For anyone who watches Jane the Virgin, I imagine Rogelio saying all these things haha

How exciting! I'm looking forward to your book:) I love reading blog posts when writers share publishing news!!

I totally agree with you, but I think the reason these events and issues are left out is because they don't always fit the kind of history the story's writers want to make, I guess. It often adds more conflict than they'd like to deal with, maybe they can't deal with since the reality of it is that those issues haven't been resolved. Fiction writers try to fix everything and wrap up loose ends in their stories and the sad part is that things like racism, sexism and such are things people try to ignore and hope resolve themselves.

On another note, I really need to go back to watching Mad Men. I watched only a few episodes of the first season, but got too busy!

I love this! I so relate to the excitement I felt as I first read these books and the inspiration it lent me to write stories of my own and create and dream ahhh childhood. J.K. Rowling has always been a role model and standard of success. I'm nearly 20 and look back fondly on those days and also the family time spent watching the movies together. I went to see Deathly Hallows for the first time without family and at midnight which was a very interesting experience, but I plan to see Part 2 with the family again:)

I love your visual inspirations. I've been meaning to do one as well on my blog. I'll link it once I do:]

Wow that's a really horrible experience!

I haven't taken any formal creative writing classes yet, but I did participate in a summer young writer's workshop and had a wonderful time there. Everyone was so supportive and interested in the whole writing process. I definitely agree with you that the environment of a workshop really affects how successful it is. I'm kind of worried to be in a workshop for those reasons, that I won't find people who I trust or respect with my work to help me. I still think it's important for a writer to go through with a class, because it can help you see how your writing is perceived from different points of view, even if they are negative. We've got to develop a thick skin anyways for rejection, right?

Hopefully, the class will get better for you and not be a complete waste of time.

These are great! I love finding visual inspiration for new stories or stories I'm already working on. It's so funny because I just wrote a blog post about creative writing prompts and this would totally fit in to that. My mind starts racing when I see such beautifully framed or artistically shot photos and the creativity starts to flow!
Thanks for sharing:)

At least you have finished manuscripts.

I on the other hand have so much fear and self criticism and lofty thoughts before I begin or am in the planning stages, that I can't just let myself flow and finish a darn first draft! I know a first draft is supposed to be crap and you can revise it and do better, that you just need to get something written and that will allow you to know your story. I know it in my head, but for some reason I don't have the attention, the focus, the patience to stick it out and end up floating over to some more attractive, fun and nicer story to work with and the whole thing starts all over again. I especially have trouble when I'm working on a novel and then I find story contests that I want to enter. So I have to stop and spend time thinking about short story ideas and put off my novel. How can I avoid that? Is it possible to work on two things and not prevent progress on either of the works?
I wish I could be at your stage thinking about rejection from others. I think if I can get over myself, then I'll be so ecstatic that I won't care what anyone thinks and just decorate my wall with rejections because it means I finished something and actually sent it out lol. But we'll see how things go. I'm getting better I think...

Way to go! Keep your head up and don't let people's negativity get you down. You worked hard and believed in yourself which is why you now have a book coming out and not them. Thanks for being honest! Very refreshing and inspiring post to read that I think will give all of us a reality check about fame and our writing dreams.