When writing there are a few things that I need to have before beginning. I don't like having to get up during my time of writing so, I get everything together to limit the amount of times I do. I know I mentioned them in my recent post, but I would like to break down the reasons behind doing so and I am sure that I am not the only author that need these things while writing.

Item number one is music. I need calming music such as slow tempo songs, jazz or classical music. Something that won't distract me while also keeping me from getting distracted from my own thoughts. No, this does not cause me to get up but it does hamper with me continuously writing my story.  I already have to deal with that by having to think of how I am going to do a fight scene or how my characters are going to respond to something and describing how they feel. So, the last thing  I need is for my thoughts to venture off into something completely unrelated and leading me to stop writing and think on that. So, with music, I am able to stay focused on writing and it can't be anything upbeat because that will also distract me from writing cause then I will want to dance along with it and sing.

Item number two is something to drink. For some reason, my mouth tends to get dry while writing. I was told that was because I am speaking in my mind, but I don't know. But, whatever the reason may be, I need something to drink with me so I can keep my mouth from getting dry.  The main drink that I always make sure to have is tea. I love tea so I have a variety to choose from and whatever I have a taste for is what I am putting in my thermos. If not tea then, of course, water since that is the main drink that quinches your thirst. Sometimes I have both because I know that tea is not the best option to keep your throat from getting dry.

Item number three is a snack. Whether it's fruit, sunflower seeds, or chips, I always have some type of snack on me. It's not to fulfill some type of need. I just like to munch on something while working on something and it just seems as if I work better and think better when I have something in my mouth. And it kind of gives my fingers and wrists a quick break from doing all that typing. That's always nice.

Those are the things that I absolutely need have with me while  I write my stories. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you have a wonderful day!

So, I have been told that readers and aspiring authors like to know authors' writing techniques or style. However you would like to put it. Since that is the case, I will share with you mine.

Whenever I get ready to write I first have to make sure I have a few things in place. Soft music, tea and/or water and a snack, unless I have already eaten. Then I go through all of my notifications and respond to all of the texts and emails and whatnots. That way I can stay focused and do not have to worry about any distractions. Then I put on my chapstick and glasses and get to work.

In terms of coming up with the storyline, I do that in a couple of ways. Firstly, I think of a plot. I do not start unless I have the major plot points; Beginning, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Secondly, I think of different scenes. And they do not come in chronological order. Nor does it come while sitting in front of my computer every time. So, I always make sure I have a note pad handy so I can write it down before I forget. Once I get that together, I sit down and write down everything that I have so far along with everything that I come up with while writing. When finished, I go back through and look for areas that I can expound on and scenes that I can add in order to grow the story. 

I try not to go over four hours of writing while also trying to write at least one or two chapters in one sitting. But sometimes the time gets away from me with me getting so lost in the writing. I could set an alarm but where is the fun in that? Plus, knowing me, if I wasn't at a stopping point I would just ignore it anyway. But there is an idea of my writing technique. 

Hello! My name is Aliana. I am Tiana's twin sister and I am here to tell you about my planet, Burea. Armani thought it would be a good idea for me to tell the story since it's where I live. Tiana would do it but she won't be as cheerful as me. Her exact words were "Hey Aliana. Armani wants to talk about Burea. How about you do it. You would be nicer to the Earthlings since you're so fascinated by their planet." So, here I am! Telling you about the beautiful planet Burea. Okay, enough of me rambling. Fair warning, I tend to do that a lot. I was told that I can get side traced? Sacked? Wait, let me look it up... tracked! I get side tracked. Sorry, I'm still getting the English language down. Another warning, I might use Burean throughout this introduction, Armani will translate in the end. But, hey, you will get to know a little Burean! Okay, okay. Introduction.

Burea, I love our planet. Our nature is absolutely magnificent. Our grass and leaves are soft crystals, our animals are transparent and colorful, and our sidewalks are made out of crystals! Yeah we're clean. We keep our planet clean too. So, our trash cans are furnaces. Yeah you read that right, furnaces. We burn our waste and the trash collectors destroys it somehow. Don't ask me, I'm not in that profession. I honestly don't know what profession I am supposed to be in. I'm still looking for a, um, a... oh shoot a agine*. Sorry, again Armani will translate. So, right now I just work at a store. But I want something better than that. Though our allowance cards doesn't really put a limit on what we can buy because all of our salaries are more than the cost of things here, I can get basically anything I need. Yeah we don't operate like you guys. All we need is a job and we can get just about anything we need. And, no we don't have any cars, or planes or any expensive stuff like that.

