Say What?

First line Friday: Round 3

2010-06-04T17:56:00.000-05:00

Here's another round of first lines for you (I know, I know, you're probably getting sick of them. But humor me once more, please):

I felt like I was trapped in one of those terrifying nightmares, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can’t make your body move fast enough. -- Stephaenie Meyer, New Moon.

I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy’s Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o’clock on a Tuesday night. -- Sara Zarr, Story of a Girl.

I taped the commercial back in April, before anything had happened, and promptly forgot about it. -- Sarah Dessen, Just Listen.

On January 1, I made two wishes. -- Lauren Henderson, Kiss Me, Kill Me

There are places where kids like me go. Rachel Ward, NUM8ERS.

So Mom got the postcard today. -- Rebecca Stead, When You Reach Me.

There were only two kinds of people in our town. -- Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, Beautiful Creatures.

I have had more than a dozen so-called mothers in my life. -- Ashley Rhodes-Courter, Three Little Words.

Julia was killed on Labor Day on her way home from a party. -- Jennifer R. Hubbard, The Secret Year.

One more rainy season and our roof will be gone, says Ama. -- Patricia McCormick, Sold.

Later, I would think of it as crossing over. -- Joyce Carol Oates, Freaky Green Eyes.

When I look into a mirror, it is her face I see. -- Ellen Hopkins, Identical.

Some of these work for me, and some of them don't. An blah-looking first line won't keep me from buying a book if I'm excited about the storyline, but if I'm only so-so, the writing in the first paragraph has a huge effect on me. What about you?

First line Friday: Round 2

2010-05-28T16:21:00.000-05:00

How important are first lines? For me, very. Often times, they set the mood for the entire story. Here are a few that I enjoy:

- Once you’ve been taken, you usually have twenty-four hours left to live. Edward Bloor, Taken.

- They promised me nine years of safety but only gave me three. Laura Wiess, Such a Pretty Girl.

- Blood fills my mouth. Bree Despain, The Dark Divine.

- It is the counting that saves him. Lisa Mangum, The Hourglass Door.

- Sirens and lights welcomed me back to the suburbs of Chicago. Stephanie Kuehnert, Ballands of Suburbia.

- Life was good before I met the monster. Ellen Hopkins, Crank.

- On Sorry Night, just a few days before Christmas, you have to snuff the lamps, douse the flames in the fireplace, and spend the night in the cold and dark. Simon Holt, The Devouring.

- The day I killed my brother’s girlfriend started with me handpicking leaves off our front lawn. E.R. Frank, Wrecked.

- I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves. Maggie Stiefvater, Shiver.

- He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air. James Dashner, The Maze Runner.

- Gray slats of light slipped between the bars, only to be swallowed by blackness. Heidi Ayarbe, Freeze Frame.

- When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games.

- Kaye took another drag on her cigarette and dropped it into her mother’s beer bottle. Holly Black, Tithe, a Modern Faerie Tale.

- The white boy, the skinny, tall boy with shocking white hair sneaks behind the stone bench and leans against the tree trunk. Julie Anne Peters, By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead.

- I am sitting at a desk in the middle of a hallway, and all of the lights are off. Julie Halpern, Get Well Soon.

- The day begins in the middle of the night. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

- I was born with water on the brain. Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

So, what do you think: too tense, not tense enough, exciting, boring, totally brand new, been-there-done-that? Do any of these make you curious enough to read on, or would you move on to the next book on the shelf?

YA: the newest celebrity trend

2010-05-24T07:51:00.000-05:00

Move over, UGGs, little dogs in big purses, and reality TV shows. The newest celebrity hotness? Pen your own YA series!

I have to say, I was pretty upset when I saw Lauren Conrad's books on the shelves, but I thought: Well, okay ... She's basically famous because her parents are rich and MTV decided to film a show about rich people's kids, and, well, at least the book is about rich kids who get filmed and are famous because TV made them that way. It's basically the Hills in book form. (And since I was still watching the Hills at that point, I couldn't be all hypocritical and complain about it.)

But then Hilary Duff got bored with acting and singing and being ridiculously skinny and decided to give it a go, too. And I thought: Okay, okay ... this is pretty scary, but at least she's almost a teen, and she's kind of a globe-trotter, like her character, so maybe it won't be so bad ... right?

But then I saw the latest: Tyra Banks, queen of the smize, has jumped on the bandwagon, too, with a forthcoming 3-book series about models at an academy for pretty people with Harry Potter-like abilities. As for this one ... well, I don't even know what to say. Because Tyra? She may know a lot about modeling, but the girl's downright, batshit crazy.

I think it's time for celebrities to move on to a new craze, before Paris Hilton decides she needs to write a YA series and, in turn, brings about the apocalypse ...

First line Friday: Round 1

2010-05-21T08:04:00.000-05:00

The Blood-Red Pencil did a post recently about infusing first lines with conflict, and it really made me think. Not only about my own WIPs, but also about books that I pick up off the shelf.

Fair or not, I typically make my decision on what I'm going to buy based on the following: (1) word-of-mouth and/or recommendations from people I trust, (2) book covers that catch my eye, (3) an exciting book jacket synopsis, and (4) the writing in the first few sentences.

So I went on a field trip to my library (a.k.a. the little hearth room at the front of my house), pulled down book after book, and wrote down the first line of most of them. I ended up with quite a few, so I think I'll split them up over a few posts.

Here's the first round:

When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he’d caused it. -- Ingrid Law, Savvy.

Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker. -- P.C. Cast and Kristin Case, Marked (a House of Night novel).

Everyone’s seen my mother naked. -- Elizabeth Scott, Something, Maybe.

Mother spent $700 on a treadmill “from Santa” that I will never use. -- Suzanne Supplee, Artichoke’s Heart.

The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. -- Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go.

A piece of advice from me to me: better brace yourself, loser. -- Sonya Sones, What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know.

On a Saturday morning in November, Alex finds himself alone for the weekend, so he decides to break a few rules. -- Martin Wilson, What They Always Tell Us.

So what do you think? How do these first lines make you feel? Did you laugh, squint your nose, roll your eyes? Did you want to read on, or were you so bored you nodded off? What's your take on how important (or not) adding conflict in first lines really is?

To prologue or not to prologue?

2010-05-17T08:11:00.000-05:00

That's my question of the day.

Almost all the "How To" blogs I've seen say prologues are a no-go, that they're just a backstory/info dump, that whatever you need to say can and should be said in the first chapter. In fact, many industry-types think the real start of your story is somewhere around what you currently call chapter 3-4.

But if prologues are dead, and agents/editors/publishers truly don't want to see them, then why do so many recent YA books (and some very popular, mind you) still have them?

Here are a few examples (sorry, I'm too lazy to include the links):
Becca Fitzpatrick--Hush, Hush
Bree Despain--The Dark Divine
Lauren Oliver--Before I Fall
Rachel Hawkins--Hex Hall
Simon Holt--The Devouring
Sara Zarr--Story of a Girl
E.R. Frank--Wrecked
Lisa Mangum--The Hourglass Door
Stephanie Kuehnert--Ballads of Suburbia
And, of course, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn ... all by some girl no one's ever heard of.

I admit, I have a soft spot for prologues. Always have. But do they add to the story, or are they just a cheap plot device for a story that falls flat in chapter 1?

My personal opinion? Sometimes prologues work, sometimes they don't (immensely helpful, I know). But as for me, I think I'm going to take the advise of someone whose opinion really matters: my 15-year-old cousin-in-law, Jenna (who reads like a crazy person and is way too pretty for her own good).

When I loaned Jenna Hush, Hush (which she loved), I asked her if she thought the prologue was a little weird. She said, "Oh, I don't read prologues. I just skip over them and start with the first chapter. I figure if it's that important or if I get confused or whatever, I can come back to it later."

I don't know about you guys, but that's all the information I need.

Truthful Tuesday (or, the post where I shamelessly objectify pretty boys).

2010-05-11T07:47:00.000-05:00

I know it's unhealthy. I know I should know better. (I'm not a kid anymore, right?) But I can't help it. Bad boys, they still get me.

It may have something to do with the fact that they look like this:

And like this:

And (OMG) like this:

...
...
...

(Sorry ... Damon was just telling me how I want to get lost in his eyes. Must be that creepy, vampire trance thing...)

Even when they're sweaty:

And all dirty:

Or maybe it's because they clean up so nicely:

Or because they pack heat underneath those football jerseys:

(If you haven't seen Taylor in The Covenant, go do it. Now. Trust me: you'll forgive him the Speedo.)

And inside those tattered jackets:

Or maybe it's because they drive girls crazy with their confidence:

Or because they drive these:

Or it may be because they fight against the demons living inside of them:

So they can be good enough for the girl who makes them crazy:

Even if she's sort of bland and doesn't seem to deserve all the fuss:

(Yeah, I know. These 2 are about as bad ass as a flea, but the abs deserved to be included. And he's 18 now, so it's totally cool. Right?)

Or it may be because they make for really hot love triangles:

Or maybe it's because, no matter how bad ass and untouchable they seem, they always, always, have a weak spot. And that weak spot? It makes them human:

(Or as close to human as they can be if they're, ya know, a vampire.)

Whatever that little piece of magic is, all I have to say is keep 'em coming. Pretty, pretty please, keep 'em coming.

p.s. If this isn't a good example of why it's important to show, not tell, I don't know what is! :)

The English language has stumped me. Please help!

2010-05-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

I admit: I'm one of those people. The ones who spot errors in books and pretend to be all annoyed but get this sick satisfaction with finding imperfection. The ones who get unreasonably annoyed when people use the wrong their/they're/their or its/it's or you're/your. The ones who find it way easier to edit for grammar than for content. The ones who delete blog comments b/c of one, tiny typo.

(For everyone who thinks I'm crazy, I'm not alone. Just check this post for more about white people and their grammar issues.)

But, much to my dismay, I still don't know it all. Like, for instance, I sometimes hesitate when spelling grammar. A part of me thinks it should be grammer instead. (I won't even get into how long it took for me to accept that there is no "a" in definite.) And when I'm writing and I can't remember whether to use lay or lie or sit or set, I just pick another word.

And now, when I don't know whether to italicize the punctuation directly after a word that is also italicized.

Normally when I'm stumped, I can Google the answer, but I don't even know where to start with this one. So I'm putting this to a vote. Which one of the 2 choices below do you think is right?

(a) "What were you thinking?"
(b) "What were you thinking?"

(In case it's not clear, I'm asking whether I italicize the question mark.)

Thanks, peeps!

If it walks, talks, and acts like a duck ... is it?

2010-04-29T08:02:00.000-05:00

My current WIP is actually an older WIP that I'm trying to convert from women's fiction to YA. Voice-wise, it's always belonged in YA. And I'm totally loving the changes.

But here's the deal: I have 2 sisters as narrators. Originally, they were 22 and 25. Now, they're 17-18 and 20-21.

It feels like YA. It sounds like YA. It walks, talks, and acts like YA. But, well, can it really be YA when only one of my 2 protagonists is a teen?

What do you think? Be honest. I'd rather not look like an asshat when I query the thing.

Dear YA cult: we have a new convert.

2010-04-28T08:48:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to get my little sis to read YA for, well, ever now. She would read the occasional one (mostly out of necessity when she was staying at my house), but she always went back to the adult ones.

And then finally, this week she calls me and says, "So ... All I want to read lately are kids' books. I've been looking through Amazon, and it keeps showing me all these other books I might like, and when an adult one comes up, I'm like, 'Ehhh ... I don't care about your lame adult problems.' I want to read about teenagers, damn it."

My evil plan for total YA domination has taken root. Now, I'm off to convince my husband that there are other great kids' books in the world besides Harry Potter ...

Words of wisdom from the Query Shark

2010-04-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

Posted Saturday, on #156:

Really good novels don't have everything on the page. Really good novels are like spiderwebs: the filaments, words, are important but the space they create, the unspoken, is what makes it beautiful.

You must trust your readers to make intuitive jumps with you and to know some of why things happen. They'll be able to do this easily if you write it by SHOWING, not telling.

Beautifully wonderful advice I thought I'd share, in case any of you don't follow the Query Shark blog. Which you absolutely should. So get over there. Now. You can thank me later.

Why spell check just isn't enough.

2010-04-20T09:46:00.000-05:00

In case you needed another reason to edit, edit, and edit some more, here's one from my Publisher's Lunch email:

"As for the strangest and most embarrassing international news story, Penguin Australia reprinted 7,000 copies of the PASTA BIBLE due to a horrible typo. A recipe mistakenly called for 'salt and freshly ground black people' instead of 'pepper.'"

Teehee.

Pretty Pink Ribbons

2010-04-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

They're soft. They're girly. They wrap things up all clean and pretty. Sometimes, that can be nice, preferable, even. And other times, well ... Other times I just want to shred the pretty pink satin to slivers.

Clearly, I'm not talking about actual ribbons here. I've gotten nothing against the frilly things. But when it comes to books and movies and television shows, I could stand a few less of them.

Or, if you're set on pink ribbons (hey, they definitely have their places), at least slice them up, let them fray at the edges. Because happily-ever-after perfection can get a little tired, a little cliche. Plus, it's not that realistic.

Yes, I read for a release, for an escape from the real world. And yes, I know it's fiction. But I'd still like to be grounded somewhere on this planet. I'd still like to feel, "Hey, I know these characters. And I believe what they're going through, because this is something that would happen in the real world."

What about you? Do you like your ribbons new, sliced, or completely absent?

If I Stay: A book that broke my heart, in the best possible way.

2010-04-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

I love YA. I do. But it's been a long time since a book really got to me--made me stop and think or laugh and cry, made me feel something, long after I read the final pages. A couple of YA books have come close, but something didn't completely click. For whatever reason, I wasn't as sucked in as I wanted to be.

But then this weekend, I took the very good advice of Jodi Meadows and finally read a book that's been in my TBR pile for months: If I Stay, by Gayle Forman.

And can I just say ... Wow.

I don't know what took me so long to read it, but I'm glad I finally did. It's written in first person present tense, but it was so well done, I didn't even notice. By page 14, I was so devastated I wanted to put it down, or throw it against the wall, or something. But I couldn't. Because I couldn't stop reading long enough to do any of those things.

I can be a bit of a baby, I'll admit, but I haven't cried over a book since ... geez, maybe back in Nicholas Sparks' better days. But If I Stay didn't just make me cry over the characters; it made me think--about love, family, music, and loss. And while I was thinking, I bawled like a little girl.

It reminded me that those books, the ones that are powerful enough to stop and start your heart, they're still out there.

If you haven't read it yet, you should.

That is all.

Endings, Shmendings ...

2010-03-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry for disappearing for a million years. I've been working and reading and working and working and reading some more. The working part is boring. Let's talk about the reading instead.

I just finished Before I Fall, a new YA novel by Lauren Oliver.

First thing's first: this book is huge. Like, size-of-my-head, beat-yo-mama huge. Second thing's second: I devoured every single page of it, racing through the story like my life depended on it.

This book had things I loved (vivid descriptions, metaphors that made you stop and think, a fun love interest, a great premise, voice), things I didn't love (repetition I'm not certain was intentional, somewhat cliched mean girls, issues that felt important but weren't fully addressed), and then one other thing.

The ending.

Some people will love it, some will hate it, and others will love to hate it. As for me? I wanted to love it, or to love to hate it, or even just to like it.

But I didn't. Not even kind of. In fact, it pissed me off so much--gave me this "Wait ... What the marshmallows?!?!?" moment--that I wanted to throw it against a wall. (I didn't, of course. It's a big book; could cause serious damage to the plaster.) I wanted to scream, "No! This is wrong, wrong, wrong! One more day, please!" I waited a few days before posting this, b/c I thought maybe the last 2-3 pages would grow on me. They still haven't. I can't explain it any more thoroughly without giving something away, so I'll just say Lauren's choice (or Samantha's choices, technically) didn't sit right with me.

All that said, Lauren Oliver has taken an intriguing premise and created a movie-worthy story with it. She has demonstrated that interesting characters aren't perfect, that even narrators don't have to be likable so long as the author is skilled enough to pull them off (which Lauren totally is). And I would ABSOLUTELY recommend you pick this book up. Despite its flaws, Before I Fall stands out in an increasingly popular genre.

This very well-written book reinforced what I already suspected: endings are tough stuff. No matter what you do, not everyone's gonna love it.

So let me know: have any of you read Before I Fall? (If you haven't, you should. Now.) What did you think of it? And what about that ending?

Query + First 10 Pages--last chance to enter!

2010-03-02T18:07:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this is ridiculously last minute of me, but if you haven't entered Weronika's contest, hurry up and do so! You've still got about (okay, a little less than) an hour. Here are the rules, pulled from Weronika's site:

RULES
The contest will be open over two intervals: TUESDAY, MARCH 2ND, FROM 7AM EST - 9AM EST and 6PM EST - 8PM EST. Emails outside of these intervals will be deleted unread.
Email all queries and pages EMBEDDED IN THE EMAIL to weronika (dot) janczuk (at) gmail (dot) com.
Put the word QUERY in the subject line.
Do not submit from an email address that requires any confirmation, etc.
You're welcome to submit with an unfinished manuscript. If I offer to forward your query, I'll just have to wait until the book is done!
All critiques will be sent by Sunday, March 7th, 9pm EST.

AWESOME, right? So get your butts over there now!

Let's get to the point.

2010-02-24T10:52:00.000-06:00

Here's my Tuesday truth, a day late and a few dollars short: I'm halfway into my rough draft, and I haven't made any progress.

Okay, so that's not exactly true. I did revamp my plot, fine-tune my conflict, kill off a few darlings (sorry, my dears!), come up with a pretty wicked outline (thanks to the ladies over at Plot This and an amazingly helpful plotting device), and draft a preliminary query and synopsis (jumping the gun, I know, but it helps me focus).

But now that I've done all of the above, I realize the first third of my book is backstory. Which is precisely why I'm stuck, why I've been staring at a Word document for the past 2 weeks without making any progress.

I love my characters. I love their story. But no one else will if I can't shut the hell up and say what I mean, already.

So I'm starting from scratch. Except, I like to think of it as cooking brownies from a box: I have all the dry ingredients. Now I just have to thicken them up, blend them together, and make them sweat.

Or something like that.

What about you?

Have you ever gotten the bug?

2010-02-01T09:18:00.000-06:00

You know the one. It's the Shiny New Idea sickness. When it strikes, you have to drop everything you're doing because this idea? It's OMG The Next Big Thing and no one has EVER done anything so cool before and it will make you famous it's just that good ... except it isn't. And discovering that? Well, it sucks something hard.

Jim Benton said it best, I think. Here are his wise words, reported by the SCBWI blog team (and I'm still super jealous that I missed out on this conference ...):

Jim talks about the rush of getting a new GREAT idea that you drop all other projects for to work on RIGHT NOW. And then... once you've worked on it a bit you realize it is AWFUL. Don't be paralyzed by your stupid ideas, you won't know they're stupid at first, just let all ideas in and eventually the good ones will make themselves known.

Genius, isn't it?

Damn you, Elizabeth Scott!

2010-01-25T14:58:00.001-06:00

Have you ever read a book and thought, "Wow ... Now that was the epitome of teen voice. I mean, damn ... Why do I even bother when I have to compete with this level of awesome??"

It's a strange feeling, to be so in love with the voice of a book that you immerse yourself in it, live it eat it breathe it need it love it. I've had this feeling before, for instance, when I read LHA's Wintergirls. But there was something about Elizabeth Scott's Love You, Hate You, Miss You that grabbed hold of me and punched me in the gut.

The story was simple. Not a whole lot going on: girl's friend dies; girl goes to treatment center to get better; girl deals with the aftermath and finding her way in a world without the only thing in it that ever made sense to her. But what made this book for me was Amy's voice--how she spoke, how she acted, how she felt, her nonverbal cues ... It was all very real, authentic, raw, honest. Very teen, without all the "ya knows" and "likes."

If you haven't read it yet, you should. (Plus, it's so cheap on Amazon right now that it'd be crazy to pass it up!)

Now. I'm off to kidnap Elizabeth Scott, tire her up, and make her tell me her secrets.

(Elizabeth: If you've somehow stumbled upon this post, please know I mean you no harm. I'll feed you lots and make sure you watch all your favorite shows. Plus, I have tons of board games--Scrabble, Boggle, Clue, Monopoly ... If you're into that sort of thing. And of course I'll give you a pen and some paper, b/c the world would be a less lovely place if you stopped spreading your words with everyone. See? Told ya. Not bad for being kidnapped.)

142 pages is my limit.

2010-01-18T11:09:00.000-06:00

So there's this book. It's YA, and you've probably heard of it, even if you haven't read it yet. Here are a few of the stats:

1) The cover? Gorgeous. It's why I had to learn more about the story.

2) The description? Fun, spooky history + love story + first in trilogy + mystery = trip to my local Borders to pick it up, pronto.

3) The story itself? ... And here's where things get a little ugly.

-- At about 40 pages in, I set the book down for a couple of weeks, because it wasn't that interesting yet. But no way was I giving up on such a big, fat, beautiful book that easily.

-- At 92 pages, I set it down again, because, well ... still not that interesting. Where was the story? What was the point to all the "I did this today and this the next day" Bella antics? Surely it was building up to something, but what? And when? How much longer would I have to wait? The 40-or-so other books in my TBR pile(s) were calling to me--and the call was strong--but dammit, I was seeing this one through.

-- At 122 pages, I stopped again, and decided to read some reviews. Some people loved it, but many reviewers said the same thing I was worried about: There was no story, at least not until the last 20 pages or so. Of a 400+ page book.

-- I decided to give it one more shot. And then, at 142 pages, I closed the book, marveled over its dark, spooky cover one more time, and did something that broke my heart: I threw in the towel.

This reading experience really gave me a new perspective when I opened up my own WIP. It made me think, "Am I into the meat of the story yet, or am I diddly daddly'ing around because I love my characters and their world too much to let them go?" This is something I'll address more in the editing phase, but it's also helped me to pick up my first-draft-writing pace as well.

AND SO I SAY TO YOU ALL, DEAR WRITERS:

(Most) readers are not impatient people. We love books. We love falling into world after world after world. And we will stick with you through 700+ pages if that's how long it takes to tell your story. (If you don't believe me, just ask Steph Meyer.) But, you must give us a reason first. Mundane, day-to-day activities, at least in my humblest opinion, does not a reason make ... even if you throw us a bone and introduce us to The Love Interest. It is not necessary that you plunge us headfirst into scenes with blood, guts, and drama (in fact, that can be a little overwhelming when we have no concept of who these people are yet), but you must give us something to hang on to, something to make us care. And don't wait until Book 2 of the series to bring it. We don't have Book 2 in our hands yet. And, if we can't connect with Book 1, we probably never will.

