Wednesday Guest Blog - Heart Lace

Say hello to fellow author and alumni/winner of FPSSA (Fictionpress Supernatural Awards)Heart Lace! With a beautiful writing style and just as beautiful ambition to get published, it's not hard to see why I was so excited when she agreed to become a frequent wednesday guest blogger. We'll see her quite a lot more after this initial post, which is, more or less, an introduction.

What do you write? (Fiction; nonfiction; the genre;)


I write young adult fiction over all. Mostly I write novels and short stories, although I’m working on breaking into poetry. My genres are mainly supernatural and fantasy, although I do occasionally write more general pieces.

Have you been published in any form? If so, explain what happened.

As of now, no, but I am in the process of sending out manuscripts of some of my short stories. With any luck, I’ll be published by the time you’re reading this.

Are you taking on any writing projects now? Explain.

I’ve always got something brewing. Currently my main project is my new novel “An Angel in New York.” It’s the story of Ryland O’Doul, a young man struggling to live in the world’s toughest city, and the angel who falls into his life. It’s a combination of genres due to certain characters, but a supernatural romance is its main label.

What got you into writing?

Boredom and wanting to help people – but that doesn’t make sense unless you hear it in context.
When I was about six or seven, I decided that I wanted to be a therapist. I knew that I wanted to help people and connect with them on an emotional level, so that’s what I was going to be. That was the plan until I was about to be a freshmen and realized that I would need to go to college for about eight years to be a therapist – something I wasn’t thrilled about. It was the summer when I realized this and I was feeling kind of down about it. I’d always been the kid with a plan, after all. So I got on the internet to kill time, not really wanting to think about it. I took some quizzes on Quizilla.com and eventually its stories tab got me writing. It wasn’t even a hobby at first, but after a year I realized that I enjoyed the craft and that I could still help people through my stories. Now, a graduating senior I have a plan once again and what I’m sure will be a lifelong passion.

What are your career interests?

I know that writers don’t make enough to pay the bills, with the exception of rare cases like J.K. Rowling. So I plan on majoring in Creative Writing in college and getting my teaching license to be a high school writing teacher once I’m graduated. One of the best parts about this plan is that I’ll not only be able to help others with the craft, but by being a teacher I’ll have plenty of time off to write my own stories.

Who are your inspirations?

At a writing camp this summer Chris Bachelder said that we are constantly falling in and out of love with different authors. That one moment we’re caught up in Whitman and later we can’t stand him and move on to Emerson. All the while, we carry bits and pieces of that love with us always. And that is why I can’t say too much on who my inspirations are – because for a period I adored Ellen Hopkins and now I’m obsessed with Emma Bull. Tomorrow I might cringe at the thought of her fantastic fantasy stories and only read Gregory Maguire for a year straight. But every author that I read inspires me in some way, whether it’s with their style or approach on a topic or character archetype. And from them I’m able to build and better my own stories.

What keeps you going as a writer?

Some awkward combination of hope, ambition, and passion.

I’ve got to have hope that someday my work is going to finally come together. Hope that it’ll someday be finished. Hope that it’ll someday be published. Hope that someday people will actually enjoy it.

I’ve got to have ambition because I’ve worked with some great writers and I’ve seen what a lack of drive does to someone. They don’t want the story to be finished enough to take time out of their day to sit down and write or try and publish it. It’s a little scary to think about because it’s something that ultimately you do alone from beginning to end, which means that there’s plenty of opportunity to give up and vegetate in front of the television. But ambition keeps me going even when I’m exhausted.

And most importantly, passion. It’s the thing that makes life worth living. It is the difference between a half written story and a story that will leave a reader breathless. It’s that undeniable factor that nibbles at my nose to skip sleeping at night to get another chapter done. It’s an invisible string that pulls me back from the group to lose myself into the world I’m imagining. It’s an unhealthy fixation, my drug, and my addiction – something I never want to give up and am afraid to know what I’d be without.

What advice would you give to other teen writers?

Practice, learn, and don’t be afraid to grow.

You’ve got to keep your skills up by writing as often as you can. It’s not like riding a bike. If you let your skills rust and don’t take care of them, eventually you’ll lose touch with the craft.

And the best writers are also the best readers. Always be reading something, especially if it’s in the genre you’re trying to write. By reading from other authors, you’re able to pick up on things you like and don’t like about stories, which you can use and avoid while writing your own to help you create the perfect story.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to grow and try new things. A writer has to experience everything in life because you never know when it’ll come up in a story. Take a motorcycle class. Actually pay attention in your history course. Touch the side of the wall, feel its texture. Try the strangely smelling pasta dish your mother made. The best stories come from personal experience and the only way to get that is to live.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Just that I really appreciate this opportunity to share a little bit about myself and hopefully help out some fellow teen writers.