Facing Your (Writing) Fears

I like fantasy books and movies. I like getting lost in worlds I've never been in, meeting characters that can do fantastical things, magic, explosions, a place where people aren't always being watched by the every day things that we are forced into like school and work. I like imaging that just beyond the next tree in long forgotten woods is the entrance to a magical world, that the next store shop is covering up the entrance to a quaint little alley of wizarding supplies, that beyond the next mountain range hides a village of little folk living in the mountain bases. 

So naturally, when I decided to write, I wrote about the own worlds in my head. I made up fantasy stories about ordinary people doing incredible things and about shimmering magic and horses and everything in between.

But as I start to plot out my next novel, I realize that I've also been hiding behind all of the big fight scenes, the swords and the magic because I've been scared. Scared that I won't measure up when I start writing about the real world.

See, the next novel I want to write is a YA contemporary. I have a cast of characters that have been with me for four years and all this time, they've been getting stronger. Plus, I work at a police department so I've been picking up on a lot of things about drug informants and I think it is all so fascinating.

What I'm saying is I'm going to stretch my legs and try writing out of my comfort zone and I can't wait to see what I discover. I still have more fantasy novel ideas. I'm not at all done with them. But for now, I want to try something new.

If your struggling or scared of an idea you've had, maybe you should try it too. Anyone have any tips for taking on your writing fears?

Editing: Tips for Cutting Words

If you are anything like me, you write and write and write and when you are halfway done, you look up and realize that your word count is WAY over the limit. And not just by a little. I'm talking like 10k over. I feel like I am the Queen of this land. Then I get new ideas and I have to find places to cut and trim to make the word count in the ballpark of where it needs to be.

However, with this past manuscript I've been working on, I've realized that I also waste a lot of space with unnecessary words. The problem with this besides bloating the word count is it makes for a passive voice which causes a disconnect with the character. So if you're writing feels dull, try some of these tips to jazz it up!

1) Cut out as many "to be"s as possible.

I am terrible about this. Going through my manuscript and cutting out all the unnecessary places I found "was" slashed my word count down a lot. It also makes the writing feel slow because the character seems like they are just telling you what is happening instead of showing.

Ex: "He was standing in the corner."
See how boring that sentence is?

Better: "He stood in the corner."
Now that "was" has been taken out, it feels a little more active. But we can make this even better.

Best: "He slouched against the wall."
This gives us a lot more of a visual as to what the character is doing and it feels a lot more active.

The dreaded "to be" verb doesn't just strike when characters are involved either. Object get the passive voice treatment as well.

Ex: "The velvet drapes were hung on either side of the large window."
Again, we are being told about the drapes.

Better: "The velvet drapes hung on either side of the large window."
Just taking out the "to be" verb helps the sentence feel a little fresher but again, this is an inactive sentence so lets do better.

Best: "I run my fingers along the velvet drapes hanging closed against the morning light."
Now the character is interacting with the object which makes the object worth being described, we've ditched the boring "to be" verb and spruced the whole sentence up!

2) Describing items using multiple words.

This is another one that I am very guilty of. Just cutting multiple adjectives to describe one object helped get my word count under control.

Ex: "The large, tall and thick oak tree had big leafy branches that spread out high above our heads."
Holy moly, Batman! Those are a lot of words to describe a tree when we could get the idea with a lot less.

Better: "The thick oak tree had leafy branches that spread out high above our heads."
Again, this still has a lot of words to describe a tree that probably doesn't have a whole lot of importance.

Best: "The oak's leafy branches spread out high above our heads."
See how many words we cut by getting rid of all those unnecessary adjectives? Chances are, the reader is going to understand that the oak tree is "thick" and "big" based on the fact that the branches are high up. Trust the reader to fill in the blanks!

3) Cut weasel words!

We all have words that we lean on. The ones we use without even thinking about it. In fact, I wanted to use one of my in this sentence and the one before this. Here are a list of common weasel words to look for and eliminate:

• Just (which was the one I wanted to use)
• Then
• That
• Suddenly
• Very
• Every
• Would
• It
• See
• Seem
• Smile

That's just to name a few. We all have our own weasel words. Identifying them and then eliminating them will really help cut down your word count. I try to savor these words and only use them when they can really help make an impact.