With muchest love,

ME

Monday Madness (a.k.a. random awesomeness for writers)

2010-01-11T11:57:00.000-06:00

First off, Steph Bowe over at Hey! Teenager of the Year is hosting an amazing contest. Steph is giving away 5 (or maybe more) first page critiques to aspiring writers. So get your butts over there and sign up, if you haven't already! (For those of you who don't know her, Steph is a 15-year-old YA novelist with her debut novel coming out in 2010. So she's not only someone I'm totally jealous of; she's also my target audience!)

Now, on to random nuggets of wisdom that I saved in a draft ages ago and forgot to share with you all. Perhaps it'll be a nice refresher.

1) Janet Reid, wise as ever, tells everyone here how to get no more rejections, EVER. Seriously, never ever ever get rejected again. The solution is simple as store bought chicken pot pie: All you have to do is stop writing. That's it. Presto. Doesn't sound appealing, does it? Then do what Janet suggests, and learn to take the good with the bad. Rejections aren't fun, but they're part of being a writer. So we can (a) suck it up, or (b) quit writing. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm putting on my big girl pants and sticking with (a). (Janet really has a way with words, so definitely check out her post, if you haven't already.)

2) Have you ever wondered whether you've committed some fatal error in your WIP that will make teens stop reading? If so, then go here. As I mentioned above, Steph Bowe knows teens well. She doesn't just write for them, she is one of them. Which makes her an amazing resource. Her list of what makes her stop reading a YA book is very thorough and a great resource for anyone coming up on an editing phase of a WIP.

3) Awhile back, Lauren (over at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf) had an amazing guest post from author L.M. Preston. The subject? Whether teens can really fall in love. The answer? Love isn't reserved for old farts like me. Teens feel it, too, with an intensity that will probably keep me reading YA until my eyes fall out. Not only is teen love real, but if it could be bottled, Preston would call it "Love Potion #9." (Dangerous idea, bottling teen love. It could send the world into a frenzy.)

Wishing you all a Monday full of madness, but only the good kind.

In my wrapping paper (and in other places)

2010-01-04T10:57:00.000-06:00

My husband reeked of awesomeness this Christmas. Don't believe me? Here's what he got me (granted, I gave him a wishlist with all of the books in it, but still!):

Willow by Julia Hoban
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum
Need by Carrie Jones
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Secrets, Lies, and My Sister Kate by Belinda Hollyer
David Inside Out by Lee Bantle
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
The Devouring by Simon Holt
Cracked up to Be by Courtney Summers
Wake by Lisa McMann
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
In Your Room by Jordanna Fraiberg
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Okay, so I bought this one for him, but my reasons were at least half selfish, so I'm adding it to the list.)

And then, when my mother-in-law asked what she should get me, he told her about these:
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

AND ... if that wasn't enough, I ordered a few from Amazon (I know, I know, I definitely already had enough, but I realllly wanted Beautiful Creatures, and it was half off at Amazon at the time. Half. Off! I couldn't resist. Of course, I couldn't just get that one, because I needed to qualify for free super saver shipping. You understand. Right?):

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard
If I Stay by Gayle Forman

And, pre-Christmas, I bought a few from Borders (their coupons always get me!):
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (got tired of waiting and waiting for the paperback and finally decided to bite the bullet)
The Everafter by Amy Huntley
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (may be the coolest title ever, and the first page is hilarious)
Paper Towns by John Green
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

ANDDDD ... if all that wasn't good enough, I won a signed copy of:
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

And that's about it! Well okay, not really. Not even close, actually. In truth, I have several more on my bookshelf upstairs that I haven't had the chance to read yet, but if I add those, I'll just look like some book buying crazy that needs an intervention.

I must warn you all: if you come to my house and try to take my books away and say that you're doing it because you love me, expect retaliation.

Happy New Years to all!

To all you honest scraps

2009-12-21T15:06:00.000-06:00

Today (or technically, Saturday, when I was out procrastination-shopping and trying my best not to kill people), I became a recipient of the Honest Scrap award. (Thanks, Weronika!) I've seen it floating around for awhile now, and I must say, I've been a little green behind the ears (figuratively only, I hope).

So anywho. Rules are, I have to share 10 honest things about myself and then pass the Honest Scrap award on to 10 other "Scraptastic" (best word ever, I think) bloggers. Without further ado:

1) I have had a horrible, no good, very bad month. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it went something like this: (a) fell down in front of court house in the rain and sprained foot--too embarrassed to say anything, so ran away really quickly; (b) one week later to the day, fell down half of my stairs at home and REALLLLLY sprained same foot, plus hurt lots of other things and maybe hit my head on a porcelain dog bowl; (c) spent week on crutches and in foot brace thing; (d) finally got into shoes again (flats only--no heels yet!), and then picked up some sickness; (e) kept sickness for so long that throat closed up and had to get on steroids just to get food down; (f) worked late pretty much every day and spent no time writing; (g) realized about 3 weeks too late that I should start holiday shopping. But I'm better now, so it's all good. Here's to 2010--you can't get here soon enough.

2) Sometimes, I can be long winded. If you made it through number 1, you probably realize this already. I'll attempt the brevity approach for 3-11.

3) I'm a firm believer in a few, quality friends over a large quantity of acquaintances.

4) I haven't had any time to write lately, but it's all I can think about doing. In fact, I get kind of pissy when I haven't met with my characters in awhile. I feel like I'm missing out on something super important.

5) I used to be really good at forging signatures. I did it for all my friends in high school. Which made me totally cool. No, really. It did. (Okay, I was a total nerd. Let it go already.)

6) I ask my husband a lot of weird questions that I know he has no idea how to answer--almost always related to something crazy I'm writing and don't feel like researching--because it amuses me almost as much as it amuses him.

7) I try to like things that are cool, like foreign films and sushi, but I just don't like subtitles, and uncooked fish isn't my thing, no matter how much cream cheese you stuff in with it.

8) I do, however, love middle eastern food. I could live off of gyros, kabobs, shish tawook, pita, hummus, and cucumber feta chicken. Heaven on a plate and in my mouth.

9) If I could have any job in the world, I'd either be an author or that person who picks out music for television shows. Ideally, I'd be both.

10) If my reading, writing, television, movie, and music selections are any indications, I don't think I'll ever grow up. Bring on the YA reads, the CW network, the Bring it On's and the Jimmy Eat World/Dashboard Confessionals of the world. Forever teen at heart, here I come.

__________________________________________________

Now, this is typically the time when I'd pass this award along to 10 other Scraptastic bloggers. But the thing is ... SO many of my scrappy friends have received this award already, and I'm just not good at choosing! So what's a girl to do?

I can either shriek and hide under the covers and pretend like I can't follow directions, or I can break the rules and ask you all:

TELL ME SOMETHING HONEST ABOUT YOURSELF. ONE THING. 2 THINGS. TEN. WE ALL HAVE A LITTLE SCRAPPINESS IN US. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SHARED IT YET, I'M DYING TO HEAR IT.

Happy, Happy Holidays to all!

Are you a writer?

2009-12-01T09:16:00.000-06:00

Words of inspiration from someone* who is:

" ... I didn't become a writer the first time I put pen to paper or when I finished my first book (easy) or my second one (hard). You see, in my view a writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway. Wasn't until that night when I was faced with all those lousy pages that I realized, really realized, what it was exactly that I am."

You can find the full article here. It's definitely worth a read.

*Junot Díaz's novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008.

Bored now ...

2009-11-23T16:43:00.000-06:00

If you're freaked about whether your first 250 words are good enough, do yourself a favor and read this post.

That is all. Short and sweet.

Happy Monday-is-almost-over to all!

If I were an agent, I'd need more meds.

2009-11-17T08:58:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of the Secret Agent contest? It's held once a month at this amazing blog, and if you haven't checked it out before, you must. Basically, you enter the first 250 words of your completed work, and that month's Secret Agent reads the entries and picks one or more winners. These winners get really cool prizes, usually in the form of submitting a partial or (eek!) a full to the agent in question.

Since my MS is nowhere near ready for public critique, I didn't submit this time. I did, however, attempt to comment on as many of the entries as possible. Here's what I learned this go-around:

1) Being an agent must be tough. Agents are attentive, persistent, and patient. Really, really patient. In fact, they may be gods.

2) I'm not crazy about people starting their stories with things like, "My momma always warned me not to play near rose bushes," or "My best friend, Roberta, always said that life is like a box of crayons." This kind of beginning sets itself up for an internal monologue or, worse, an info dump. And dumps aren't pretty, no matter what color you paint them.

3) Typos are killer. Proofread, proofread, proofread. And, for the love of all things holy, proofread!

4) Prologues: I could leave 'em or take 'em, so long as they don't read like backstory. Backstory makes me a little drowsy. And it kind of makes me cringe.

5) And here's the real kicker: If you don't pull me in within the first 2 or 3 lines, you've lost me. I don't need you to start the story off with a literal BANG! (in fact, that's normally too much for me to handle); I just need you to start the story off where the story actually starts. Granted, my limited attention span has probably caused me to miss out on a few slow-building gems over the years, but it's also opened my eyes to the works of authors I'd never heard of before and just-so-happened to pick up one day, whilst wandering aimlessly through the bookstore (one of my favorite activities, by the way).

Moral of the story? I may not be an agent, but I AM a reader, and an avid one at that. So, if you want me to read your stuff (and you might not; that's your perogative), then write something true (or truly fantastical), something honest (or honestly deceptive). Write something that is worth being said. And make sure you are able, from the beginning, to get a reader to care. Because if you can't do that, then the incredible world you've spent months (or even years) building may never make it any further than a word doc on your computer.

If you want people to compliment your baby, wash its face first.

2009-11-16T07:03:00.000-06:00

If you're like me, your MS is your baby. You change it. You clean it. You feed it. You watch it stumble and tumble and crawl and fall, and you try not to cry when it skins a knee. Like any other mother I know, you also have a difficult time seeing its flaws. You block out the unruly hair, the pudding-stained chin, the (gasp!) smelly diaper. Your baby is your life, and it is perfect, by God. Every last inch of it.

So what do you do? You enter your baby in a beauty pageant, of course! Because your baby is the cutest baby alive, and you're sure all the judges will see it, too. You fluff your baby's hair. You pile on the makeup. You wrap your baby up in a big, sparkly dress. And then you sit on the front row, video camera in hand, and wait for the victory you know will come.

Except, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes, the judges don't see what you see. Sometimes, your baby gets rejected.

It's cruel and it sucks, and you find yourself getting a little bitter about it. "That judge didn't know what she was talking about," you tell your friends. "My baby is perfect," you repeat ad nauseum. And you ignore the looks on your friends' faces, because if you really pay attention, you'll realize that maybe, just maybe, those judges weren't so wrong after all.

Beauty is subjective. We all know this. But that doesn't mean we can throw a tiara on a dirty, smelly kid and pretend everything's A-OK. Judges are harsh. They have to be, what with the upteen bazillion Pageant Queen wannabes they see every week. If we want our babies to win, we have to make them shiny and pretty and sparkly and genuine, before we send them onto the stage. Anything less and we're not only wasting the judges' time, we're also wasting ours.

Tuesday Newsday: early signs that November will rock.

2009-11-03T08:54:00.000-06:00

Last night, I was all mopey and tired and hating work, so I logged on for a blogger high (um, I mean pick-me-up. like coffee. totally legal.). And what did I find? Only the best news I've heard so far for November:

The lovely sister-sister writing team of Lisa and Laura Roecker (a.k.a. "LiLa") is going to be published!! Can I get a woot woot?

*The crowd says, "Woot Woot!"

Here's their Publisher's Marketplace blurb (which I totally stole from their blog; don't tell): From Publisher's Marketplace: Lisa Roecker and Laura Roecker's A Kate Lowry Mystery: THE HAUNTING OF PEMBERLY BROWN, a quick-witted mystery starring a private-school sleuth with attitude and pearls, who receives an email from her dead best friend, to Daniel Ehrenhaft at Sourcebooks, for publication in Spring 2011, by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management (NA).

Congrats, girls! Try to remember the little people. Or, at least don't have us arrested for stalking if we show up in your backyard in Team LiLa t-shirts, bearing Twizzlers and "Vote 4 LiLa" bumper stickers. (Um, I mean at your front door. With like, a card or something. Whoa. Creepy moment there.)

Hip,

Hip,

Hooray!!

Dear silly, teenage me,

2009-11-02T07:23:00.000-06:00

I'm getting older now--and, hopefully, a little bit wiser--so I think it's time I tell you a few things. Dispel rumors. Make life easier for you. So, without further ado, I present to you, my so not-grown-up self, a list of things I wish I'd known when I was your age.

1) Enjoy the days where it takes you 5 minutes to roll out of bed and throw your hair into a ponytail and your body into the first clean t-shirt you see, because someday soon your face will refuse to walk out the door with you. At least not without concealer, and mascara, and of course some lip gloss, and a little blush couldn't hurt.

2) You follow him around. You leave anonymous notes in his locker. You act like an idiot any time he's within eyesight. This is not love. This is infatuation. In fact, it might even be a crime. Find a new hobby.

3) What this, you say? You still think you're in love with him just because he's pretty? Try this one on for size, then: He marries his high school girlfriend b/c he knocks her up on the senior trip, and then he cheats on her a million times and gets older and divorced and wayyyyy less hot than he was in high school. The world is no longer his castle. You do not want to be his de-throned queen.

4) Nice guys are better than jerks. Hang out with nice guys instead.

5) Those girls you think will be your BFFs-4-life and smile big and cheesy beside you in fancy bridesmaids' gowns? Not one of them will come to your wedding, much less be in it. So enjoy it while you can, but remember this: your lifelong friendships will not develop in high school. And yes, this is actually for the best.

6) Oh, and your very, very best friend? She was selfish in 7th grade and she'll stay that way for as long as you know her. Accept that and move on, or let her go. And if you're mad at her, talk to her about it. Don't let it fester. Because if you do, then one day the two of you will be so far apart that even sharing an apartment can't hold you together any more. One day, you won't even know her.

7) Stop being such a jerk to your little sister. She IS your friend. You DO love her. She is probably the greatest person you know. And she WILL be standing next to you at your wedding ... even though she's so sick she can barely walk, much less smiile for the camera.

8) Read more. Write more. Live more. And for the love of Pete, do not throw away all of your old journals! They are nowhere near as humiliating as you think, and no one cares enough about who you crushed on in 6th grade to publish it to the world. No one except for you, that is. Your journals are gold. You will kick yourself in the ass on a daily basis if you don't realize this now.

9) Yes, you are in love. No, it's not meant to be. These things happen. Don't put off the inevitable because you're worried about hurting him. He will be okay. You will be okay.

10) Sometimes, thinner is not better, so put the tweezers down and step away from the mirror. Slowly, with your hands over your head ... Trust me, you'll thank me for this some day. (And while you're at it, could you throw that blue eyeshadow into the trashcan?)

11) Don't be cruel to others just because you can, or just because other kids are doing it. It doesn't make you cool. It makes you a bully.

12) Your parents love you and they mean well, but they are not always right. Don't blindly accept their world views as your own. Research. Meet people. Open your mind, and your heart.

13) Sometimes, it's okay to be selfish. Don't go to law school just b/c you think it'll make your parents proud. Think about what will make you happy first.

14) Your fourth grade dreams were not made of pipe. You can be a writer. It would help, though, if you got more practice now so you could play less catchup later.

15) Sure, it's fun to sneak into adults-only clubs and sip wine coolers when no one's looking, but no, you don't wish your were grown up already. You'll (hopefully) have plenty of time to be an adult later. With lots of grownup responsibilities and problems. You only have a few more years to be reckless and stupid, so take advantage of that while youth is still a valid excuse.

Bonus) Say it with me: MySpace. Facebook. Twitter. Start them. Invest in them. whatever. And, if all that sounds way too technical, I give you one word: Snuggie. It may never make sense to you, but if you make it, they will come.

With love,

Me.

Twilight, we need to talk. You see, I'm in love. With someone else.

2009-10-30T08:50:00.000-05:00

So here's the thing, Twilight. You know I'm a sucker for you. I fell in hardcore lust when I first read you, and I fall over and over again when I see a new movie trailer. For me, you're that one relationship I can never really get over, even though I know you're bad for me. Even though "you and me" doesn't make sense. Even though you do things that really piss me off.

Like, for instance, repeating yourself over and over, like I didn't hear you the first time. Or using purple prose like it's going out of style. Or, even worse, watering down my idea of a vampire.

You see, Twilight, you made me forget how scary vampires can be, how unpredictable and thrilling. Yes, they're all beautiful. I get that. We all get that. But vampires are so much more than eye candy. Throw one vampire into the mix, and you have created conflict, tension, suspense, heartache. Throw a second vampire in, who just happens to be the super hot, bad boy brother of the super hot, good-boy-with-a-bad-past vamp, and you've got my new favorite guilty pleasure.

You see, Twilight, I've always liked vampires. But, more than that, I love that edge-of-my-seat rush I get when a show I think will be predictable pulls a 90-degree turn on me. And that's just what the Vampire Diaries has done.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. The Vampire Diaries was super corny when we first met, too. Like almost nerd-in-suspenders corny. (Not to mention that its "VD" abbreviation is kind of icky ...) But I've had a soft spot in my heart for the Vampire Diaries ever since I read the books in the 90s, and, I have to say, I'm falling in love all over again.

You see, Twilight, you're that guy with the stare so intense that your liquid topaz eyes turn me into gravy every time I see you (no matter how much it pisses me off), but the Vampire Diaries is the friend that became something more--the relationship that comforts me and surprises me all at once, that has become something so good that I learned, early on, to stick with it through the rough patches, because I know this love is real.

(Or maybe the guys are just so damn hot that I can't see straight? You be the judge.)

I'm sorry, Twilight. I really am. It's not you, it's me. I just need some time alone, some space. We can still be friends, if you want. And I promise we'll hang out again soon. (It's not like the Vampire Diaries and I are exclusive, or anything ...) As a matter of fact, I have an open spot on my calendar November 20.

Now, come on, Twilight. Don't be like that. You know very well the Vampire Diaries didn't "steal your flava." The Vampire Diaries is old enough to be your dad, or at least your cool older brother. With fangs. And it's never good to piss off someone with fangs. Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?

Because who doesn't like an awesome writing contest?

2009-10-28T07:06:00.000-05:00

So, I've been a little MIA lately. It's like someone tranq'd me and I went into a week-long coma. I'm thinking conspiracy. Government secrets. The whole she-bang.

On with the point: As I was catching up on all of the awesome blogness I missed this week, I came across a kick ass contest on Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf. Basically, you submit the first 250 words of your YA manuscript, and then the nice individuals hosting the contest pick winners. And give prizes!

Here's a little snippet I stole from Lauren's blog (hopefully, she won't sue; Lauren, please don't sue!):

The top 20 submissions will all be read by a panel of five judges comprised of top YA editors at Random House, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Penguin. All 20 will receive free autographed copies of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. Of the 20, they will pick the top five submissions and provide each author with commentary. ONE Grand Prize Winner will win a free 10-week writing course courtesy of the Gotham Writer’s Workshop.

Please submit all entries via the contest website at http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php. One entry per person; anyone age 13+ can apply. Open to the U.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). Entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET).

This contest is in honor of NaNoWriMo month and is meant to encourage aspiring YA authors to lose the "aspiring" part and to actually start writing.

Are you entering? I know I am. I could use a really swift kick in the rear!

Don't hurt the readers!

2009-10-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

My first thought when I heard about the bestseller's pricing war** was, "Yay! Now I can buy two instead of one ... It's like BOGO, but with books!" My second thought was, "Uh oh ... What does this mean for my local Borders? Or for the cutesy little bookstores downtown?" My Publishers Lunch email today had several quotes from people in the biz about what they think about price wars. The one that concerns me most is below.

"It's the chain bookstores and the readers that are going to be hurt by this the most. Chain bookstores can't do what what independents can do, nor can they pay their bills by selling toothpaste and electronics. Readers will suffer the most, however. If the general public learns to expect cheap books, publishers won't be able to afford to take a chance on new writers, so quality, story, research and expertise will slowly disappear from new books, and we'll only have those most commercial and bland books to choose from. Again, you get what you pay for." Nikki Furrer of Pudd'nhead Books, Webster Groves, MO

My thoughts after reading this: YIKES!

Stop it, Amazon and Walmart (and Sears and Target, while we're at it). If you let your pride continue to get the best of you, next thing you know we'll be buying all of our books on iTunes for the price of a song, and that couldn't possibly be good for the business. You and your big corporate heads should be ashamed of yourselves.

**For a really good breakdown of the consequences of playing rough, check out this post.

The post where I become angry.

2009-10-20T07:37:00.000-05:00

So, here's the thing. I'll tell you anything you want to know about me, but it's harder for me to share about the people closest to me. I almost feel like it's not my place to tell these things. But when I see stories like this, stories that shock every inch of humanity inside of me, I know it's time for me to speak up. So today, I'll give it a shot.

1. My best friend is one of the most honest, compassionate, and understanding people I know. She is funny. She is brilliant. She loves her family. She works hard for what she has. She is also Muslim-American. She dresses modestly, but she doesn't wear a hijab, so people don't think when they speak to her. They don't realize that when they make Muslim jokes or call an entire religion of people terrorists based upon the extreme actions of a select few, they are insulting her. And her mother. And her little sister. And her husband, who was raised by a Southern Baptist mother and father and recently converted to Islam. And her children. These people don't think. Truth is, they don't want to.

2. My parents work hard. They love me and my little sister. We love them. They made sure that, no matter how hard or how many hours they had to work, our family never went without. My parents are also bigots. I could sugarcoat it more than that, but I'm not going to. They were both raised very Christian, and, although neither leads a particularly religious lifestyle now, both are so set in their ways that you couldn't move them if you tried. And try, I have. Not because I think my way is the right way, but because there is something they don't know. Something they should, but maybe never will.

3. My sister is my other best friend. She is wicked smart. She is funny and beautiful. She psychoanalyzes me when I talk, which totally creeps me out. She texts me weird things in the middle of the night. She reads by candlelight with me when the storms knock out our power. She colors my hair, and I color hers. When I need her, she always answers. My sister is also gay. She gets the butterflies, just like the rest of us. She falls in love, just like the rest of us. She gives her heart to people, just like the rest of us. She breaks into pieces, just like the rest of us. So you tell me: Is she any less of a person just because she doesn't conform to what society deems "normal"?

