Category: Blog (Page 11 of 13)

Have I always been a writer?

April 26, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

When I read interviews of authors I admire, they always talk about how they “always knew they wanted to be a writer.” They talk about the stories they used to write anywhere and everywhere, ever since they were little. And I love stories like that, I really do.

But I am trying to be a writer, and when I think back on it… It was when I was 13 or 14 that I got the writing bug. THAT’s when I started planning stories and writing with friends and writing on school bus trips by the light of my iPod. I always (and this is where my self-doubt comes in) wondered why I didn’t start sooner. Would I be a better writer if I had started sooner? Can I be considered a writer if I didn’t start sooner?

There was a period of my life where I didn’t write. When I was in the 5th grade, I failed some state standardized writing test we had to take (Have I mentioned I hate standardized tests?). They made my mom do writing workshops with me. They threatened to put me in remedial writing classes, even though I was in advanced reading classes. I remember feeling embarrassed and awful that I wasn’t a good writer. I remember the sick feeling in my stomach that gave me. It wasn’t until 7th or 8th grade that I was able to pick up writing again.

This week (it’s spring break, weeee!), I was helping my mom clean out my old bedroom when I stumbled upon it. The evidence that maybe I have always been a writer. In the top drawer of my old dresser was stowed away autobiographies, reports, silly stories about my friends and made-up characters, and newspapers that I created (about the solar system, about trips to grandma’s house), all written before that terrible 5th grade test. I had forgotten all about them.

And I wish I had taken pictures to post here. My silly stories with my terrible handwriting.

I know it’s dumb, to find this kind of thing validating, but it’s nice. It’s nice to see how far I’ve come and how far I have yet to go.

The most boring blog post ever

April 19, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

I’m finally revising my novel. This is a pretty big deal because the only thing I have EVER revised is a story I have been writing with a friend. And even that is just checking for continuity. This time, though, I am trying my hand at actual revision.

Ugh, it’s hard. I mean, not to sound whiny or anything (my last few entries have been incredibly whiny), but it’s sooooo hard. I thought I could get it done in a month, but with the amount of mental energy it’s taking, it’s going to be so much longer.

I’ve never ever been good at the revising. Editing, sure. But once I have written something, it’s written. I don’t like taking scenes apart and rewriting them again. This story, though, needs some plot fixing. It really does. So I am going to need to do that. I wrote this novel two years ago, so getting back into the headset of these characters is difficult. How do I make it work? How do I make it consistent?

I guess it’s just frustrating. At the heart of everything, I am a perfectionist. I want it to be perfect. I know it never will be, at least not with me. I’ll nitpick and nitpick. I just have to figure out where to stop.

An average to-do list (Today’s)

April 12, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

Another list by Elizabeth Doherty (yes, this is what today’s to-do list looks like… with commentary)

Get ready for work tomorrow (I can’t be the only one who gets their clothes and stuff ready beforehand, right? It means I get to sleep in!)
Check celebrity gossip sights (It’s research, okay?! Kind of. Maybe a little bit. Okay, it’s just fun.)
The Policeman’s Ball (My goal is to get my first novel published this summer, but it needs revision. I’m on my first of at least two revisions, and it’s hard. I wanted to get four chapters done tonight. Maybe I’ll just do two. I’m so tired.)
The Walking Dead (Have to finish my rewatch so I can cross it off my list and start something new. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt maybe???)
Steam eyes (I’ve been having some trouble with them. My doctor told me to do this. My grandma had eye problems SO I AM TERRIFIED.)
Write blog (Can they tell I only update these things on Tuesdays? It’s my light day! I can’t help it!)
10,000 steps (Why haven’t I hit that goal yet? And how am I going to do that in an apartment?)

I make one of these every day. Can you tell why I lovehate lists?

Reasons why being an adult is the worst…

April 5, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

A list by Elizabeth Doherty

Suddenly you need tons of sleep. Remember when you could stay up until the early morning hours and be (mostly) fine? Not me, not anymore. More often than not, if I am not sleeping, I am thinking about sleeping. And the sleep I get? Never enough. I want to sleep all of the time.
The increasingly short time in the day. Where do all of the hours go? Between work, socializing with friends and family, reading, exercising, binge watching Netflix? There is no time. No time to sit and be me. How am I supposed to get anything done?!
Metabolism catching up with you. I miss cookies. And mac and cheese. Who am I kidding? I still eat them. But now my waist shows it.
Bills. What is an adulting list without bills? Can’t I just keep my money?
Responsibility. Don’t they realize that my brain still isn’t completely developed yet? Don’t they realize that I can’t make toast without burning myself? Don’t they realize that I still collect figurines? Why are you trusting me to work a job, rent an apartment, be a grownup? It’s too much!
Whining is not as endearing anymore. My 7th graders whine to me a lot, about everything. But they’re teenagers. It’s to be expected. You know they’re going to grow out of it. Adults aren’t supposed to whine in lists like this. Right? Maybe.

