Coffee and Owls

Wow. I feel like it's been forever since I posted on OA. It's been so great to have all the new bloggers on here with all sorts of new posts and ideas. Today, I am not feeling very writerly. So I don't have much inspiration to give to you all.

So this morning, it is a rainy wet day here in Iowa. And, unfortunately for my husband, it means he can't start planting again. (We farm).  So we are going to go on a date to the local coffee shop. So I thought I'd leave you with a picture of some coffee owls that I found from a post on facebook. I tracked it back to the original source, so follow the link below if you love the picture and want to get a print.

Source: by Dave Mottram

Here is a random cute owl video.




And here is a cute owl storybook.
Enjoy your day!!

Wonder Light Is on the Loose!

My hardcover debut, Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist, has officially released!
I had my launch party last week at the Garfield Book Company at PLU, and I felt so loved by friends and family. We packed the house and sold lots of books. My judo teammates brought friends and neighbors. So did friends from church.

My brother, Steven and my sister-in-law, Jen flew up from California just for the event. They brought me a fluffy unicorn because, "After everyone reads Wonder Light, there won't be any more fluffy unicorns."

My friend Karyn baked 75 gourmet cupcakes, 50 cookies, and a beautiful cake topped with a white chocolate unicorn. They were all promptly devoured! Late-comers got a few bits of garnish and a handful of chocolate rocks!

    

Kyla Paterno and her staff at the bookstore did a fabulous job helping the event run smoothly. My husband worked through the night before the party so he could be there to help. My parents and friends helped me get everything ready, and acted as bouncers at the cupcake table. (Those cupcakes were seriously delicious!)
I got to stand up in front of all those people and share my story and tell them how much they mean to me.

I got to meet some young readers and see them smile when I handed their signed copies of Wonder Light back to them, and that ranked right up there next to Karyn's coconut cupcakes!


If you missed the party, you can still order a personalized, signed copy from the Garfield Book Company. I'll sign it, and they'll ship it to you if you don't live in the area. Or, if you're in the Seattle area, I'm doing a reading and signing at the Northgate Barnes and Noble on May 16.
More info about Wonder Light and where you can buy it is here.

Write Like A 12 Year Old (Or What I Learned From My Michael Jackson Notebook)

The nice weather (finally!) motivated my family to start our spring cleaning.  I’m like my kids when I clean…

Dust

Dust

Dust

Oooooh, shiny object. Must play. Cleaning wha?

A box of my middle school writing projects was one of the shiny objects that caught my attention this weekend. In particular, this notebook.

Inside, I found the back half of a manuscript called CAST A SHADOW.  It was my submission for our library’s annual Be An Author contest—the highlight of my year throughout grade school.

I wrote this story right after I read Elizabeth George Speare’s THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND for the first time. It fueled my obsession with 17^th century New England, witch trials, and historical fiction. Seeing my 7^th grade handwriting took me back to pre-Internet days when I worked with my local librarian get my hands on all the non-fiction books I could use to research the roots of witchcraft and the politics of witch trials in the colonies.

Re-reading my loopy words in this notebook also reminded me of something that I need to carry with me as I continue on my writing journey as an adult: that I need to WRITE WITHOUT FEAR, WRITE WITH JOY.

The words on each page capture the joy I felt while creating. When I wrote, I felt like the words couldn't pour out fast enough and I didn't judge them. I wasn't afraid of them. Maybe I didn’t know anything about craft when I wrote that story…ok, I knew nothing about craft…but I did know what I wanted to do and I did it. When I'm drafting, I need to remember that fearlessness and that joy of creating.

The next time I open my middle grade WIP, I’m not only going ask my muse to pay a visit, but I’m also going to invite my 12 year old writer self to the party. She can teach me a thing or two.

And I might even go buy a Michael Jackson notebook. (Which is now a vintage collector’s item and probably costs $50 on Ebay. Sigh.)

If you wrote as a kid, what lessons can you learn from your younger writer-self?

A Little Culture Goes a Long Way

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Which brings me to the question...

Do you have cultural events mingling with the events of your novel? I'm not suggesting your plot should be centered around cultural traditions, but that you consider using events (real or imagined) in the finer details that follow your existing plot.

