I'm Writing A Musical?!

Yep. It's official! I'm currently in the second-draft process of writing a—you guessed it—musical based on my all-time favorite book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Perhaps this is of zero interest to you, but maybe some of you want to know a little more. I'll try to keep this post as brief as possible, but I am admittedly extremely excited to share every detail about this project into which I have put so much time and effort.

First off, I'd like to mention that I am in no way associated with TheatreWorks or their Lightning Thief Musical that is opening in New York this summer. I began work on my musical months prior to its announcement, and mine is quite different in content. I am also in no way endorsed by Rick Riordan or his publisher or any of that (unfortunately). Okay, moving on.

In early 2016, about one year ago, I was assigned by my English teacher (hi, Mom) to write a scene from a book or movie in Shakespearian style. Of course, I chose a scene from a Percy Jackson book, and while writing it, I was suddenly struck with an idea—imagine Percy Jackson as a stage performance.

My first thought: That would be crazy. There are five books, ten if you count the second series. It would be, like, twelve hours long. My second: Eh, who cares. I'm gonna try.

So I gave it a shot—four, in fact. The first attempt was quite terrible. I decided to go with a musical drama—minimal song and dance, though, mostly dialogue. I tried to sum up the entirety of the first series in a single monologue and then dive right into the second. The plan was to show only the most important scenes from each of the five books, barely touching upon the characters themselves and focusing mainly on the plot. The idea was, in short, awful, and it was rightfully trashed after eight days and eleven pages.

Fast forward two months, and I've returned to the drawing board. I decided that this time I wouldn't take the story so seriously and attempted to make a humorous, AVPM-esque parody musical. It might've turned out well if I had put some effort into it, but the problem is I don't do silly very well. I can incorporate jokes and comic relief into my work, but writing straight-up comedy is not my forte. This one also lasted only about a week.

My next idea was to ditch the whole musical aspect entirely and just write a play. Then I narrowed it down even further to just the first book, The Lightning Thief. I spent two hot summer days simmering away in my attic bedroom, transcribing the book into a play format, and then gave up. At the time, I figured that was it. Maybe someday I'd return to this ridiculous project.

It wasn't until late September that I analyzed my thought processes for these failed ideas in an attempt to figure out what I was doing wrong, and I realized fairly quickly that I was focusing too much on plot.

To me, Riordan's characters have always been the most important and memorable aspects of his books. His characters are seriously like children to me—just ask my friends. I discovered then that I was putting way too much effort into making the plot of this stage adaptation exactly the same as that of the original stories, and that I was ignoring the best part, the part that means the most to me.

Here's something I've realized while writing this, my novel, and many other things—I am much better at creating and developing characters than plot. Therefore, for my next try at this Percy Jackson stage show, I decided to showcase my strengths instead of relying on my weaknesses.

It's not really a show for the average Percy Jackson fan. It's not a kids' show. It's something that is built on everything I love about the books, which themes I believe are the most meaningful. I played with each characters' strengths, weaknesses, relationships, and desires, and crafted a mainly character-driven plot that is a very simplified but still complex version of the original story. I decided to focus mainly on the first five-book series, but I tied in a few of my favorite aspects of the second one. Choosing what to include and what to skim over made for some seriously tough decisions, but I am extremely pleased with the outcome.

Despite everything I had to cut, the show's estimated running time is still close to two and a half hours. I have written over twenty original songs (just lyrics, vocals, and chords so far), and a completed rough draft of a one hundred and twelve-page script. Is it done? No. Is it almost done? Not even close. When will it be done? Who knows. I still have so much work to do and so many decisions to make. All I can tell you right now is that I really like it, and I hope you will, too.

There are no definite plans for the future of this project just yet. I would love to have an actual cast, set, costumes, orchestra, and performances before I go off to college, but that would involve quite a bit of time and money that I just don't have. It's still possible, though, and would be the most amazing dream come true.

