PRINTING MY SHORT STORY

I love writing and, for me, completing a full short story is a big achievement.

I'm not officially prepared to share it online for many different reasons but I though it would be a great idea to answer any questions on creating your own amatuer book at home.

When?

I had a lot of spare time for this and, although I went through a two week period of writing nothing at all, I would say it took me around five to six weeks. I would often get stuck into it in the evenings and my creativity would be able to spill out for a long time at once.

Who?

The characters in this story are heavily inspired by characters in books that I've read before. That includes two of my favourite books: Aristotle and Dante (inspired the relationships and family aspect) and Ketchup Clouds (inspired the love triangle concept). I didn't get any help for this story so any mistakes are my own and I did quite a bit of research for some details. I would love to get this officially edited and shared - it's my absolute dream.

What?

This short story is 25 pages long, 15 chapters, 9300+ words. I printed it unprofessionally so the text isn't the completely correct size and each page has a blank side. The reason why this story means a lot to me is because of the stamina that it represents. All of the Authors out there do not get enough appreciation for the fact that they kept writing and overcame any lack of self faith (which I definitely lack).

Why?
There was no actual reason for me to print this because, obviously, I'm not going to sell the version I printed at home. I printed it because I wanted it to feel more like a book.

How?
The tools that I used were the printer and paper for the book pages. Binding it together uses technical tools but I managed to find some substitutes. I used 2 staples (any amount is acceptable), 2 hair grips (any kind of grip or clips is also good), a stitch unpicker (I happened to have one lying around, it was very useful put you can use anything from pins, needles or thin pliers), and a ruler and pencil.

I straightened my pages and laid them flat then evenly measured the spots where I wanted to add my staples. I then punctured holes through the spine for the staple using my pin and unpicker. Slid the staples through and folded them over. It got really easy once I had the hang of it and I'm delighted with the turn out. I used this tutorial for help.

I'm super excited about finally having this complete.

What do you think? Would you ever write a short story?

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ARISTOTLE & DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE BY BENJAMIN ALIRE SÁENZ

★★★★★

Gah! Another amazing book. As soon as I finished my exams, I whipped this book off of my shelf because I had been waiting to read it for a while. I knew it was a contemporary and I felt that was the best type to read straight after the weight of exams. 

Synopsis: 

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When they meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the two loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special kind of friendship--the kind of friendship that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through their friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves--and about the kind of people they want to be.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing and the fast pace really kept me on my toes. The chapters were small but fluent and it was totally all I could ask for from a book. This review is contains spoilers.

Firstly, the characters. Oh, my precious babies Ari and Dante. There are slightly cliché but I can easily see past that because, at the same time, they are part of a very special storyline. My favourite character was probably Ari because he felt very relatable and there were many times when I felt like I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and cuddle him - especially when he was in hospital. 

The storyline was really, really unique and definitely kept me guessing. I loved the fine details that deeply laced the story together; such as the rain, the swallows and the fact that the 'swimming' wasn't just a make-shift way of letting the boys meet, it was a plan that stayed the whole way through the novel. Also, the family dynamics and the way thats there wasn't a perfect picture created for the family back home. Authors can often forget that a character has family. Especially the unusual aspect of his brother being in prison for murder - which isn't really unusual, but it is for a YA novel.

The story was also really gripping. With the inevitable romantic tension between Ari and Dante, I would constantly live in hope that the next page would reveal a mass of celebrations as they finally resolved the tension. Of course, this doesn't happen until the end, so it kept me reading. I read this very fast (considering I'm rubbish at reading books fast) in 4-5 days because I just couldn't put it down. 

My favourite part was definitely the ending with the lets-argue-and-consequently-kiss moment. And just the overall journey of watching them grow up and change thoughts, feelings and maturity. 

My favourite quotes include:

 - “Too much analysis. What ever happened to reading a book because you liked it?” 

 - "I bet you could sometimes find all of the mysteries of the universe in someones hand"

 - “I don't always have to understand the people I love.” 

There's lots more. I will definitely re-read one day and tag as I go along.