Take "just" for example:

Bad Ex: "She just didn't know what to do."
This example is super boring and "just" sits there not doing anything for the sentence.

Better: "It's no big deal really. It's just my entire life."
In this sentence, "just" is exaggerating the point and adding a sarcastic or drastic tone. It's making this weasel word count.

"Then" is another good example that, when used correctly, can really make an impact:

Bad Ex: "Then we decided to leave."
In this example, "then" hangs there all boring. This sentence is telling us nothing. But if "then" is used correctly, it will have an impact!

Better: "She washed the dishes, scrubbed the floor, folded the laundry, dusted and straightened, anything to keep her mind off the conversation she knew was coming that night.Then, with nothing left to do, she sat on the couch to wait."
Alright, so this isn't the strongest example, but "then" does serve to show how much the character is stalling. It is telling us something about the woman.

Better: "And then the gun went off."
Wouldn't you just need to turn the page to keep reading? The nonchalant "then" in this sentence serves to add excitement.

4) Par down the dialogue tags.

I tend to add a lot of action at the end of dialogue tags which fluffs my word count. Get rid of those tags and use anything other than "she said/he said" sparingly.

Ex: "I hate you," she yelled at the top of her lungs, throwing a vase at his head.
We get from her action that she is probably yelling and loudly. We don't need to know that she "screamed bloody murder" when her actions show us that.

Better: "I hate you," she yelled, throwing a vase at his head.
We understand that she is yelling and her actions show us just how angry she is.

Those are my tips for cutting down your word count. There are even more ways but those are the things I'm guilty of. Be removing a lot of these, my character's voice becomes more active and my word count lowers. I hope it helps you and I'd love to hear about anything you've learned over the years!

Writing Book Recommendations

I've read a fair share of writing books before I started writing seriously but lately, I find myself obsessively looking up articles on every facet of writing online. I want to get better for my characters, give them interesting plots and expand my horizons but I can't do without help. So I ordered a few books on Amazon which I'd like to share here with you and then, if you have any suggestions, please leave them below.

When I put out a shout on Twitter, I got recommended:

Writing Irresistible Kidlit by Mary Kole

I ordered it and will be reading through it shortly.

I also purchased these:

The Thesaurus Book Trio by Angela Ackerman and Becca Pugkisi

I purchased all three of these books and can't wait to dig into them. I've been working a lot on trying to make my characters seem unique and give them interesting details. I hope these books will help with that!

I'll review them in more depth after I've finished reading. 

I'd love to hear about any books that have helped you with writing!

Writing Room Refresh

My house has kind of become a war zone lately with our newest business. Papercraft has claimed our dining room, the room next to the kitchen and our extra bedroom. Chores have begin to slip through the cracks, especially right before convention time, and I've gone a little insane. Because of all this, it has become nearly impossible to write in my own house. 

When I sit down to write, I really need a clear head but how can I get to that space when there are cut paper kits sitting next to me that need to get done and sweeping? So my husband and I agreed that I needed to carve out my own little section in the house for a writing room.

Over the last few weekends, every moment of my free time has gone toward remodeling our office area into a calming oasis to write. I wanted to chronicle this journey since I am so proud of it!

The Bookshelves

The first thing I knew I was going to need was storage. I have two other bookshelves that are weighed down with books but I knew I wanted something to keep all my other things on. After searching the local thrift shops, I found twin tall bookshelves that were perfect. They costs me $75 for the pair (though since I got the desk with them, the whole thing only cost me $100) but they were pretty ugly. You can see what the looked like on the top left picture.

My best friend helped me pick out a color to spray paint them and then we decided to try our hand at wallpapering the backs. The top right photo is a picture of me laying the first piece of wall paper and the bottom left are the bookshelves just as my friend finished spray painting them. We brought them into the room, stapled the backs on and completed the first piece for the new writing room.