For now, I'm just going to keep chugging along, refining and tweaking to bring this crazy project as close to perfection as I possibly can. I'll let its future be determined when it arrives.

So, what do you think? If you like Percy Jackson, or even if you just like musicals, and would be interested in getting involved, let me know. If I want this to really become anything at all, I'm going to need quite a lot of help. Also let me know if you would perhaps like to see a blog post going into more detail about the musical itself—I'd be happy to ramble on for hours.

And if you've read this far, thank you. It's my love for writing and others' love for reading that inspires me to do crazy stuff like this.

January and February Reads

Bimonthly shelf updates? I'm going to try.

During these past two months, most of what I've read has been for some class or another, but I've still enjoyed just about all of it. I see assigned reading not as a tedious requirement, but as an open door to discover new authors and stories that I normally wouldn't have picked up on my own. Because of the classes I'm taking this semester, the majority of this January/February list is plays and short stories, but it has quite a bit of variety.

Highly-recommended pieces are in bold:

• Wonders of the Invisible World (Christopher Barzak, 2015)
• "The Story of an Hour" (Kate Chopin, 1894)
• "Clothes" (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, 1995)
• "Killings" (Andre Dubus, 1979)
• "A Rose for Emily" (William Faulkner, 1930)
• "Love in L.A." (Dagoberto Gilb, 1993)
• "Soldier's Home" (Ernest Hemingway, 1925)
• "Hill's Like White Elephants" (Ernest Hemingway, 1927)
• A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen, 1879)
• "The Cranes" (Peter Meinke, 1987)
• "Three Girls" (Joyce Carol Oates, 2004)
• "The Cask of Amontillado" (Edgar Allan Poe, 1846)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare, 1600)
• Antigone (Sophocles, 441 B.C.)
• "Mines" (Susan Straight, 2003)
• "A & P" (John Updike, 1961)

To read/finish for March/April:

• More Than This (Patrick Ness)
• Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly)
• The Outsiders (S. E. Hilton)

Five Things I've Learned While Writing My First Novel

For the last eleven months, I have been working on a novel. I’ve been calling it my first, but the truth is, it’s more like a fifth or sixth. Many times, especially in the past three years, I have attempted to write a book. Each ended the same way—pushed aside “for later” and then eventually abandoned altogether. This time, though, I forced myself to the finish line. I’m taking a short break to clear my head, and then it will be finally time to embark on the lovely journey of editing (also known as: tearing my writing to pieces, shoving it through a thousand filters, and seeing what’s left at the end).

Throughout this process, I’ve learned quite a bit, and though I’m by far from being an expert, I thought I’d share some of that knowledge. I present to you the five things I’ve learned while writing my first novel.

It’s not going to turn out like how you originally plan. Before I started this novel, I had two ideas—two completely separate ideas that had nothing to do with each other, and each only one sentence long. I decided at one point, “hey, I’m never going to get around to writing both of these, and they’re too simple,” and so I fused them together. If you read those two sentences and then the completed book, though, you might see a tiny bit of resemblance, but in truth they are only minor features now that barely matter to the story anymore. As I progressed, I added more and more detail to my plan, but those details were always appearing, evolving, or being scrapped altogether. I never stuck to much of a real outline—the story just happened on its own. I was pretty scared of letting go of the reins, as someone who rigidly plans out every aspect of my life, but it worked out for the better.

It’s okay to take some time to think. My original writing plan was to write a thousand words or more every day, no excuses. This, of course, fell to ruins after day one. It was due in part to my schedule as a student—unfortunately, writing isn’t my full-time job yet—but also because of writer’s block. I would try to start the next chapter, but I wasn’t one hundred or even ninety percent sure of what I wanted to happen yet. Eventually, I decided I would use my “busy days” as time to think instead of write, time to gain inspiration from the outside world for what I could write about next. During those days, I still tried to write something—a short story, an essay for school, a poem, anything—to gain some extra practice. Writing every day is extremely important to me, even if it is work on a few separate projects.

