The Creative Process

It's been a while since I've talked about my favorite subject: writing. Sometimes I feel like my blog is the only place where I can really talk about it; unfortunately I have failed so far in surrounding myself with other people who write. Some of my friends ask about it every once in a while, but I tend to stop myself from talking after a while. Otherwise I will not shut up. Ever. 

The creative process is an interesting thing, and different for every person. What works for one writer, might not work for another, that's a given. Some like listening to music while they write, and speaking of that, make sure to check out this post by Kami McArthur. And listen to that playlist. Uh-mazing! 

Some write and write and write, and then rewrite everything. Nothing is ever good enough.

Some let their friends read their work as soon as one chapter is ready, and some never show their work to anyone. 

Most of us have a wide range of emotions and feelings when it comes to our work. I am loving, hating, liking, and resenting my writing. Sometimes all at once. It can be frustrating, but in the end, when I write something I don't want to erase, it's worth all of it. 

Tästä onkin aikaa, kun olen viimeksi puhunut lempiaiheestani: kirjoittamisesta. Joskus tuntuu, että tämä blogi on ainoa paikka missä voin puhua siitä; valitettavasti olen epäonnistunut haalimaan ympärilleni ihmisiä, jotka myös kirjoittavat. Jotkut ystävistäni kysyvät aiheesta silloin tällöin, mutta yleensä estän itseäni puhumasta liikaa. Muuten suutani ei saisi tukkoon. Ikinä. 

Luomisen prosessi on mielenkiintoinen asia, ja erilainen jokaisella. On selvää, että yhden kirjailijan keinot eivät välttämättä toimi toisella. Jotkut haluavat kuunnella musiikkia kirjoittaessaan, ja kun nyt siitä puhutaan, niin lukaiskaapa tämä postaus, jonka on kirjoittanut Kami McArthur. Ja kuunnelkaa se soittolista. Aivan mahtava!

Jotkut kirjoittavat ja kirjoittavat, ja sitten kirjoittavat saman uudestaan. Mikään ei ikinä riitä. 

Jotkut antavat ystäviensä lukea tekeleitään heti, kun yksi kappale on valmis, toiset taas eivät koskaan näytä töitään muille. 

Useimmat meistä kokevat laajan skaalan tunteita kirjoittamisesta. Minä rakastan, vihaan, pidän ja halveksun omia raapustuksiani. Joskus tunnen tätä kaikkea samaan aikaan. Se voi olla hyvin turhauttavaa, mutta loppujen lopuksi, kun saan aikaiseksi jotain, mitä en halua pyyhkiä, se on kaiken arvoista. 

Nothing Is Happening

So far April has been kinda slow on the blog front, sorry about that. I've been studying, hanging out, and unfortunately I've also been suffering from some sort of a writer's block. Both with the blog and with my novel. It sucks, but who said life was perfect?

I finally got to put in a request for my summer vacation dates. I have a full 4-week vacation ahead of me this summer, and if all goes as planned, I get to have all those weeks together in a binge and start sometime in July. And naturally, I have some traveling planned ;) Can't wait to share with you guys, but it'll have to wait until the end of May/the beginning of June. At the moment even I don't know for sure what my destination will be. 

What else.. Did any of you lose Instagram followers due to the new update? I lost 91... and flipped until I realized it was for the best of course :D but still.. 209 looked a lot better than 118. 

Aaaaand... yeah, I told you April has been slow. There hasn't really been any significant changes or events in my life within the past couple of weeks, and that has drained my urge to blog a little. I do want to let you know that until next Wednesday I will be busier than usual, because I have to study for the entrance exams, but after the 23rd my life will get back to being pretty care-free and I can focus more on you guys :) 

Sorry for the boring post, but I had to write something. I hope your week will be smashing and I will get back to you asap! Love you! 

To Write.

I just realized I haven't talked to you guys about writing in a loo-ooong time! Boo! On the other hand, it's impressive how long I've been able to keep my mouth shut about my favorite subject. 