Say what you will and feel what you want, but it is not okay to legislate your morals. It is not okay to discriminate. It is not okay to judge others. It is not okay to hate.

And that's my 25 cents.

5 things I learned (or had reinforced) this weekend.

2009-10-19T07:27:00.000-05:00

1. I have little shopping self control. Sunday afternoon, I went into Dillards to get a lip gloss from MAC. That's it. Just an overpriced, creamy, shiny, non-sticky gloss. Problem is, I had to walk past the shoes to get to the MAC counter. And of course, I had to look at the shoes. And then I found a pair that I loved, which I just had to try on. Even though they were wayyyy too much money. After all, what were the odds I'd actually like them once they were on my feet? Well ... Odds in my favor or not, I loved them. And I had to have them. Or, as Little Ms J would say, I had to rescue them. Because, ya know, a bunch of shoe-abusing bandits would obviously take every pair in my size before they went on sale. Then, on to the gloss.

2. The MAC people aren't nearly as intimidating as I'd thought them to be (they're just serious about color), and makeup is like a bag of Lays. I went there for gloss. I left--after a full tutorial on how to use purple glittery eyeshadow--with the lip gloss ... and with a bunch of other stuff that I wasn't aware I needed until that nice, unintimidating MAC guy put it on my face.

3. Say what you what about reality TV, but it does what it's intended to do. It hooks you to your couch for the full hour, and maybe the next, if it's a marathon. Because you just have to know which Tool gets sent home, and whether his girlfriend goes home with him, and whether Antonio picks his crazy ex-wife in the wedding dress or one of the blondes, and who goes into the Duel and loses to Wes. And, if that episode was addictive enough, next thing you know you're recording the rest of the series. Or at least Googling the show for more information. Or maybe that's just me?

4. It is very annoying when Netflix randomly skips disc 3 in a series--which was at the top of your list--and sends you disc 4. What the H??

5. Being jealous isn't fun, but I can't help it. Right now, my husband is on his way to L.A. for some work-related training, and all I can think about is all of the Lebanese food and pinkberry he's going to be eating while I'm sitting in trial after trial this week. Not. Fair. Not fair at all.

And that's about it.

Tuesday News

2009-10-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

This just in: I'm stalling on my current WIP, and I think I know why. Let me count the reasons.

1. Word counts are too much pressure.
When I'm trying to hit a certain amount of words per day, I find myself in a similar situation as to when I set any other kind of goal that seems unattainable: I panic and slowly walk away. I feel like I can't cut out a big section that, as it turns out, is totally irrelevant and let myself be carried in a different direction, because OMFG no WAY can I make up for all of those words that I'll be losing! I know word counts work for many of you--especially the ones doing NaNoWriMo this month--but for me, they make writing feel like work. I don't want my creative outlet to feel like work. I have enough real work already, damn it!

2. Work blows.
'Nuff said.

3. I'm slightly addicted to technology.
When I'm overworked, I soothe my fried brain with free online games and crap TV. Unfortunately for my WIP, I've got a DV-R filled with trashtastic television. Plus, since I've been keeping a daily word count, writing has started to feel a lot more like a weight loss regimine and a lot less like a relief from everything. So t.v. wins out sometimes. Most of the time. Okay, as of late, almost every time.

4. And here's the real kicker: I'm terrified of my new project.
No, I'm not writing a horror flick, and no, I don't have any tragic deaths planned. But, unlike my previous forrays into the land of YA, my current WIP is strictly realistic fiction. No ghosts or witches in sight. Just one girl with a best friend, a boyfriend, and a morally skewed compass leading her in a less-than-noble direction. My problem? Putting the decisions my MC has already made to writing scares me. It makes me uncomfortable. It gives a voice to the wrong choices my MC has made, and it threatens every relationship in this world that I've spent so much time crafting. Conflict may be the most important part of your story, but it's also a scary mother. Don't let anyone tell you any differently.

My solution?
Axe the word counts. Bring fun back to my writing. Limit screw-off time. Write. Write. Write. And stop holding in all of the pain, confusion, and mistakes, because these things are what make a story real.

And, for those times when I forget my own advice and end up curled into the fetal position, play Eye of the Tiger and dance around like a boxing superstar until I remember.

Winner of Luna giveaway!

2009-10-12T08:40:00.000-05:00

And the winner of Luna by Julie Anne Peters is ...

Shawna!!

Please contact me (either by responding to my email or by commenting on this post) by Wednesday evening. Congrats, Shawna, and thanks to everyone for participating. :)

I am proof the earth is flat.

2009-10-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

What, don't believe me? Then YOU explain how I fell off of it. Last thing I knew, I was walking along, making quick pause for Tim Gunn and Grey's. Then, suddenly ...

BAM! Off I fell.

And that's all she wrote, folks.

In all seriousness, the past month or so has been CRAZY for me, with my new puppy (which I have to post a picture of b/c he melts my heart), work that just will not slow down no matter how much I beg it to, and life in general. I just wanted to let you all know that I am, indeed, alive and kicking (or at least alive and twitching), and I promise to be less absent. Okay, I promise to try to be less absent. There. Best I can do.

What about all of you? Are you in the group that's stoked b/c things are finally slowing down and you now have all this time to write and play, or are you sailing on my banana boat? For your sake, I'm hoping it's the former!

What I've learned from the writers of Grey's Anatomy (and Tim Gunn): Make it Work

2009-10-02T08:40:00.000-05:00

So it's not exactly a secret: conflict in a story is important. As in, try to write a book without it, and you'll be just about the only person to ever read it. Except maybe you're mom.

My problem is that I don't care much for abusing my characters. A sadist, I am not. But I'm working on it.

When I need inspiration, I turn to Grey's Anatomy. If you don't watch it, you probably still know of it. It's always in the news, with someone running their jaws off about something or another. Those guys can't shut up, usually to their detriment. And who has to deal with the fallout from all of this chick-fight blunder? The writers, that's who.

Example 1: One regular drops the f-bomb (the six-letter one) on another regular. Someone says to the writers, "So ... yeah ... I know you had this whole neat-o storyline worked out and everything, but ... we're going to need to axe this guy. Mmm 'kay? Great. p.s. I'm thinking spin-off. Are you thinking spin-off? Bloody brilliant, I tell ya." Writers go wallow in a bottle of wine for a few hours, and then they follow the infamous words of Tim Gunn and "make it work."

Example 2: Season 4, writer's strike. "Yeah, so you whiny little bitches bailed on us and now we need you to fix it. Gotta cut episodes. Condense storylines. Got it? Good. Oh, and try not to rush things, but go ahead and end where you'd planned when you had an extra 5'ish episodes to get there with. Great." Kinda self-induced misery, so Writers make it work.

Example 3: "Great idea ... let's go gay! And let's go bi as well! Man, this is gonna be so much fun." Writers make it work. And then: "Yeah ... so it just ain't workin'. I know this is kind of last minute, but ... could you write out the blond gay one? And do it in the next episode, if you can. K? Thanks. And while you're at it, let's nix that whole bi storyline, too. Not sure what genius thought of that, but it's wayyyy too gay, don't ya think?" Writers contemplate killing the messenger. Go to anger management classes instead. Then decide to go ahead and make it work.

Example 4: "It's crossover time! P.S. I know you just rewrote those totally gay storylines, but 2 of our leads may not be coming back next season. Think you can work with that? It might mean you have to come in on Saturday .... Greattt..." Writers take deep breaths. Do yoga. Meditate. Apply skills learned in anger management classes. Make. It. Work.

(note: There are more roadblocks coming up this season, but in the off-chance that the fat mouths over at Grey's haven't spilled the beans to the entire word, I won't spoil it for you.)

Why the hell am I rambling on about Grey's Anatomy, you're wondering? What is my freakin' point?

To which I answer: my point is that when you've got your neat, tidy little MS, with your happy go-lucky characters who have come out on top of the world smelling just a little too peachy, step back and think, "What can I do to make it harder for them? How can I create more conflict? What if I took this guy out, and moved this arc around, and hooked her up with him instead of that other guy ... And oh my effin' g, what if it was her mom in that explosion instead of some random bus driver?!?"

If the kiddos over at Grey's Anatomy can roll with the punches and still produce heartfelt stuff, so can we. So let's roll up our sleeves, think outside the box, and kick our characters while they're down.

Let's make it work, people. Let's make. it. work.

Word Nerd Award: and now I pass along the crown

2009-09-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Monday, the amazing TereLiz awarded me the Word Nerd Blog Badge. Thank you, Tere, for making me smile and for brightening my day. :)

I've spent the week basking in my glory, but now it's time to pass along the love. It was a tough decision, but the bloggers I've chosen as the next Word Nerds are two girls that always make me laugh or smile. Not only are they funny, they're also candid, both about others and themselves. Almost every day, they spill their hearts onto a platter and serve it up to the world.

Have I dragged out the suspense long enough? For everything that you do (for me and for anyone else lucky enough to stumble upon your blog, with whatever crazy Google search of the week), I award the Word Nerd Blog Badge to ...

Lisa and Laura (a.k.a. LiLa) at Lisa and Laura Write!

Thank you for your celebrity poems, your teasers and WIPpets, your truthful Tuesdays, your industry insights, and, of course, your D-Bag-O-Meter. On the days when I'm too swamped to read everyone's blog posts like I want, I always take 5 minutes to see what's going on in your corner of the world. And, if ever I start to forget, you remind me why I read YA, why I write it, and why I love others who do the same.

Keep rocking on, LiLa, and we'll all keep buying front row tickets. I'd tell you not to forget the little people when you hit it big, but I already know you won't. That's just the kind of girls you are. :)

My very first interview!

2009-09-24T18:06:00.000-05:00

Lauren, over at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, very graciously interviewed me for her blog, and today, it's posted! If you've got a few, please check it out. If you've got less than a few, please check it out, anyway! :)

Lauren: If you're reading this, thank you. You just made my Thursday a heck of a lot better.

Book Giveaway--Luna by Julie Ann Peters

2009-09-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

SYNOPSIS (pulled from Amazon):

"Yeah, I loved her. I couldn't help it. She was my brother." Regan has always been there for her transgender brother, Liam, sacrificing her needs for his, but when he announces that he is ready to "transition" into Luna permanently, Regan is not sure she can handle the consequences. She has been his confidant all her life, letting Luna dress in her room, buying underwear for her when Liam couldn't, and giving support. However, when the attractive new guy in chemistry class shows an interest in Regan, she wishes her sibling would just go away and give her a chance to live her own life. Liam realizes that in order for his sister to be free, he, too, must free himself to become the woman who lives inside him. Told from Regan's point of view in the present and in flashback, this novel breaks new ground in YA literature with a sensitive and poignant portrayal of a young man's determination to live his true identity and his family's struggle to accept Luna for who she really is.

MY REVIEW:
I think the synopsis says it all. This novel is groundbreaking, sensitive, and poignant. It opened my eyes to another world. I empathized both with Regan, the MC, and with Luna, her transgender sibling. I felt Regan's compassion, her embarrassment, and her guilt, because I experienced all of these emotions while reading her story. Julie Anne Peters brings such amazing authenticity to Luna that I would've sworn she had a transgender sibling herself, if her website didn't tell me otherwise. I'm sure there were some flaws with the writing and/or the storytelling, but it's been a few months since I read this, so it's difficult to recall. One interesting element is that the flashbacks are told in present tense; this is at first jarring, but there is something to be said for being original. I would definitely recommend this to others. Read it, then pass it along. It's time to spread the word, which is the only reason I'm parting with my copy! :)

HOW TO ENTER:
+1 Leave a comment on this post. If you don't have a blogger profile, leave an email address, too, or I won't be able to contact you.

+4 if you already follow/subscribe to my blog
+2 for becoming a follower/subscriber to my blog

+2 for posting a link to this contest somewhere on the Internet (sidebar, Myspace, Twitter, etc.)--be sure to leave me a link here if you post one.
+4 for posting an actual blog about this giveaway--leave me the link.

+1 for letting me know who referred you.
+1 for every person who says you referred them here.

+3 for telling me about a book that changed your life and why.

Open To: US and Canada residents only.

Ends: Thursday, October 8, at midnight, central time.

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

2009-09-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her her life.

Review:
The Good: I went into this expecting a lot, and Becca didn't disappoint. The tension was there, the humor, the intrigue, the overall creepiness. Vee was great comic relief, without being a cliche. Nora (unlike a certain female heroine of a recent pop culture sensation) was likable. And Patch ... my GOD he was hot! So self-confident and self-assured that you just knew he wasn't human. An added bonus: for a first time novel, it was very well-written.

The Less Good: Okay, now I know I said Patch was hot, and I meant it. But he was also scary, so obviously so that I wanted to hit Nora upside the head on many occasions. I wish Nora was a little more developed--her likes and dislikes, her hobbies, etc.--and the "coincidental" meetings b/w Nora and Patch were a little overdone. A part of me also wishes I didn't know Patch's big secret going into the story, b/c it would've been fun to discover everything with Nora.

The "Ugly": I didn't think angels would be my thing--fallen or otherwise--but I can't wait for the sequel. In my very humble opinion, the synopsis doesn't do the story justice. This is not a ripoff of Twilight, nor is it derivative of any other paranormal story I've read. If you haven't preordered this one yet, you must. I know I am. :)

Review: Hate List by Jennifer Brown

2009-09-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Review:
The Good: Bold, brave, gutsy, and groundbreaking, Hate List had a little bit of everything we all strive for in our own writing. I found Natalie to be sympathetic and relatable. I wanted her to have a happy ending, to find her way out of the pain and the guilt. The story was heavy, and yeah, so there were tears. Lots of them toward the end. And they were all well-earned.

The Less Good: Some of the secondary characters are a little one-dimensional. There was a bit too much "I" sentence repetition in parts, sometimes 6-8 sentences in a row beginning with "I." The timeline could be hard to follow, with flashbacks within flashbacks at times, and for about 50 pages, the book stopped forward momentum and went back in time--to just after the shooting. All of this information was important and added to the story, but I found myself thinking, "I want to know how she's doing NOW!" But when it picked back up again, it didn't stop.

The "Ugly": Definitely check this one out. Despite its flaws (which StephSu does a great job of pointing out on her blog), I really enjoyed Hate List, so much so that I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it. So much so that I wish I had had the kiwis to write it myself.

Do you skip to the good parts?

2009-09-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

So you're writing. Maybe it's a newbie, fresh out of your warped, writerly brain. Or maybe you and your WIP have been involved for some time.

Regardless, you have The Scene in your head. The one that you know is going to be amazing once you get to it, but you're just not there yet. Or maybe it's not The Scene, but, rather, a dozen or so scattered scenes that don't cohesively fit one after the other and won't make sense without 5 chapters of preparation.

Do you (a) keep writing, piece by piece, step by step, until you reach The Scene(s), or do you (b) skip the appetizer and plunge into the main course/favorite side dish/yummy dessert?

Lately, I've tried (a). I thought, "Jess, you need to stop being so impatient. Write through the grit so the fun part is more rewarding." But this process has been frustrating. I end up sighing and staring off in space and thinking even more about The Scene(s) and, before I know it, I'm playing online Scrabble.

So next week, I'm resolving to try the whimsical approach. Write what I want, when I want it, and put the puzzle pieces together later.

What about you? Do you think I'm crazy? What do you think works best?

In my USPS box

2009-09-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not usually an "In My Mailbox" kind of girl, b/c, to my dismay, I just don't get cool stuff in my mailbox. And you all know you can't sit at the cool kid table without bringing the goods.

Yesterday, after 2 weeks (!!) of (im)patient waiting for the California FedEx guys to get my order to the Florida USPS guys, my Borders books have finally arrived! And here are the goods:

Hate List by Jennifer Brown (Eek! So excited to crack this one open.)

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson
Using the skills you've learned so far in Introduction to Psychology, please write a brief self-assessment describing how things are going in your freshman year. Presenting Concerns: The Patient, Leigh Nolan (that would be me), has just started her first year at Stiles College. She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study Tarot cards, not Rorschach blots).
Patient has always been very good at helping her friends with their problems, but when it comes to solving her own...not so much.

Patient has a tendency to overanalyze things, particularly when the opposite sex is involved. Like why doesn't Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year, ever invite her to spend the night? Or why can't she commit to taking the next step in their relationship? And why does his roommate Nathan dislike her so much? More importantly, why did Nathan have a starring role in a much-more-than-friendly dream?

Aggravating factors include hyper-competitive fellow psych majors, a professor who's badly in need of her own psychoanalysis, and mentoring a middle-school-aged girl who thinks Patient is, in a word, naive. Diagnosis: Psych Major Syndrome

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead?and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.
Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

After by Amy Efaw

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .
Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible— she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon’s unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.

Crash into Me by Albert Borris

Four troubled teens embark on a cross-country trek to visit the gravesites of celebrity suicides. Along the way, they bond over their own dark impulses prior to their planned demise in Death Valley. A darkly funny novel, the story combines the intensity of human desperation with the unpredictability of teens on the open road.

"Crash Into Me puts readers in the driver's seat with four teens teetering on the edge of suicide. But will their cross country odyssey push them all the way over? Only the final page turn will tell, in Albert Borris's finely-crafted tale of friendship forged from a desperate need of connection. An exceptional first novel."--Ellen Hopkins, bestselling author of Crank

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Go ahead. Tell me my FedEx box doesn't ROCK. To make it even better, I got Hush, Hush in last week, and I have 2 Sarah Dessen library books (Lock and Key and Dreamland) sitting on my coffee table. I need to take a reading sick day!

Pssshtt ... Who says I have responsibilities?

2009-09-15T11:05:00.000-05:00

Mary E. Pearson, author of The Adoration of Jenna Fox and, most recently, The Miles Between, has posted an amazing article entitled "What YA Lit Is and Isn't" over here. She talks about who writes YA, who should read it, and the general suspicion some people still have about the entire genre.

One of my favorite parts is where she discusses the responsibility YA writers have. Her conclusion? We don't. Here's a little bit of what she had to say:

Recently I’ve heard some discussion about the “responsibility” of YA books and YA authors. Oh, I hate that word when it comes to books ... YA books are not meant to raise children. They are everything any adult book is. They are entertainment. They are a place to see ourselves. They are a place to get lost for a few hours. They are a place to make us think and wonder and imagine. They are a place to evoke anger, disagreement, discussion, and maybe tears. Books have no other responsibility than not to make the reader hate reading.

Can I get an Amen? Seriously, the entire article is quite amazing, and if you write YA, you should check it out. I found myself nodding along and saying, "Right on!" more than once.

Now, perhaps I should finally get around to buying The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I've been meaning to for months now and just ... haven't. Too many books, so little time! Has anyone out there read it, or anything else by Pearson? If you haven't, def check out her article, at the very least!

Uglies/Pretties/Wintergirls giveaway--And the winners are ...

2009-09-14T17:38:00.000-05:00

+

OR...

Winner #1 (your choice of Uglies + Pretties or Wintergirls) is ... Jenny N!

Winner # 2 (whatever Jenny doesn't pick) is ... Yessenia!

Please contact me by Thursday at noon'ish. Congratulations to the winners!

2 things

2009-09-11T22:32:00.001-05:00

1. Don't forget to enter my Uglies/Pretties/Wintergirls giveaway --- it ends in about 2'ish hours!

2. I should blog. I really should. I should say something witty or funny or sad or serious or even just plain stupid. After all, it's been a week since I've opened up a new post. A week! Unacceptable in blogland! But ... I can't. Because I got something in the mail this week. Something that I'm only 2 1/2 chapters into and already addicted. And that little something is an ARC that I won of Hush, Hush, by the lovely Becca.

All I can say is, "EEEEK!!"

Off to get high on Patch. See you all again when the withdrawal symptons kick in. :)

(... Okay, okay, I promise to take a breather to post the winners for my giveaway. But other than that, I'm going to be pretty useless until I hit that final page. )

And for the end, I go out with a BANG (or, a writing recipe for everyone's palette)

2009-09-04T20:37:00.000-05:00

Don't get your hopes up: I'm not actually going anywhere. But my SCBWI notes are. As in, I've reached the in. This is the last one, and then I'm going all Disney and sticking them in the vault (i.e., the blog archive). I think this is a goodie, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

SARAH DAVIES—A Recipe for Writing the Breakout Novel: 5 Ingredients for Success

Agent at Greenhouse Literary Agency
-Specializes in children’s/teens literature. Greatest specialty is MG/tween/YA
-www.greenhouseliterary.com (submission guidelines are on the website)

-She is a lover of language—language has shaped her life.
-She considers her work to be her vocation and can’t think of anything she’d rather do than help others achieve success.

How do turn a dull story into a gripping one =
-explore characters
-strengthen your premise
-work on your plot

The breakout novel = the one that keeps people up reading at night and enables you to go on writing as a career.

Publishers make 90% of their revenue on 10% of their books. This 10% is greatly depended on and helps pay for everything else; it gives the house its name.

In the book world, an agent must feel passion about your project.
-There is always room (on her list) for something that is wonderful and ignites her heart. There is “always time for a shiny nugget.”
-She’s looking for a voice that shines out of her, even if the plot is rough. But, take a lot of care with your work before sending it out (i.e., only send it out when you feel it is as good as you can make it).

----5 (OKAY, 6) TIPS FOR WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL/"INGREDIENTS" FOR SUCCESS----

1) Your work must be unique; you must have an inspired concept
-Know the market, but write only what you can write.
-If there’s a story you want to read that hasn’t been written, write it.
-Domestic/paranormal = about 80% of what she sees. You need a really fresh twist to make yours stand out.
-USP = "unique selling point" of your story; the strong, fresh idea with real commercial appeal
-**Your concept should be developed before you start writing. Don't write until you have a really clever pitch (clever pitch = only a couple of sentences) that you can articulate efficiently.
-Think big. Be prepared to research. Sometimes a concept can go a very long way to selling a story in the marketplace.
-->Example of a high concept idea = Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
-BUT ... concept alone isn’t enough. You also need great writing.
-->E.g., Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why is more than a sad story; it’s like a thriller with the tension increased due to the short passage of time.

2) Principal characters must be vivid and true and must leap off the page.
-**Know your principal characters and their back story so well that they reveal themselves as you go along. You shouldn’t have to stop to do this as you write.
-Q: What were the journeys your characters took to get them here?
-Developing your principal characters before you write helps to show, not tell. It avoids info dumps about characters in the main character’s world.
-"Let your characters develop themselves in whispers." -- e.g., Valerie Patterson – Another State of Blue
-The sole purpose of description is to reveal character. -- e.g., What do your character’s torn jeans, or the way they push back their hair, tell you about them?
-Character is revealed by conflict and dynamic, all of which have to move us toward a revelation at the end of the story.