Wait until you are finished with the first draft to go back and revise. There was a period in June when I was about halfway to where I am now with the novel, and I decided that it was probably a good idea to go back and make sure there were no huge mistakes or plot holes before I continued on with the story. Bad idea. All this did was hurt my confidence. Sure, I got some of the tedious grammar-correcting and typo-fixing out of the way, but picking apart my writing like that before it was finished made me want to quit. The story wasn’t yet going in the direction I wanted it to go, there were subplots I hadn’t tied up, the writing style I had chosen was starting to annoy me…everything seemed like it was headed for the dumps, and I didn’t feel like working on it anymore. Fortunately, it was only about thirty-five thousand words long at this point and I got through the editing fairly quickly. I realized by the end of it that no matter how awful it seemed, I had to keep going, because I still had some good ideas that I hadn’t put into play yet.

Write whatever you want. Countless times throughout this process, I have questioned many aspects of my story, saying things like “but no one puts stuff like this in a novel” or “this is too weird.” The truth is, though, anything can be in a novel. If you’ve never seen something in a book before, great. Write it. There’s a first for everything. If you think it’s weird, even better. Go for it. Staying safe is not what makes a good story. You need good characters, a good plot, and good writing—but no one is there to tell you what constitutes “good.” You have to take some risks. Make it a book that you would enjoy—you’re the first reader, after all.

Don’t quit, no matter how much you want to. The first real novel I tried to write ended after sixty pages when I realized the story was too similar to the rest of the YA genre. Instead of trying to make it different, and better, I quit. Another one, my second attempt at YA, lasted through one and a half handwritten composition books before deciding that it was too strange. In both of these cases, I had told myself that I would finish them. So, when I started this one back in February, I was terrified that it would meet the same fate. I think it was actually this fear that pushed me through, though—there were points at which I didn’t even care how it turned out; I just wanted it so badly to be finished and not trashed like everything else. 

And now, well, I guess my wish came true. Perseverance and trust in myself has brought me to the end of this epic journey, and from here I can only go forward.

As of today, I have a sixty-eight thousand-word rough draft, which is twenty thousand more words than I thought I’d end up with. So far, I’ve done one quick edit on my own, and I’ve handed it off to a few friends for critiques and suggestions (be mean to me, guys) before I begin a real second draft.

When will it be published? Who knows. That’s a whole other adventure.

The Best Books I Read in 2016

As 2016 is coming to a close, I was looking back (on Goodreads) at the twenty-six total books I have read this year. Many were bleak and monotone, and others just plain terrible, but there were a few stories that became some of my favorites and will certainly remain with me beyond the page. Here are the best books I read in 2016!

The No. 6 Series by Atsuko Asano (2003-2011)

This series was unique, attention-grabbing, and moving. After watching the anime and thoroughly enjoying it, I discovered that it was based off of nine short novels and immediately began reading them. Despite already knowing the basics of the story, I found myself entranced by Asano’s writing—even through translation. This series and its two contrasting main characters offer intriguing philosophical viewpoints of which most other YA dystopian literature falls short. I recommend this series to any YA readers looking for something that somewhat resembles the work of Susanne Collins and Veronica Roth but is also remarkably unconventional.
Read the English translation

The Martian by Andy Weir (2011)

By now I’m sure almost everyone has seen the movie adaptation starring Matt Damon—and the book contains the same excitement, peril, and humor, but raised to a much higher level. Andy Weir makes all the confusing math and science involved with this story not tedious to read, but fascinating and engaging. I don’t read a lot of science fiction, but I do love a sarcastic narrator and a captivating, action-packed plot, and that’s what I believe makes this book accessible for just about any audience.
Buy it on Amazon

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan (May 2016)