Cultural events are the world-building results of a society. They add a sense of depth and realism for the reader, and the reader might even gain a new appreciation for something they didn't know (if your events are accurate). They can reveal a character's personality and upbringing, and the level of tolerance, understanding, and maturity of sidekick characters. They map the passage of time, season, and weather. They create a calendar deadline that can't be changed, even if your mc hasn't finished saving the world.

They can also instigate conflict and moral dilemmas. Would your mc pick a family tradition/gathering over a first-year anniversary? Does the significant other respect that decision? And on that note, did the mc even warn his date that there might be an issue when he brings her to a family event for the first time? Did he explain the expected customs so she could be prepared?

While your mc is actively saving the world, would his/her mother call to remind him/her that it's Mother's Day, and that a phone call would have been appreciated?

Does an unusual attempt at meal preparation reveal the fact that the in-laws are coming for Memorial Day weekend, and one spouse neglected to tell the other?

Does your mc care if the family doesn't approve of his/her friend for racial or religious reasons? It'd be kind of sad if the mc was just rebelling the family standards, and didn't take the long-term effects into consideration because the relationship wasn't supposed to last. (Character growth!)

Does your mc buy decorations/gifts at the dollar store the day of... or have they been prepping all year? Oh the stress if all that work was suddenly lost. How will they handle the holiday without the "things"... How would they handle a holiday they love in a society where that holiday isn't recognized?

Cultural events and holidays happen in all societies, no matter how much stress your character is trying to handle at the time. Don't let your plot get off track, but don't forget the calendar!

Are You Cheating Your Reader?

Has this ever happened to you? You're reading a book or watching a movie. The plot's building up to the big reveal with tons of potential for a huge emotional payout. And you kind of know what's coming, but you're not sure, so you keep reading/watching, tension building. Then the big something is revealed and... nothing. Cut to the final scene. The end.

That is exactly what happened in a movie I watched recently. Granted, it was a movie that I never would've known about if not for Netflix, so I should've known better. And it was pretty unoriginal. Just your typical girl falls in love with boy but doesn't know he's dying. Even the viewer doesn't know for sure that he's dying, but you're pretty sure that's how it's going to end. She tells him she loves him. He pushes her away because he knows his time is short but doesn't tell her why. She finally finds out the truth. They kiss and vow to spend the rest of his life together...

From there we see their last moments together, watch him die, she cries...

Oh, wait. Nope. We didn't get to see any of that. It literally went from the kiss to her driving away to live all the dreams he never got to live because I guess he died? Who really knows for sure? He didn't look sick, like, at all. And he was acting pretty healthy. He was a little mopey but not any more mopey than my fifteen-year-old son, so I don't think that's what killed him. Maybe she just stole his truck. Maybe she tied him up, threw him in the back of the truck, and drove away, vowing to pull him out of his mopey ways and make him live his dreams. Really. So disappointing.

Anyway, my point...

If you're going to build up to something, you better give your readers what they've been waiting for. Skipping that scene, even if it's going to take everything in you to write it, is only going to be annoying and frustrating. Even if you're not worried about annoying or frustrating anyone, the high impact, emotional scenes are the ones that grab hold of your readers and put them right there with your characters, experiencing their pain, joy, embarrassment, every possible emotion along with them. And those are the scenes that make your readers remember your story, leaving them salivating for your next one. :)

Have you read any books or seen any movies where something like this happened? Did it annoy you?

Some prompts for a productive weekend

Hello hello, my dears, and happy May! I'm gearing up for a productive weekend, and if you'd like to join me, I've compiled a couple random prompts for you to play around with. Remember that these prompts are not specific questions to be answered. They are just words, phrases, and ideas that are meant to jump-start your creativity. So take the first thing that comes to mind, and run with it!

1. Leaving on a jet plane.
2. Graduation.
3. A not-so-natural illness.
4. Learned taste aversion.
5. "Red is so your color."
6. The humid afternoon.
7. A tarnished brass knocker.

8. The next step.
9. An unorthodox alarm clock.
10. The pride before the fall.
11. Write something in a genre you've never touched before.
12. "And then it stops."

That should get you started! I hope that helps those of you who are between projects, or want to play around with something new.

What are you working on this weekend?

