June reads, pink hair, and manuscripts that just. won't. end.

I couldn't blog last week because work was relentless (ZALORA's digital magazine community is going live soon!) and I was nursing a fever, sore throat, headache, and runny nose last week (doesn't rain, but it sure pours).

Buuuut I'm back - with bolder, brighter, and pinker hair! :0)

I was going to go with just the darker copper this time, but it felt a little too dull. So I went and doubled the pink streak! Here were some hairstyles and colours I considered:

Totally leapt up when I saw this - SOOOOOO GORGEOUS!!!!! *__*

I'd love to go this red, but I'm not as fair as pretty Ms Han Ji Min

So I settled for this slightly browner tone like Tiffany's

Not gonna lie - I wish I had the guts and freedom to go as nuts as Laini Taylor because look how fabulous that shade of pink is! But my dad will probably flip. Maybe someday, if I ever make it onto the NYT bestseller list, I'll do this to celebrate!

My dad shook his head at the expanding pink strip as soon as he saw it, but oh well I love it. EMBRACE THE PINK! :0)

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And as if my May reading list isn't long enough, here comes another one for June. But with more swoon-worthy tales of literary apothecaries, OCD romance, mysterious guardians, kidnappings, and magical guardians, the reading list just won't quit! I mean, just look at these drool-worthy tales:


1. Every Last Word, by Tamara Ireland Stone 

A girl with purely-obsessional OCD finds her place amongst a bunch of misfits, and falls in love with a guy who plays guitar and writes poetry. Sorry, but I'm a sucker for stories like this.


2. Emmy & Oliver, by Robin Benway

Touted as a book to satisfy Sarah Dessen fans (that's me!), a girl meets her childhood friend whose father kidnapped him years ago. Ever since The Snow Queen, I've loved the idea of childhood friends who become lovers. Plus, this one has got all the drama and tears, so I don't care if the plot seems cheesy. It's not cheesy if it's well written. And based on the reviews on Goodreads, it sounds like it might be!


3. The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins 

"Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible." Don't you want to read it already? I know I do!


4. The Little Paris Bookshop, by Nina George

Books to heal a myriad of ailments and undiagnosable woes, a literary apothecary - sounds like a delightfully magically realistic poignant read already!

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And finally, an update on the WIP that is No Room in Neverland. 

It feels like I am NEVER going to finish this story. The word count currently hovers close to 79K. 79K! This is the longest I've ever written. Granted, it has two stories in one (Neverland Chronicles, and current day), but come on. 339 pages for a YA contemporary, really Joyce??

I'm trying to convince myself that it's better to write too much than too little. But that just means you might end up cutting out a lot of scenes that drag down the story. And that's just as hard as trying to thicken the plot! Conclusions are just as hard as beginnings, if not possibly harder. You have too much to lose by the end of the story to mess it up, so the pressure is ON to tie up the story nicely without making everything too convenient or cheesy or draggy or rushed. 

My problem with the first draft of Neverland was that it didn't have enough of a plot. But this third draft feels like it has TOO MUCH of a plot, and there are so many loose ends I haven't finished tying up. And I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to end everything neatly because that's just lame. A story doesn't end just because a book does ... Am I making sense?

One more scene. Two more chapters. And I'll be done. And then I can go back and hack out all the extraneous parts. Come on, Joyce. You HAVE to see this through. You've spent way too much time and effort on this to stop now.

Writer friends, how do you when to end your story?