-Dialogue can’t be flat.
-People don’t use long, carefully crafted sentences when they talk.
-90% of people’s sentences are self-interested.
-What is unsaid is at least as important as what is actually said.
-**The external of conversation needs to reflect the internal agenda of your characters.

3) Tell a high stakes story
-High stakes = where the characters have a lot to win or lose; a story with a twist in the tail.
-Q: What do your characters stand to win/lose? Work these wins/losses so that they escalate, building tension toward the end.
--> E.g., Valerie Patterson’s Another State of Blue
--> E.g., Tender Morsels—explores the evil and sweetness of the world; the cost of living in a world where evil doesn’t exist, and why we need both, despite how hard it might be.
-*High stakes are vital for one to be passionate about your story.

-Know where you’re going, especially how you’ll reach the climax/ending.
-A good outline prevents you from stalling or getting really confused.

4) Your story needs a deeply-felt theme
-Q: What is the unique moral/spiritual message of your story? This should be something that stays with the reader after the book is finished and gives newly perceived truth of what it means to be human; something integral to the concept.
-*Do not attempt to teach.
-Think: What is your message and how are you going to get it across?
-->E.g., 13 Reasons Why—the deeply-felt theme is the effect we have on others’ lives, but we can grow through this and realize, at times, there are some things we can’t do.
-->E.g., Princess for Hire—the MC is not vapor; she can be herself, and she has enormous value.

-The best books teach us more about ourselves than about our characters.

5) Include a vivid setting
-A vivid setting = one imbued with emotion in which geography and sense of place in your story almost become character themselves.
-->E.g., the city of London in The Devil’s Kiss

6) Find your voice
-Are you a musician? If not, become one.
-Are you aware of language? Train your inner ear and develop a musicality about language.
-Language has a cadence. Develop a cadence with words. Speak it aloud.
-The beauty of your voice needs to be “silvery and luminous” to convince an editor, “I must have this.”

Other:
-Writing is a craft, like cooking, playing the violin, and painting in oils. It takes a long time to master this craft, like any other.
-There is more reward in fighting through the pain of revision than in giving up and starting something else.
-Writing is 50% perspiration and 50% inspiration.
-“There is no way of writing well and also of writing easily.”

-Story is created by revelation of the internal and the external.

Example of a story that does it all right = Slumdog Millionaire (the movie; she hasn't read the book)
-extraordinary concept
-unforgettable characters
-unbelievably high stakes
-a deeply-felt theme (i.e., love overcoming survival)
-vivid, authentic setting

_______________________________________________________

So that's that! Truth be told, the sessions I enjoyed the most and found the most inspiring were those led by the authors. But Sarah Davies was ah-ma-ZING. I'm not sure if all translates to paper, but if you ever get the chance to see her, do it.

I hope these notes have been as helpful to everyone else as they have been to me.

*off to think of something interesting to say now that I'm out of wise words from others* :)

More SCBWI: Tools for fast-paced plotting

2009-09-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

CHRIS EBOCH—What I Learned from Nancy Drew: Tools for Fast-Paced Plotting

Note: Chris gave us a handout for "growing an idea into a story," which addressed incomplete ideas. The focus of the below notes is where the writer already has a beginning, middle, and an end, but wants to make the plot move well. That said, I don't have a fully fleshed out middle or a definitive end, but I found this session very helpful. Hopefully you will, too!

- Nancy Drew books are ghostwritten (like the Hardy Boys) by 4-5 writers, including Chris Eboch.

Techniques:
1) Start fast, with a funny, provocative, ominous, or shocking first line.

2) Accompany this first line, early on, with something that’s happening. You need to get an editor’s attention within at least 5 pages.
--Get into the action quickly, but also give readers a chance to catch up with what the action is and who the characters are. If readers don't have some idea who your characters are, they'll care less about all the action.
--Give an intro to the setting and the characters, but start in the scene where something is happening.
--Put research/history tidbits second and focus on plot first. This may mean you have to lose some historical facts that you love, if they slow down your plot.

3) Look for places where you can add more danger, excitement, and tension. Make things more difficult for your characters.
--Rule of 3 = the MC should try and fail twice before achieving the goal.
--You can have interim goals within the story, with steps to be accomplished, before the characters reach the main goal(s). But, make sure that these interim goals add to the story or make it better and aren't just included for the sake of conflict.
--Ways to expand and add complications to the pot = keep your characters in places where danger could happen.
--Q: Are you using your villain as actively as you can? Make sure he/she is actively plotting against your MC, not just waiting for the hero to do something and then reacting. Villains create their own problems, which adds to your story. This works with secondary characters, too, when they want something different than what your MC wants. (e.g., parents/teachers doing things in a way that causes trouble, even if well-meaning.)
--If you don’t have enough going on, consider adding a second "villain" or more effectively using the "villain" you already have.
--You want peaks in your story, but continue to raise tension so the highest point of tension is at the climax (i.e., save the most dramatic scene for last).

4) Use cliffhanger chapter endings.
--Cliffhangers keep people reading.
--If your chapter is dragging, look for a smaller moment mid-chapter to beef up and make stronger, and turn this into a chapter ending.
--**Don’t just get the action on and over with. You need a slow build-up to the intense action. Slow down the detail so there is a closer focus (longer and more detail), building up tension of something about to happen.
--Focus on the MC’s thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations when working up to cliffhanger endings to chapters.
--Make the reader what to turn the page to see what happens next.
--Make the reader ask: “What’s next? What is it?”
--You can end a chapter mid-scene if it’s at your most dramatic moment. However, it’s okay to have a quieter chapter moment. Including quieter chapters occasionally helps not to frustrate your reader when he/she is looking for a stopping place.
--If you’re using a quiet ending, make sure it shows more is to come (e.g., something ominous is around the next page).
--Don’t cheat. Cliffhangers should fit naturally into the plot. They shouldn’t be there just for the sake of suspense.
--Choose a dramatic moment in the plot--e.g., “We have everything under control/nothing could go wrong”--to end the chapter. This gives the reader a sense of foreboding and lets them know something bad will likely happen (at least with older YA readers; MG readers may take you more literally and think everything is, in fact, under control).

5) Shorter paragraphs/sentences = faster, more intense.
--Try using shorter paragraphs/sentences at the end of chapters to create more intensity.
--i.e., your character doesn’t have time to speak in long/conjunction sentences when something is falling at his/her head. The sentences will be shorter, sharper, more to the point.

We have almost reached the end of SCBWI, but I have at least one more really awesome post for you all. So don't jump ship just yet! :D

Book giveaway: Uglies+Pretties or Wintergirls -- winner picks!

2009-09-01T21:46:00.000-05:00

It's giveaway time again! The votes are in, and it was pretty close between two of the options. My solution? 2 winners!

Winner #1 gets his/her choice of (1) Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, or (2) Uglies and Pretties by Scott Westerfield. Winner #2 gets the "leftovers." (If you can call anything written by LHA or SW "leftovers" with a straight face!)

Now, for a quick Q&A:
Q: "But Jess," you say. "I want to read Uglies, but I totally already have Wintergirls. What happens if I get second choice, and that first place winner bitch takes Uglies? Can I beat him/her over the head with my Wintergirls?"
A: Violence, while amusing (and a video will certainly be requested), is not necessary. I have other books you can choose from if the dreadful above-scenario happens to you. So enter away!

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UGLIES SYNOPSIS:

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

My (brief) review:
I didn't love Uglies, but I liked it. A lot. It was a great thrill ride, with a little bit of a love story thrown in for good measure. That said, sci-fi isn't really my thing, so the futuristic society was hard for me to get into at first. I'm also not big on third person, but there were enough interesting things happening to keep me reading. Westerfield knows how to build the suspense and keep you clinging to your seat. While it doesn't make my list of favorites-I-would-read-again-and-again, I'd still recommend it to others.

(I'm not going to post a synopsis of Pretties, because it gives away too much of what happens in Uglies. So if you win them, don't read the back of it until you finish Uglies!)

WINTERGIRLS SYNOPSIS:
Dead girl walking, the boys say in the halls.

Tell us your secret, the girls whisper, one toilet to another.

I am that girl.

I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.

I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friends restless spirit.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

My (brief) review:
Wintergirls is ... WOW. That's all I can say. The imagery is powerful, the language even more so. LH Anderson knows how to take you inside the mind of a teenage girl struggling with anorexia, and the scary thing is, she keeps you there. If you've never read anything by LH Anderson, this is the book you must read.

HOW TO ENTER:
+1 Leave a comment on this post. If you don't have a blogger profile, be sure to leave an email address, too, or I won't be able to contact you.

+4 if you already follow/subscribe to my blog
+2 for becoming a follower/subscriber to my blog

+2 for posting a link to this contest somewhere on the Internet (sidebar, Myspace, Twitter, etc.)--be sure to leave me a link here if you post one.
+4 for posting an actual blog about this giveaway--leave me the link.

+1 for telling me why you can't wait to read either Uglies/Pretties or Wintergirls.

+1 for letting me know who referred you.
+1 for every person who says you referred them here.

+5 for telling us all about your first kiss, or at least the first one you remember. (If it helps, pretend we're sitting around a campfire and you just picked "truth.")

Open To: US and Canada residents only.

Ends: Friday, September 11, at midnight, central time.

5 tips, 5 goofs, submitting to Egmont, and changes in children's publishing

2009-08-31T17:44:00.000-05:00

ELIZABETH LAW—Five Tips, Five Goofs to Avoid, and a Bit About Egmont

5 goofs to avoid:
1) Writing something you don’t like or something you’re not good at.
--Write what’s real, not what you think will sell. Do what your strength is, and don’t try to write to the market. *Pay attention to the feedback you receive (from critters, etc.) about what your strength is. It may not be what you think.

2) Spending too much money hoping to make your book big, instead of just writing a good book and going from there.
--She gave an example involving a story about a whale who spurts emotions from his blowhole, or something like that (hi-larious, by the by), with the moral basically being: you shouldn't make a product line based around the characters in your book until you have a good book that sells. T-shirts advertising your whale do not a good book make.

3) Changing the age of the MC to try to fit into something popular.
--e.g., making your middle grade story young adult b/c it's popular right now

4) Not talking to your agent/editor enough.
--Be as organized and helpful to the person on the other end as possible, but don’t use this as an excuse to not ask questions. Be courteous of the time taken, but don't be afraid to ask questions.

5) Not taking your career into your own hands.
--This plays off of #4. You have to be involved.
--Be short, polite, and respectful, but ultimately, your career is up to you.
--Follow up with an agent/editor if they have your MS and you haven’t heard back from them in about 12 weeks. if an exclusive was requested, write back w/in 4’ish months to advise you’re sending the MS on to others, but will withdraw it if you hear back from them.

5 tips:
1) Social networking
--Start early
--Publishers are “enormously interested in social networking to reach readers directly.”
--Network, but don’t let social networking keep you from writing and/or submitting your work.
--Join critique groups.
--Get in the game. Take control of your own life/career.

2) Have a story to go along with a good voice.
--Both voice and story are important.
--Voice, on its own, isn't enough, no matter how good or unique it is. There must be something the characters work out (i.e., a story).

3) Do what you do well and feel strongly about—don’t write to the market.
--Pay attention to the positive feedback you receive--listen to what other people tell you you're good at, b/c it may not be what you think--rather than trying to be something you’re not.
--It’s not necessarily a bad thing to not know what other books yours is like. If it’s good, people will read it and advocate for it, which will lead others to read it and advocate for it.

4) Follow up (with agents/editors) on your work.

5) Don’t complain to professionals.
--“The nicer you are, the guiltier we feel.” (For when they haven’t replied to you yet.)

A bit about Egmont:
--It’s like the new Bloomsbusy/Candlewick; finally coming into America.
--Focuses exclusively on children’s books.
--In America, Egmont is doing a viable trade list—15 books are coming out this fall, 13 of them from America
--All profits of the company go to a Scandinavian charity (not-for-profit corporation), but they take their work very seriously. Finding good writers is what they believe in.
--The books they acquire are ones that they can say, "I understand why children would read this."
--There are 3 editors in the company + an assistant and interns.
--Examples of Egmont books:
...Julia Keller – Back Home
...Pam Bachorz – Candor
...Allen Zerdoff – Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have
...Lindsay Eland – Scones and Sensibility
...Bree Despain – The Dark Divine
...Alexandra Bruckin – Brightly Woven
...David Patneaude – Epitaph Road

Submitting to Egmont:
--Submit electronically
--What Egmont is looking for: specifically looking for good MG and heartwarming chapter books. Also reps YA—Egmont has a lot of books with yearning on the list; also loves humor. Not doing much PBs, but those with a purpose (e.g., those teaching something) will be considered. Non-fiction that ties into an event (e.g., the Olympics or a holiday) get better store coverage than others.
--submit to: ElizabethLaw@egmont.com
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ELIZABETH LAW—From Johnny Tremain to Edward Cullen: How Children’s Publishing is Changing, and How to Meet the Challenges Head-on

--Children’s books are the stable and/or growing area of publishing.
--*YA hardcover is growing.
--Look at Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games for a good book on pacing. Suzanne is great at economical writing.
--Changes in recent years = books are now more overtly sexual for teenagers
--*Tip: Don’t read others’ work to find out what the authors do, Read to immerse yourself in the characters, which will inspire you to write better.

Reasons why your MS gets declined, and little tidbits from way smart people

2009-08-29T23:06:00.000-05:00

More SCBWI (yep, I'm nearing the end):

WENDY LOGGIA—I Wanted to Love This: 7 Reasons Why Your MS Gets Declined

1) Good writing, but no story—i.e., lacking plot/action
-She’s not willing to take a chance just b/c of good writing.
-Question to ask: Why is someone going to buy your book?

2) Your MS is too similar to other novels the editor has worked, to other books in the marketplace, to other books on the editor’s list, or to other books on the list that aren’t doing well.
-A book suited to her taste is good, if it’s not too close to something she’s already working on.

3) She doesn’t know who the reader is for your MS.
-Need at least the national palette market (Borders/B&N) or the school market.
-Your book can’t fall too far off the list of what works for their audience.
-Questions: Who do you want to write for? Who will your reader be?

4) The writer seems like a difficult person to work with, or the editor likes the person but the writing is bad.
-Editors google writers and read their blogs.
-Be careful about criticizing books edited by a house.
-Editors don’t want to see things about how many times you’ve been shot down, or you complaining about how hard it is to write.

5) She loves the concept but can’t connect to the voice.
-Not special enough; can’t see teens connecting to the narrator or attracting children; too much telling/distraction from the reading process.

6) Submitting too early/before the project is ready.
-This speaks for itself, I think.

7) Your work doesn’t stand out.
-A big publisher might pass on books that are small to mid-list if they aren’t very passionate about the book.
-The editor must be passionate about your work to represent it, especially in today’s marketplace.
___________________________________________________________

And now, for a few words of inspiration from really smart people:

DAN YACCARINO
-“Kids can smell it on you when you’re insincere. Do what you love. You’ll find your audience; you really will.”
-If you write PBs—-pictures tell the story. Words tell you things the pictures can’t convey. Words should never tell you what the picture can tell (e.g., the color of pillow is told by the picture, not by words).
0You can find an audience for personal work that comes from deep inside. Stick to your vision, and don’t take rejection personally.

KATHLEEN DUEY
-She quoted Richard Peck in saying: “We write by the light of every book we have ever read.”
-Stories don’t only teach; they also shield people from real life.

INGRID LAW—Writing Magic: From the Head to the Heart
-Don’t listen to the “maybe someone won’t like that” voice. Just write. You can’t imagine/predict what readers will and won’t like.
-Put everything you are in your work. Everything you experience becomes part of who you are. The good and the bad experiences serve to inform whatever is coming next and to create whatever magical potion you remain to create.
-Don’t just use your head. Put your heart into your work. Your heart makes your work glisten and pulse.

RICHARD PECK
-“A story is only as strong as the voice telling it.”
-->e.g., Wintergirls shows the purpose of fiction; dramatizing truth no one dares to touch; shows the world children create the minute an adult turns his/her back.
-“A story is a question, not an answer, and we dare ask the questions no one dares to ask.”
-“Questions are roadmaps to show the illiterate out of town.”
-“All stories turn upon epiphanies. Epiphanies are when everything changes and you can’t go back.”
-There are different types of despair. Solitary (working alone), nightmare (e.g., getting to the end of your third-person book and realizing it should've been in first person), and endless (e.g., waiting on a non-ringing phone to ring). But there comes a day when there is no room for the luxury of despair. It's when you see a kid “trying to dig out. You know you can’t help, but you wonder if story can, if companionship will.”
-“That’s what we do. That’s who we are.”

NEXT UP FROM SCBWI--Tools for fast-paced plotting, tips and goofs to avoid, a bit about Egmont, and a 5-ingredient recipe for breakout-novel success. Stay tuned!

And the winner of 13 Reasons Why is ...

2009-08-29T20:30:00.000-05:00

The winner of book giveaway episode two, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, is ....

Ashley at BooksObsession! (Ashley, please reply to my email by Tuesday.)

Thanks to everyone for participating. The next giveaway will start soon, so don't forget to cast your vote!

**Edit: For all of the super perceptive ones out there like Abby, I got a little overzealous and ended the contest after 1 week instead of 2 (on August 29 instead of September 4). I certainly can't take it away from the winner (congrats, Ashley!), but I will make the next contest extra special. Promise! (*ducks head in shame--bad, Jessica. Bad!*)

My next giveaway: you pick the book!

2009-08-28T18:26:00.000-05:00

First off: don't forget to enter for a chance to win Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why--the giveaway ends tonight at midnight!

I thought I might stop after those 2 giveaways, but I really love this whole "sharing great books with the world" idea. But now I'm stumped as to what to giveaway next. You tell me. (Pretty please?)

*I wanted to add one of those neat little surveys, but I'm not that technologically savvy. So we'll do this the old-fashioned, "add a comment" kind of way. Sorry, ye who are much, much wiser than me. (If it makes it any better, I'm using pictures!)

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

Option 4 (both Westerfeld books included):

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"But Jess!" you say. "What if the one we really want doesn't get picked?!"
Answer: No worries, because I'll give the others away in upcoming weeks, with the order most likely based on popularity of votes. OR ... I'll consider other suggestions, such as combining books, or doing a big giveaway with the top winner taking first choice, etc. Just let me know what you think, but by all means, please vote!

The state of the business, from the people who know it best.

2009-08-27T20:01:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's right. More SCBWI. I know, I know, you're all thinking, "Geez, girl ... don't you have anything else to talk about?" But I feel like I can't stop until I've shared it all. It's a sickness, I know. I can't help it. :)

BRANDA BOWEN, SARAH DAVIES, STEPHEN FRASER, DAN LAZAR, KELLY SONNACK, & MARIETTA ZACKER—Agents Panel: The State of the Business

(1) Marietta Zacker

About submitting:
-Nancy Gallt Agency
-Accepting manuscripts—snail mail is better, but email is okay
-Represents every age group and genre
-Send: query + synopsis, via snail mail or email

On the economy: editors are not taking anything for granted; i.e., they’re having deep conversations, etc., to find out exactly what they’re looking for prior to taking it on.

Willingness to edit: agents are not scared to work on a manuscript with an author.
-Authors should expect editing to happen during the agenting process, as well as a heck of a lot more editing after that.
-An agent is trying to edit the work to a point that he/she is confident that it can sell, since editors now want books at a more ready state before considering them for acquisition.

(2) Kelly Sonnack

About submitting:
-Andrea Brown Agency, which specializes in children’s literature
-Specializes in children's books (PB, MG, and YA)
-Send: query + first 10 pages, via email

On the economy: the market is hurting a lot less in the children’s market than in the adult market. When there’s a dip in the market, debut PBs (picture books) tend to get hit first, but these are still being sold.
-Andrew Brown Agency sold 16 books last month (July)
-There is no crisis, but publishers are being more selective and are less likely to take on risks than before. Things are changing, but people are handling it.
-Adults are reading YA, which helps the children’s market.

Willingness to edit: does a lot of editing to help authors get the book as good as they can to get as good of an offer as possible. Doesn't want to send something off a week early if it means the offer will suffer for it.

(3) Dan Lazar

About submitting:
-Writers House, senior agent
-Represents mostly MG, but more YA now.
-List = “weird kids in small towns” theme
-Loves graphic novels, which are being embraced more by the children’s world now
-Send: query + first 5 pages, via email

On the economy: books may be selling for less, but great stuff is still selling.

Willingness to edit: will go through 6 months+ revisions with an author if the book needs that kind of editing, prior to sending it out. This helps sales go more quickly.

The most successful queries are the ones that don’t harp on themes and ideas. Specific details are what’s interesting.
-Include what a character says or what he/she looks like in the query.
-E.g., from a query he received (and I directly quote, so the F-bomb to follow)—“Young Nicole and her museum of fucked up things” made him want to read more.
-Present yourself in the best, most evocative way possible.

(4) Stephen Fraser

About submitting:
-Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency—boutique agency
-Represents children’s lit and teens
-Unpublished submissions welcomed.
-Looking for careers they can cultivate, not just people with one book in them.
-Looking for real/fresh ideas—“dazzle us”

On the economy: believes things are starting to turn back around.

Willingness to edit: will thrash out ideas with existing clients and act in an editorial capacity as much as he’s able to.

“Every good book has a home. There is a place for your good book.”
-Agents want to fall in love with your work. The thrill of finding/discovering new talent is what they’re looking for.

(5) Sarah Davies (p.s. this woman is amazing; more on her to come later, so stay tuned)

About submitting:
-Greenhouse Literary Agency—launched in Jan 2008
-Willing to assist in editing if she sees a great voice, but make your work the best you can before submitting.
-Represents Lindsey Leavitt—Princess for Hire
-Being a literary agent is her passion and her vocation; it’s not just a job.
-Send: view greenhouseliterary.com for submission guidelines. Send e-query + first 5 pages.

Willingness to edit: she’s looking more for potential with writers than completion. She can work on plot, but she can’t create a voice for an author.
-She has gone through complete rewrites with authors before.
-She does this to get an author the best deal she can.

An awesome quote from her (it must be said in a British accent to get the full awesomeness effect): “Squeeze the juice from your fruit. Take your characters. Take your plot, and wring every ounce of juice out of them for me.”