My Life in a Nutshell (with as many Nathan Fillion gifs as I could find) ;-D

I've been sort of crazy slammed with deadlines since sometime late last year. So I've been a little

and

and

(I know he's not Nathan but gotta love some Brendan Fraser too - esp this pic lol)

But a week or so ago, I sent in book 2 of the Blood Blade Sisters trilogy. 

And yesterday, I sent in edits on my other summer release (a zombie fairy tale retelling).

And I don't absolutely have to get started on book 3 of BBS until next week. Which means....I get a little break for a few days! 

Of course, then it will begin again and I'll be all

But until then, I can just chill. Maybe work on a few proposals for a new series I've had in mind for years that I LOVE that makes me feel all

and

though maybe I'll do a little something just for fun, like catch up on my TBR list :-D

So, until next time....

(disclaimer: I did not make any of the gifs. They were found at the following links: Gif 1, Gif 2, Gif 3, Gif 4, Gif 5, Gif 6, Gif 7, Gif 8, Gif 9, Gif 10, Gif 11, Gif 12, Gif 13, Gif  14)

May Mystery Agent Contest Starts Now!

Contest closed! Thanks to all who entered, and good luck!

It's PITCHING TIME! Are you ready to enter? Pitch your completed novel to our MA. May's Mystery Agent has requested the following genres:

Adult/YA (no MG) 

Horror

Mystery

Crime 

Suspense 

Fantasy 

Magical Realism

Science Fiction

Mainstream 

No romance or religious 

Especially looking for YA Horror and Mystery-- think creepy and dark.

This is a one-sentence pitch contest. Winner gets a full manuscript request from the Mystery Agent. 

This contest is open to veterans and newbies alike - so long as you have a complete and query-ready manuscript on your hands within the genres of interest, our guest agent would love to hear from you.

Contest goes live 9 AM central time and remains open until all entry spots are filled. The first 50 entries we receive will go on to our MA. Remember, this is a one-sentence pitch. Cheating with grammar doesn't count. Meaning that you can't have 3 sentences with commas between them. The sentence needs to work.

The official contest rules:

1) Entries must be one-line pitches. The length of the pitch is up to you, but remember, it's only one sentence.

2) Entries must be for completed manuscripts. No unfinished drafts, please!

3) Entries must be left in the comments section of today's post (please don't email us your entries!). We'll close the contest once we've reached our limit.

4) You can only enter once today (only one project). If you participated or won previous MA contests, you can enter this one as well!

5) Please include NAME, CONTACT INFO, GENRE, and TITLE, followed by your one-line pitch.

6) The contest will close when we receive 50 entries.

7) The winner will receive a FULL manuscript request!

8) If the rules aren't followed, your entry will be disqualified.

Please format your comment like this:

Name: Smarty Pants (use your real name)

Email or twitter: @smartypants (not my real twitter handle)

Genre: YA Horror

Title: Diablo Stone

Pitch: Something in Grandma's basement beckons to Diablo in his mind, and the smoky voice only he can hear brings a message from his parents' graves compelling him to take revenge on Grandma. 

GOOD LUCK!!

Photos That Inspire Words

So I'm also a photographer and a history buff, with a habit of ferreting out local ruins and old homesteads and recycling them into my settings. But one source of inspiration is not so secret since it can be seen for miles around: Preston Castle in Ione, California.

And as if Preston Castle (the proper name was the Preston School of Industry) wasn't cool enough on its own, it's been recast in my novel as Wilson Castle, occupying a weak spot on the border between our world and Faerie. All the local legends of ghosts and strange happenings are faeries and monsters leaking into our world in the town of Crow's Rest.

Here's how it's described in the opening of my book:

July air streamed through the car window, coating my tongue with heat and iron-rich dust. Nearly there. . . As we took that last curve on the approach, tree branches arched over the road, blocking our view until there it stood.

A castle, its ruddy bricks warmed by the afternoon light. Looming over the Gold-Rush-era town at its feet, the Wilson School of Industry reformed bad boys for nearly a century before the state abandoned it to vandals and ghost hunters. The usual mass of turkey vultures and ravens soared above, sinisterizing the turrets even more.

There really are vultures and ravens!

 And the inside is a creepy, writer's delight

What about you? Is there a real-life place that you've featured in your writing? Or maybe you've made the pilgrimage to settings of other books like Forks, WA? Share some links in the comments if you have pictures! There's a video I took yesterday over on my personal blog too.