*insert I threw it on the ground gif*

To be continued…

I’m just tired, guys. Do you ever feel this way?

The People vs…

March 31, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

I was going to blog tonight, BUT I am finally watching last night’s episode of The People vs. OJ Simpson and it is intense. Of all of the Someone vs. Someone movies/TV shows I’ve seen this week, this one is definitely my favorite. SO INTENSE. I can barely focus.

I mean, I lived through this. Kind of. I was young, but was it really like this? I think I am going to do some research when this is done. I always do. Because I’m a nerd who likes to point out historical inaccuracies.

Are you watching The People vs. OJ Simpson? What are you watching?

Revisions

March 22, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

I hate revisions.

I mean, I can do a simple edit just fine. Change a few words, fix some spelling errors. But once I get something on paper (or computer), that’s it. I can’t imagine going back and completely changing scenes and plotlines.

For me, once it’s there, it’s there. I know it’s not perfect, but it’s hard for me to envision it any other way. Am I supposed to be? Is there a way to make this easier?

I always dread doing revisions. I always feel like I am doing them wrong. Change should come quicker, easier. Should I be enjoying it?

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Looking for: One Brain

March 15, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

I feel like I am losing my mind. (Maybe it’s just because I’m exhausted. Are Tuesdays more exhausting for anyone else than Mondays?)

I was driving home from work yesterday and opened my water bottle thinking, “Man, if I spilled this right now, it would go all over my lap and make it look like I peed myself.” I then proceeded to do just that.
I planned my WHOLE WEEKEND around grading the 150 essays that I need to grade for work. What did I leave at work? All of the essays. And the folders I had to organize. Who doesn’t have a key to get in on the weekend? That’s right.
I was looking for this pen that I like to use when I write. It went missing. I looked for it for three days. I tore my apartment apart. Where did I find it? Hiding under my TV remote.

I’ve always been a little ditzy ( a lot according to my family), but this week I seem to have misplaced my brain. Where do I find it?

Do you write with other people?

March 9, 2016 / edohertyauthor

Co-authoring has always intrigued me. There aren’t many novels out there with multiple authors. In fact, I can only remember reading a few (Peter and the Starcatcher by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan). Writing can seem like such a solitary pursuit, but for me, it’s always been the opposite. Writing with friends is what got me into writing in the first place.

I started writing, really writing, with my friend Megan when we were teenagers. I don’t know why. I think I was jealous that she had written something with another friend. We liked to goof around, insert ourselves into our favorite stories, write about inside jokes. But as we got older, the stories became a little more serious, a little more realistic. A few years ago, we even tried rewriting one of those stories we had written as teenagers, hoping to publish it.

We’ve kind of faded off in our writing together (because being adult we have lives now – gross) (actually, she has a life, I read all the time), but that bond is still there. We still remember those stories and laugh about them. And we’re still close now, which is the best.

And I write with some other friends too. Again, those stories are kind of silly and never amount to anything (and more often than not, fade off), but it’s always so fun to plan and create with a friend. It’s my favorite bonding activity. Because I’m weird like that.

History nerd vs. Historical movies

March 1, 2016 / edohertyauthor

I love historical movies. Good or bad. If there’s a period costume, I’m there.

Unfortunately, I was a history major in college. Which makes me a history buff. Which makes me pick apart those movies I love.

For example, I am currently watching The Other Boleyn Girl for the first time since I read the book. And it’s not a faithful adaptation of the book (nor was the book entirely faithful to real life events), but the thing that drives me the most crazy? Not the bad accents or the cheesiness. No. WHY ISN’T HENRY’S HAIR RED?

Yes, that is what is bothering me.

It’s like this in every historical movie I watch. I enjoy them, but I find one thing to pick apart.

Is that normal?

Or am I just too nerdy for my own good?

E. Doherty’s Oscar Predictions!

February 24, 2016 / edohertyauthor

Oscar season! My favorite season of the year! I’m a total movie buff, and every year, I make an effort to watch all of the movies nominated in the “big” categories. (One year, I watched every single movie nominated for an Oscar, which was exhausting. So I set my sights a little lower.) Then, I make my predictions and choose who it is that I would vote for. (Typically a good deal different than the actual outcome.)

This year, I want to share my thoughts and predictions with you. I know there’s been a lot of controversy this year, but I am not going to get into that. I am going to focus on what I have to work with. So below are my predictions. They are listed in the order that I would vote for them (if I were an Oscar voter). The names in bold are who I think will actually win.
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