It took us about a day to finish sanding, painting and papering the shelves and cost me about $150 total. However, I think they look incredible and I imagine they would retail for a lot more than $150 so I am really pleased.

The Desk

In searching for a desk, it quickly became clear that the type of desk I wanted would need to be made. So after searching thrift stores, I picked up that mess of a thing in the top right and left corners. I really hated the black paint but I thought we could make it work.

My friend and I decided on a metallic silver for the desk because we thought it would make the room appear brighter. After sanding and spray painting it, we realized that there was a really big split in the front. If I had wanted the desk to face a wall, it wouldn't of mattered but I wanted the desk out. In order to hide the crack, we found some fun printed bird fabric and using spray adhesive, we cut the fabric to fit the desk panels.

In all, the desk took about half a day to transform. I'm still planning on getting a cute lining for inside the drawers but for now, I am really pleased with it. I wanted something big with lots of storage and this really fits the ticket. 

In a few weeks, I will order this to go on top of the desk exactly as it appears in the picture with a cute vase!:

Book Ornaments by Meiorigami

The Rest

After snagging a lighting fixture I'd already ordered and purchasing a rug and two chairs, my writing room is mostly complete! I'm still looking for fun decorative things on Etsy to fill the room with my personality but I am so pleased with the way it is coming out. Check out my awesome before and after picture:

The top left is before, the top right is during and the bottom two are after. Here is a photo of all the fun things around the room including my light fixture:

And here are two close ups of the room and the desk with the fabric panel on it.

The only things left to do are to get my computer set up and find a chair for the desk. I want something comfy, compact and stylish so I have a feeling I'll have to do a little looking. There is still some clutter on the other side of the room that we need to ship off but it is only a few sweeps away from being perfect. I am so proud that I was actually able to make this vision come true with a combination of purchasing and re-purposing. The bookshelves and desk have become my favorite parts!

Do you have a place where you go to read or write?

Some of the Reasons I Write and Read YA

Hey, I never claimed to be a whiz at titles...

Lately, I've been thinking about why I write YA. I know it's a question a lot of YA authors are asked for one reason or another and it's something my co-workers and people around me have starting asking me too. And when I explain what my book is about, I get this reaction:

"Oh, you wrote a book for teens? Isn't that nice."*

That reaction coupled with the fact that my husband and I have been on a nostalgia kick lately, really has me thinking what drew me to YA so strongly. But I guess to discuss this, I want to reveal when I found YA.

I've been writing ever since I can remember. The first thing I ever actually wrote into completion was a play for my third grade class about the planets. With the help of my classmates, we transformed the classroom into a space station and traveled space for a day. My classmates would read from a script I wrote when we arrived at each planet and I knew as I saw my words come to life that I wanted to be a writer.

I didn't seriously start writing until I was 15. I began writing this epic fantasy for 4 years that totaled about 400k words. When that book didn't pan out, I was kind of lost. I knew I wanted to write and I loved books like Maria V Snyder's Poison Study series. But I had no idea where to find them. One day I was walking up and down the bookstore aisles, trying to find something with magic and the exuberance I found in the pages of Garth Nix's Abhorsen series when I saw a book that caught my eye from across the store.

It was like love at first sight, like the powerful, overwhelming stuff I was soon going to be reading about in my books. It was a first.

That book was A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray and what was underneath that beautiful cover was even better than I'd hoped for. I found passion, magic, and a hunger I hadn't been able to find in "adult books". What's more, I found the newness of firsts. First loves, first kisses, first parties, first drinks, first friendships. And I was hooked. I'd finally found a section in the bookstore I was passionate about.

The reason I write YA is because of all the things I mentioned above and one more. It goes back to that nostalgia kick I spoke about.

I'm going to make a statement: YA is fiction.

But that doesn't mean all fiction is made up.

I met and started dating my husband at the same age I started seriously writing. At 15, I knew I had found my soul mate, the person I was meant to be with. But no one would believe me. I saw the look in my parent's and other adult's eyes when I told them I loved Brian, that he was going to be around forever. They didn't believe me because we were young so we couldn't know, right?