And don't forget our Mystery Agent Contest coming up on May 1st! The agent's wishlist is over there on the top right of the sidebar.

Die Liste~~by Tom Gauthier

Happy Saturday Everyone!!! 
Today I would like to share with you a fantastic novel by my friend, Tom Gauthier. Tom is published by Patriot Media, Inc. Patriot Media specializes in the publication of unit histories, war veteran autobiographies, short story anthologies and novels with a patriotic military theme. 

  
Steve Berry, NY Times and International Best Selling Author says:

"Here's a voice that's original, animated, and refreshing. Tom Gauthier definitely knows what he's writing about --- and it shows.  You're there, amidst the action, feeling, hearing, even smelling the tension. Enjoy the adventure." 

DIE LISTE: Revenge on the Black Sun is an action/adventure novel. Amos Mead, WWII OSS agent, is building a life after the war when an old comrade-in-arms shows up and pulls him into a secret project of the CIA. Mead finds himself once again in a dangerous game of international intrigue. During the war he sought enemy agents. Now he faces a serial assassin of Nazi war criminals brought to the United States by the government in an experiment gone wrong. Mead begins an international chase, with friends who may be foes, while back home his psychologist wife, Brigit, provides insights about clues, and her growing suspicions. It ends with an explosive twist in a faraway lair of Nazi history.

Order your copy today! http://www.patriotmediainc.com/

About the Author

Tom Gauthier has written nearly every form of communication, published on various subjects in newspapers, and national and international journals, and has authored, produced, and directed four plays. His first novel, Code Name: ORION’S EYE, was released in 2008 and has become something of a cult favorite with World War II veterans and their families – especially those who fought in the South Pacific.

Tom’s second novel, A VOYAGE BEYOND REASON, has received a “Notable Award for Literary Fiction” in the 17th Annual International Writer’s Digest Book Award competition (2009). Tom was introduced on national television during the finale of the CBS TV series, Survivor-Tocantins by the subject of his book, Benjamin Wade – a star (“coach”) of the TV show.

Tom was born in 1940 in California, and grew up after the war in Santa Barbara. As he writes, “Growing up in the 40’s and 50’s in Santa Barbara was a real life episode of Happy Days.” He is the oldest of five children of Donovan and Velma Gauthier.  After high school, Tom served first in the US Army as a combat intelligence analyst, and later in the Air Force Reserve as a Load Master on a C-119, “Flying Boxcar”.  Tom married young, and by his middle twenties had three children. In 1966 he finished his military career and began a civilian career that took him to every corner of the U.S. and Canada, and 20 countries. In the middle seventies he divorced, remarried, and added a fourth child to the mix. Tom also decided to catch up on the education he’d never started. In the ensuing years he completed a Bachelor of Science in Management, an M.B.A., and a Master of Science and Doctorate in Psychology. He is a member of Delta Epsilon Tau, an international honors society.

In retirement he is busier than ever. Besides making novel writing a primary focus, Tom serves on the local Airport Commission, the local hospital Foundation Board of Directors, and the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He also continues to consult with companies and government on organizational and communications issues. Tom is a private pilot, a member of the Elks Lodge, and the American Legion.

Tom and his wife of over thirty-seven years, Marlene, have built their dream home on a small ranch in the eastern High Sierras of Northern California, and enjoy the visits of thirteen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Contact Tom's via his website : http://tomgauthier.com/index.htm 
Or by Facebook (click on the link below)

 

May 2013 Mystery Agent Details

Let the countdown to May's Mystery Agent contest begin...

Five days from now...

On May 1st, we'll host a Mystery Agent contest here for the following genres:

Adult/YA (no MG) 

Horror

Mystery

Crime 

Suspense 

Fantasy 

Magical Realism

Science Fiction

Mainstream 

No romance or religious (category)

Especially looking for YA Horror and Mystery-- think creepy and dark.

This will be a one-sentence pitch contest. Winner gets a full manuscript request from the Mystery Agent. 

This contest will be open to veterans and newbies alike - so long as you have a complete and query-ready manuscript on your hands within the genres of interest, our guest agent would love to hear from you.

Contest will go live 9 AM central time on May 1st, and remain open until all entry spots are filled. The first 50 entries we receive will go on to our MA. Remember, this is a one-sentence pitch. Cheating with grammar doesn't count. Meaning that you can't have 3 sentences with commas between them. The sentence needs to work.

