Tag: Romance

I’m a little bit wrong and you’re a little bit right.

Sara Mazariegos

Luis and I saw It Ends With Us last weekend. I keep accidentally calling it The Last of Us, but that’s not fair to The Last of Us. If you’re not aware of It Ends With Us, it’s a romantic drama starring Blake Lively, based on the Colleen Hoover novel by the same name. It’s controversial in how it deals with domestic violence. It’s also apparently controversial because Blake Lively and the director had different visions. My vision is perhaps this movie didn’t need to get made.

It’s funny because, initially, I thought it wasn’t as bad as I first imagined. It got pretty bad reviews, but romance movies are often harshly judged. But then I had more time to think about it when I wasn’t watching it anymore. And yeah, there is a lot that’s messed up about it. (I still love Jenny Slate, though. She’s in it as the best friend who kind of shows up in the story to be the best friend.)

Anyway, it’s a good lesson in how not to write things… Then again, Colleen Hoover is very successful, so it’s working for her. It definitely made me think. I don’t think I’ll read the book.

Speaking of books, I’m getting close to the end of The Good Part — that sounds sad — and I love it so much. It’s not what I thought it would be. It’s way more heartwarming. I also recently started reading The Dead Romantics. Both of these books should round out my reading challenge to read 15 books this year. I’m not going to stop reading, of course. It’s only August! 😅

The Dead Romantics is in past tense, which is throwing me a little now that I’ve read a few present tense novels. I know I once wrote that I don’t like present tense, and I still prefer past tense, but present has grown on me. It makes it feel as though you’re a part of the story, instead of watching it unfold. I think it works for certain stories more than others.

My new novel I’m working on is in present tense, so I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I’m trying something new! It’s a little intimidating, but I’m enjoying it so far. It’s bridging the gap between the last novel I wrote and the one I’m planning for November.

Okay, now back to the writing board!

I needed to possess you – I hated you – I loved you, too.

Sara Mazariegos

A lot of my blog post titles are Kate Bush lyrics. I always end up listening to her when I’m writing these entries.

Wuthering Heights as a novel didn’t do much for me, mainly because it’s a story told from a random perspective. And then there’s the character I can’t understand at all. But somehow, the story still stays with me. The spooky ghost stuff always gets me in the end.

It feels like a lot has happened, but it’s mostly just a lot of hopeful ideas and planning that’s been going on. I thought of another novel idea, so I’ve been working on it as a sort of “summer fling” before NaNoWriMo in November. I thought of the idea when I was half awake on Saturday. If Paul McCartney has taught me anything, great ideas can strike when one is semi-conscious*!

It’s a romance novel inspired by my cat.

Bookwise, I’ve finished reading the book about Sophie Scholl (with much sadness for her and her brother and compatriots.) I’ll work on plotting out the novel based loosely on her at some point in the future. I’ve hit my limit with story ideas now. I can only think about so much. 😅

I’ve started reading The Good Part by Sophie Cousens and it’s been a warm reminder that I adore Sophie Cousens novels. It’s also nearly made me burst into tears a few times. It’s delightful. A lot of toddler grossness, but in a cute way? It might be my favorite of her books (so far.)

Tomorrow is Luis’s birthday. I’m taking the day off and taking him out to a fancy seafood dinner. He’s been working so hard with a big transition at his job, so I hope to help him have a great weekend.

I hope you have a great weekend too.


*He claims to have written both “Yesterday” and “Yellow Submarine” while in this dreamlike state.

It’s just the power to charm.

Sara Mazariegos

First of all, hello to all of my new followers! I didn’t expect my last post to get so much kind attention. I’m happy to have you with me. 😊

I recently bought a copy of Natalie Sue’s I Hope This Finds You Well, and I’ve been enjoying it so much that I almost don’t want to read too much of it at once. Because then it will be over. Does that happen to you when you read? I want to prolong it.

My local library also gave me two books, so I’m suddenly swimming in a wonderful mini pile of new-to-me novels. One is The White Rose, a poetic young adult novel about Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans. I’m reading it as research for my latest story idea. When I used to work at the US Holocaust Museum, I remember often stopping by the wall that told their story. It gave me pause that such young people dared to take a stand, even though it certainly meant death.

The other novel I got from the library is The Dead Romantics. It’s a romance novel (not surprising, right?) involving a ghost, so it appeals to a few of my interests.