Young Love by FDLphoto

I write YA fiction because I believe in it. I believe that a girl and a guy can see each other across the room at age 15 and know that they are in love, that they are meant to be because I lived it. Those feelings are powerful and hypnotic and I love reliving them. I love knowing that every time I write a good teen romance, I'm proving my parents and those other adults wrong. Even if the leads don't stay together, they have that time together and those feelings are real.

I write and read young adult fiction because it speaks to me and it makes me remember what it was like to experience firsts with a wild abandonment, unburdened by bills and paychecks and Important Adult Decisions. It allows me to fall in love over and over again for the first time.

I feel so honored to be part of a community that is so passionate about what they believe in and unabashed to show it. The YA community is one of the most supportive, kind and amazing communities I've ever experienced and I can't wait to continue reading and writing and living more firsts from all different types of protagonists.

Why do you love YA fiction?

* It should be said that this isn't always the reaction but I've been getting my fair share of it already.

Query Kombat 2014

I wanted to post a link to this writing contest that I found on Michelle4Laughs. I entered the manuscript that I found an agent with in several contest last year and though I ultimately didn't find an agent with those contests, I learned a whole lot about my writing. Contests are also a great place to meet fellow writers and hone in the ever elusive query letter.

If that isn't enough to convince you, yours truly will be a judge! You can meet all the judges here.

I think this contest is going to be really cool because it isn't going to be just one person that will decide which queries are going to go onto the next round. It's going to be multiple people that vote and the winner of each round will advance.

Also, we'll all be chatting on Twitter with the tag #QueryKombat.

Here are the basics on how this contest works straight from Michelle4Laughs blog post:

Query Kombat will host 64 kombatants in a single-elimination, tournament style query-off. Entries will go head to head (one on one) with one another until only ONE entry remains. There will be a total of six rounds in Query Kombat. 64 entries in round one, 32 in round two, 16 in round three, 8 in round four, 4 in round five, and 2 in round six.

As we said, some things have changed. We’re doing away with tournament brackets this year. Instead, Kombats will be matched up based on target audience and genre. We'll continue grouping that way until it's no longer possible. 

If you secure a spot in the tournament, your query and the first 250 words of your manuscript (to the end of a complete sentence) will be pitted against another query and first 250 words. Judges will read each match-up and vote 'Victory' on the best entry. Remember, this is subjective. Considering last year, votes may come down to personal tastes. 

The entry with the most ‘victories’ at the end of the round will advance to the next round until only one champion remains.

One of the biggest changes we’re implementing this year is doing away with the mentor round. Why? Because we're moving up the agent round. Yes! You read correctly. This year the agent round will be held right after the first round. That mean 32 entries will make it into the agent round. 32!.

The submission window opens May 22nd AT NOON and will close at May 23rd at 11:59 or until they received 225 entries.

If you have a completed and polished manuscript, you should definitely consider entering. Not only could an agent see your manuscript but you can get lots of advice on how to make your query stronger.

Have you ever entered a writing contest before?

The Pros to Beta Reading

I've been stuck in the editing cave for the last few weeks. Not only have I been working on my own novel but I've been lucky enough to beta-read one of Katie's (over at One Page At a Time YA Books) manuscripts as well. I'm a very slow reader so sometimes it's easy for me to become engrossed in my own work and forget to read other things. Going through this other manuscript has reminded me why it is so important to read stuff besides my own words. I thought it might be nice to share a few things I've learned.

1) Gaining a fresh perspective- I know that a lot of the time, I get stuck in my own head. That means that I only see situations from one side. Naturally this bleeds into my characters and sometimes they react in predictable ways. Instead of looking at a situation from multiple perspectives, I opt for the one I think about first and assume that is the natural reaction.

Not so.

Beta reading has helped remind me that people react differently to every situation. Just because I would assume one thing doesn't mean another person would react in a different way and that's good. All my characters have different backgrounds and should see situations in different lights.

2) Admiring another writer's strengths- I know there are things I'm not great at. We all have flaws when we write and sometimes seeing how someone else handles things we are bad is a great learning experience. I'm not saying to outright copy what that writer is doing but it is interesting to break down how they handle a situation that you are bad at.