The official contest rules:
1) Entries must be one-line pitches. The length of the pitch is up to you, but remember, it's only one sentence.

2) Entries must be for completed manuscripts. No unfinished drafts, please!

3) Entries must be left in the comments section of the May 1st post, not this one (please don't email us your entries!). We'll close the contest once we've reached our limit.

4) You can only enter once this month (only one project). If you participated or won previous MA contests, you can enter this one as well!

5) The contest will close when we receive 50 entries.

6) The winner will receive a FULL manuscript request!

7) If the rules aren't followed, your entry will be disqualified.

So spend some time the next five days shining up your manuscripts and/or pitches! And enjoy your weekend.

Happy Friday!

Unicorns Versus Darth Vader! Wonder Light Book Release Madness!

I'm just two weeks away from the May 7 release of my middle grade novel, Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist, and all kinds of fun stuff is happening. I've been doing school and Skype visits and signing pretty bookmarks . . .

and next week I get to sign the real thing. I'm having an early birthday party for Wonder Light at the Garfield Book Company at PLU near Tacoma, Washington. My friend, judo teammate, and pro baker, Karyn is working on some yummy unicorn treats for the party. She brought some samples and mess-ups to judo practice:

Yes, that is a white chocolate unicorn resting among white chocolate Darth Vader heads. I was sure there was some important symbolism here, but Karyn insisted she "just had a whole lot of leftover white chocolate." What better way to use leftover white chocolate? Now I have an inspiring image of my unicorns charging through the Death Star, horns clashing with the light sabers of the Dark Side!

If you're too far away to make the party, you can console yourself by entering to win a copy of Wonder Light. Five hardcovers are up for grabs at Goodreads! May the force be with you!

Deep in the heart of a mist-shrouded island, an impossible secret is about to be discovered.

Twig is used to feeling unwanted. Sent to live on a pony ranch for troubled girls on a misty, haunted island, Twig is about to discover the impossible—someone who needs her.

Jolted awake from a bad dream, Twig follows the desperate whinny of a terrified horse out to the stables. There in the straw is a bleating little scrap of moonbeam. A silver-white filly with cloven hooves and a tiny, spiraling horn.

A baby unicorn.

Now Twig knows what secret is hiding in the island's mist: the last free unicorn herd. And a mysterious boy named Ben who insists that this impossible creature is now Twig's to care for. That she needs Twig's love and protection. Because there's something out there in the deep, dense shadows that's hunting for them...

Making Our Readers Care A Whole Awful Lot

Happy Earth Day!

Some people say that every day is (or should be) Earth Day.  For me, that’s true. My full-time job is environmental consulting.  This means that every day I’m writing about protecting the Earth for a variety of audiences.  A lot of the time, this is in the form of regulatory guidance for water protection (think manuals for EPA or state agencies).  But there is a very significant public outreach and education component to what I do. Like developing fact sheets that remind pet owners to scoop the poop or educational campaigns to prevent people from using the storm drains on their street as garbage dumps because it all drains directly to the local river or streams. (But you already knew that, right?)

I never really thought there were many similarities between what I do as an environmental consultant and what I do as a kidlit writer. Until now.

And I have the Once-ler to thank for that. (You know, that greedy, green gruvvolous gloved guy from Dr. Seuss’s THE LORAX.)

At the end of THE LORAX, the Once-ler finally gets why the griping Lorax lifted himself away by the seat of his pants, leaving a pile of rocks with only one word: UNLESS.  He says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

And that’s the point of my outreach work as an environmental scientist, as well as a kidlit writer.  To make people care a whole awful lot.

When I write about a watershed—the land that drains rain and snowmelt to a specific river, lake, or stream—my goal is to make people care about that place and feel a connection to the problems facing the watershed.  Maybe it’s too much bacteria from pet waste or leaky septic systems. Or maybe it’s too many nutrients from people over-fertilizing their lawns. If I don’t succeed in this goal, people won’t feel compelled to take action…that is, getting involved and changing their behavior.

When I write picture books or middle grade, my goal is really quite similar.  I need to make the reader care about and feel a connection to my characters and the problems that they face. If I don’t succeed in this goal, readers won’t feel compelled to take action…that is, turning the page and continue reading.

