Maggie Stiefvater- What She Does Well In Her Writing

So if you are a ya literature fanatic as I am then you have definetely heard of Maggie Stiefvater.  If you don't know who she is then let me explain. She is the author of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Shiver, Linger, Forever), author of The Raven Boys, The Scorpio Races, Lament, and Ballad.  So far I have read three of her books: Shiver, Linger, and The Raven Boys. And each time she has amazed me.

Why did she amaze me? Well, the way that she is able to pull her readers into the story is astounding. Her writing style works really well with the stories she tells. So today I am going to break down for you what it is exactly that she does well.

• Pulls her readers in from the first page. Her first lines of books or first paragraphs are always highly intriguing. For example, the first line of Shiver is, "I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves." The first line of The Raven Boys is, "Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times someone had told her she would kill her true love." Now is that amazing or what? 
• Creates a thoughtful and different story line while using techniques that teens love. I admire the way that Maggie is able to choose a unique topic to write about while at the same time she stays in the general vicinity of where teenagers like to go- Her Wolves of Mercy Falls series is about werewolves which are very popular in young adult books these days- but she manages to make them non-cliche and pretty awesome. Well the Raven Boys was not something like I'd ever read in young adult literature before but it was amazing because of that. So she is very unique.
• Is one of the most unique YA author voices of today. First Maggie's voice is so clear, she's not one of those authors that just slips out of the scene.  She writes in a different kind of way that makes her voice sound different than all the other ya authors of today.  She says things like, "She grunted to the negative," which is just another cool way of saying that she mumbled no. I love the way she does that and is able to put a picture in her readers mind without going completely overboard *cough* Tahereh Mafi *cough*
• Writes such good books! I've enjoyed all reading experiences by Maggie and her books are simply amazing. If you have not read one of them then you must pick one up immediately! Or at least the next time you are at the bookstore or the library. 

Anyway that was just a quick author profile so I hope this helped you . This is the 1st installment I'm doing of a series called "What Makes a Good Writer (WMAGW)". Throughout the month I will be sharing with you several different talented authors and what makes them so talented. Have a nice week!

Love, Love, Love,

annabel (:

Writers Block. Pssh Screw That.!!

What to write, What to write, What to write. I'm sure you've all had that problem before. When you're just sitting there with a blank piece of paper, or at a blank screen, and you just can't think of anything to write. Some peaople call it "writer's block" but I don't.  I call it "being a scareddy cat".

So not to long ago I was talking with my mom and I was saying "I used to write all the time but now I can't think of anything good". And I was complaning on and on to myself and not realizzing what was really important: That I Just write and not worry about what it sounds like, or what people would think. I have only recentley come to this conclusion because I was recently thinking that I had a severe case of "writers block" which needed attention immediately.  If you look in my file on my laptop, there are loads of unfinished stories which I have started. When I was little i never used to care what people would think about my writing I used to just write. And a few years later i find myself getting insecure that people won't like my writing or it willl sound stupid or anything like that.

My advice mighte seem really strange and unhelpful at first but I find if you just write you're heart out, like you've never written before, you wil end up with something that looks good and sounds good. Your writing might sound weird to you but that is what makes it unique from other peoples' writing. And when you think your writing sounds weird its you just reacting to YOURSELF, and your definition of yourself is so much different than other people's definition of you. If you write something good, then people will like it! Even if what you write sucks at first glance, you can make it better. Because you don't suck. A lot of people don't like writing because they don't know HOW to. 

So what you need to becomme a better writer is a good teacher, confidence, several books, some chocolate,life experience, and dedication. If you have those ingredients then you are guaranteed success, in any shape or size or form. Now let me break down those ingredients for you.

• A good teacher- meaning, a strong, experienced writer who knows what he or she is doing, or a helpful English teacher who will give you feedback on youre writing. 
• confidence- I have basicaley already broken this one down: If your confident in yourself and in your writing talent, then success is inevitable. 
• Several books- this is probabley the most importent. What this means, is that you need to be an avid reader. you need to pay attention to what makes your favorite authors your favorite authors. What makes a good writer? Inspect your books and see what each writer does to pull you into the story. Then try to imitate them. Sometimes imitations end up being blatent copies of the writer (which is okay! that has happend to me on numerous occasions) 
• some chocolate- Well from personal experience I know that chocolate makes everything better. Whether it is a warm cup of hot cocoa or a refridgerated Hersheys bar. Chocolatte's just an example, it could reallybe anything you like, or something unhealthy for you (shhh! don't tell you parents!)
• Life experience- The best characters come from writers making replicas of the people they know in life. this person is spoiled, this one evasive, this one carefree, this one misleading.  IF you know people from you're life, try to make characters like them (But don't go too far!) If you look at one of the most celebrated authors in Literature, Im using Jane Austen as an example, you will meet her characters on the street. On several occasions I have met a Caroline Bingley or a Mr. Darcy. 
• Dedication- You can't give up when you're writing! Obviousley, but this is really important even though it is obvious. Some really obvious things are the most important things. 

Well I hope my advice helped some of you and I hope you will not give up when you are faced with this supposed monster called "writers block" that doesn't really exist! Thank you for reading this!

P.S.: I am sorry for any typos in this article I am typing on something I don't usually type with.