I couldn’t end this list without including a Rick Riordan book, of course. He wrote two this year—The Hidden Oracle, the first Trials of Apollo book, and The Hammer of Thor, the second in his Magnus Chase series. In deciding which one I should review, I realized that while HoT was fun and lovable, The Hidden Oracle was more well-written and laid a great foundation for the rest of the series. I loved reading from Apollo’s point of view—he was so different from all of Riordan’s other narrators—I loved the development we saw in him throughout the story, and I think his adventures will be a great way to tie up this huge Camp Half-Blood universe with a nice, neat bow. For now, of course. I was also dying to catch up with all of my favorites that we hadn’t seen since 2014—it was nice of Rick to give us a glimpse into their lives and let us know how they’re doing without making them the main characters of the story. Apollo and Meg and the other new characters were still at the forefront, and they’re all great additions to the PJO cast. To anyone out there who has kept up with all of Rick’s previous works but was let down by Blood of Olympus and is now scared to read this—I promise you, this book makes up for his mistakes.
Buy it on Amazon

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (October 2015)

I’m beginning to notice a trend, here—I’m describing all the books on this list as “different,” “unique,” and “unlike anything I’ve ever read before.” Well, Carry On fits right in. The background of the characters and setting was originally based heavily off of Harry Potter, almost to the point of being a fanfiction—but Rowell’s individual perspective on it gives it a personality of its own. At first, you will feel like you’re reading a silly spinoff. Once you reach around the sixty-page mark, however, you’ll become so immersed in the sharp but poetic writing style and the intriguing personalities of Simon, Baz, Penny, and Agatha that its true unique identity will be uncovered. This story, mostly due to the characters, was lovable, heartwarming, and moving. I’ve read it three times already since June. Any YA reader, whether they prefer realistic fiction or fantasy, will find something to enjoy in this.
Buy it on Amazon

Honorable Mentions:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany (July 2016) - had a lot of potential and started off well, but was a bit disappointing

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan (October 2016) - fun and hilarious but nothing special

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (January 2015) - enjoyable but felt a little immature

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999) - rather boring and repetitive until the end, but well-written and thought-provoking

What were the books YOU enjoyed the most this year? Any recommendations for 2017?

"In A Bookstore"

Another short piece I wrote for class; enjoy :)

In a Bookstore

You are surrounded by thousands of stories, millions of words, some of which could be just a few weeks old and others published hundreds of years ago. They say to never judge a book by its cover, but each one of them transports you into a different universe from a single glance. Once you step in, you immediately become lost in the maze of shelves, but you never really want to find your way out. You become enveloped in the familiar woody scent of the newly-printed book, and it occupies your senses like a drug. You might run your hands along the spines covers—some feel smooth and glossy, others more rough, almost sticky. Some have raised designs and letters that you trace with your fingertips. It is peaceful, quieter than other stores, because it is full of readers looking for an escape from reality. You could stay in there for hours, simply browsing, because who knows—the next book you pick up could end up as your favorite.

"The Truth Behind Leadership" (Essay)

This is an essay I wrote from a prompt by Institute for Excellence in Writing that asked how I "strive to be a leader". My topic of choice was the importance of diversity and representation in children's literature.

Prompt: President John Quincy Adams observed, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” In what ways do you strive to be a leader by serving and inspiring others?

The Truth Behind Leadership

When you think of the word “leader,” what is the first image that comes to mind? Perhaps you imagine a king or an emperor, someone who has total power and control over a group of people. Maybe you picture someone a bit less commanding, like a president or the head of a company. All these people are skillful in government and management, but they are not necessarily leaders. A true leader is someone who motivates and encourages others to reach for their dreams and develop to their full potential, someone who doesn’t directly tell people what to do, but rather energizes and excites them. Anyone can be a leader, if they have an open mind and willing heart, and I would certainly like to inspire others in such a way.


The first step in becoming a leader is to identify an issue you see in the world around you—or experience yourself—and how you can stand up against it. You could decide you are frustrated with the way animals are treated, or sick of watching bullies torment kids at your school. I have encountered many of such problems in my daily life, but one in particular has stood out to me time and time again over the past few years.