So, here’s to using our words to make our readers care a whole awful lot.  And here’s to our words making the world a better place, today and every day.

My question to you…is there a story besides THE LORAX that you read or share in honor of Earth Day?  My two picks are Peter Brown’s THE CURIOUS GARDEN and I.C. Springman’s MORE with illustrations by Brian Lies. 

A Foolproof Process

After drafting my most recent novel, I think I've come up with a foolproof approach to writing fiction, sure to go down in the annals of history as the gold standard model of the creative process. To produce a book in easy, manageable steps, just follow along!

• Read a shelf or two of nonfiction on pertinent subjects
• Make things up
• Start with vague vast plans of interlocking plots and intrigue
• Daily wordcount goals ensure consistent productivity
• Trash 20,000 words of directionless buildup
• Start book again, vague vast plans unchanged
• Trash 20,000 words of awesome actionpacked material that leaves you emotionally cold for undefined reason
• Outline obsessively
• Hate your obsessive outline
• Create three separate equally obsessive outlines.  Feel unable to choose between any of them.
• After con banquet, collapse in chair and read a new friend's short story collection.  Feel awed and intimidated.  Ice breaks open and continents shift inside you.  Write.
• Daily wordcount goals are an unnecessary strain
• Outline again
• Introduce three new subplots completely unconnected to outline
• Delete subplots on which outline originally depended
• Daily wordcount goals ensure consistent productivity
• Just keep flying
• Realize characters' emotional entanglements have drifted dramatically from original intent
• Build characters in favorite story-focused RPG system
• Ignore said character builds.  Write anyway.
• Stop every day in the middle of a scene so you know where to pick up tomorrow
• Keep writing
• More writing
• Screw 'end in middle of scene.'  Always reach the end of a scene, so you know the next logical dramatic beat.
• More writing
• Adverbs!
• Wait, no, no adverbs.  What were you thinking, adverbs?
• Blog the process
• Realize that you're boring your readers when you blog the process
• Write with electronica because of the driving beat
• Write with metal because of the incessant energy
• Music just breaks up your flow, man
• More writing
• Oh my god it's so close keep going keep goingkeepgoing…
• Stop.
• Deep breath.
• Write 'the end.'  You now have a 160,000 word manuscript.  Your target is somewhere around 120,000 words.
• One day euphoria
• Two days black depression
• Two days video games
• Roll up sleeves.
• Edit.

I hope that helps!

Those Who Think They Know Everything Annoy Those of Us Who Do

Nothing pulls a reader out of a story like inaccurate facts. Or, even worse, coming to a scene and thinking, “That would never happen that way.”

We’ve all heard it before. Write what you know. It’s definitely true. No one wants to read a story by someone who doesn’t have their facts straight, but new knowledge is always easy to attain, especially with the internet. With a few clicks on the keyboard, a writer can find all there is to know about just about any subject.

But there are certain things that can only be learned through life experience. Now, I think that writers as a whole are a more empathetic group than most. We have to really get inside our characters’ heads and see everything through their eyes, but without having similar experiences in our own lives that we can compare them to, how can we put that emotional aspect in our writing?

A book about the basics of cattle ranching might be interesting to some, and written by someone who’s actually worked on a cattle ranch would be much more informative. But it would read like a textbook to me. I want strong characters, and turmoil in those characters’ lives. And I want to know how they react to that turmoil.

Rancher Bob is about to lose everything to the nasty new banker. I know, totally cliché, but I'm feeling lazy. So, we could go over all the technical aspects of that situation—posted notices about foreclosure, lawyer involvement, all the things Bob does to try to keep the ranch—but without getting Bob’s emotional reactions, and all the anger, frustration, and despair involved in a situation like that, the story, in my opinion, would be pretty boring.

And that is what I interpret write what you know to mean. It’s drawing on your own life experience to make your characters believable and their experiences believable. And being able to give the reader something to connect to in that character, to keep them reading. That’s the ultimate goal, right? To have our words read and appreciated, and our characters loved by others as much as we love them?

So, I’m wondering. What do you all think? Should write what you know be taken to mean just factual knowledge, or is there more to it than that?

Characterization exercises

Happy Friday, everyone. I hope that you and your loved ones are all okay. It's been a tough week for a lot of people, and if you guys could use a distraction as much as I could, you've come to the right place.