Usually, when I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. If I'm not consumed by my own issues, I'm trying to solve my characters issues. The worlds and people I've created in my head take up a lot of room in my life, and I think that's how it should be for anyone who wants to be a serious writer and make a living out of writing. 

I also think sometimes it's good to know how to let go for a while.

Within the past month or so I've been stressing about work a lot, and let me tell you, my work isn't exactly the kind that's worth stressing about. It's not something I have to take home with me, which is great. Yet, certain changes at work have really gotten under my skin and I hate the feeling. Going to work didn't used to bother me so much, now on certain days it bothers me a lot. I can't go into details on this one, so I'm sorry for the vague description of my situation. Just know that I am planning on switching jobs after summer. Why not now? Because I have a full vacation of four weeks ahead of me, and if I quit now, I won't have any vacation at all (unless I'd be completely unemployed, lol).

Man, I wish I had a pink typewriter.

Anyway, my point in telling you all that is that due to stress and all my writing has suffered. My constant thinking of writing has suffered and I need to get back on track. I'm glad to notice that I have gradually started to ponder about my novel on a daily basis again, and now I just need to get back into the writing mode. Any tips? 

Well, motivation isn't the issue anymore. I'm thrilled to get back in business! :)

Have a jolly weekend, everyone!

Seriously, that typewriter, though...

Blogger Tag

Is it too much if I do one tag per week from now on? I don't really keep track on how much other bloggers post tags, but I love them and think they add something fun to any blog. I don't know if I'll be doing more of them, but here's another one for ya! :)

1. What is your dream vacation?

Well.. y'all know how much I love to travel :) For me a dream vacation includes good company, new and exciting places to see, new experiences, relaxing and preferably a nice, warm weather. It's not always about the location. One can have a shitty vacay in Hawaii and a perfectly good one in Siberia. Not that I have experience on either, but you know what I mean ;)

2. Are you spontaneous or do you like to plan ahead?

I'm a bit of both, but mostly I do like to plan. I hate it when plans change at the last minute, but sometimes I'm the one who makes the last minute change. So go figure. 

3. Tell us one thing you want to do, but don't dare to do it.

Getting a tattoo. It's something I've been thinking about for a very long time but haven't had the guts (or the money) to do it. Maybe some day I will. 

4. What's your biggest phobia?

Well, I only have one phobia. I am insanely afraid of heights. 

5. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you want with you? (Not your laptop or family)

Can I pick my phone? If not then a thick notebook with empty pages, a stack of pens and a camera. 

6. Name three things in your life that you are thankful for.

My mother, the internet which allows me to share my life with you all, and having experienced a lot in my 24 years. 

7. What was your nick name in High School?

I don't know. I hope I didn't have one. Toward the end of high school I was pretty invisible, so I think people just knew me by my first name. 

8. If you could meet the President of the United States, what would you say to him?

I think I'm supposed to come up with something incredibly profound to say to him, but honestly, I would just ask him to arrange it so that I could get a green card and move to the States. Pretty please with a cherry on top? :)

9. If you could be any literary character, who would you be?

Elizabeth Bennet, Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen, Lena Morgan… The list goes on and on. 

10. What is your favorite quote?

Right now, it's: "It's hard to wait around for something you know might never happen, but it's harder to give up when you know it's everything you want." by unknown. But right now, this hits me. 

As always, consider yourself tagged! Have fun :)

Blog Transformation - Monthly Themes!

I have been thinking about new ways to improve this blog. I feel like it's about time I put more effort into this, because lately I've just been lacking motivation. What does it mean, when something you love isn't appealing? I hate that. I mean, I want to blog, but the amount of ideas: zero. So, I started brainstorming, and came up with something I think will bring more life to this little blog of mine, and hopefully will motivate me more, as well.

Monthly Themes!