(6) Brenda Bowen

About submitting:
-Sanford J Greenburger Associates Literary Agency
-Represents Dan Brown and author of “Fancy Nancy”
-New agent—for about 5 weeks now (as of the date of the conference)
-She started an Imprint at Harper Collins, which was thereafter axed.
-Represents PB and MG (never stated whether she reps YA, so check website prior to submitting).
-She’s looking for strong voices, creative use of language, and confident writing.
-Send: email materials; see website for submission guidelines

General info from panel: (i.e., I have no idea who said these things b/c my note-taking got kind of shoddy near the end):

Publishers want as finished a book as they can get from an agent/editor. The work needs to be very finished and polished before submission.
-Publishing houses are under pressure b/c of flat sales/downturn.
-Books are still selling, including books by new authors, so remain optimistic.

Focus on your craft—learn to write and create great voice and a fresh premise.

Things to look for in contracts:
-Option clause
-High discount royalties (the higher the discount your book is bought at, the more likely you are to have reduced royalties).
-Out of print clause (protect the second life of your book)
_________________________________________________________

That's it for now. Hope this helps at least one of you!

In honor of Ellen Hopkins' release date of Tricks ...

2009-08-25T21:04:00.001-05:00

I can't say enough positive things about Ellen Hopkins. Her writing is beautiful, moving, and terrifying. Her story is both inspiring and heartbreaking, and she's so honest about it that it makes me want to be a better, and more honest, storyteller. Here's a little slice of her, for anyone that needs to remember why we write, or for anyone who needs a refresher in teen voice.

ELLEN HOPKINS—Not for the Faint of Heart: The Climb to the Top

ELEMENTS for success = talent, perseverance, and luck, in varying degrees.
-Luck is something you make for yourself.
-Writing is a constant climb. Don’t look for the easy way to the top; expect to work hard. The climb is not for the faint of heart.
-Build a publishing bio
-Learn the rules before you try to break them.
-Don’t make the climb alone—take classes, join critique groups, attend conferences, etc. Each brings something new; the investment will pay off.
-This business is communication.
-Capitalize on your own experience.
-->E.g., Ellen used her own first kiss/love experience for Christina in Crank
-->E.g., JK Rowling used the pain from her father’s death for Harry

**Tell the story you have to tell—the one that touches your heart, not the one that you have to force onto the paper.
-Good enough isn’t enough; you have to write the best.

Questions to ask yourself:
-How far are you willing to go?
-What are you willing to do?
-How high are you willing to climb?

Publishing, like any other mountain, is ever-changing. Don’t just accept these changes; embrace them. (e.g., Kindle)

"The only indispensable people are writers and illustrators who love and respect children."

____________________________________________________________

ELLEN HOPKINS—Like for Real: The Not So Mysterious Teen Voice

Examples of messages she gets from teens:
-“Love me, hate me, either way, you’re gonna be talking about me.” (common theme = "remember my name")
--“I have a big heart and don’t give up … People like to fuck me over constantly.” (The back and forth shows inner turmoil in children.)
-“If you want to know more, ask me.” (kids are very open)
-“I know the things I know because I know how cruel the world can be.”
-“Without my friends and family, I would be nothing.”
--And her favorite, from a 14-year-old-girl who is, by the way, doing well now (I took a picture of this with my phone b/c it was so beautiful): “Walking through the crowded hallways where sharp glares and friendly faces pass me by and stab my back. Sitting there in Geometry, grinding my toes to prevent my stomach from growling, constantly I thought “I’m dumb” and “Where’s the nearest sharp object?” I don’t meet anyone’s eyes, my hands are constantly hidden, (no hints, I promise). I try to really refrain from talking at all. I abhor by shyness, but lately it’s been hard to overcome it without thoughts of fear. Challenges occur every day, but my main challenge is posed daily. When I look in the mirror and think about myself, and lie inside my head for hours alone. I am only clarifying that my challenge is myself.”

TIPS on voice
- Each teen functions within his/her own realm of experience. Voice is an offshoot of character.
**Create characters and their realm (family, likes, friends, etc.) first. Layer them. Voices will evolve from that place.
-Don’t plot first. Plot needs to flow from character.
-Within every story, each character’s experience will be different, so each voice must be unique. It is very important to maintain distinct voices.
-Climb into your characters’ heads and write like they think—phrases, incomplete sentences, 1-word thoughts, etc.
-Let your characters talk through you. Channel them. Become them. Write “you” as them. (First person can help accomplish this in a more organic matter than third person.)
**Don’t dumb down language.
-Don’t let author intrusion trump teen’s voice.
-Avoid metaphors inconsistent with teen voice. (E.g., “My heart danced like Fred Estaire.”)
-Leave the Valley Girl off the page. Use minimal foreign language and no urban hip, unless you live it. These things pull you out of the story. (e.g., writing "N’Awlins" instead of "New Orleans" pulls you off the page. People will read in the vernacular that they speak; you don’t have to try so hard.) Your goal is to reach the largest possible audience. If you try to appeal to just one segment, you can limit your readership.
**Listen to teens not for how they talk, but for what they’re talking about.
-Look for what’s important in kids’ lives.

Networking
-Myspace – younger teens
-Facebook – teens that have been reading Ellen's stuff for awhile
-Twitter – mostly for industry stuff

On cursing/language:
-Some teens don’t curse.
-Some overuse bad language.
-Use as it is necessary to be true to your characters.

Music:
-Listen to kids’ music. Check their playlists.
-Music influences voice.
-Question to ask: What type of music does your MC listen to?
-Don’t stereotype with music. Life influences what kids listen to—e.g., some black kids listen to country, some Hispanics like punk, etc.

Your own teen experiences will affect the voice of your characters. Bring authenticity to the voice.
-What were you like as a teen?
-How can that come into play with your teens?
-Characters don’t have to be like you, but this can affect how you write your teens.

Interesting bit of info: Ellen doesn’t write rough/first drafts. She perfects her poems as she goes—sometimes has to tweak a little.

Exercise: Ellen Hopkins didn't start by writing in verse. She attended a workshop, I believe taught by Sonya Sones, where the assignment was for everyone to write a poem. So what did Ellen have all of us do? You got it. We all wrote a poem about a memorable high school experience, and then some people (ballsy freaks of nature, I tell you!) read them out loud. To ELLEN. While I just sat there with chalk in my mouth.

Note: I had mine posted, but it made this post wayyyyy too long. And it was kind of pathetic. :)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So, do yourself a favor. Go and get yourself a copy of Tricks, or anything else Ellen-related. You may squirm and cry and lose a few hours of sleep b/c you can't shut off your brain (yeah, so this happened to me ... especially with Identical), but you won't regret it.

Nightie night. Don't let the bed bugs bite. :)

Trend alert: What's totally now, and what's SO last season...

2009-08-25T20:44:00.000-05:00

Jen Rofe and Jamie Weiss, 2 agents with the Andrew Brown Lit Agency (totally cool girls, btw), spoke at SCBWI about market trends. So here's a little info for those of you that aren't suffering SCBWI-info-burnout:

YA is the most flexible genre. It can be fun/sweet/clean, or dirty/raunchy. Your characters can be living, dead, or in between.

Editors look for a unique approach on common themes (i.e., striving for independence, exercising one’s own judgment/making decisions, mental/physical health, sex, family issues).

Things that are good:
-Wish fulfillment gone wrong
-High concept story = one that can be summed up in 1 sentence (“a hook”)
-stories with multiple hooks + literary and commercial appeal (multiple hooks = more than 1 interesting element to your story).

-YA romance (clean/steamy/historical fiction/paranormal)—yearning is always good
-Fairies are still being acquired.
-Mermaids, zombies, and dragons are good.

Paranormal is nearing its peak. If you're writing paranormal, you need different subject matter. Those that are being acquired have different and unique paranormal elements.
-What’s out/over: vampires and dead girls
-What’s coming out right now: zombies and werewolves.
-What's coming out next: Angels.

Nonfiction (here's to you, Mrs. J):
-Much more selective
-Narrative nonfiction is best
-Need nonfiction that is accessible and non-teachy.
-It can be a window into an event, instead of an entire story.

Historical fiction:
-Some houses want it and some don’t.
-It needs a curriculum tie-in and multiple hooks.
-Some houses are interested in historical fiction w/a fantasy bent
-HF can be a window into an event (like nonfiction), instead of an entire story.
-Questions to ask yourself:
a) Is there a reason your story is set in the past?
b) Is your story accessible and relatable to today’s teens?

To do: Get Children’s Bookshelf—free through Publishers Weekly

General trends in publishing:
-Slower turnaround time
-Revisions are required before an offer/acquisition
-Smaller advances—this can mean more royalties, which means publishers will love you.
-Smaller lists, which, in turn, delays publications and acquisitions

Tips for navigating the market:
-Read and study the genre. See how and why the books out work.
-Know your comparable titles. Know what you’re up against, and keep these houses in mind when your book is coming out.
-Join SCBWI/critique groups/etc.
-Immerse yourself in the market.

Querying Andrea Brown:
-If you're a member of SCBWI, add this to your query.
-Should be no longer than a page. Use a straight business-type letter, but make it feel personal.
->E.g. "I read that you like __. My YA is about __. My credits include __."

On subbing to publishers without an agent:
-Be careful about this—it narrows the list the an agent can send to, so the agent is less likely to take on your project.
- If you blind submit to a publisher, it’s very unlikely the publisher will read your work. (This is different if submitting after being allowed after a conference.)

Standalone books vs. a series =
-Houses prefer standalones in this climate, and then waiting to see how it goes.
-Think of your book as a standalone—think, “This book is it,” because you may not get a second book.

YA crossover
-The ideal book will be a crossover from YA to the adult market (e.g., Ellen Hopkins, Swoon, Mad Apple, Twilight, Maximum Ride, Harry Potter)
-Crossovers from adult to YA = e.g., Life of Pi, the Secret Life of Beens, the Lovely Bones
-“Family Reads” = new section in the bookstores with crossover titles.

Look at: AuthorsNow—for debut authors

For those of you who don't blog on the weekends ...

2009-08-24T20:45:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to enter my contest for a copy of Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why! It's a gorgeous book you all must read, if you haven't.

That's it. Short and sweet. :)

Book Giveaway! (episode two)

2009-08-22T08:53:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm impatient, so I'm going to start the next givewaway now. :) (No worries--Since I'm starting it over the weekend when most people are probably still asleep, I'll be sure to link to it again later this week.)

This week, up for grabs is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

SYNOPSIS
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My (brief) review:
This book is, simply put, amazing. I couldn't put it down; even when I needed a break from Hannah's pain, I kept turning the pages. The story moves at breakneck pace, and Jay Asher is genius at cliffhanger chapters. Clay, the MC, is a smart, relatable guy who doesn't bring a lot of his own baggage to the table, a perfect conduit for Hannah's story. He's also very honest with the reader, never hiding his emotions or his feelings. When I got to his tape, I cried. Those who shy away from books like this shouldn't, because underneath Hannah's story lies something bigger, something that left me with a hopeful smile. If you haven't read this book yet, you must. Odds are, it will change you forever.

Want to enter? Here's 13 ways how:

+1 Leave a comment on this post. If you don't have a blogger profile, be sure to leave an email address, too, or I won't be able to contact you.

+4 if you already follow/subscribe to my blog
+2 for becoming a follower/subscriber to my blog

+2 for posting a link to this contest somewhere on the Internet (sidebar, Myspace, Twitter, etc.)--be sure to leave me a link here if you post one.

+4 for posting an actual blog about this giveaway--leave me the link.

+2 for reading and commenting on one of Jay's blog posts (again, leave me a link).

+2 for posting a little blurb from (one of) the best/worst nights of your teen years.

+1 for telling me your favorite song/movie/book of the moment.

+1 for telling me the book you can't wait to read.

+1 for telling me why you can't wait to read 13 Reasons Why.

+1 for letting me know who referred you.

+1 for every person who says you referred them here.

+2 for telling me something you regret doing or wish you would have done.

+1 for telling me something random about you.

There. I think that's 13.

Open To:

US and Canada residents only. Sorry! My bills this month have been ginormous!

Ends:

September 4*** at midnight, central time.
***EDIT: So ... I got a little overzealous and ended the contest after 1 week instead of 2 (on August 29 instead of September 4). I certainly can't take it away from the winner (congrats, Ashley!), but I will make the next contest extra special. Promise!

Because I Am Furniture: and the winner is ... (drumroll please)

2009-08-22T08:27:00.000-05:00

The winner of book giveaway numero uno, Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas, is ....

Weronika!

Thanks to everyone for participating. The next giveaway will start within the next couple of days. Here's a hint: it (kind of) rhymes with: Unseen Seasons High, by Day Slasher.

And here's a not-so-little diddy for all you fantasy writers ...

2009-08-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

More from SCBWI:
1) Ingrid Law (author of Savvy) is awesome. If you write fantasy (or if you want to) without a villain, check out her wise words.
2) Holly Black may be the coolest, and the wisest, person ever. If you write fantasy of any sort, definitely check out what she had to say.

INGRID LAW—Major Villains Need Not Apply: Writing Fantasy Without an Archenemy
• Fantasy elements are “gigantic metaphors for growing up and being human.”
--Fantasy can be a powerful took for addressing real world conflicts with metaphors that deal with conflict of the heart.
--In her book, Savvy, Ingrid's MC used her abilities/etc. to cope with heartache, confusion, and what people deal with in real life.

• Girls don't care for villains as much as boys do. If you write fantasy without a villain, you’re creating conflicts that everyone can relate to.

• WRITING EXERCISE—
--Take an every day fear/worry, either one that you have or one that your MC has, and turn it into a metaphor.
--Mine: Fear = no stability/lack of consistency and unconditional love. Metaphor = my MC’s desire to have immortality—it’s forever, and he freaks when it’s taken from him. It reinforces the inconsistency in his life and his fear of never having stability.

• Be careful: don’t give children false hope with metaphor.
--Ground your metaphor, so that it’s fair to them.
--i.e., don’t let them think they can fix their parents divorce with the magical metaphor you create.

• Internal and external conflict—
--Internal conflict = conflict of the heart.
--The internal conflict still needs an external conflict that drives your character to make choices and discover new things about themselves.
--Don’t add a supreme villain just because you feel you have to. There are plenty of other ways to create external conflict without one.

• An easy way to show external conflict is to create a character opposite yours—good versus evil, or a character who just wants different things than your main character.
--A good antagonist triggers the MC’s internal conflict or brings it to the surface to be dealt with.
--Ask yourself: What is my MC’s internal conflict?

• Exercise: take the big bad wolf out of The Three Little Pigs—how can you still have conflict?
--My example: The 3 Little Cliques--3 BFF little piggies enter high school, where they learn that straw and sticks can’t sit with bricks.

• Things that thwart the main character to create conflict in a story =
1) Process/challenge of growing up
2) Loss, illness
3) Someone who wants something other than what your MC wants (i.e., differences between people)
4) Anything that will shake up your MC’s life, whether good or bad

• Examples of stories with no villains:
--Aquamarine
--Half Magic
--The Thirteenth Child
--Tom’s Midnight Garden

• Question: What type of fantasy might suit a conflict the best?

• Exercise: 1) Identify your age group. (2) Create a hero. (3) Where is your character? (4) List 3 personal battles your hero may experience in that setting, and add fantasy elements of your choice.
--My example: (1) Middle grade. (2) The drama llama. (3) At a zoo. (4)(a) monkey tortures the llama with LARP after the zoo closes; (b) the llama has a crush on a neighboring donkey—he creates a love spell in his water bowl; (c) the llama hates being stuck in the zoo, so he contrives a plot for escape involving his nemesis, Larry the Lion.

• Metaphor can be a huge exaggeration of things.
--In Savvy, Ingrid wanted to create a magical land w/o using the word “magic,” so it would apply to everyone.

• Note: Europe likes dark fantasy more than light, fluffy fantasy.
__________________________________________

HOLLY BLACK—Examining the Strange: The Basics of Fantasy Writing

• When growing up, she “absolutely believed all of this [the fantasy world] was true.”

• Reading fantasy (and folklore) made her a good fantasy writer. “We build on the work of others.”
--“The most important thing is to read fantasy, including adult fantasy.”
--“Don’t reinvent the wheel; create a whole different kind of wheel.”
--Don’t just read fantasy; read widely. Bring all of those elements into your story.
--Read enough that you become part of the conversation.

• You can do experimental things in children’s lit, b/c it’s a “genre-less genre.”

• Literature lets us put on someone else’s skin.
--Fantasy doesn’t have to be any more escapist than any other form of literature.
--You can learn things in fantasy that’s harder to learn in realism.
--Fantasy actualizes (i.e., is the language of) metaphor. It gives readers room to think about their own issues/fears—e.g., anger/alienation—in a wider variety of ways than with realism.
--e.g., You have to put aside your blame for a monstrous feeling/being (b/c you can’t blame a werewolf for being a werewolf), and say, “Now what?”

• Be careful: look at your story and make sure your metaphors are ones you’re comfortable with. Your metaphors shouldn’t, e.g., imply racism
--Be aware of what stories you’re telling. Fantasy has real things to say about the world and about us.

FANTASY VS. HORROR
• Fantasy has to create the sense of “the numinous.” It must be magical/strange.
• Fantasy = the combination of fear and awe (the numinous). Awe is what separates fantasy from horror.
• The numinous/awe gives you the sense the world is bigger, better, and/or stranger for having those things in it.

• “All novels are fantasy. Some are just more honest about it.”
--For fantasy to be successful, a fantasy reader needs to feel like he/she gets more out of it than he/she would’ve in a story based in reality.

• Language in fantasy:
--In Fantasy, language is important. Can’t have flat/inexact prose.
--Sensory clues are very important and can’t be vague.
--We have to believe in the fantastic when we’re reading—e.g., we need to believe an elf brought back a piece of elf land for all of us. You must convince the readers, when they’re done, that your fantasy world is a place they have been (fantasy resembles historical fiction in this way).
--Details make fantasy real, so it can be smelled, touched, and tasted in a realistic way.

• **The real stuff must be really real so we can believe in the fantastical.
• *Do your research, and a lot of it.

• Fantasy normally happens somewhere other than on earth, but not always.
--Regardless, the magical society and the magic itself has its own rules.

• *Work out the rules of your world.
--There are different types of logic:
1) Day logic = it works the same every time, almost like science (e.g., Harry flicks his wand and says a spell—same result every time)
2) Night logic = the rules are seldom spelled out and must work intuitively. This is much harder to write, but satisfying to the readers because it contains the numinous.

• Poetry is all about the language of the very specific moment.

• **On plotting/plot arc
--In fantasy, there must be 2 stories: a fantastical story, and a human story
--The human story starts earlier (e.g., king and queen; queen is in love with the king’s brother).
--The interaction between the fantastical story and the human story moves the plot forward. The resonance is between these tones and how they interact with one another.
--The human story is not a subplot, because it starts earlier and ends later. The fantastical story should always end in something personal about the MC’s life, not at the conclusion of the fantastical element.
--E.g., Does the king accept that his wife loves his brother and go out to fight the demon? If so, what happens if he survives the demon fight? The human story carries on after the fantastical story wraps up (the fantastical story, e.g., is killing the dragon—but can you think of any story that ends with the king standing over the dead dragon? There’s always a human story after that.)

Sorry guys. I know this was long, but I didn't want to cut anything! I hope you enjoy, and if you need clarification, let me know. I'll try my best! :)

Oooh, that award goes great with your eyes!

2009-08-20T18:40:00.000-05:00

I'd like to start today's post with a little woot! woot! You ready for it?

Woot! Woot!

Why in tarnations am I shouting, you ask? (If you didn't, I'm telling you anyway.) Because the lovely TereLiz awarded me a Kreativ Blogger award! I love awards ... they're so shiny and sparkly and pretty and sparkly and ... shiny. :) If you haven't checked out Tere's blog, you should. She writes fantasy/paranormal YA, and she's great.

So the thing is, I'm not great with rules. The other thing is, a lot of the bloggie friends I would've sent this award to have already received it at least once, if not multiple, times. So I'm going to do something bad (gasp!) and break the rules. Yep, you heard me. Real bad ass here.

I will, however, tell you 7 things about me, in case you're curious. But don't anticipate witty. My evening work-brain isn't good at witty.

1) I am terrified of bugs. Terrified of them. I have to refresh my computer screen when an advertisement with something creepy/crawly pops up. I have to look away when really nasty ones are on t.v. And I scream bloddy murder when my least favorite of the bugdom gets anywhere near me. (I'll give you a hint: if the world were to self-destruct tomorrow, these grossies would toast human flesh by bonfires and laugh about it for centuries to come.)

2) I used to think I had OCD, but my psych-school little sis advised me that I have obsessive compulsive personality traits (or something like that). I have to have everything in a certain order, whether it's my shampoo and conditioner in the shower, or my olive oils and vinegars in the kitchen drawers, or my files and papers at work. If something is moved, I get really disoriented. I also tend to count my steps. In groups of 8. (I do this when chewing as well.) I try to keep my crazy quiet, so if you see me walking down the street talking to myself, let me know.

3) I'm addicted to chocolate. And sweets in general. Salty things rock my boat as well.

4) I'm shyer than I'd like to be, and it frustrates the hell out of me. I always thought, "I'll go to college, and things will be different," or "I'll reinvent myself in law school around all of these new people," but nope. Still the same ol' introverted, self-conscience me that I was in high school.

5) My sister is my best friend. If anything bad ever happens to her, I'll burrow in a hole somewhere and rot away.

6) The first YA book I remember reading in my adult life was Ellen Hopkins' Crank. It made me fall back in love with YA, and it was a huge contributing factor to my decision to write YA. Of course, when I tried to say those very simple words to Ellen in LA, I came off as a gushy-crazy-stalker fangirl. I anticipate a restraining order to follow.

7) My ideal 9-to-5'er type job would be that person who picks out music for television shows and/or movies. Listening to demos all day, connecting with the emotion in a song, and making an already good scene that much more powerful = big sigh levels of greatness.

Thanks again, TereLiz, for the award. I'll post fantasy notes (tonight or tomorrow) from the conference, just for you. :)

Because it's still Tuesday in central Florida ...

2009-08-18T23:14:00.001-05:00

SCBWI taught me a lot of things. It also annoyed me (okay, not really) by adding fire to one of my older story ideas. The characters have bounced around in my head awhile now, so I figured it was time I put them on "paper."

So here's a little snippet from my latest WIP (side note: I'm putting the fantasy/paranormal on hold for awhile, a decision influenced in part by the conference and its lovely speakers, and in part by a very wise agent that, well, told me like it was).

Untitled, contemporary YA:

Skylar leaned over the railing, blonde curls blanketing her hollow cheeks. “I’m not coming back, Natalie.”