I’ve been reading books since I could write my name. Fictional stories have always had a way of capturing my imagination like nothing else can. When you need to escape reality for a little while, books provide the perfect hiding place. An issue that I often find in them, however, is a lack of diversity in the cast of characters. The reason most readers become hooked on a story is because they can identify with the main protagonist—but sometimes that sort of connection is simply not possible because children, teens, and adults in minority groups often have trouble finding characters in books who represent them.

To many, this may not seem like much of a problem. After all, if a reader is white, for example, they’re used to having the privilege of seeing people like them portrayed in the media, and they often don’t take notice of the lack of representation of other races. However, it is extremely important for everyone—especially children and young teens—to be able to identify with people they look up to, whether they’re real or fictional, and it doesn’t just affect the minority group—others can be influenced by seeing variance in characters, too. If a little girl picks up a storybook about knights and princesses, it is likely that the knights will be depicted as strong, courageous, and kind-hearted, and the princesses as lowly, submissive, and reliant on others’ help. In every story the girl reads, the characters possess these same traits, and that’s what she becomes used to. She grows up in a society that tells her that women are worthless and dependent on men, and even if she learns better when she’s older, part of that mindset stays imprinted in her for the rest of her life. On the other hand, a little boy could read the same stories, and gain a false sense that men are always braver and tougher than women, which can and will lead to sexism, self-hate for not acting “manly enough," and an assumption that he has control over girls. If all of this is rooted from a simple children’s story, there must be an easy way to change it.

As a leader who has recognized an issue, the next step is to figure out how you can bring about change. My personal goal is to write stories and books for children and teens that inspire and connect with them in the same way my favorite authors have written novels that strike a chord in me. If I can educate and influence someone, even if it’s just one or two people, from something that I write, perhaps they will then go on to do the same for others in their own way. It’s a chain of events that leads to the world becoming aware of an issue, and it all needs just one spirited and determined person to start. Most people don’t expect simple things like books to change their lives. They can, however, whether through subtle messages or a more major statement. All it takes is a tiny spark to start a wildfire. 

John Quincy Adams also once stated that “courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” A leader’s job is to bring about that courage in the hearts of others and inspire them to persevere and achieve what they want. This is what I hope to accomplish someday, even if it just affects a few people. A leader doesn’t need to be extremely famous and popular with everyone—a leader can be anyone who is brave enough to take a stand for what they believe in.

"Backstage"

A little descriptive piece I wrote for class; enjoy :)

Backstage

You close your eyes as you feel your stomach tighten. It is caused partly by your tight, itchy costume but mostly from nerves. Your brain is working overtime, and all your senses are hyperaware. You take a deep breath in and the fragrant but sickly-sweet scents of perfume and hairspray filter into your nose, stinging your sinuses. You hear a bottle spray to your left and get a full, fresh blast of the smell. You exhale through your mouth, and when you close it again you taste your chalky lipstick. Your mind immediately jumps to the fear that all your makeup needs to be checked and re-done, but you breathe in and out again, pushing away all your irrational worries and focusing on the task at hand. From what seems like a distant land, you can hear the audience chattering—adults laughing, children asking questions, and babies crying, all blending into white noise. There are people all around you, too, but they are whispering and humming under their breath. Then, suddenly, a hush falls as someone begins speaking in a booming voice. Their words echo around your head, going into both ears multiple times each. Then they are finished, and applause erupts, a sound not unlike thunder or rain on a tin roof. As it dies out, a soft piano melody begins playing, and a flute soon joins in as well. You open your eyes, and notice all the familiar faces around you doing the same, visible only by a dim blue light coming from in front of you. Some are smiling, some frowning in concentration, but all are shaking from head to toe with nervous excitement. You take another deep breath, inhale and exhale, grounding yourself to the floor with your snug-fitting shoes but holding your head high. You tell yourself you are prepared. You are ready.