We walk everywhere because our Burea is small. So, we have what we call fetanu* which are their own color schemes and all of the buildings are painted the color of the fetanu. And we have forests that have upper forests or what we call, ilansesu*, which hovers over our forests and have the most delicious fruits you could ever taste! You guys should find our portals so you can taste them. Well, that would have to be after we get our planet back to the way it used to be. It was peaceful you guys. I mean, absolutely peaceful. Our first mother and father did not get tempted like yours did. And, because of that, we had no evil. There was only love, peace and harmony. Deaths weren't sad, no one dealt with trauma or torture. And our animals were kind, happy and peaceful as well. But not anymore.

That Coveena chick messed it up for us. She brought evil to our planet! And now even the animals are sad. The coiazi* don't come out and give us the ability to fly up to the ilansesu anymore. So, the market for that fruit has shut down. But, even though evil exist here now, our planet is still beautiful and I would encourage you guys to come visit as long as you behave. If not, my sister and the other agents here will not be afraid to make you leave. They won't be nice with it either.

But that's my planet you guys! I think Armani will explains us Bureans next so make sure you come back. Hopefully it won't be me next time. I had to translate a lot. That was a lot of work. The other three would be better at it. Have a good day on your planet! Oh! And buy the books so you guys can meet us! We love sharing our story with you all. You can see first hand how beautiful our planet is! Bye!

Agine (ah-gee-neh):  career
Fetanu (feh-tah-noo): neighborhoods/towns
Ilansesu (ee-lahn-seh-soo): Upper forest
​Coiazi (coh-ee-ah-zee): Transparent butterflies that release magic dust that makes one fly (-zi is plural form)

Growing up, I was an only child on my mom's side. I have three brothers and a sister but they did not live with me. So, I was alone. In my room. Left to my own imagination. And I lived in it every single day with my barbie and bratz dolls and by talking to myself. And I wasn't just playing with my dolls. I had a story for my dolls. A series if you will. And I remember exactly where I left off the next day and I put the dolls back in place and continued the storyline. But that's not what inspired me to become a writer.

In my early years of elementary school there are a few moments that I remember. And one moment was when we had to write a story in class. I don't remember what my story was about but I do remember my teacher's reaction. It wasn't about the story that fascinated her, no, it was the names. The names of my characters fascinated her so much that she asked me to spell them as she wrote them on the board. I was shocked. I never would have imagined that someone would love the names that I would have come up with for my characters. It made me happy but still didn't inspire me to become a writer.

When I was in middle school, there were two topics that were my favorite. English and math. And though I did good in math, I did great in English. Especially when it got to the creative writing part of the class. And there was one day I wrote a story about a girl that got sucked up by a washing machine and was taken to a world where lost laundry was sent. She met a strange woman that introduced her to a strange world and all she wanted to do was go home. Me being the shy and insecure girl that I was, I was nervous when it came time to read my story out loud but I took a deep breath and pushed through and, to my surprise, the whole class was crying laughing at my story. Yes, it was meant to be a comedy but I surely didn't expect it to be so well received. Even looked around the room to make sure they weren't laughing at something else. They laughed so hard, I was finding it hard to read from me laughing as well. Confidence grew and it made my day. But that's not what inspired me to become a writer.

When I was in high school, my original career goal was to become a pediatrician. Then I realized that science was not a friend of mine and understanding that science is a major part of becoming any type of doctor I decided that I need to choose a different path. But I didn't have any other interests until I joined telecommunications my junior and senior year. I found enjoyment in filming so I decided to go to college for film. So, that's what I did. And one day, during freshmen year of college,  I was sitting on my bed, in my room lost in my own imagination, thinking of a story that I cannot recall and it dawned on me. I think of stories everyday and, in my opinion, they are quite interesting. And my mind wandered back to the moments that I have written and made up stories that were well received and the fact that I am trying to write a story based off a world that I had dreamt about in middle school (Burea) and have never once thought about pursuing a writing career. That's when I said to myself, "The next story that I think of, I am going to write it down." And that's when I Wrote Elegant Women's Academy (which you can find on Wattpad), and have been writing since.

If I had to pinpoint exactly what it was that inspired me, I would say my vivid imagination and desire to come up with stories.