“What are you saying?”

She roped her fingers together and looked across the front lawn. The final buses were unloading, which meant the first bell would ring any second now.

“Sky? What’s going on?”

“I’m not playing this year,” she said. “I already told Coach Day.”

My mouth fell open. Skipping summer camp had been a no-brainer, what with everything that had happened, but now this? “But you love basketball.”

“Loved. That was a long time ago.”

“Not that long ago.” I tried to meet her eyes, but she looked at the buses, the new kids, the patches of weeds masquerading as grass. At anything but me.

“Things change, Nat,” she said. “People change.”

I spun the silver ring around my finger. District Champs, Division A. Final score: 67-70. Sky had put up a three at the buzzer in our second overtime. Nothing but net. It was all we'd talked about for weeks.

I looked at Skylar’s finger. It was bare.

---g'night, all!

I need more James Spader.

2009-08-17T22:19:00.000-05:00

I just watched the series finale of Boston Legal, and I feel empty inside. I want more Shirley/Carl/Denny/Katie/Jerry. And I need more Alan. I'm sure he'd rank pretty high on the d-bag-o-meter (*almost copyrighted material of Lila), but I was kind of in love with him. And those courtroom scenes! So now I feel like I've been broken up with. Ah well. At least it was him, not me. (Or technically, the network, which the writers took great joy in letting the audience know throughout the final season:)

This was my "smart" t.v.--ya know, the show where my brain had to work just a teensy weensy bit--and now it's gone, and all I'm left with is ABC family. Sigh ... At least I still have Weeds ...

R.I.P. Denny and Alan. R.I.P.

Because who doesn't want to hear from the people behind the Twilight phenom?

2009-08-16T17:02:00.000-05:00

Seriously. Even if you didn't like Twilight, you have to respect Little, Brown. So here's a little more from SCBWI:

JENNIFER HUNT—Finding Your Inner YA

Info on Jennifer Hunt:
• Editorial director at Little, Brown Books (original publishers of Little Women and Catcher in the Rye)—oversees Mg + YA fiction acquisition. Published Twilight.
• Oversees all acquisitions and edits her own list as well
• Doesn’t believe in chasing trends. What matters =
--Exquisite writing
--Original voice
--An imaginative story

• Little, Brown is a boutique publisher that strives to be “kid smart”
-Any topic/genre is fair game; they use a more organic approach.

PILLARS OF GREAT WRITING:
1) Authentic voice
--Little Brown can help with structure/characterization, but voice is special and harder to edit.
--There are many types of voices—a wide breadth
--Qualities of good voice =
a) Age-appropriate—not too old/young, not an adult trying to sound like a kid
b) Character-specific—confidence level, how they cope with problems, gay/straight/questioning, western/city, etc.

--What makes the voice unique? (E.g., Sara Zarr (for an example of a unique voice))
a) An authentic story—
• Make these topics new and original --> Friends, family, surviving school, identity, sex, belonging, first love, etc.
• Do your research. Authenticity makes the difference b/w an amazing book and a mediocre book.
• Mine your own experience and relate to the story.
• Don’t be judgmental of the story.

b) Identity (of kid) (E.g., Hate List, Luna)

c) Authentic emotion—
• As an adult, you can vividly remember teen life, while bringing an adult perspective. But DO NOT judge.
• Exercises you can do as a writer:
--Pick 3 things from your teen life and write a letter to yourself. Focus on problems, and write with perspective about what the challenges were.
--Choose 5 random news stories about teens. Write a short story based on those teens’ experiences, with one story being something you have no familiarity with.
--This helps to broaden your horizons.

QUALITIES OF A GREAT YA WRITER—
• They take their work very seriously—dedicated to excellence. Children and teens deserve this from writers.
• They respect their audience. They don’t judge or limit teens. They don’t dumb down language. (Cerebral for teens is okay. give them something to step into/up to. Do not limit them.)
• They’re willing to hustle--Community building; critiquing each other, developing a support system, doing what they can to be the best writers they can be.

Trends she’d like to see (or see continue) = stories with diverse perspectives.
• All teens have important stories to tell. Ask yourself: “What’s the right way to tell them?”
• Look at their specific stories and the roles they place in each others’ lives.
--E.g., towns aren’t all white/all straight, etc.
--Think about what else is around you and incorporate it into your story.

Formula for a great story = great characterization + great storytelling.

Revisions = she most typically asks authors for more layers and more complex, well-rounded characters.
--She doesn’t like “thin” characters
--Hint: Peek into a kid’s mind and prove yourself. It’ll show up in your final product.

Things to avoid
• Pop culture reference and slang that dates the book.
• Weave authentic slang in so that you get the flavor, but not so much that it slows down the plot.

Goal with YA = To make all teens feel their stories are worthy; to show the diversity kids deal with every day.

SCBWI, numero dos

2009-08-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a little bit more:

COURTNEY BONGIOLATTI, JORDAN BROWN, JENNIFER HUNT, & ARI LEWIN—Success Stories: Four Editors Distill Secrets of a Successful Book

Jordan Brown
• Focus on what makes you different from others—think of your style as your brand
o Give yourself a brand that sets you apart
E.g., Pixar = you always know what a Pixar movie is, even though they’ve only done one sequal. This is b/c of their style/brand.

Ari Lewin
• It’s difficult to adjust your writing to a trend just to sell a book. The only time this really works is if you’re already established, and someone approaches you with an idea.

Jennifer Hunt
There isn’t just one type of success; there are many, and all of them are equally important to a house.

TYPES OF SUCCESS:
1) A backless gem = one that sells year after year, way after the advance pays out
E.g., A Mango-Shaped Space

2) The great debut = a book that is launched successfully and solidly, with an established fan base anticipating the next book
The secret to this = YA bloggers + community
E.g., 20 Boy Summer

3) Books that find an author’s voice
Where an author hits his/her own perfect, creative note
E.g., Julie Ann Peters, Luna = sex/gender identity explosed

4) Career-changing books = The book that books an author on the map and makes people search for the author’s backlist.
Books that make the writer say, “I am an author with confidence.”
A book w/a strong vision, even if non-conventional
E.g., Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

5) Books with a strong—even if non-conventional—vision
Author sticks to his/her vision about what the book can be and makes it a success—it’s not the idea itself, but, rather, the execution.
E.g., The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

6) The phenomenon
A book that takes the world by storm
Great storytelling and characters
E.g., Twilight

• The best guarantee for success is to take the time and do great work.
• Write b/c you love it and for no other reason.

SCBWI, numero uno

2009-08-14T16:42:00.000-05:00

I have no idea how to post this, or how much all of you want to see about the speakers, so I've just decided to include it all ... in manageable, shorter blog posts, of course. Here: Sherman Alexie and Kathleen Duey. (And yeah ... try to ignore the formatting. I typed it up with bullets in my notes, and they went all crazy on blogger. Sorry!)

SHERMAN ALEXIE—The Partially True Story of the True Diary of a Part-time Indian

He gets packages of letters from kids of every class/social stature. The common theme, for all groups/class, no matter what the amount of money, is “My choices are being made for me.”

Yeah. That's all I wrote on his. I was so captivated by his storytelling (plus, it was the first keynote of the conference) that I couldn't make my pen move!

KATHLEEN DUEY—Rivets and Mist: How to Build a Novel

Bring a twist—go at things in a different way.

Keep files of interesting people with intriguing job professions. Get their business cards and let them know you may be calling them some time in the future.
• anyone you meet with a profession could be the source of the twist in your story
• the people around you are gold mines, especially strangers, because you get a blurb from them that isn’t cluttered up with the other things you know about them.

Spark vs. Craft
• It’s better to follow the spark than it is to follow the mastery of craft.
• Write that book you’ve been meaning to write but haven’t.

Creating characters
• Don’t create characters. Meet them.
• Read/research
• Get online and find people who will talk to you that are going through what you’re writing about. interview these people.
• Do this before you do anything else. Then type.
Ask: “Hello. What is your name?” And just go with it.
Ask: Who are you? What are you doing?”
Don’t keep a file with favorite colors, etc. You don’t need this if you know your character beforehand.
• Craft vs. Art
Place your whole trust in the creative, inarticulate part. Craft is much easier to teach than art. If it doesn’t work, try to get your rational mind out of the way.
E.g., put a focal point on your wall—an inspiration—of what you need to do in your story.
Let art lead craft. They have to hold hands, but give your craft more free reign sooner in your career.
If you get locked into your method, you may not be able to find your way back out.
• Creating characters in fantasy
Bring the emotional core back into the real world.
Take the emotional equivalent, if there isn’t a reality equivalent.
E.g., an ostracized fairy = talk to an immigrant for research
* Don’t ask what happens next. Ask what your character would do next.
If your story still stalls, interview people. Ask kids, “What are you guys worrying about?” This can be an amazing conversation starter with children.

Today’s market:
• Fantasy is an overloaded genre, but there is always room for something innovative.
• Amazon is going to start publishing their books.
• Volunteer in classes/story time at the library, etc. Talk to the librarian/teacher about your idea and ask, “Has this been done?”
*A librarian will often read something in draft form.

**Make anyone a good critiquer:
• BCD = Bored, Confused, Didn’t believe it.
o Have a critter read your MS and put any of the 3 letters that fit into the margin when these issues come up. If you can get rid of BCD, then you have a novel.

Editing:
• Stand back and look at your MS whole.
• Print it out and leave your office. A change of venue can help.
• Read it aloud.

• Put your ideas down when you get them. Use a digital recorder, then transcribe, cut and paste, and put the info into character files.
o If you hear excitement in your voice again—like the fluctuation/excited tone you had when you came up with the idea—it’ll bring back your excitement when you’re transcribing. This doesn’t happen when you jot down an idea.

On outlining:
• She doesn’t outline. When she outlines, characters stop talking to her, because they’re no longer in charge of their own lives.
o She usually has some ending in mind, but not always.
• Sit down and think of the milestones.
o How do you get your MC from who they are here, to where/who you want them to be? (Not outlining, per se; more freedom.) Then sit down and write those scenes.

Other tips:
• Put physical/geographic restraints or cast changes, etc., that limit your character’s ability to do what he/she is used to doing for awhile.
o Put an off-step in your dance.
• You must entertain and hold kids’ interest. Network.
o Sigh up for Twitter—not having a Twitter account is the 1950s equivalent of not having a television.
o Thoughts on networking sites:
 Myspace = friends your mother didn’t want you to have
 Facebook = friends you used to have
 Twitter = friends you want to have
• For a great Twitter account, see Maureen Johnson
• Twitter allows you to live in the same universe as to be part of the agent/editor world.
 **Your Blogger account can feed to your Amazon page.
 You don’t need to network every day. When you go away for a bit and then come back, you have something more important to share.

Holy Bookness Times Two!

2009-08-13T18:42:00.000-05:00

Do you love books? Um, yeah you do! If you haven't entered Cindy's contest yet, you must check it out. She's giving away a full library's worth of ARCs, including (drum roll please) ... Becca's Hush Hush!

Seriously, look at all this stuff!
1. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ARC
2. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen ARC
3. Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters ARC
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater ARC
5. Troy High by Shana Norris ARC
6. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott ARC
7. Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn ARC
8. Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker
9. Death by Series by Linda Gerber (3 books total)
10. a 5 dollar giftcard from Walmart
11. 3 Sarah Dessen books (Just Listen, This Lullaby, Someone Like You)
12. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
13. Fire By Kristin Cashmore ARC
14. Last but not least, I have some extra amazon cards, so I will also include a preorder for CATCHING FIRE BY SUZANNE COLLINS. It will be shipped to on or around Sept 1st (whenever they ship it) AND a book of your choice (under $15.00 please and it can be a preorder as long as it comes out in September-so many good books get released)

Seriously. Tell me that's not amazing?

And if that's not enough, she also has ANOTHER contest here. Seriously, this girl is made of cool.

pssssst: If you enter any of her contests, please let her know I referred you!

Book Giveaway! (episode one)

2009-08-12T16:38:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to LA, bought a few books to get them autographed, and now have a couple of unautographed ones I'd like to share with others.

This week, up for grabs is Because I Am Furniture, by Thalia Chaltas.

Here's the description from Thalia's site (hopefully she won't sue me for posting her materials here ... I forget the rules)

BECAUSE I AM FURNITURE - a novel in poems

Anke's father is abusive. But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she is ignored, forced to be an invisible witness in a house of horrors. Believing she isn't worthy of even the worst kind of attention, Anke feels about as significant as the living room sofa. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. In a sport where you have to yell "Mine!" to play the ball, Anke learns for the first time how to make herself heard. As her confidence on the court builds, she finds a voice she didn't know existed. And it's not long before she realizes that if she can make people hear her while she's playing volleyball, then maybe she can be heard at home, too.

Author Thalia Chaltas leads you straight to the heart of Anke's darkly complicated world in this devastatingly powerful novel in poems.

A brief review:

This cover called to me from Borders the day I purchased it. It had previously been recommended to me (you rock, Amazon), based upon my interest in Ellen Hopkins. And it did not disappoint. Thalia pulls you into Anke's world and keeps you there, even when you might not want to be. I found this book devastating, heartbreaking, yet impossible to put down. I was so touched by Anke's story that I emailed the author after finishing the novel. Still, months later, I haven't forgotten it. If you've never given a verse novel a shot, you must. If you need confirmation, check out the Amazon link and get an inside look into the first few pages of the book.

HOW TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post. If you don't have a blogger profile, be sure to leave an email address, too, or I won't be able to contact you.

For Extra Entries:

+4 if you already follow/subscribe to my blog
+2 for becoming a follower/subscriber to my blog

+3 for posting a link to this contest somewhere on the Internet (blog, Myspace, Twitter, etc.)--be sure to leave me a link here if you post one.

+2 for reading and commenting on one of Thalia's blog posts (again, leave me a link).

+2 for posting your most embarrassing moment as a teenager (completely unrelated, I know, but I'm a random individual).

+2 for posting something that bothered/plagued you as a teen (i.e., what kept you up at night?)

Open To:

US residents only. Sorry! I'm ridiculously poor after my cat's ginormous and never-ending vet bill and the SCBWI LA conference.

Ends:

August 21st at midnight, central time.

Best of luck, everyone!

It's official. I miss LA ...

2009-08-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

I'm still typing up my notes for the conference, and I'll get those up soon, but here are a few highlights:

1) The weather was awesome. Amazing. Perfect. And then I came back to Florida, where it is hot. Humid. Sticky.

2) Who doesn't love staying in nice hotels that you can't really afford and pretending like you're royalty for a few days? Oh wait ... that's just me?

3) I met so many wonderful people and learned so much that I think my brain might explode. Seriously. I don't have room for all of the gems and pearls that industry professionals tossed my way.

4) I got books autographed by Jay Asher (such a nice guy!), Thalia Chaltas (I adore her, and she graciously signed my book in the bathroom), Sherman Alexie (ahhh-MA-zing speaker), Ingrid Law (fascinating storyteller), Holly Black (so cool and friendly), and Ellen Hopkins (omg omg omg, I love her).

5) I laughed. I cried. I learned. I. Want. To. Go. Back. Now.

Seriously, this workshop was the most amazing thing I've ever done for my writing career. I hope the notes I share later on this week will help at least one of you.

And ... Since I repurchased a few books this week to get them autographed, I have a few copies of books to auction off. Yay! My first giveaway! I'm kind of excited :)

I don't do mornings, but ...

2009-08-06T05:45:00.000-05:00

5 a.m. sucks. Even the sun knows it. Airports are okay. I actually kind of like them. I'm exhausted. Brain isn't working.

But ... it's all good, since the end result is LA. Yay!!

Hopefully I won't suffer too severe of blog withdrawal throughout the conference. If you all don't hear from me for a few days, just know I'm thinking about you.

If you haven't heard the news, Lila is having their very own writing conference. I'm sure it'll be WAY cooler than the one in LA, so check it out!

Eek! Boarding call!

You learn something new every day...

2009-08-02T20:41:00.000-05:00

Things added to my brain this week:

1) Writing a query is HARD! Okay, okay, so I already knew that. What I didn’t realize was how awesome the feedback would be when I swallowed the tarantula (eww-bugs!) of fear in my throat and posted the darn thing. You are all flippin’ awesome. (A special shout out to Lila and Weronika, b/c your comments were spot on.)

2) I take pride in my stalking. Apparently, you can choose whether you want to show the blogs you follow to the rest of the world, or hide them as a dirty little secret. I say screw privately obsessing; I’m all about sharing the objects of my infatuation to the world.

3) There’s no “c” in infatuation. I learn this almost every time I type it. *buries head under covers in shame.

4) The SCBWI is less than a freakin’ week away, and I haven’t packed or thought about where I’m going to eat/play during my (admittedly limited) free time. I’m stoked and freaked (but mostly stoked). Where the heck did July go??

5) I'm going to miss Boston Legal so very much when it ends. Yeah, yeah, so it's already been off the air for awhile now, but I'm just finishing up the final season. (Yay for Netflix!) With all the dumbed down stuff I watch (love it all as I may), it's nice to let my brain work a little. It's rare that you find a show with a perfect mix of humor, friendship, love, drama, sarcasm, and melancholy, not to mention one that constantly pokes fun at itself and the network. I have one disc left, and after that, I'm going to have a hole in my heart the size of Texas. (I think I just wrote a country song.) Suggestions to fill that hole, anyone?

Query 2.0*

2009-07-29T20:16:00.001-05:00

Let me preface this by saying that I really took everyone's comments from Query 1.0 to heart. So if you read this and think, "Wow, that girl didn't listen to anything I said!", you'll know that I just have issues. (Let's hope that's not the case!)

I'm just going to post the pitch and the query, since I haven't made any changes to my opening yet (still in first draft mode).

So here goes!

QUERY 2.0:*

Dear Mr. or Ms. AGENT:

Drew Cleary knows immortality spells are forbidden, but he figures the rules don’t apply when no one knows you’re a witch. What he doesn’t realize is that showing off his new ability with a knife trick at a high school party is a quick way to end the night with a hexed bullet in his chest.

Thanks to another probation violation, the suddenly not-so-immortal Drew is sent to a school for at-risk teens, his last stop before jail. The adjustment to a new town, a new school, and yet another foster home would be easier if Drew didn’t have to deal with a bunkmate from hell, a crush on a girl who knows just how to make him crazy, and a message from a guy claiming to be Drew’s father.

Apparently, Drew’s in danger, and he has to make a choice: trust the man who went out for ice cream ten years ago and never came back, or turn to the girl who seems to know more about Drew than she’s letting on. The choice Drew makes may cost him his power, his heart, and, ultimately, his life.

Completed at approximately ___________ words, [insert title] is available upon request. I have attended several Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) workshops, and I maintain a blog at http://jess-jordan.blogspot.com. I am currently working on another young adult manuscript.

Sincerely,

ME

* After LiLa's very wise words, I made a couple of small revisions--namely, removing a reference to this being my first manuscript, and removing specific names mentioned in paragraph 2. I include this here in case anyone reads LiLa's comment and thinks ... "Huh? What are they talking about?"

PITCH TIME:

When Drew Cleary messes around with magic that he shouldn’t have, he ends the night with a bullet in his chest, violates his probation, and gets shipped off to a school for at-risk teens. As a foster kid Drew’s used to change, but that doesn’t prepare him for a bunkmate from hell, a crush on a girl who knows just how to make him crazy, and a message from a guy claiming to be his father. Apparently, Drew’s in danger, and he has to make a choice: trust the guy who abandoned him ten years ago, or turn to the girl who seems to know more than she’s letting on. The wrong decision could cost him his power, his heart, and, ultimately, his life.

Ta- Ta- Ta- Tuesday. Ta- Teaser Tuesday.

2009-07-28T18:27:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are the first 200'ish words of my latest WIP. By all means, please leave feedback. Any feedback. Even if you hate it. I promise, I won't cry (for too long). Because Lila and Weronika seemed interested, I'm also including my query (*grimaces--I hate queries). I'm throwing my 2-line pitch in as well, even though I'm pretty convinced that it's, well ... lacking. Lacking what, I'm not sure. But lacking.

Without further ado ...

QUERY

Dear Mr. or Ms. AGENT:

Most witches have never been immortal, but Drew Cleary is different. Or at least he was, until he got a little too cocky at a high school party and ended the night with a bullet in his chest. Problem is, this wound isn’t healing like it should. When his injury causes him to violate his probation—again—Drew is sentenced to a new town, his tenth-or-so new foster home, and his senior year at BCMI, a school for at-risk teens. BCMI is Drew’s last stop before a jail cell, not to mention a hideout from the people who seem to want him dead. He tries to lay low, but one hasty move exposes him for who he really is—to the girl that he wants to hate but can’t, and to the people he’s been hiding from for months. On his pursuit to take down the people who have set out to hurt him, Drew discovers that everything—and everyone—is not what it seems, a fact which may cost him his power, his heart, and the very mortality he once felt insignificant.

Completed at approximately ___________ words, [insert title] is my third manuscript. I graduated from law school in 2007 and now work as an attorney for the state of Florida. I read and study the young adult fiction market on an ongoing basis, and I have attended several writing workshops. I am currently working on another young adult manuscript.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

ME

FIRST 200'ISH WORDS

Chapter 1

A bullet burns a tree to my left, and bark splinters against my cheek. I hear their feet crunching against brittle leaves, twigs snapping under their weight. They’re closer now.

Another shot grazes my right ear. I reach up a hand, panic numbing my fingertips. My skin comes back clean. No hint of red. No smell of pocket change.

I run a little faster.

Shot number three buries itself in the grass, lost to the clutches of the forest.

The bullets won’t kill me, or at least they shouldn’t. I’d rather not take that chance.

I jump a corroded fence and splash into Cherry Creek. The warm water sloshes against my ankles, coaxing me downstream. The trees are closing in on me now.

I step on something slippery and lose my balance. Air slips through my fingertips as I fall. I land on something sharp, and my ankle twists. Turns. Snaps. Bone is in a place it shouldn’t be, wriggling its way to the surface. I pull myself forward, trudging through mud on my hands and knees, my broken ankle slowing me down. Rocks and tree limbs cut into my skin, sending my blood into the shallow water.

MY PITCH THINGIE:

Drew Cleary is a 17-year-old wiccan who gets sent to a school for at-risk kids as punishment for his latest probation violation. While he’s there, he makes a hasty decision that exposes himself for who he really is—to the girl he wants to hate but can’t, and to the people he’s been hiding from for months. Drew has to find out who to trust, and quick, before he loses everything.

And th- th- th- th- th- th- that's all f- f- f- folks!