When not reading other people’s novels, I’ve been reading my own as I begin revising. My new benchmark will be to submit it to The Shit No One Tells You About Writing again. I feel much more confident now that I’ve revised and rewritten it about three times. 😅 It’s very different from the story it used to be.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just read and write all day?

I can have a dark side if you want me to.

Sara Mazariegos


Luis* and I are going to see Tim Minchin in August! I’ve been a fan of him** since 2011 when I saw him on Conan. I’m so excited. I wonder if we’ll get to meet him afterward…

We’re going to see Inside Out 2 this weekend. I told Luis that Fear and Anxiety should be in a relationship because they go hand-in-hand. They’re the two emotions I feel the most. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’re probably SHOCKED to read that. 😉

In Writing Update news, things have been going well. It’s starting to be summertime, so my thoughts are more distracted by sunshine and fun places we could go, but I’ve been good about writing my daily word total each day. I’m following Pacemaker’s recommendations so I’m not writing my brain ragged. I write about 1,766 words per day, which is nearly the NaNoWriMo amount.

I’m 72% of the way through this draft. And there’s still a lot of good bits I’ll be writing in it. It’s not winding down yet. I think I’ve tried to wind down too early in the past, making the end kind of… fizzley. I can’t stress the Save The Cat outline strategy enough.

Aside from writing, I’m beta/arc reading for two other authors. And reading probably too many books at the same time.

How’s your early-almost-summer going?

*My husband
**Tim, not my husband. I’ve been a fan of my husband since January 28, 2012.

Looking for a spark.

Sara Mazariegos


Whoo boy, have I made some changes.

Remember when I said I was working on my holiday-themed story? I was hit by a creativity spark while reading my beta reader’s feedback on my other novel, so I’m planning to finish the holiday novel’s rewrites in November now (for NaNoWriMo+) and I’m working on rewriting the first story again.

I got a burst of inspiration last Friday as I looked through my notes for a romantasy story I was slowly starting to piece together. It clicked! I could combine elements of that story with my first story. My first story is so personal and matters so much to me. Like they discussed in today’s episode of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, taking the time to really focus and hone the story I want to publish is important.

I don’t want to give up on it and leave it in a closet to die.

Since Friday, I’ve completely retooled the plot outline, making it follow the Save The Cat beat sheet. It has a real flow now, and the themes jump out much more than they used to. The conflict is much clearer. I’m so excited to work on this draft! I only wish I’d discovered STC sooner, so I wouldn’t have been such a strugglesaurus these past few years. But I know, thanks to WriterThreads, that I’m not alone.

I changed the title of the novel for the fourth time, too. Ha. It fits the story better, though it could’ve worked with the older drafts as well. That’s part of how I know it’s a good one. Titles change a bunch of times, though. I’m not getting attached to any of the ones I come up with.

Thanks to Carly Watters, I have another genre I can add to my pitch paperwork, too: autofiction.

Don’t be afraid to work on something else if you’re feeling stuck on something. Even if that something else is the thing you’ve already “finished” twice. 😉

Wish I knew what you were looking for.

Sara Mazariegos


My goal this week has been to take it easy. I’ve created a novel outline; I’ve thought of things to include in this new draft. I’m not letting myself start writing it until Monday.

Meanwhile, I’ve been reading The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn. It’s so good. I need to read everything she’s ever written. Her writing style matches mine and my preferences in novels I like to read. I’m still obsessed with Georgie, All Along.

This go-around, I’m not going to worry so much about the publishing side of things. I want to focus on my writing and enjoy it. I figure the more “business” side can come later, once I’m sure I’ve got a manuscript worthy of the effort.

Short post this time. I said everything I wanted to say in the video above. Plus, I said it through burned lips.

That’s not a figure of speech.

Too much time on my hands.

Sara Mazariegos


The title is meant to be ironic because this week has been pretty busy for me. It’s also a good song by Styx.

I said in my video that I was at ~62k words, but my goal for today is actually ~64k. I’m proud of myself for consistently hitting the mark, or at least near the mark so I’m not struggling with way too much to write per day. I’ve learned!

My little living room laptop has been such a help. There’s something about sitting with limited Internet function that really helps my mind focus on writing instead of what x friend said on social media. I’ve started playing music on my phone, though, because Little Laptop can’t handle a tab of streaming music. 😂

One thing I’ve been working through is some unseen characters in my novel. They matter to the plot, but only vaguely. Without giving too much away*, they’re people in the FMC’s friend’s lives. At first, I thought, “Should I introduce them and have a scene with them?” but I’m realizing it doesn’t matter as long as they’re mentioned. It would slow things down to introduce so-and-so’s partner who doesn’t affect the MCs’ lives much.