MissMimee

3) Allowing your mind to think about other plots and characters- I find myself daydreaming about this book I'm reading like I would my own work. I think about how I would write certain scenes and where I would take the novel. I play the guessing game and see if I'm correct in figuring out where the plot is going. This gets my mind active and I find that when I return to my own characters and stories, they are richer for it.

4) Having fun- This kind of goes hand and hand with the last one but I find that I have a lot fun beta reading. I think it is because I get an inside look at how a story takes shape and sometimes I can help make it better. It doesn't hurt that I don't have to do all the work that comes after. =P

Do have you beta read for someone or are you thinking about it? I haven't done it too much because I'm such a slow reader but I think I need to start doing it more, I'm really enjoying it and I'm learning a lot along the way.

What are some of the things you learn when you beta?

The Word Count Worry or AR BookFinder

I've been working on edits for my novel the last week and have gotten super stressed over word count. See, since it's a fantasy there are a lot of words. We're talking 92k and climbing with the new scenes I've added in which means I'll be going through and nipping a few other places.

But being fresh off the query grind (which I've been on for the past 7 years--started in college), I'm hyper aware of what range a YA novel needs to be in. For YA fantasy, most agents suggest 90,000-99,000 which is pretty high considering other genres in YA should be over 80,000. But still, I worry about what my book is going to look like when edits are through.

I decided to go online and look for other YA books that I love and think are pretty thick to wee what their word count is. I ended up finding this website called AR BookFinder that literally made my week. It is a treasure trove of information about books, including their final word count!44

When you first go in, it will ask you whether you are a "teacher", "parent", "student" or "librarian". While I feel like I'm two of these things, I ended up choosing "student" since I was going on that site to learn (the other option I considered was librarian since I loan out books).

So here are some of the word counts I found:

Image from Goodreads

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
YA Fantasy

Word count = 81, 215

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
YA Fantasy

Word count =102,803

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder
YA Fantasy

Word count = 98,315

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
YA Dystopian


Word count = 76,089

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
YA Dystopian

Word count = 87,078

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
YA Fantasy

Word count = 81,248

Defiance by CJ Redwine
YA Fantasy

Word count = 96,276




So there are some of the titles I looked up to compare my book to. Since I'm writing fantasy, I did quite a few fantasy books but they have a wide database. Ever wanted to know what your novel would compare to in thickness from the books on your shelf? With AR BookFinder, all you have to do is look it up! I am so happy I found this website and could spend hours on there looking up word counts.

Hope this helps any of you fretting about how big your novel is getting! Or maybe you just want to know more info about your favorite novel. Either way, this site is can definitely help you out!

What they say about "One Door Closing"



miraccoon

This week, a door closed for me. Now, when these things happen, I tend to fixate on the negative implications. No matter how many other doors remain open, no matter how many eggs I have in different baskets, I zero in on the one that is suddenly gone. I've always done this. As a kid if I was given 10 M&M's and I decide to eat one, I'd freak out about the one that was gone instead of realizing I have 9 left.

That's why it is difficult for me to be a writer. I don't mind constructive criticism because I've learned to find the gems in it. I can accept that how I write, what I want to say and the characters in my head won't appeal to everyone. I don't even mind if someone doesn't like what I've written.

But what I find hardest to deal with is not focusing on a lost oppurtinity and I don't think I'm alone.

When I was in high school, I was part of a very focused and fantastic choir. We sang together, sweat and cried together and bleed together. We worked hard. Those endless hours of practice and forfeit weekends made us close to each other and our director. At the end of the year, our director gave out awards to all of us for different things and he also gave us a piece of advice. To this day, I don't remember what my award was for (probably for organization or something) but I do remember the advice because it is something I struggle with daily. He said: "Amber, don't sweat the small stuff. Don't focus on the little things you can't help but focus on the big picture and all the things you've accomplished."

These simple words encapsulate my entire delimma today. I have more than enough doors open to me right now. More than I've ever had before and that is something to be proud of. But because I got the news that one of these doors have closed, I'm feeling a little down even though it is something I can't control. Even though it is something small in the big picture.