I know, not exactly groundbreaking, and a lot of bloggers are doing this, BUT, I think it's an awesome idea, and will create a nice flow to a blog. I'm looking for continuity, and I think it will help me blog more regularly and hopefully more people will find my blog and subscribe! :)

I will announce the themes either in the beginning of each month or a few days before. I will focus roughly half of my posts around the theme of the month, because I don't wanna wear you guys out by writing only about one thing a month. 

Since it's the end of January, I want to announce the theme of next month! Ready?

*Feel Good February*

I hope you guys are as excited about this as I am!! Let me know in the comment section what you think, and pitch any ideas that pop into your head! :) Can't wait to get this thing started!

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

xxo,

iira

TAG: 15 Things You Don't Know About Me

Sometimes, no matter how much I want to blog and tell you guys stuff, it's just not coming out of me. I can't tell you how many posts I've started and then abandoned in the last couple of weeks. Well.. I don't know what happened :D writer's block? Laziness? Confusion about… everything? Life itself. Maybe.

But I want to blog about something. So, people, it's time for a TAG!

I love tags and have posted them, some much alike this one, but in this tag I'm not just going to be listing 15 random things about me. I'm going to try and find 15 things you don't know about me; things I'm not talking about in this blog. Ready? Let's go ;)

1. I broke my left wrist when I was seven.

2. I got glasses maybe… um.. four years ago? :D And I loved the fact that I had to get glasses. Mostly for reading, but I wore them all the time. And now I never do. I should, but I don't know. Maybe I'm feeling a little rebellious now. 

3. I have a bad habit of tearing my nails. I don't bite them, ever (ew, I don't get it!). Sometimes I let my nails grow and I actually love wearing nail polish, but can't that often (not allowed to wear it at work). And when my nails are long, I'm super aware of them all the time, and can't help but tear them short again at some point. 

4. I work at a hamburger restaurant and I'm a shift manager.

5. I watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians. I don't know why… I kinda like it!

6. When I drive alone, I sing a lot. But I never sing in the shower, I find it weird. 

7. I don't know how to make coffee. I really don't… It always turns out way too strong. I don't know how to make drinkable coffee!

8. I am crazy about jalapeños. 

9. I cry very easily.

10. I never played with actual dolls when I was a kid, I didn't like them. But Barbie dolls are different, and I played with them until I was eleven. 

11. I'm related to Pamela Andersson. 

12. I hate cherries in every form.

13. I would love to wear lipstick more often, but I don't like the shape of my lips. Hail vanity..

14. I've never seen the Godfather movies.

15. If I wasn't allergic to dogs, I would get a chihuahua. They are so damn cute!

It took me about two hours to do this… making lists is hard! You try. I dare ya ;)

Sudden Inspiration

Sometimes, pretty rarely, though, I get this rush of inspiration to write, and I do so immediately (or at my earliest convenience). These rushes have resulted to one short story, written in about 2 hours, a prologue for my novel that I'm currently working on, and most recently, I wrote 162 words for the same novel; a scene that's been troubling me. Now I finally knew how to write it.

But yeah, told you it doesn't happen that often. Three times so far. Of course I have an inspiration to write every day, but now I'm talking about something stronger. An urge to write now, right now, and knowing exactly what to write, without giving it that much thought. Does that ever happen to you? It's like the words were all there in your head, and then, click, all of a sudden they rearrange themselves and everything is clear. It's kind of frustrating… Once it happens, I want it to happen again and again. But I guess if it did, there would be no magic.

I have had a very loose week, but still very little time to write. I have read a lot, though, I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. I guess I'm still a bit confused after my vacation, even though I've been home for almost two weeks. I have made a firm decision to write more, and even cut my working hours. Not by much, because a girl's gotta eat, but I will have a couple more days off from now on. Yay!

I will try to do a post about everything I got from the US sooner than later. Also, I'm working on some changes for my blog, and one of them is the layout in Blogger. I'm in the process of changing it, so don't be surprised if it's different every time you check my blog :)

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Updates on yours truly + plans for the rest of the year!

