of 2018 so far.

Honourable Mentions:

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

The One Memory Of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

What Happened by Hillary Clinton

5. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

This book was magical. I read it just after Christmas and it just extended that festive vibe, even if some of the stories were so brilliantly creepy. I’m a slut for retellings in general, and so many of them are so vivid: the Little Red Riding Hood, the Little Mermaid, but especially the Nutcracker. Wow. (And also the illustrations helped!)

4. Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Reading Starfish was a punch in the gut because every four seconds I had to pause and yell at how relatable it was while trying not to cry. I had the good fortune to meet Akemi Dawn Bowman just before I read this book and it was every bit as heartwrenching as she described it.

3. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

I finished this in three sittings and I Cannot Stop Thinking About It. The vibe was so deliciously dark and twisty, the Shakespeare metaphors were brilliant, the melodrama of the characters fit the setting, the PLOT TWISTS HAD ME YELLING, the Thing happened that I’d kind of guessed but didn’t think the author would have the balls to do and then she DID, and it just leaves you hungry for more when you finish.

2. Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine

If you haven’t read the Ink & Bone series get on it Right Now. This was the best installment so far which I’ve said for every book that’s come out yet. I loved the different POVs and the squads that formed, the plot twists and the danger and the worldbuilding as always was so lush, I loved how the politics of the world were more explored, and I can’t wait for the last book!

1. I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

the boys of the ark 

(jimmy, rowan, lister)

now that i have time on my hands i can once again begin to tit around on photoshop and today an edit for i was born for this by @chronicintrovert ended up coming out. it’s kind of meant to be a marketing campaign for their single but i just wanted to do wings with it

Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin. But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave. 

4.5/5 Stars

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

It was so grounded, so emotional, so raw and real.

Every character felt like a feasible person, every relationship felt genuine.

Kiko’s insecurities were beautifully written, as were her flaws and her development - her growth in strength to break away from her mother. I really loved seeing the whole “I need you” thing with Jamie and how that was recognised as unhealthy, because propping up your existence on one person is never good in a relationship.

The character of Kiko’s mum was so well-done as well - it could have easily been so messy, but the abuse was always subtle and insidious in a way that made you barely realise it was happening. I recognised aspects of her behaviour in people who have come in and out of my life, especially in the quote from the book “Those who get too close eventually figure her out.”

Another thing I think was super well-done was Kiko’s mum’s casual dismissal of Kiko’s Japanese heritage. What with the divorce and everything and her mum’s bitching about her dad (as someone who’s in a divorced family whose parents can still speak civilly, I still picked up undertones of my experience in that), I think her mum’s general blatant disrespect for everything that was a part of her daughter was just perfectly seen through things like laughing at her brother for learning Japanese and everything.

I actually liked the romance!!!! That’s honestly a modern miracle for me as I am so picky with romance I actually like but Jamie & Kiko didn’t annoy me? I liked them together? Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t swooning, but this wasn’t one of those books where that’s needed.

In fact, I think my favourite thing was how Kiko learned that she couldn’t just rely on someone to survive, she has to learn to do it for herself, because that’s my FAVOURITE THING

And all the description of the art school stuff was a really nice addition. Maybe some of the chapter endings with the art descriptions were a little contrived, but yknow what I can let that go.

For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare. Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

5/5 stars

Where do I start? Where do I bloody start?

Okay, so the highlight of this book was far and away the characters. Every. Single. One. made me cry at some point or another. Angel and her obsession over the band! Jimmy and his anxiety and his confusion! Lister and his ISSUES! Bliss and her need to stay away from the spotlight! Rowan and his protectiveness! Jesus, even Jimmy’s grandad was like my favourite character too! Every character was well-thought out, flawed yet still completely likeable.

The world of The Ark was built brilliantly as well, with every interaction between the fans, the boys, the managers, the press realistic. As a former (who are we fucking kidding) Directioner, it parallelled the absolute hysteria seen in like 2011-2015 around One Direction and the probable damage it had on the boys. I really liked the inclusion of a point of view from Jimmy, too, to give a window into the band and to actually show that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Ngl, I did think that some of them (particularly Rowan), were a bit ungrateful especially towards the end, but it was 100% understandable and didn’t detract from their reality as characters.

I LOVED HOW THERE WAS NO ROMANCE!!!!!!!!! (Well, mostly.) Like, it was with the side characters, but I loved how that wasn’t an integral part of the plot (despite the Jowan rumours, which I loved as it showed how destructive they were to the real-life people that are shipped cough cough LARRY STYLINSON).

I also loved the way that Angel and Jimmy’s - well, is even a friendship? I don’t know, it kind of feels like two lives that were meant to cross then move apart again. It felt kind of soulmatey, but not if that makes sense. Like they were destined to meet. Anyway, that whole scene in the O2 bathroom was just impeccably crafted and I bloody loved it.

Another thing was how easily diverse her worlds are. I read that she did numerous sensitivity readers & research in order to represent the lives of a Muslim girl and a trans biracial man, and it came through brilliantly. One thing that really sprung out at me was that she (I’m assuming deliberately) never deadnamed Jimmy, which was.....probably the first time I’ve ever read that in a book with a trans character? And the reaction from the boys with the **are you just the 2k18 over-diverse band** twatty interviewer was ME AS HELL. I also love how just everyone was gay because I’m predictable af.

Also........the ending. THE ENDING. Jesus I’ve never been so stressed reading a book in my entire life. I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A CHEKOV’S KNIFE SITUATION DAMN YOU ALICE OSEMAN. But yeah, that whole scene at his grandad’s place was beautiful and painful and amazing and for some reason the fact that it was raining stood out to me and made it even more dramatic? My one tiny problem was that I felt like it wrapped up a bit too quickly, but that’s really such a minor thing that it didn’t impact at all on the easiest 5* book of 2018 so far.