But as each of these doors close, they are teaching me something. They are teaching me that I can handle the small details going wrong and something beautiful can bloom from the next door over. It's teaching me that I have written something that I believe in even if a thousand more doors close. It is teaching me that I don't have to sweat the small stuff. And it has made me richer for it.

Juli-SnowWhite

So today I am stopping. I'm not going to let myself worry about one small thing when there are so many other things to be thankful for. And I'm not just applying it to my writing. I'm applying it to my life.
So here are the three things I learned today:

1) Sometimes the old sayings are true. When one door closes, a new one opens.

2) You have to believe in yourself or no one else will.

3) You really don't have to sweat the small stuff.

Kissing Scene for Cupid's Literary Connection

Hello everyone! Welcome to the blog! Whether your a follower or jumping over from Cupid's Literary Connection for the Kissing Competition, I hope you enjoy this little excerpt from my YA fantasy GARDEN OF THORNS.

*Please know that I am an honorary mention only, as my entry #102 has been pushed through by one amazing bouncer*

The set-up: Rose has just escaped from being captured and fought her way back to the rebel camp. Rayce, the rebel leader who has always been there for her, awkwardly enters her tent and tells her that he was worried she might be dead and that made him realize just how important she is to him.
________________________

He rests his forehead on mine, placing a hand on either side of my face so that all I can see is the scar that mars his tanned skin and his eyes that appear almost black this close.

“Then I’m yours, Rose,” he says, his rough fingers trailing down my face to the hollow of my neck.

He’s giving himself to me, a possession I can’t place on my shelf next to my scissors or borrowed belt. Something I can’t lose. The most precious thing I’ve ever been offered. He deserves to hear it too for being everything I never even dreamed could be possible.

“And I’m yours,” I whisper, letting my fingers travel over the scratchy surface of his chin to trace the lines of his marking near his left eye.

My words earn me inches. He leans in, closing the space between us, sealing our words with something deeper than promises, stronger than steel. I tilt up my face, my own mouth tingling as I meet him inch by slow inch, breath by breath, heartbeat for heartbeat. Our mouths meet as lost and hesitant as he looked when he first walked in. But they keep working, finding their meaning in the words we spoke. He pulls me closer, his hands gripping the middle of my arms like I might pull away. I press in to his hard body, feel the way he doesn’t even have to move for me to fit him.

We fall deeper into each other, his hands finding their way to the hem of my tunic, sneaking up under it to press warmly against the small of my back. I nearly tip over as his mouth travels down the line of my jaw, planting kisses on skin I never even knew could feel warmth.

For once in my life I don’t measure time passing with the sound of our breathing. They aren’t any heartbeats ticking out seconds or stories to weave into the empty space. Right now there is just me and him. I am so whole I'm spilling over and Rayce’s lips catch every last drop.

________________________



So there is it! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Love to hear what you think and I look forward to reading some kissy scene from the other entries.

Thanks!

A Nifty Writng Contest

One of my frequent haunts as an aspiring author is Guide To Literary Agents Blog. You should definitely check it out, especially if you are a YA writer like me.

Right now there is a Dear Lucky Agent contest going on for YA writers. Basically, you send in your first 150-200 words of a polished, unpublished novel to be judged by an agent and if you win, you get a 10 page critique! Sounds awesome, right? Head over there and take a look. I just entered!

Let me know if you did too!

Query Stats

I sent out my queries two weeks ago. 10 was the magic number.

I've gotten four rejections.

I've gotten one partial but the good news is the partial is from one of my top agent picks!

Still got five out and will be sending more soon.

Trying to stay positive.

Eating lots of chocolate.

Taking lots of emergency phone calls.

On third chapter of new WIP (novel number 4).

A Big Thank You

I wanted to thank everyone who took a look at my query and for all the positive feedback. All of you gave me the drive I needed to whip through the last of my line edits and the confidence to finally press send on a few query letters today. For this, I can't thank you enough.