Seriously. Tear it up. All of it. No, really. I mean it. :)

p.s. Thank you in advance for ANY comments. I love you all!

Me's a thinking ...

2009-07-28T10:58:00.001-05:00

... that I haven't posted much about writing lately. And that's probably because I haven't DONE much writing lately. (Work fried my brain. All that I had left was the mental capacity to fix a glass of water. And to check my email, of course.) This week, I'm kicking my butt back into gear. To start, I'm going to post the first 200'ish words from my WIP, the same 200'ish words I plan on toting around at the SCBWI as I beg for change (a.k.a. other YA writers with projects to be critiqued), until strangers feel sorry for me and toss a quarter into my cup.

Except, uh, I'm at work and my words are at home. So, alas, it will have to wait until this afternoon. Maybe I'll even include my party pitch (the 1-2 liner that sums up your story, or at least that's what it's supposed to do). My query freaks me out. Don't know if I have the [insert inappropriate man units] to add that one.

I pick you. And you, and you, and you, and you.

2009-07-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

The lovely Abby Annis has awarded me a Superior Scribbler award. How awesome is that?

Now I get to return the favor to 5 super worthy bloggers. And the winners are ... *drum roll, please:

1. Lisa and Laura Write -- b/c they're just freakin' awesome and never fail to make me laugh. And, oh yeah, they have an agent and they post about their WIPs and submissions and did I mention I'm a teensy weensy bit jealous? No? Good.

2. Kori over at Author in Progress. Because she writes like a madwoman--seriously, I'm talking thousands of words a day when she gets going--and makes me want to do it, too.

3. Little Ms. J - Jeanette Schneider. Because no matter what she posts, she always makes me think, "Why didn't I write a blog about that?!" And because she's so darn honest about her (rather fascinating) life that I can't wait to see her memoir in print :)

4. Purple Clover. Because she's Little Ms. J's sister, and sisters are awesome. And because she started this JuJu writing challenge for the summer that really kicked my butt into gear. I'd probably still be sitting on 5k if it weren't for her.

5. Jamie D of The Variety Pages. Because she posts flash fiction and serial novels and has contests involving macrophotography. And she has a nail art blog that makes me smile.

And that's all she wrote.

If you all wanna play along, here are the rules:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.

2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.

4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit This Post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!

Point one and point two. And okay, point three.

2009-07-22T23:31:00.001-05:00

1) I finally watched Stranger than Fiction, and I have to say, I liked it. A lot. Some of my favorite scenes were with the author/narrator--like when she stood at the edge of her desk and imagined what it would be like to fall from a building, or when she sat in the rain and stared at a bridge, waiting to see a wreck. She was pretty awesome, and as crazy as she was, I kept thinking, "Man, I wish that was me!" Or "Why didn't I think of a storyline that clever? I'm sure I can write a screenplay ... I mean how hard can it be, right?" (Yeah. Right. Sure.)

The movie did leave me with one (okay several, but one main) question, so help me out here if you can: What happens during her rewrites ... or is she this magical author that doesn't DO rewrites?

2) I went some place new today. A building with checkout ladies and tables and chairs and computers and DVDs and paintings and ... what was that other thing ... Oh yeah. And books. Lots of them. For the first time since high school, I went to the library. My thoughts:

-- Heads should be put on the body at an agle. Ya know, tilted about 90 degrees to the right. Either that or there needs to be a way to stack books so that I can see the title on the spines without pulling a neck muscle.

-- I live in/near the boonies, in a religious and conservative town, so I didn't expect much in the way of YA. Well, at least not the type of YA I lean toward, anyway. They surprised me, at least a little. I didn't see any Ellen Hopkins on the shelves, but I did find Scott Westerfeld and Laurie Halse Anderson (I checked out Chains) and that newer book "Generation Dead" and some other interesting looking ones, and that's a start, right?

-- This ain't a Barnes and Noble. So it's probably best to leave your cell phone in your bag or in your car. Trying to whisper a conversation with your sister so you don't piss off the 2 teenagers sitting at the table with 8+ books each in their stacks isn't the easiest of tasks.

-- It's pretty easy to get a library card. You just need a driver's license with a local address. And if you're name is Jessica, put your middle name, because they have a LOT of Jessicas. Or so the lady says.

-- The cool looking abstract art on display isn't for sale. Damn it. No, really. It isn't. Both ladies said so. Deal with it. Move on.

-- The books are covered with something weird and plasticky, at least the hardbacks in the teen section. It gives the books a saran wrapped, previously frozen, wayyyy past the expiration date, high school science book heebie-jeebies type of feel. I'm not making much sense, but still. I don't so much like it. Although thinking about a book jacket, trading from hand-to-hand without a condom, makes me want to cringe.

-- It's easy to lose an hour staring at books with your weird crick-neck. Now, if only I can get my work hours to move so quickly ...

3) a couple of episodes of Boston Legal + 2 hours of So You Think You Can Dance + medicating kitty for his ear infection + a hyperactive puppy + court month from hell - sleep/rest/meditation = exhaustion. So much exhaustion that I believe I fell asleep mid-sentence typing this thing up (or maybe that's just because I'm boring? Eh, whatever.). There goes my midnight writing/editing time. I'm out.

Happy dreams to all.

Wilbur gone wild.

2009-07-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

I don't know how things work in big cities, but in the itty bitty town not toooooo far (i.e., not far enough) from where I live, this is what makes the news.

If only the pig had learned the magical phrase:

"Don't tase me, bro!"

10 things I hate about 10 Things I Hate About You

2009-07-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

First off, let's be clear: I'm hating on the ABC family ripoff t.v. show, not the movie. I triple-heart the movie. It's one of my guilty pleasures. Now, on with the list of the 10 things I "hate" (hate's a strong word, but "dislike" didn't have the same ring to it) about the show:

1. Patrick Verona = nope. No way. Just not my thing. He's not a true bad boy; he's a bad boy wanna be. And he's just too ... blah. Not all that cute, not all that snarky, not all that likeable.

2. Cameron = too awkward to be likeable. No wait ... maybe he's not awkward enough. No wait ... maybe he's just a sucky actor. Whatever it is, he doesn't do it for me. Now, I never found that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (spelling?) guy attractive, but I still liked him enough to root for him. This guy? Ehh.

3. Joey Donner/Donnor = no longer an entertaining douche. Now, just a pathetic ball at the end of Chasity's chain.

4. Bianca = lost little goodie goodie too-nice new girl who wants to be popular but looks like she should just whip out her violin. (Nothing against the violin players out there. I'm sure you were all super popular in school. But the band geek metaphor was around long before I was, so I'm utilizing it, darn it.) That likeable bitch charm that Larissa had, this girl lacks tenfold. Who knows--maybe she'll come out of her bashful new girl shell and become the popular bitch I know she can be.

5. Kat/Cat = Too. Much. Makeup. If I can see the gloss and the blush and the mascara, it's a bit ridiculous. No self respecting feminist/popularity hater tries that hard. Just ask Julia Stiles. TV Kat/Cat has the spunk, so I'll give her that. And to be honest, she's probably one of the brighter stars out of the group as far as acting goes. But ... she's just trying too hard, which ends up making her look a little poser'ish.

6. Most of these kids walked out the door the morning of filming and left their acting chops at home. But it's like that with almost any show. Have you ever noticed how one of your friends comes over to your house, and she/he catches about 15 minutes of your FAVORITE television show EVER, and all she/he can say is, "Wow, that acting really sucks! How do you even watch that?" And you're thinking, "Oh NO she/he didn't! I think I might cry now." So maybe it's like that. Maybe they'll grow on me.

7. Yes, I said "grow on me," because no matter how much I think it sucks, it still has something that kept me from canceling the series' recording or turning the channel. Which means I'll be tuning in next week. And probably the next, and the next, and the next ...

8. No Heath Ledger. Sigh ...

9. They've kept the names for the main characters, but they've veered so far in the plotline from the movie that one has to wonder: why even bother with the movie's skeleton? Why not just come up with a new teen comedy and give the kids different names? The movie was out 10'ish years ago, so unless the show is aimed at the 20-somethings like me that loved the movie and miss it so terribly that they're willing to live vicariously through the t.v. show, I just don't get it.

10. Did I mention no Heath Ledger??

So that's my peace. Who knows ... maybe I'll do a 180 by next week. Stranger things have happened. Like squirrels that fly. That's pretty weirdo when you think about it.

**Warning: I posted this in a state of almost-asleep delirium. My apologies for things that don't make any sense. Like the flying squirrels bit. WTF?

When did today become yesterday?

2009-06-30T22:44:00.000-05:00

I've come to a conclusion. It's one that many before me have reached, and I'm just a little slow to the party. And what is this grand epiphany? It's two-fold:

1) I have an addictive personality--to chocolate, screaming dill Pringles chips, books (I have at least 45 unread ones sitting on my shelf waiting to be read and all I want to do is run to Borders right now to use my coupon), blogs (they are like cocaine ... or at least they're like what I think cocaine is probably like), refreshing my email, social networking/online activities in general, etc.

2) There are not enough hours in the day to satisfy my addictions. The chocolate and the dill pickle chips I can manage (unfortunately) without too much time lost. (Now, the gym visit that should accompany such caloric consumption is another thing entirely.) The book buying (and shopping in general, if I'm being honest), typically only affects one or two days of my week. But the rest of the stuff, the things that I do on my lifeline ... er, I mean my laptop? Yeah, not so much. I sit down to "just check my email and browse the blogs," and BAM! It's two hours later and I'm almost late for work, or it's the next morning already and I have to wake up in 3 hours.

Right about here is where it seems appropriate to say, Hi, my name's Jessica, and I'm an addict." I've decided to put myself on some sort of restriction, so that I can get a few other things done--like work, writing, and finishing up our house. But the thing is, falling off the wagon is a legitimate possibility for me. Maybe I should get a sponsor? You know, someone to yank my laptop out of my death grip arms when I'm covered in sweat and convulsing on the floor and in need of just one more little hit.

Either that, or I need to talk to the time gods. Get a couple extra hours shoved in each day so that I can get things done that I need (and many times want) to get done. Or perhaps I just need a light dusting of time freezing ability ... Hmm. I think I may have something. *off to find the magical time fairies*

Because laughing is important.

2009-06-26T07:37:00.000-05:00

If you're a fan of Edward, or if you hate Twilight but you love Buffy, or if you just want a good laugh, you have to watch the clip below. Yes, I demand it.

I stole it from the folks over at The Book Bind. You can see it over there, too, as well as the newest New Moon book cover (same link).

More awesomeness for teens, and for YA writers.

2009-06-25T20:41:00.000-05:00

For those who haven't heard: the folks over at Publishers Lunch reported (sometime last week; I'm a bit behind on my email) that Simon & Schuster has developed a teen social networking site, called Pulse It, for teens ages 14 to 18 (not fair!!).

The awesome factor(s)? Site members get to read one book online for free per month, and the books will be a combo of new releases and those that are soon to be published. AND you get points for things like reviews (I'm not sure what you do with these points, but it still sounds really cool). AND you can win free books!!

I am SO jealous to be a twenty-something right now. Maybe I can sneak in the teens only door and pretend to be an 18 and a half-ish year old when I get caught? I'll even paint a little "No Drinking Under 21" stamp on my hands.

Yeah. Seeing as how I hardly get carded for a margarita anymore, I don't think so. But here's to wishful thinking ...

A crowded little picnic.

2009-06-24T22:15:00.001-05:00

I'll preface this post by saying it is ENTIRELY (eek! adverb alert! and exclamation overload!) random and nonsensical.

Now on with the craziness.

I didn't do anything at work today. Well, I did go to court for about 30 minutes for one hearing, but other than that ... nothing. I'm not lazy. Okay, so maybe I am. But today it wasn't my fault. You see, we're moving offices. This morning, when I got in to work, the phones and the internet were already down.

Gasp!! No Internet/phone---back in the Stone Age!

I had all my boxes packed, and the movers weren't coming until Thursday (tomorrow). No internet + no computer + no files (all stored away somewhere) + no phone to return client calls = bored out of my flipping mind.

So I sat in my chair with my feet propped up on my desk, and my coworker sprawled out on the floor with her head in the paper confetti (from where we shredded a bunch of documents the day before and created a tiny little mess), and we played stupid games that involved zero movement.

Game 1: I spy with my little eye something ....... brown. In my office, everything is brown. Walls, ceiling, carpet, furniture, boxes, chairs--all brown, or at least some putrid shade of beige. We laughed like we were high on helium.

Game 2: Guess what number I'm thinking? It's somewhere between 1 and 1 million. I'll tell you if you're high or low. -- That lasted 2 rounds.

Game 3: the picnic game. If you've never played it, it's where you say, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm taking __________ (something that starts with the letter A)." Person 2 repeats what you said, and then adds something starting with the letter B. And so on and so on, until you either reach Z, or someone screws up and can't remember one of the letters.

I lost. Twice. But we kept playing until we hit the ending. And just for fun, here's what Coworker and I took on our little picnic (I was first; she was second):

An apple. (because i'm boring)
A bear. (to eat us or the apple, i'm not sure ...)
A crayon.
A dolphin.
An elephant.
A fig. (yep, just one)
A gorilla.
Some hair. (because, ya know, everyone needs hair at their picnic)
An igloo.
A jumper. (the clothing, not a suicidal kid)
A kissing booth.
Some lima beans.
Some moonshine.
Nudists. (it seemed natural, after the moonshine)
An octopus.
Paneling. (inspired by my lovely office walls)
Quarters.
A radio.
A self-adhesive envelope (I refrained from bringing an SASE, but just barely)
A tricycle.
A unicorn.
Velveeta.
A whistle.
Xanax. (you'd need some on this picnic, too)
A yuletide fairy (nope, no idea what this is, but i'm bringing it)
And, of course, a zebra.

Game 4: Some other take on the alphabet and animals, but our brains were shot.

If you live in Florida, then this is what your hard-earned (or your parents hard-earned) tax money got spent on today: for the state to pay me to create a picnic list whilst staring at my creepy beige ceiling.

And now I must show off my shiny new toy ...

2009-06-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

The lovely Ms. Abby has given me my very first blog award, and it is oh-so-cool and oh-so-shiny and oh-so-pretty!

If you haven't been to her site, check it out. She's informative and relatable and funny and relevant and all that other good stuff. :)

It's fun to get awards, don't you think? Makes a day of crappiness less crappy. So thanks, Abby. I hope to continue to make you laugh, whether it's at me or with me, I'm not really picky.

Okay. I'm finished now.

When a problem comes along, you must WIPpet ...

2009-06-17T19:02:00.000-05:00

Today is one of those days. The kind where work sucks something major, I can't get into my MC's brain (I've even offered him money), and I'm hating everything I've written thus far. All ... 17k'ish words of it. Well, maybe not ALL of it, but you get what I'm saying. (Right? Or is it just me that goes through the rough patches with my significant other?) So before I do an injustice to my lovely characters, I'm peacing out. Don't want to say or do anything that I'll regret later.

To heck with my 1k goal for the day (okay, so this part is still killing me, but I'm letting it go ...). I'm settling for about 100.

But ... in the spirit of Devo, here's about 200. (small intro: My MC violated his probation and is getting sent to a school for at risk kids. He's in the car with his social worker right now.)

“Buck up, kid,” Tony tells me in the car. “It could’ve been a lot worse.”

For the past five miles, I’ve stared out the side window, my headphones on but no music playing. I forgot to charge the battery.

I move my lips to imaginary lyrics, but Tony isn’t deterred.

“Seriously, Drew, what’s this make … seven, maybe eight, VOPs? You’re lucky the judge didn’t send you to the big house.”

The big house = the local jail. I spent the last twenty-one days in the juvenile center, which, compared to the alternative, is a slice of apple pie.

“You knew this was the last straw. I don’t know why you couldn’t …” Tony pauses and sighs. “Your new school is out of county, so I won’t be able to check on you as much. If there’s any trouble, I’ll get another worker assigned to you. I hear they’re not as easygoing in Bristol, so will you at least try to behave?”

A thin mist settles onto the front windshield of Tony’s silver Jetta. He flips his wipers onto low, turns up the radio, and taps his fingers against the steering wheel.

We spend the next three hours in silence, Tony waiting for an answer that never comes.

Happy Wednesday to all, and to all a good night!

Singing in the rain ...

2009-06-13T21:25:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about rain, but I find it fascinating. I've always wanted to dash out in the middle of a storm (sans lightning) just, ya know, to do it. But there's always something else I just oh-my-god-have-to-do at that moment. Or I don't feel like getting my hair wet I just spent an hour drying it. Or, well, my new neighbors would have me committed.

This weekend, I finally made it happen. Okay, I didn't do anything, except go to a concert at an outdoor, uncovered amphitheatre on a day with a high forecast of rain, without an umbrella or a poncho, with the hubby, the lil' sis, and a couple of friends. And here's what I learned:

The Fray + nighttime illuminated by stage lights + 2 hours of nonstop rain + not giving a what about weather forecasts + a couple of overpriced cocktails = Sheer. Freakin'. Awesomeness.

There's something about tossing your head up at the sky and shouting "here comes the downpour" along with Isaac Slade and thousands of others (the half of us that didn't make the dumbest decision ever and bail out) that just screams, "This is life."

Far and away one of the greatest moments of my life. I'd live it over and over and over again if I could.

What the hey. I'll WIPpet with the rest of them. :)

2009-06-10T18:13:00.001-05:00

Okay, so ... I'm only 10k or so (give or take a k) into my newest WIP, so this is probably a bit premature. But ... I'm gonna post it anyway. Why? Because my MC is a male, and he wants to make sure I'm getting his voice right. He says I can't post chapter 1, though, because he doesn't want that info out of the bag just yet.

So, here's 200'ish words from Chapter 2. Any feedback (yep, even if you hate it) would be great.

Chapter 2

I know guys aren’t supposed to care about this kind of stuff, but orange really isn’t my color. I look like a pumpkin, my pale skin glowing in the dark, my cheeks hollowed out from missing seven straight meals.

Bracelets don’t suit me, either. At least not the unbreakable metal variety.

“No issue with probable cause, sir,” some frump in a suit says.

No issue? Geez, way to bend over and take it. I hope my guy is better than this one.

The grim reaper narrows his brow, beady eyes stern as he glares at the twelve-year-old prepubescent who spray-painted the high school gymnasium with half naked men. (Guess which half?) I was impressed. Thought he deserved a round of applause and a moment to take a bow. The court? Not so much.

“Twenty-one days in a secured detention center,” the reaper says, his voice spitting gravel. He glares at the half-chewed pencil on legs. “What do you have planned for your life, kid?”

Kid shrugs. Mumbles something about how he doesn’t know, hasn’t thought about it. Which is a bunch of shit, really, because I’ve seen the graffiti. I’ve seen the property he made palatable but is now accused of defacing.

Justice sucks.

“State versus Cleary,” says a woman with shoulder pads almost as big as her hair.

The rent-a-cops puff out their green polyester chests and close in on me.

I'm so addicted to, all the things you do ...

2009-06-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

Hi. My name is Jessica, and I'm an addict. Really. To you. And by "you," I mean the ever-growing list of bloggers I follow.

Don't worry, I'm not just a creepy stalker. I mean, I'm addicted to other things as well. Chocolate. Starch. Television. Shopping. Chocolate. You get the point. But man, does this blog-stalking addiction really dominate lately!

I don't mean to say that it's a bad thing, mind you. Stumbling upon this little writer's blogosphere was one of my favorite accidents. I've learned a lot. A. Lot. I've entered contests. I've received critiques. I've gotten better at my writing. I've laughed and empathized--with others at similar stages in their writing careers, as well as with those eons ahead of me. I've learned that agents really are people, despite my previously held beliefs.

All of this is to say ... thank you. You're all awesome. And, in those moments when I look at my computer clock and think, "Where the hell did the last 3 hours go?", you all suck. :D

"Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever."

2009-06-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

So this email made its way to me through a friend of a friend of my husband. He thought I would like it, and he was right. Thought I'd post it for you all. 3, 6, 7, 9, 16, and 20-22 gave me a particular chuckle. Especially 7, 21, and 22, for whatever reason. 14 made me shudder (eek! Memories of math word problems!). Anywho. Similes: Check. Metaphors: Check. Over and out.

Why English Teachers Die Young
Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of similes and metaphors found in actual high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country.

Here are last year's winners.

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances, like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E.Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

So I watched the Wedding Singer again, and ...

2009-05-31T12:54:00.000-05:00

no matter how lame it may be, the ending still gets me. Why can't all guys do romantic things like that? Sigh ...

The Writers' Asylum

2009-05-29T12:40:00.000-05:00

We writers are a wacky bunch, are we not? I spend so much time talking/writing to other writers and reading agent blogs that I sometimes forget the things we talk about--and the ways we respond to each other--are not the norm.

First, there is the writer's code, or dictionary, if you prefer. You know, with words like "betas" and "WIP" and "crits" and "queries" and tralala ... I think you get the point. Occasionally, my curiosity-killed-the-cat hubby glances over my shoulder as I'm reading a blog (and either laughing about the post or focusing intently on a reply) and confusion muddles his eyes. "Whaaaa?" he says. "And you make fun of my software engineer lingo?"

Touche.

Second is the way we are with our writing. We could do it all day, and we all love it, but damn it, writing is hard! Or, for those of you that think it isn't, we all have a problem from time to time with our muse. Inspiration, being the tricky devil that it is, hides underneath our covers and refuses to come out and play. But still, we persist. We write--for minutes or hours or days or weeks--and then we reread. On the best of days, we love what we've written. In fact, we love it so much that we can't STOP writing. My hubby says, "But ... you've been writing ALL. DAY. Aren't you ready for a break?" I mumble something unintelligible. He sighs and goes off to entertain himself. On the worst of days, we (sigh...) delete delete delete. "Huhhhh?" the hubby says. "But you spent all weekend on that!" "Psshhhh," I reply, with angry jabs to the backspace key. "It's all crap. Crap, crap, crap."

Or maybe it's just me?

Next is where we get really weird: We're all secretly, or perhaps not-so-secretly, schizophrenic. Or maybe it's more of a D.I.D. thing, I'm not really sure. At any given time, we have a wide array of personalities living inside of our heads, screaming at us and at each other, fighting for the front lines or our minds.

Case in point: I'm talking to my sister about my newest MC (and trying to convince her that YES, she does indeed wish to write a book with me) when I say, "Yeah, so I'm exhausted because last night, this guy inside my head was screaming at me to write down the opening scene of his story before he got lost in the forest forever." My sis, who's about 1/2 a year away from a pretty little paper that says master in psychology (or something like that), replies, "You hear voices in your head?" "Well, yeah ..." I say. "But I mean, it's not like THAT." Hmm ..." she says, unconvinced. "Maybe you and I should talk more often about these voices ..."