I might still throw them in, for some added fun, but only because I want to, not because it’s necessary.

I don’t want to be like Dickens, throwing in a million new character names in the last pages of the story. Dickens was silly. I love him, but he was.

*I’ve read so many warnings about not sharing one’s writing online if you want it to get published, because publishers want exclusivity, etc. I get it, but it’s also hard because I love sharing things.

Sweet parody.

Sara Mazariegos


The daily prompt asks what my parents did when they were my age. They already had two kids. 😬

Another asks what the title of my biography would be. That would be telling.

I’ve gotten into Schmigadoon! recently. I just started season 2, and I love it so much because it’s parodying the musicals I enjoy (Chicago, Cabaret, Sweet Charity… a lot of Cs.)

The Project For Awesome officially starts on Friday! I’ve already donated $30 because of the perks John & Hank Green announced yesterday. We’ll see if I can’t stop myself from donating more…

On the writing front, I’ve reached 54K words! 🎉 I can take today “off” from writing since I’m ahead of my word count goal already, but I will probably still write a little today because I can’t stop myself from that either.

Today is Luis’s and my twelfth dating anniversary! We’ve been together as long as our cat Boo has been alive. We will celebrate this evening by ordering some Fancy French Door Dash and listening to Parisian cafe music, like the sophisticated people we are. The last time we did that, we ended up planning a trip to Paris.

🥖,

You got it down when you appear to be in pain.

Sara Mazariegos


This week has been so topsy-turvy.

First, it has been so snowy that I’ve worked from home two days and I’ll possibly have to do so tomorrow as well. Have I mentioned that I hate this time of year? I’ve never liked the cold, and snow makes everything so much harder. I say this as someone from Montana. I moved away from there when I was three, and I’m glad! 😛

Another big change this week is that the company I work for decided to move my desk from a little office in a corner everyone ignored to the main reception desk on our floor. I’m not a receptionist and social interaction is not my friend, so let’s just say my Bluetooth headphones are really going to come in handy.

They don’t expect me to be a receptionist. They just wanted to move someone into my office and this desk was empty. Fuuuuuun.

Anyway, my blog’s not meant for work woes.

I’ve been rewriting my novel and it’s going okay so far. I’m feeling the usual “Is this good? Do I write like a 4th grader?” feelings, but I’m noticing it’s a trend among writers to feel that way. Kate Clayborn posted on Threads that she felt similar about writing her latest novel. I love Kate Clayborn’s writing! So that made me feel much better.

One bit of exciting revision/developmental news: I finally figured out my romance novel’s hook! It took me far too long, but it was staring me in the face the whole time. I’m skewing the story in a different, but somehow also the same, direction and I’m excited! It’s going to be so cute (if I do say so myself.)

My husband has been THE BIGGEST help. Full credit to him for not only helping me when he doesn’t need to but also listening to me endlessly blather on about writing, my plot, and my ideas. He gives me suggestions to make things better rather than just saying “Yes, dear” and going back to playing Zelda, which he would be fully within his rights to do. He’s my quiet co-writer for a lot of it. ❤️

Hope you’re staying warm out there!

That ice is slowly melting.

Sara Mazariegos


As I read through my novel draft, I keep finding things I want to improve and/or cut. It’s eye-opening, even if it is also a bit frustrating. I’m planning to begin work on rewriting it next week. My goal is to basically “wrimo” my way to March 1st* and then take a break to read my other novel, and then trade places, etc.

It’s nice to have multiple projects to work on. Even if I want to scream “Why can’t you be perfect?!” at both of them.

One thing I’ve noticed I do as a writer (I’m sure I’m not the only one) is overexplaining myself. I’ll have my character (the narrator) say something, and then have an aside or sometimes just an additional thought that’s basically the same information, but in a joking way. I’ve crossed off these superfluous sentences more than twice so far. I wonder if I picked up that sort of writing from Marvel movies?

Either way, I’m annoying myself. Ha!

In other non-writing news, Luis and I are going to Disney World in April for my belated birthday, then back to Guatemala for another family wedding! We’re going to stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort for a special resort day to kick things off. To say I’m excited would be a vast understatement. 🥳

Get you a spouse who shares in your enthusiasm for things. It really is the best.

*giving myself about a month and a half to rewrite it since February is a short month, even with Leap Day.