I won't bore you with the logistics, but I've been noticing some people asking questions. If anyone does have a question to ask me about writing, query, etc (or any of the commentors) please feel free to ask on this post and I (and anyone else who wants to chime in) will do my best to answer them. Keep in mind, I'm just a writer trying to get published like so many others but I have done a lot of research and am more than happy to share what I know.

Again, I love each and everyone of you who took the time to say something nice about my current project. Your kind words meant the world to me!

Now I'm in querying phase number one. I'd be lying if I said I haven't refreshed my e-mail at least a MILLION times already. Waiting is always the hardest part!

The Harsh Reality of Writing

One of the best, and worst, things about writing is it's all subjective. I can absolutely love something that you hate and vice versa. Because all of it is based on opinions, it can also be really harsh.

I  received several beta comments back over the past few days. One in particular was basically devastating. As of thus far, I've been hearing really good things about my current WIP. People tended to really enjoy reading it which was making me feel very comfortable. I feel like I've learned a lot with my last two novels and this one feels right. I know there are things I need to change, I understand that, but the way this reader attacked my novel was just cruel.

I mean, attacked it, ripped it to shreds... the works. Even before I knew how to beta read, I would have never presumed to tell a writer how their characters are suppose to act, how dialog is supposed to be and how the plot should be. Sure, I'd give suggests but in the nicest, most helpful way I could. I'd never go in with the intention to really hurt someone and it seems like this reader did that to me.

I'm not saying some things weren't helpful. I'm just saying that the majority of things this reader said were hurtful and plain mean. It's hard for me to understand why someone would want to hurt anyone that way but they did hurt me... and I have a thick skin. I've dealt with know-it-alls, book snobs and writers who thought they were God's Gift to the Literary World. But this reader hurt me.

This isn't about pity. I'm just writing to say that sometimes that's just the breaks. Sometimes, no matter what you do someone is not going to be happy and that's life. Recognize what you can gain from it, shove the crap aside, tell that reader thanks and you'll consider what they've had to say and keep on keeping on.  You and your novel can only benefit from the experience.

How do you...

... Pick A Main Character?

As I've discussed in previous "How do you..." posts, before my fingers ever touch the keyboard to type the first page of a novel, I have already created character spreadsheets and given them awesome names (full of awesomeness, obviously). That means I know exactly who I'm going to be writing in, right?

Uh, not so much.

There's been this lovely new trend in publishing lately and that it to have multiple main characters. So while I may start writing in one perspective, I might realize that we are missing something completely without another voice. So I guess the more truthful answer to my question is yes, I know who ONE of my MCs is going to be but the rest is up in the air.

For my current WIP out in the hands of betas, the story is told in alternating perspective between Blake (the female protagonist with all the paranormal stuff happening to her) and Aiden (the male protagonist trying to figure out what the heck is happening to Blake). Now besides the fact that I get to write in two separate voices so it's like writing two different novels at once (and keeps my attention better), when I first starting writing this novel I realized it needed Aiden's voice.

The reason why?

Blake's not a very likable gal. I mean, she's alright but she's not in a very good place when the novel starts out. So I decided to add in another voice that will showcase the good in her. By adding in this second male voice, the story ended up expanding and was enriched by his voice. Also, because the paranormal elements aren't directly happening to him, Aiden's perspective really helps to ground the novel in reality.

All of a sudden my novel went from one voice to two and that opened up a word of possibility for me.

So what about you? Do you know how many MCs you'll have and who they are before you start writing? Or do you jot down a bunch of characters, give them all a test run and then find the right one? Have you ever finished a novel only to realize it's in the wrong person's POV?

Empty Nest Syndrome

After weeks of prep, hours of writing, re-writing and editing, I finally sent my novel out into the world of Beta Readers.

I'm truly surprised at the response I got from people to take a look at my WIP. To give you an idea, my last novel had 4 people read it, this one has 10. I know for a fact that this is going to really benefit my work I'm hoping it will give me the edge to finally get my name in print.

