I am worried about...

So as I delve deeper into my book, I find myself worried with five things. Well for right now, it is only five things. I am sure in the future there will be more.

1. Tense
Tense is something I have always struggled with. It is so hard for me to write in only present or only past. I find that one sentence is in present and the next in past. I struggle with it constantly. I try to make myself aware of it and correct each mistake but I know there are a lot slipping through the cracks.

2. Subject Verb Agreement
This one does not plague me as much as tense, but I still worry over it. I think I am actually pretty good at, but I know it is a big deal therefore I analyze each subject and verb combination way too much.

3. Consistentcy
I am really afraid of making some silly mistake. Like in one chapter someone is blonde and the next a brunette. I really hate seeing mistakes like that in movies or books which makes me more critical of my own writing.

4. Passive Writing Vs Action Writing
I wasn't concerned with this at all until I read a blog recently discussing the pros and cons of each. Now I am over analyzing my sentence structure as well as my tense and subject verb agreement.

5. Short Chapters
Probably not that big of a deal, but I am finding all my chapters to be around eight to ten pages. Then I start doing math, which is never a good thing. I am guesstimating that by the time this thing is done it will be close to 400 pages which at 10 pages a chapter is 40 chapters. 40 chapters seem like a lot to me.

I am really starting to feel like reading about writing is hurting my writing. I am thinking each sentence, each word to death. At this rate I will never finish my book. Someone please help!

Challenge Poem

Okay so I took on a challenge poem. Basically that means you have to write a poem with stipulations or guidelines. Here are the stipulations:

4 stanzas with 4 lines in each stanza
no more than 12 syllables, but at least 8 syllables
include an unusual shade of blue, brief reference to a Biblical or mythological character, and have either extreme hot or cold.

Here is my poem.

Ice Statues

Like Cain, I am cursed to wander, searching
for escape from this medium between two
worlds. Slowly, shifting glaciers slightly
altering scenery make it possible

to decide where I'm going. Even though I know
that first I must release this lightly
fading vortex of thoughts, which make capable
hypothermia to set in, thickening

burgundy blood. My heart beats slowly.
Breath reveals itself in the air. Wind is able
to numb my nose, while summoning
and sucking out the memories of you

and others I've known. I become unable
to move under an aquamarine sky. Sinking
deeper into the harsh translucent snow,
as if my past is freezing indefinitely.

Started over...again

So I am starting over for the fourth time. After one hundred plus pages, I find my characters stuck. I don't like where they are or who they have become. I've decided to start again, this time with a more clear vision of who I want Josie to be.

I don't want her to be a vapid, love-struck teenage girl. I don't want her to be some ass-kicking, sarcastic, angst ridden teenage girl either. I do want her to be a teenage girl though. And for me a teenage girl is made up of some sarcasm, fear, courage, tenacity, anger, love, narcissism, and indecision. That's a lot of stuff to cram into her personality, but I think if I can do it, she will be normal.

Hopefully now that I am on my fourth draft of my book, I can get it finished and edit it. Wish me luck!