To me, the character convos are completely normal. Sometimes they monopolize my brain. Other times, I push them to the side so I can get something productive done for a few hours. To my very logical little sis, I guess it's not so normal. She says, "Honestly, I think writers use a completely different part of their brains than other people." Or maybe she said "normal people." I can't really recall ... ;)

Welp, that's all my work brain can conjure up for now.

xo

WWYK, I spit on you!

2009-05-24T22:40:00.000-05:00

Write what you know (hereinafter "WWYK") ... ahh, the fickle relationship we have. Sometimes we hate each other, sometimes we're best friends.

Hate: I start something new, w/some plot line that involves medical issues. It screams: "What ... are you a doctor? No. Then you can't pull that off. Write what you know!" I give it the middle finger and (a) give up, (b) change the plot, or (c) do some research.

Love: When I'm in the middle of some scene/chapter/whatever, and suddenly this scene pops into my head from where I did this-that-or-the-other last weekend ... or when I have an idea for an MC in my head, and something I've learned about from my work adds another element of intrigue to my character. WWYK? H-E-Doublehockeysticks-YES!

Sometimes, the caveat "WWYK" holds me back, makes me feel like I can't do this-story or add this-subplot or give a character this-personality b/c it's not something I have a lot of experience with. Other times, I'm so intrigued by whatever it is that I DON'T know that I go figure it out so I can write about it.

For instance: I know a little bit about witches, at least through popular media. A month or so ago, a male MC popped into my head. He's a witch. Or a wiccan. Or whatever you want to call him. I did a little research just for kicks and moved on. About 2 weeks ago, this little convo happened.

Voice in my head: "Hey! Yoohoo! I know you're trying to sleep and all, but I'm running for my life and bullets are flying at me. Are you going to write about that or what?"

Me: "Umm ... You're a dude. I don't know dudes. Go talk to someone else."

Dude: "You being serious? My life is in danger and I chose YOU, and now you're telling me to find someone else?"

Me: "Uh, yeah. Channel someone who's not a chick laying in bed who's already in the middle of another WIP about other chicks."

Dude: "Nope."

Me: "Ughhh."

Dude: "La de da ... doo doo dum dum ... doo be doo doo ..."

Me: "You're not going anywhere, are you?"

Dude: "Not until you get me out of here."

Me: Sigh ... "What's so interesting about you, anyway?"

Dude: "Remember that witch stuff you were looking up the other day?"

Me: "You were spying on me?!?"

Dude: "Who do you think led you to the website?"

Me: "Creepy."

Dude: "Yeah, kinda. But no worse than talking to yourself."

Me: "I'm not talking to myself. I'm talking to you."

Dude: "Well then pick up your laptop already."

Me: "Sorry. I don't really know witches."

Dude: "What? Yes you do."

Me: "Not really. Just what the media tells me is right."

Dude: "Well I'm not one of those Charmed weirdos. I wouldn't mind looking like that Covenant guy, but I wouldn't be caught DEAD in a speedo, so don't even think about it."

Me: "Are you at least interesting?"

Dude: "Hellooooo ... Miss the whole bullets flying at my head memo?"

Me: "Gahhh ... FINE. I give."

And I did. I wrote a brief intro to get Dude's thoughts onto paper--what he felt about his pursuit, why he was being pursued, whether he was going to get away. And then I did a little more research.

What I know so far: My MC is definitely a guy--no way around that. He's dark. He had a messed up childhood, a screwed up present, and a future that is going to be a blast to create.

Write what I know, you say? Fiddlesticks! I'll research what I need, and the rest is coming out of my messed up brain. And I have to say ... I'm kind of excited.

Just keep swimming.

2009-05-18T22:06:00.000-05:00

I was going through all of my old "the next great novel" attempts, and, inspired by the Miss Snark's First Victim Secret Agent contest (sorry, link's not working for me tonight), I decided to post a few of my beginnings. I'm limiting it to about 100-200 words on most of them, though, b/c the majority are a little traumatizing for me. Only 3 of the 6 below made it into full-length manuscripts, which is about 1, maybe 2, too many. So here goes ... don't say you weren't warned.

1) Title: none. (I labeled it as "stuff" so it would sound boring on my computer and no one would open it out of curiosity and laugh.) Genre: ? (first chapter is about a teen, but then it shoots to her in college ... so maybe YA? Heck if I know ... didn't think about genres then.)
At age 15, in a dark, crowded room full of teenagers, Danika Benson’s life finally began. Because that night, Danika met Austin Dunaway.

As she sat in the corner of the gymnasium, her white sneakers lit by the black lights and disco balls around the room, Danika silently watched as other students talked, laughed, and danced with one another, ringing in the new school year.

At age 15, and in her sophomore year of high school, Danika Benson had been thrust from the comfort she had known for years when her father lost his job. She had been forced to move to a new school, to make new friends, and to try to fit in all over again. Like other teenagers, Danika desired to be accepted by her peers. However, her insecurities always held her back. At 5’6, with chestnut hair, hazel eyes, and a face full of freckles, Danika wasn’t exactly a beauty queen. She didn’t turn heads when she walked into the room. She didn’t have guys lined up just for the chance to get to talk to her. And she never got asked to dance. So why was she here?

---Yeah ... I used the phrase "At age 15"--not once which may have been forgiveable, but two stellar times. And I sounded like i was dictating my shopping list. Total word count on this one? 19,354 too many. (And from a cursory look back over it, I think I was just about finished. Yeah ... Uh huh.)---

2) Title: A Triangular Affair. Genre: chick lit/women's fiction
Prologue –

Three hours of cheap beer and vodka shots later, the seven of them gather in an intimate circle on the living room floor, an empty beer bottle spinning clockwise between them on the large white tiles. It slows, somewhat meticulously, and finally teeters to a stop. Their eyes meet for the briefest moment, and then quickly dart away. They carefully lift themselves onto their knees, slowly leaning toward one another. And then they kiss. When they both pulled away, their cheeks are flushing bright pink. It suddenly feels as though the room has grown ten degrees hotter, only the thermostat still reads a comfortable seventy-five degrees. Surely it isn’t the kiss that has caused them to feel this way. Surely a kiss between two friends, while playing a silly little game nonetheless, hasn’t caused their extremities to rise to a temperature that nearly lights the room on fire. Surely it is something else, they both assure themselves. But what if it isn’t?

---I don't even know what to say about this one. First w/the title: Like an affair with 3 people involved is so unusual that I had to label it a triangle. Let's just say I was going for literal. Next w/the writing: I swear, it's like I was setting the stage for a screenplay, using my best Mr. Moviephone voice. Who did I think I was, and what did I think I was doing, exactly? And, yet again, I might as well be reciting the pledge of allegiance. Except I think that the pledge is way more interesting than what I have here, and much better written. Total word count on this one? 15,197, and about 2000 more for my outline of what I had left to complete this little doozy.---

3) Title: Matched Up. Genre: Chick lit/Women's fiction.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. It really wasn’t. And by “it,” I mean my life. I was supposed to be married to Alex—my first and only love, my high school sweetheart—by now, and we’re supposed to be living our own happily ever after. Alex and Alyssa—seriously, how cute would that look in calligraphy on our wedding invitations?

Being the typical girl that I am, I’ve had our wedding planned out for years—from the invitations to the honeymoon (never mind the fact that we’re not even engaged; that’s a minor detail). Of course, I change my mind at least once a month, but here’s the latest (Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with all the details. Just a select few.) We’ll get married at The Dunes, the private beach where we used to make out for hours, and where he asked me to go steady when we were sixteen. I’ll wear a strapless white gown, something simple and tasteful with beautiful beading on the bodice. My bridesmaids will wear classic black cocktail dresses (because I’m just not interested in a taffeta fiasco) and will carry small calla lily bouquets wrapped in white satin.

---So you may sense a couple of themes here: a fascination w/chick lit (which has passed, btw), backstory-backstory-backstory, telling-telling-telling, and at best very blah writing. It's not necessarily that I don't have a good idea inside my head, it's that w/all of the crap I've given to wade through, no one would ever know. For instance, if I told you this was about my MC's attempt to hook her best friend up with a guy from a dating website, where my MC goes online and pretends to be her friend and ends up falling for internet guy instead, creating all kinds of turmoil when everyone meets, would you get any of that from what I have above? If you would, you have powers beyond this realm. Be very careful, or scientists will lock you in a lab and study you for all of eternity. Word count: 2, 681 + about 1k of outline.

4) Title: Running Backwards. Genre: Chick lit/Women's fiction.
Reunion, T minus 1 day

“How the hell did I let you talk me into this?” Jocelyn shot a glance at her sister, Kendra, as she threw a black cashmere sweater and hip hugger jeans into her already overflowing suitcase. She rummaged through her closet full of shoes before deciding on strappy black sandals, brown wedges, black flats, pointy high heel boots, running shoes, her favorite fuzzy slippers, and her trusty flip flops.

Kendra giggled, adjusting the bright red scarf tied loosely over her pixie cut hair. “You know, you can’t fit your entire wardrobe into two suitcases. And you’re only going to be gone for five days.” Kendra caught Jocelyn’s eyes before slowly continuing.

“And you’re going because it’ll be good for you … and because you wanted to.”

Jocelyn furrowed her brow as she stood in her closet, trying to decide which belts and scarves to pack. Later tonight, she would fly back to her old stomping grounds, and in a mere twenty-four hours, she would be at her ten-year high school reunion, sitting in the midst of forty-five people that she was friendly with but never really knew.

---This one, I actually queried. Finished it, edited it, and sent it on its merry little way. Got about oh ... 20 or so standard rejections. Got 1 partial request, followed by a "No thanks; too much backstory for my tastes." I was attached to this one, but it took me awhile to realize why. It wasn't b/c I loved it, or b/c I thought the writing was any good. It was b/c these characters were based on real people--me, my sister, my clique of high school friends. The story was about a group of friends--my group of friends--going to their high school reunion, each with their own secrets and struggles. It was immensely cathartic and enjoyable, b/c it allowed me to extract quite a bit of written revenge on old classmates that I thought deserved it. But did that make it good? Not so much. I considered reediting it, changing it up, etc., but then I realized I just had to let it go. The only reader it ever had was my sister. And you know what? She ate it up. But that was b/c she knew these people, too, and it was like being in on a secret that the rest of the world wasn't. Total word count: 97, 828 (hot damn! I didn't realize that!)

5) Title: Beneath the Skin. Genre: Women's fiction (if it's chick lit, then it was of the darker/more dramatic variety, due to its subject matter).

Prologue

“Holy Mother of God, it hurts!” I shrieked as a tattooed man named Sober dug a buzzing needle into my wrist.

Kendal wiped the sweat from my forehead and cocked her head to the side. “You can’t quit now,” she said as she looked at my half completed Chinese marking. “What will people think when you tell them your tattoo means ‘younger’? That doesn’t even make sense.”

I opened one eye and glared at her. “Please, for all you know, yours says ‘I smell like egg rolls.’ No offense,” I said with a quick glance toward Sober, “but it’s not like a man completely lacking Asian heritage is the most reliable source.”

“Oh, ye of little faith. Sober’s super-skilled in the art of Kanji. Aren’t you Sober?”

Sober grunted in response.

I rolled my eyes and glanced back at Kendal. “And just so you know, genius, the second word is younger. The first is sister.”

“Sister younger? Now you’re just being silly.” Kendal furrowed her brow and held her wrist up to mine. When she noticed that the first symbols were identical, she shook here head and tossed up her hands. “I swear … English must make zero sense in other countries.”

“S***!” I yelled as Sober began drilling the second word into my arm.

“Keep still,” Sober mumbled—his first words in over an hour.

“I’m trying, but you’re killing me.”

He shook his head and tightened his grip on my arm. “The drunk ones aren’t usually such drama queens,” he muttered.

---Okay, now this may not be your thing, and I certainly respect that. But it holds a special place in my heart. One day, I will go back. I will make changes. I will make this one work. Right now? I'm not ready for that. It needs too much attention, too much reworking, and I think it may need a younger narrator. Problem is, I can't make her that much younger and have my story still work as it is. So it remains in limbo. I did "finish it" at one time. I queried it to a handful of agents. I got about 3-4 rejections and 2 requests for partials. One, I was stoked about--I emailed a query, she replied the same/next day, and I sent her a synopsis and the first 10 or so pages. Result: not her thing, not into the writing, or something like that. I think I still have the reply saved somewhere. The second agent requested a partial, which I sent, but somehow it ended up marked as unsolicited and returned. By that time, I realized it wasn't ready--it wasn't anywhere near ready. So I never resent the partial. Word count: 85,174.

6) Title: Into the Dark. Genre: YA paranormal
PROLOGUE

I was four years old when I first saw a ghost.

We met in the guest bathroom of my mother’s latest “gentleman friend’s” house, while I was searching for a clean towel to dry my hands.

Bottom drawer, an unfamiliar voice said. Behind the razorblades.

I gasped and turned toward the sound, my wet hands collapsing at my sides.

The stranger sat on the bathtub’s ledge, his arms crossed over his chest and one foot kicked over his knee. He wore black boots, black pants, and a long black trench. His skin was an unblemished pale, his eyes brighter than stars against a dark canvas.

You are making quite the mess, he said with a disapproving nod toward the puddled white tiles.

Everything I’d ever been taught told me to run, but all I could do was stare, my eyes bulging from their sockets like marshmallows under heat.

Are you ill, child? he asked.

N-no. I tucked a loose curl behind my ear, tracking water across my cheek. I’m uh, I mean I um …

Ah. Plagued by the stutter. He frowned and shook his head. How very unfortunate.

D-do I know you?

No. And you will do well to maintain such an arrangement.

I braved a step forward, my eyes wide with curiosity. What are you doing here?

Things that I should not.

I don’t understand.

Of course you don’t, he said with a scowl. You are just a child. A brainless prey for the taking.

---I included the first 248 words or so, b/c it has been through some changes recently. I'm keeping the old version, just in case, b/c I can't be sure yet that I'm going to like where I've taken it. This is my latest WIP. It's my first YA, so in many ways, it feels like my first attempted novel. Is it great? I really don't know. I think it could be. I may need to tighten some things up and/or lose the prologue in the long run, but I could have something here. Rest assured, however, that it didn't come easy. (and oh ... word count: something like 90k--it's been changing a lot lately, though.)

The point of this, other than to make a fool of myself, was to note that writing is a craft. And, like any other craft, you have to work at it. You may have great ideas, but that doesn't equate to great execution. But that doesn't mean you should throw down your pen (or slam your keyboard into a wall). It just means that you need to keep practicing. Keep working at it. Join critique groups. Enter contests. Do whatever you can to learn and grow, both as a person and in your writing. In the words of someone very famous: "When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim swim."

Secret ... Agent Man

2009-05-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

It had been awhile since I'd had any critique of my work--probably at least six months or more--when I stumbled upon Miss Stark's First Victim, Secret Agent contest. Enter your first 250 words, and get (a) feedback from other bloggers, (b) feedback from the secret agent (man or woman, I'm not sure, but I have the song stuck in my head), (c) a prize--i.e., submission of pages, and/or (d) all of the above.

My answer: (a) and (b)

(a) feedback from other bloggers--I most definitely got that, along with an interesting debate about the merit of a prologue. 15 or so comments in, I realized that even if I didn't "win," I would know what I should do to make mine better for the next agent that looks at it.

(b) feedback from the SA--just got that last night, some time after midnight. Not what I was hoping, but hey ... not every agent likes the same Kool Aid flavor. And I wouldn't want an agent that's only half-heartedly interested about my sorta-kinda paranormal YA, even if it meant I had representation.

For anyone interested (that means you, Omi :P), mine was number 24. (I figured out how to do the link thing--woohoo!) As a brief overview, it's about a high school junior named Lexi who falls in love with new guy, Jake, but being with him unlocks memories from a past she'd rather forget. It has a paranormal element, but the crux of the story is Lexi's self-discovery and personal growth, as well as how this all affects her relationship w/Jake. Vague, I know. I'll work on that later, when the brain cells are up and running again.

Please feel free to let me know what you think or ask any questions. I could talk about writing all day :)

Me. Off the record.

2009-05-17T08:38:00.000-05:00

I am a lover of words. I read. I write. I watch a lot of TV/movies. I repeat cycle. Repeat cycle. Repeat cycle. I save quotes from movies or television shows or songs that I think are genius/moving/hilariously funny.

Without words, the world would be a scary, scary place. A place I'm not sure I'd find life was worth living in.

I've always wanted to be a writer. Well, at least since the fourth grade, when my teacher stopped at my desk and read my creative writing assignment about my favorite room in my house to the class. I thought, "Wow ... cool! And to think I just picked some random room and started writing like I cared about it! This is easy--I just need a bunch of adjectives!" Yeah. So, I was a little off about that.

One day, long before I was old enough to make such a decision, I watched an episode of Matlocck and decided, "Hey, it looks easy to be an attorney, and really cool. I'll do that!" And so my parents' dream for my future was born. After awhile I faltered, but then came A Time to Kill. What I didn't think about was that the part I loved most about the movie (and the television show, to be honest) wasn't really the lawyering so much as it was the writing. The beautifully written closing in A Time to Kill? THAT's what made me cry. But I was distracted by the beauty of Matthew M and decided that no, it was definitely the lawyer part that did it for me. So I went to college, majored in pre-law, took a few writing classes along the way. Begin to doubt I was focusing on what I should be ... Went to law school.

And that's where everything changed. It was on a random weekend when I was putting off reading the umpteenth case about contracts when it happened. I opened up a blank document on Microsoft Word and started typing. For the week or so prior to that, these characters had danced in my head. I knew the basic plot. I outlined a few of the steps. Basically, girl falls in love, boy dies, girl is saved from heartache by new best friend, girl kisses engaged best friend at a college party, screws everything up, girl and boy eventually work it out. I know, I know, not the most original. But I didn't care about that. I didn't even think about publishing or others reading it, or anything like that. I wanted an escape, something other than a Contract=offer, acceptance, consideration, bargained for exchange, blah blah blah shoot me now please ...

While I was writing, I thought "Wow, this is soooo easy! I'm the bomb!" And then I stopped and reread it, quickly realizing I wasn't. That manuscript never made it past the first 50 or so rough draft pages.

Attempt # 2 I completed, edited, and queried. About 20 or 30 "no thanks" and one partial request followed by a "no thanks" later, I reread it and thought, "Man ... this sucks! I hate this!" And I moved on.

This time, I wrote about something I cared about. And I joined a writing workshop. And another workshop. And another. Those workshops changed me and my writing. They opened me up. They broke me out of cliches. They brought my characters to life. I queried MS #2 a few times (2 partial requests, one of which I sent and the other of which there was some miscommunication and I never resent it) before realizing ... it's just not ready. It needs substantial rewrites. It needs ... a younger narrator. No, I need a younger narrator, but I'm not sure this story lends itself to that.

And so MS #3 was born. My first YA, and I'm loving it. I finally feel like I've found my voice, my genre, my market. I hope some day, others will love it, too. I think I'll post a separate blog with some details about this journey, as well as my reaction to Secret Agent's somewhat crushing May contest blow. (I didn't scream or cry or send nasty emails, fyi. I just got to thinking. A lot.)

I think that's enough about me for right now.

And now: I'm off to play with more wallpaper and spend lots of plastic money. (Hmm ... maybe Twitter's not such a bad idea, after all ...)

It's a Blog World, After All ...

2009-05-17T02:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'll admit it. I'm always a few steps, or in this case, a few years. behind the latest online networking tool.
Myspace? I balked. My sister signed me up. I went on a year or two bender before going cold turkey (myspace myspace I must check my myspace!). Now I check it once a day, tops. Normally less than that.
Facebook? Puhleaze ... The layout doesn't make any sense, and why does it keep asking what the heck is a new application and why would I download something just to add it, and oooh that one's kind of cool, and look ... I have twenty apps on my profile! I'm still mildly addicted to Facebook, minus about 15+ apps.
Twitter? What the eff? Is that some gross new sexually inappropriate activity or misdemeanonr that I'm unaware of? Or no ... isn't that the std-ridden guys name from Varsity Blues? I'm still of the belief that my day is just not that interesting. In the slightest. And making the unexciting 20+ hours of my day sound exciting for everyone else? Not that easy when it's my own life. As of now, I haven't joined the Twitter camp. But you never know ...
LiveJournal: found a YA author on Publisher's Weekly, thought the book sounded cool and did an email search. (Wow! People blog? Since when?) Made an account, almost solely so I could leave comments without having to be "Anonymous." Typed up a blog or two of my own--I was really proud of myself, darn it--before: Wait ... all of the people following this writer's blog don't have Livejournal? Wait ... there's ANOTHER blog?
Blogger/Blogspot: I don't want it--as if the one I already have (that my hubby says is "so 5 years ago") and my three emails and blinking-blinking-blinking work phone aren't enough to check daily, now there's this ... Okay I'll look ... Ooh, I can see what other people are following? Hmm ... I'ts kind of fun being a sheep. Well, it's free so I might as well get it ... Look, I'm following a blog! And now: I don't just follow. I stalk. So long as the blog has a writing element and an intriguing owner, I'm there.

I had a point to all of this, but for once, sleep is winning against my active brain. I blame it on the wallpaper. Maybe the dry wall and the hubby's vinegar+water home-remedy is screwing with my brain ...

Next time, my blog will have a purpose. Maybe one of those "here I am in 100 bullet point letters." Or maybe something writing related. If I don't close it now, I'll end up tying fifteen lines of the letter "B." Not pretty.

G'night, my sole blog follower. G'night, anyone else who stumbles upon .

Little Rascals, here I come.

2009-04-23T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well ... after a million trillion gazillion forevers (i.e., about 100 days) of short sale hell, the hubby and I finally--subject to inspections and all of that tra la la--have a house! A real, live, embodied in cement house!

After eons of dangling from ropes and calling for help, we jumped from the "short" sale and grabbed hold of the mast of this one (a.k.a. the bomb house), and, two days later, we're all signed and inked and already much poorer. But it's an awesome kind of poor.

I'll worry about all of that super important stuff--like buckling wooden floors and leaky windows and oodles of wallpaper and weirdo carpet in the dining room--when I feel like stepping off my cloud. But for now, there's a distracting melody in my head that goes a little something like this:

I've got a house. I've got a house. I've got a house. Hey, hey, hey, hey!