"Books are the best of things, well used;
abused, among the worst."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Update (12/05/2009)

Despite the fact that I haven't written anything in months, I am still trying to figure out an idea for a new story. The idea for Superman hit me and I wrote it without a second thought, but that hasn't happened since. I want to write, but I know better than to start on a whim, since that's exactly what went wrong with my last story attempt. If anyone is still reading this, then I want you know that I am trying. Send up a prayer for me, 'kay? I'm dying to get the creative juices flowing.

In the meantime, here's something that will definitely bring a smile to your face: http://blackeyedpeas.dipdive.com/media/76361. I seriously suggest watching it if you have a second. My favorite part is 2:20 to 2:50. What more proof do you need that people can do whatever they want when they put their mind to it? And the best part of the whole thing is that Oprah didn't even know it was going to happen.

The Five Ws

When I was younger, I had an English teacher who told me to always read with five questions in mind: who, what, when, where, and why? I figured that those same five questions would be a pretty decent way of letting people know about me. So here goes...

Who: I won't be telling you my real name, but I will explain how I ended up with the name HereAfter, which is admittedly rather strange. Up until I started posting Superman, I had always thought up stories in my head, but never written them down. One such story centered around a girl whose powers were time based. Her strongest attack was called Hereafter and, though that story obviously never went anywhere, the name of that attack stuck with me. I liked it for whatever reason and decided that it would make a neat penname. As for why I capitalized the 'A', well, I just thought it would look better that way.

What:I will be writing Yu Yu Hakusho stories for the most part. I'm used to that fandom's characters and I simply adore Hiei. I can't write a romance that doesn't involve him. I've tried and it just plain failed.

When: This question could mean a hundred different things, but I'll explain when I found this site. As a freshmen, I was in love with the Maximum Ride series and there was a link to this site on the books' website. I was intrigued and decided to check it out, needless to say I stuck around. I hung around the site for a long time without an account before finally deciding to set one up. But actually getting around to writing a story took ages.

Where: Where do I do my best writing? That isn't as easy to answer as I originally thought it would be. Personally, I like writing when there isn't anyone around to distract me, which often tends to be at night when everyone else in my house is asleep. The television tends to distract me and I therefore turn it off. That being said, I sometimes listen to music while writing.

Why: I write because it's fun and I enjoy it immensely. I love being able to escape into another world and getting lost there. Being a writer isn't what I plan to do with the rest of my life, but I'm enjoying it while I can.

Favorites

Books: What don't I like? Just kidding, but really there are too many to list. I guess my tops are (in no particular order): Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the Harry Potter series, The Host by Stephanie Meyer (the Twilight books aren't any where as good, though reading articles that bash them is pretty amusing), the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Maximum Ride and its sequels by James Patterson, any Tortall based books by Tamora Pierce, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult (bawl my eyes out every time I read the end). If I think of others, I'll add them. Trust me, there are way more.

Recently my AP British Literature class read World Without End by Ken Follett and it was one of the best books I've ever read. It centers around the building of a cathedral and follows the lives of many characters involved in the building. The story spans over thirty years and features some of the most memborable characters I've ever read about (Philip is my favorite character of all time). So if you are in the mood for a good, quality read I suggest going out and getting it (don't let its length daunt you, it's well worth it).

Anime: Pretty much just one - Yu Yu Hakusho. I watched it back when it was on Cartoon Network and finished watching it online about two years ago. I really don't have time to watch much anime and maybe there are others that I'd like, but I doubt I'll ever get around to watching them.

Games: The Jak and Daxter series, Kingdom Hearts I and II, and Final Fantasy XII. The Final Fantasy XII stories on this site seriously depress me. The world created in that game is incredible and would be amazing in a well written story. Maybe I'll eventually work up the will power to sit down and write my own, who knows?

Music: My favorite band is All Time Low (mostly due to the fact that their second full CD is just as awsome as their first, whereas the newest CD of my old favorite, Boys Like Girls, is pretty mediocre). That being said, my favorite song is still "Heels Over Head," which is by Boys Like Girls. My second favorite band is Boys Like Girls and The Fray is a close third, with Mayday Parade, We the Kings, and The Maine following in no particular order. As anyone who read my story Superman knows, I also have a huge amoung of love for the Backstreet Boys and not just their old music, but their current stuff as well.

Subject: Yes this category does mean school subject. The sciences win with me by a mile, as they have since eighth grade (I had an amazing teacher that year). Biology is my favorite of those I've taken and in particular I'm an ecology fan. I'm definitely going to be a science major in college, though what exact major I haven't decided. History is a close second (again another great teacher).

As for my favorite stories on this site, I'll only add a story if its finished. Some of my favorite stories are works in progress so I haven't added them. I guess I view that category as a kind of prize and if an author quits half way through their story they don't deserve to win anything.

My Writing Style

I used to think that I could only write from the point of view of an original character, but I've recently come to the conclusion that I only said that because I was lazy. It's easier to write solely from the point of view of your own creation than it is to write as though you were someone else's character. In the future, my stories will still have an OC as the main character, but I have a feeling they will be from limited third person and will switch between the views of different characters.

As far as organization goes, I've discovered that I can't outline. If I do, I end up bored with the story and quickly lose interest. You read a story because you want to find out what is going to happen and that is the same reason I write. That being said, I definitely have an idea of where my stories will be going. I have major events in mind and I am constantly working toward them. The scenes that come between those major events are made up as I go along.

The thing I hate most about my writing is my obsessive use of participles. My Latin teacher calls them 'verbs with adjectivy qualities' or something like that and I blame Latin for my use of them. I'm not sure if they help or hurt my writing, but they're here to stay so I'll just have to deal.

I always have to fight the urge to include songs in my stories. If I didn't control myself, my characters would end up singing in every chapter. Needless to say, that would get rather annoying. I guess the way I titled the chapters of Superman was my way of sneaking in songs. Though the decision to title chapters that way certainly came back to bite me in the butt. The only chapters that were easy to name were the major chapters that I had named in advanced. The rest were utter and complete hell.

Allow me to rant. My topic: Kazuma Kuwabara.

It seems to me like the majority of writers in the Yu Yu Hakusho fandom fail to see him fully. He isn't simply the bumbling court jester of Yu Yu Hakusho. Kazuma Kuwabara is one of the deepest, most profound characters in the show. He's human and he's proud and that is what makes him who he is. Seems to me that since we are all humans we should be proud of the only truly human fighter on the show.

All those authors that bash him because he is supposedly 'stupid' or 'weak' need to look a little harder. There is more to being strong than being able to smash someone else's head in and you can be wise without getting straight A's in school. Kuwabara is strong because he fights for those he cares about, for what matters. He is intelligent because he sees that his friends and family are the most important things in the world. So all you Kuwa bashers out there, wise up.

And those are my feelings on Kazuma Kuwabara.

Fan Art

TBC123 was kind enough to draw a picture of my character Shyle from my story Superman. I like it quite a bit. Here's the link: http://smudgemarks13.deviantart.com/art/Shyle-Iraheta-Superman-132849562

GretchenMichelle has also drawn her interpretations of Shy and, honestly, I love each one. The link's are (You'll have to replace the 'view¤t' with a 'view(&)current' minus the parentheses. Sorry for the inconvenience. Fanfiction won't let me write the websites correctly, it keeps altering the hyperlink.):
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/eatmygiantburito/?action=view¤t=scan0001.jpg
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/eatmygiantburito/?action=view¤t=scan0004.jpg
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/eatmygiantburito/?action=view¤t=scan0002.jpg

"Life is our dictionary."
Ralph Waldo Emerson