Hello, everyone. Another week has gone by and I have been swamped! Besides my job, I've been doing a lot of work at home; I got my new bed delivered and since the bed is a lot bigger than my old one, and I live in a studio apartment, I needed to improvise. I'm getting rid of one of my junk drawers, and now I have to figure out where to place all the junk. Right now it's all laid on my coffee table. I had to move all my furniture except for my couch and TV stand, and I'm very happy with the result. I still have way too much stuff, and I'm planning a major cleaning process starting in January. I wish I didn't hate cleaning so much...

The reason I'm not starting until next year, is that from now until December 18th I will be working a lot, and on December 19th I'm traveling to the States! Finally time for my summer vacation! ;) I am beyond excited and we have so much fun things planned! I will definitely take a lot of pictures and share my vacation with you guys, and I will also do some filming! Yay:) Talking about filming, sorry for the lack of videos since my very first one.. I'm not even going to explain what happened when I filmed a new video, so yeah, it will be a little while until I have something new for you! 

Getting a new bed and having to move stuff around the apartment has a lot of perks to it. Not only do I have a fabulous new bed (it really is amazing. I'm so happy I want to cry), and a new look to my place all together, but also a new, more inspiring environment. I feel like lately I've been lacking some inspiration... Writing hasn't come so easily, but I've been working on my stories in my head, which (as you may have read on this blog before) can sometimes be very exhausting mentally. I'm so bad at taking notes, and I lost a few nights worth of sleep because I had way too much stuff to think about. So for now, I'm taking a conscious break from working on my novel, and just focusing on other things. I will still write every day, but I am not exaggerating when I say I'm in serious need of a vacation. Three more weeks, you guys...

Do share, if the mental exhaustion sometimes gets you, too. And please let me know, if you have any tips! Hope y'all are having a good week so far! :)

-iira

Excuses

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I make up the most ridiculous excuses not to write, which is insane, because I love writing and I want to turn it from a hobby into a career.

I don't worry about people not liking my stories; that's inevitable. There will always be people who don't like you or your work, and writing is something one shouldn't do without acknowledging that fact. It's impossible to please everybody, which is why it's very important to write about something that you love, about something that makes you happy. Whether it's about vampires or wizards, just make it unique. Try to bring out something new to the subject.

Sometimes it's just not easy, and I'm sure I'm not alone when it comes to making excuses. Here are some pearls from yours truly:

*I'm scared that people will find my stories stupid and wonder: "why would this person write something like this?", but instead of really criticizing the stories, people criticize me. (Now, this one falls under the category I just talked about; how it's inevitable there will be people who don't like you. Still, the fear is there.)

*I have this great image of the story in my head. If I put on paper, I will just ruin it. 

*What if I write a book that's really great (in my own and my family & friends' opinion), but it never gets published? 

I know, right? These just happen to be things that I sometimes let myself ponder, even though I shouldn't. I should focus on the good things, positive feed-back and the fact that this is something I love to do -eventually I will make it. 

What are your biggest fears when it comes to writing and sharing your work? 

What now

The fall is my favorite time of the year. It's when the weather cools down; it's not too hot and not too cold. It's perfect. Trees turn yellow, orange and red. It's a time for change, for new and exciting things. Or at least it used to be.

 

This fall I have nothing to look forward to, except for my pay day so that I can go and have my hair done. Last fall I traveled to Portland for three months. Two years ago I quit school and faced the exciting reality of a working girl. This fall I'm staying put. Same job, same everything. I think the fact that there's really nothing going on has killed my creativity. 

I feel powerless. What used to be my passion isn't natural to me now. Writing. Creating. Art. My life is too boring now. Some say it's a good thing, but I really do wish there was more action in my life. I would have more to tell you. But I guess writing about not being able to write like I used to is better than nothing? At least I'm writing. 

I wish it was December already. In December I get to step on a plane and visit my other home. 

Until then... I think I'll book that hair appointment first thing on Monday. 

Later, lovelies :)