EDIT: And I scheduled this post last night, before the current situation developed, so I'd like to stress the above words in the strongest possible terms: I hope you and yours are okay. Praying that this situation in my beloved hometown of Boston is resolved very soon.

To me, characterization is one of the most exciting parts of writing. I mean, who doesn't like creating people from scratch? Some characters just show up in your brain, fully formed, and have voices that just gush from your fingertips. But sometimes, those characters are a little harder to get to know, and it takes several drafts to figure out who these people are.

In my recent review of Nova Ren Suma's 17 & GONE, I talked a little about why I loved her characterization so much, even for characters who were only there for a couple paragraphs. It was the specificity - even the most mundane details weren't the kind of generic statements that could apply to any stock character. You could tell that she knew all of these characters so well.

And one of my favorite ways to get to that place with my own cast? Character sheets, baby.

My first writing partner gave me these - a fairly basic but still comprehensive one, and an extremely detailed one that's perfect for your protagonists, or even your awesome villain. They're a bit long, so I set each of them up in a Google doc for you to play around with.

The basic one

The detailed one

I hope you guys enjoy these - they always make me smile! And it's a great way to work out some interesting, specific tidbits, even if you never use them in the story.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Fun Stuff on the Interwebs

Since I have a book due tomorrow (EEEEPPP!!!) I thought I'd share a few quick links of some fun/good to know stuff going on that you might want to know. :-)

• Entangled currently has an open call for submissions for a new line of stories. Check out the deets HERE.
• Month9 is open for submissions again! Their guidelines are HERE.
• The Scene 13 blog is currently running a fun giveaway with a TON of books, swag, crits, and gift card prizes. All you have to do to enter is like their Facebook page HERE.
• Spencer Hill Press is celebrating the upcoming release of their author Kimberly Ann Miller's book Triangles by giving away a CRUISE. Yes, you read that right. Check out the deets HERE.
• Enslow Publishers (a NF and fiction for education publisher) now has a fiction YA imprint, Scarlet Voyage, that is taking submissions. They are interested in any subgenre of YA, but most specifically in fantasy/sci-fi, thriller/mystery, contemporary/teen issues, dystopia, and paranormal romance. In an interesting twist, they ONLY accept non-agented submissions. Check them out HERE.
• This cool site will suggest authors/books to you based on authors you like. You type in a name and out come the suggestions. It's fun. And cool. And sort of addicting. And possibly bad for your pocket book. But awesome to find new authors to read!! Check it out HERE.

And just for your viewing pleasure (and because it amused me because now that I always seem to be on deadline (which really cuts into the tv time :D ) I tend to watch a lot of shows this way.....)

Do you marathon shows? I've done it with Downton Abbey, 30 Rock, Firefly, and a few others. And I've got Game of Thrones and Being Human on the marathon list for when this book is done :D

Letting The Story Rise

I love to do anything that involves making things. One of my favourite things, after writing, is baking.

It was while making bread that something struck me about the process of letting the dough rise. There's a brief amount of time where you have to take a step back to let the ingredients do their job before you can finish the loaf.

It's the same for writing.

The word mixture you've created needs time to rest. You need time to think about what you the final product to look like. We all know the importance of stepping back from your work. There might be lots of changes you know need making. Scenes that need trimming. That character who might seem a little bit flat.

Take a step back.

Spending time away from your story, even if it's just a day, can help you to see what work needs doing.

Do you let your manuscripts rest before edits?

Hero Wars- A giveaway

Heads up for a fabulous contest at Entangled—HERO WARS

Wednesday, April 17th!

The heros are chosen (Go Leo!!) and this virtual coliseum awaits your attendance. Why, yes! There will be prizes! Entangled is giving a Nook to one lucky winner, along with several amazing runner-up prizes. (Team Leo!!)

Who are these spectacular heros? (LEO! LEO!) Marquess of Camryn "Cam", Leo Forrester (SQUEE!!!), and Justin Rodale. (from authors Diana Quincy, Michelle McLean (WOO HOO!!! Congrats, Michelle!!), and Robyn DeHart respectively).

Check out these swoon-worthy men (especially Leo, by our own Michelle McLean) and be at the Scandalous Facebook Page on Wednesday, April 17th, between 12-2pm EST.

Go Team Leo!