There's nothing I could criticise with this novel. In my opinion it was fantastic and I hope to find more stories like this. After all, it's not always about the way a words look on the page, but the way the words makes you feel. It was an emotional rollercoaster with tears and laughs. I look forward to my future re-read. 

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STILL I RISE BY MAYA ANGELOU

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you? 

Why are you beset with gloom? 

'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken? 

Bowed head and lowered eyes? 

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you? 

Don't you take it awful hard

'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise.

'The best revenge is to live well'

Motivation to get up and get over it whenever you're feeling down.

I can't get this out of my head.

DAVID LEVIATHAN SIGNING

On March 28th, my friends and I jumped on a train to Manchester to meet David Leviathan and Sally Green. David Leviathan being worldwide Author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson (written with John Green) and many other novels, and Sally Green being British Author of Half Bad and its sequel Half Wild. 

The whole event was organised by Penguin and Waterstones. At Waterstones we were escorted to the events room around the back which we watched both Authors do readings of their books, discus and answer questions.

Both of them were so lovely and the passages from their books were fantastic. David Leviathan particularly sparked me as such an inspiration regarding his career. He started out as an editor and progressed onto writing which had me swooning in envy. They were both very down-to-earth people and the way they spoke was so enchanting. 

After the discussion, we went in a queue for the signing. I bought Hold Me Closer (David's newest release) and brought my own Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist from home. I got all 3 books signed and they all had different messages in them.

Hold Me Closer: To Alice - Enjoy the Show! *signed*

Will Grayson, Will Grayson: To Alice - Enjoy, Enjoy! *signed*

Nick and Norah: To Alice - May all your playlists be infinite *signed*

I was so starstruck, we chatted for a short while and I left feeling so giddy. The books still smell of the sharpie and I feel unbelievably luckily to have been able to meet such an idol of mine.

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WELCOME

Hello.

I'm Alice, otherwise known as 

alzgalz on my main blog.

I created this blog as a side blog to include

posts of a different genre to my main blog. I will mainly be

writing about books, films and publishing my writing. My main blog 

is mainly beauty and lifestyle; aside that I will also

include lifestyle posts here.

You may often be directed here from my original blog in the 

future depending on whether

 I decide to promo these posts there. 

As I will be publishing my writing onto this blog I am prepared

to accept constructive criticism to an extent.

 The stories that I submit will all be fiction and from my

 imaginative and creative mind.

I shall be open to ideas and requests to be completed in my own time.

Follow me on Twitter.

I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN BY JANDY NELSON

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I recently finished reading I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson and it is successfully my new favourite book. I ordered this in January and, after a painstakingly long delivery, I was delighted when I finally received it. The cover is stunning and so eye-catching; the delivery took so long because it is hardback which is the only edition like this. Even the title just lifts my heart a little.

Synopsis:

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realise is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

This novel got a well deserved 5 stars on Goodreads because I enjoyed it so much. This review is spoiler free. 

Firstly, I particularly warmed to the characters. Here, twins Jude and Noah, had me gripped right from the start. I loved the way the story switched between Noah and Jude at 13 years old from Noah's perspective and Noah and Jude at 16 years old, told by Jude. That whole aspect of the novel injects an unusual and more interesting feel.

The writing in general was so carefully projected and the artistic references flowed through it beautifully. The way both teenagers were portrayed was finely tuned to the accurate naivety and the 'outsider' emotions weren't cliché. One part of the storyline that I liked was the way both personal and family issues were covered and how they flowed together so well.

Jude's romance made my heart melt. The heart-throb, rock and role boyfriend had me swooning although their turn out was a bit anti-climatic. The tension between them throughout the story was precisely handled to the point where it didn't become boring or slow-burning. I just wish they could have had less of a restrained happily-ever-after. 

Noah was like my little child that I wanted to protect because he was/is so precious and his relationship with the boy next door had my heart racing. At the climax of the relationship between the two I had to stop reading because I was so shocked and I literally squealed with joy. They had a lot bumpier roller coaster ride than Jude's story which is what made the outcome so much more relieving. 

I did actually cry at the end and I'm not too sure why. I think the story was just so emotional and the relief of the ending was astonishing. I would definitely re-read this over and over again. 

Goodreads