I'm entering the hardest phase right now and that is waiting. I've done all I can do, I sent it out last night and told my lovely betas they had one month to read it and come back with opinions/notes. During this one month I can't even look at it. I've got to find something else to write because I'm having withdrawals after finishing last week and not writing. Otherwise this month will consist of me checking my e-mail consistently and on the edge of my seat because someone, somewhere is picking at my baby as we speak.

Well, I guess they say absence makes the heart grow fonder for a reason. I just hope it also makes me grow tougher to prepare for all the seams I'm going to have to go back and snip.

What about you? If you write, what part are you at currently?

The Query Letter

*Cues the scary music* The query letter is where a lot of writers get stuck. We spend months, sometimes even years, crafting this beautiful novel full of delicious words, characters, great pacing and a killer plot and then we find out we have only 250 words to sell it to an agent. It feels like a big trick.

I know when I started out, I wanted to tell the agent my whole life story-- how I started writing at a young age, how staring at the ocean gave me the story idea and how I've been dedicated to tell this story ever since!

But then I met this magic thing called the internet and it told me what not to do. Agents don't want to to hear about anything that isn't relevant, and I know, I know your sister read your story and said it was the best thing since Harry Potter, but surprisingly, the agent doesn't need to hear this either.

What they do need to read is an enticing small paragraph or so on the plot (though be careful not to give them set-up and back story) and main character of the story. They want stakes, they want to be dying to know what happens, they want a little blurb of info on the book-- i.e. how many words, what genre, who is your writing like-- and then the first couple of pages from the manuscript (for the exact number, you need to look up the particular agent and see their guidelines). That's it.

On the outside, it seems really pretty easy. I can write 250 words in my sleep and I see blurbs on the back of every book I read so I know it's possible. But it's NOT easy. In fact, it's downright hard. For me, it's even harder than writing the novel. In the novel, I have plenty of time to guide the reader to the plot, build the stakes and tension and introduce the character. Trying to wrap up a 70,000 word novel into only 250 words is like trying to piece together a shattered bit of glass. On top of all that, I have to make it sound appealing!

*Cue the doctor* because it's Freak Out Time!

 What I do to fight these feelings of anxiety is to write practice query letters periodically through the writing process. Before the novel is even begun, I whip up a quick query letter to showcase what I'm going to write about. By the time I'm finished with the novel, I have a few saved. Each time I write one, I play with a different angle so that I can see what appeals the best. Then, when it's time to sit down and write a final one (like I am doing today) I pick out my favorite angles and tweak them to see which one is the most appealing.

Like you sit on your novel for a month to make it fresh to you, I suggest sitting on your query letter for a small period of time too. There are also some killer sites you can go to to see if your query letter is good enough (if you are lucky enough to get picked). The two I always visit are:

1. Query Shark (http://queryshark.blogspot.com/) run by the wonderful Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Management
2. Ask Daphne! (http://ktliterary.com/daphne/) run by Kate Schafer of kt literary

Also, you can swing by Miss Snark's First Victim (http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/) for some of the really cool contests she runs!

What part of the writing process are you on?

With whatever you are doing, good luck!

Finally Finished!

According to my laptop, it is 10:14 p.m. on August 2, 2010 and I am officially finished with my novel! I knew I was going to be writing this post tonight because I only had one more chapter to complete and so I was really thinking about what it means to finish a novel.

I've been working on my WIP Styx and Stones for a little over a year. This is my third revision (which I started 3 months ago) where a lot of big editing stuff happened. I dropped a few unneeded characters, slashed through a few sub-plots, changed the way the plot wove together and really worked to refine both MCs voices. Now is my month to rest and grow apart from the little beauty I've just slaved over for a year. I've got the Beta Readers lined up and I can't wait to get their feedback!

But what caught my attention through all of this is that I've spent a year of my life on this novel. I've written three novels now and I can pretty much count my life through these novels. Ages15 through 20 were devoted to the very long, very unpolished first novel I wrote. 21-22 is hopelessly devoted to the second and now 22 to 23 is this one.

Can you look back on your life and say the same?

I know from web surfing and stalking many agent's blogs that it's good to be able to write about a book a year so I feel right on pace. This month I'll probably be posting some on the query letter crafting process. I can't wait!

This is such a wonderful night!