Blog Tour: 40 Things I Want to Tell You

Today, I have a VERY special guest post from the lovely Alice Kuipers, whose new book 40 Things I Want to Tell You just released in February. She's sharing 4 top tips on writing, which she nicknamed "Reasons to Write" after my "Reasons to Read" section from my reviews! I know I'm biased, but I LOVE that! :)

The cover itself is enough to draw you in. So pretty, am I right?

It is a remarkably beautiful and emotional story, one that I personally can't seem to get out of my head (in a good way. That's a compliment, honest)! I definitely encourage you guys to check out my review for it if you haven't already, because I HIGHLY recommend this one if you can manage to get your hands on it!
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Thanks for hosting me on my blog tour for my new book, 40 Things I Want To Tell You.  I’ve been reading your recent reviews and I’m excited to go and read Veronica Roth after your great suggestion.  And I completely agree with you about Delirium. 
I imagine some of your readers are writers too, although they might not know it yet!  I thought I’d write a post for you today with a list of reasons to write.  Maybe you’ve been putting off writing, or maybe you’ve been discouraged from writing, or maybe you’re just too busy to write... My main character, Bird, in 40 Things, is always writing lists and tips and suggestions in her advice column so I loved that you have ‘reasons to read’ on your site.

 So, here goes, Reasons to Write.

1. Everyone has a story to tell.  You are the best person to tell it.
2. It might seem that there are loads of better writers out there, so what’s the point?  I can assure you that all of those brilliant writers you love also felt self-doubt at one time.  But they kept writing despite feeling like that (they must have done, you’re reading their books!)
3. You’re NOT too busy!  You’re probably busy.  You might even be crazy busy.  But you’re not too busy.  Writing is worth making the time for.  Being creative is worth making time for.  I know that on the days when I get writing done, I’m way more productive in all other areas of my life.   My dad always told me that if you want to get something done, ask a busy person.  It took me a while to figure this out, but it makes total sense.  My new book is dedicated to him to thank him!
4. Don’t worry if your writing isn’t excellent the first time you get the words on the page.  You can rewrite it later.  And you probably should.  Rewriting took me a long time to learn but now I love it.  It helps me find the story that’s hidden in all the mess of my first draft.

If you want any other tips or advice on writing, come and find me at www.alicekuipers.com 

 
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Thank you so much for taking the time to write these tips for us and for stopping by today, Alice! I'm definitely one of those people who's guilty of always saying I'm "too busy" to write... but it's so true that we have time when we make time. Plus, I'm a total perfectionist and I try to get things perfect all at once so I'm exactly the type of person who could stand to put some of these into practice ;)

One of my personal life goals is to write a novel. I don't dream of publishing it, but there's a story that I've just been dying to tell on paper for a few years now. So let's hope that day is soon!

What about any of you? Will you be applying any of these tips to your writing hobby? If any of you have read 40 Things, then I'd love to hear your thoughts on it in the comment sections, and for those of you who haven't read it, does this one catch your eye? :)

Review: 40 Things I Want to Tell You

40 Things I Want to Tell You by Alice Kuipers
Release Date ~ February 10, 2012
HarperTrophy ~ HarperCollins Canada
ISBN13: 9781443405874
Review copy received from HarperCollins Canada for blog tour

Goodreads Synopsis:
Amy (a.k.a. Bird) seems to have the perfect life: loving parents, a hot boyfriend, the best friend ever. She even writes an online advice column, full of Top Tips, to help other teens take control of their lives. But after a new guy shows up at school, Bird can’t seem to follow her own wisdom.

Pete is the consummate bad boy. He’s everything Bird is not: wild, unambitious and more than a little dangerous. Although she knows he’s trouble, Bird can’t stay away. And the more drawn she is to Pete, the more cracks are revealed in her relationship with Griffin, her doting boyfriend. Meanwhile, her parents’ marriage is also fracturing, possibly for good.

Bird is way out of her comfort zone. All it takes is one mistake, one momentary loss of control, for her entire future to be blown away...

Amy just wants to fly; no matter what she has planned out for her perfect life, all she really wants is to learn to fly. To take that risk, jump, and realize that she can make it.

And don't we all want that? To finally break free of those things holding us back? The thing is though, that some times things don't work out the way we planned. And things don't turn out for Amy the way she thought they would. But her journey is lovely and oh-so-heartbreaking.

Oh and this cover is just so PERFECT for the book. Plus, it's really very pretty! I just love it :) It captures the story wonderfully.

1. A truly impressive narrative:
   Amy's voice shines right through the novel, and I liked how the advice letters to her had different voices to them as well. They were each written in a different style, appropriate to their author. We really get a good idea of the thought process Amy goes through, and I found it interesting that Alice Kuiper explicitly pointed out that writing from Amy's frame of mind was tricky because it was so different to her own. And even though I didn't really appreciate the narration until the end of the book, I thought it was brilliantly done.
2. Great secondary characters:
   In my opinion, a well-rounded story involves a wide cast of characters who all add something to the story. Amy's friends and family accomplis exactly that and more. As much as the story is about Amy, so much of it happens because of her connections to and relationships with those around her.
3. A very real, and raw, story:
   I couldn't help but relate to Amy. I saw so much of myself in her and her thoughts, her feelings, her decisions, her questions. But the scary part? That was how real and probable her story is. Things like it happen, and her story was presented in a likely way, one that I noticed I've seen happen to other girls in real life.

As much as I loved it, I still couldn't fully understand why Amy was making some of the choices she did and I would have have liked to have spent a chapter or two with her reflections on this because it didn't really seem to be covered. And in all honesty too, I wanted so much more from the ending for Amy. I mostly understood why things turned out the way they did, but there was one relationship with a guy that I was taken back by after reading the decisions he made and what he ended up choosing; it seemed rather uncharacteristic and I wasn't too sure what to make of it.
I was utterly impressed by this touching and remarkable story, and I honestly believe that it's one of those rare ones that will really stick with you and leave a lasting impression. I know this book might be a little harder to come by since it's published in Canada, but if you have a chance to read it then I hope you jump at the opportunity to do so!

And keep an eye out, because next week Alice Kuiper is doing a bit of a blog tour where a few blogs will be sharing guest posts from her! :)