Trisha Leaver

The Girl I let Heist my Blog -- Julie Ann Lindsay

2012-02-08T04:19:00.000-08:00

So I have never, in all of my blogs lonely existence, done aninterview for an author. I reference them, I congratulate them and talk aboutthem, but never have I let one completely heist my blog. Untiltoday. That says something about how sweet and amazing I think this girlis! Meet Julie Ann Lindsay.

Hi Trisha! Thank you so much for having me over to blog foryou today. This is my very first blog tour and I am giddy with excitement.While YA is my genre of choice for reading, I landed a series writing sweetromances novella style. I thought I’d tell you how that happened!

How My Love of YA LedMe to Write Sweet Romance

I read YA at an alarming rate. All my favorite authors atthis point in time are YA writers. I got started and can’t seem to stop. Aftera hundred or so YA novels I realized what it was that had me hooked. Theromance. I discovered this when I started a book that had an incredible heroinebut by page 30, there was no hero in sight. I flipped some more and still nohero. No man to make her heart flutter. No guy messing with her concentration.I put the book down.

I started another and yummed it up fast. Then another thenanother. But. Then I came across another no romance YA and was dumbfounded. Ittook a long time for the light bulb to come on. Maybe it wasn’t the teens orthe high school drama or the limitations provided by parents (another level ofcomplication I love). I loved the romance!

With this in mind, I set out to write a killer romance. Iwanted to capture the stress and anxiety of first love and wrap it into a storyreaders would swoon over. While YA isn’t my strongest genre to write (enormousunderstatement of a lifetime) I wanted to deliver a tale of epic romance. Iwanted to write a story that made people to stop reading, put the book down onthe table and kiss a stranger. So, when I came across the call for authors onthe Turquoise Morning Press website, I was ready. They were open to sweetromances and look at that! I wanted to write sweet romances! We are a matchmade in heaven LOL.

In the year since I found that call for submissions, I’vefinished a series of sweet romance novellas called the Seeds of Love series and went on to write a novel length sweet aswell. I can’t seem to get out of Honey Creek. I love the setting and thecharacters too much to leave anyone unhappy or in need of a little romance. Ijust keep going back!

I hope you’ll visit Honey Creek. It’s a beautiful placewhere anything can happen. Kick off your shoes, relax into that porch swing andcuddle up to a steamy mug of cider. Taking a trip to Honey Creek is as easy asAmazon : ) See you there!

Bloom by Julie AnneLindsey

In a town filled with her past, she never expected to findher future…

Seven years ago Cynthia left Honey Creek with a brokenheart. Three years ago Mitchell arrived with one. Now Cynthia’s come home, and these twohardened hearts can’t stop arguing. If they’d only take a break long enough tofind some common ground, they might be surprised to find love can growanywhere.

If they’ll let it, love will find a way to Bloom.

*Bloom is book one in my new Seeds of Love series. I’ll be planting those seeds all year.

About Julie:

I am a mother of three, wife to a sane person and RingMaster at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you'll find me online, amped up oncaffeine & wielding a book.

You can find my blogging about the writer life at Musings from the Slush Pile

Tweeting my crazy at @JulieALindsey

Reading to soothe my obsession on GoodReads

BLOOM Buy Link on Amazon

And other books by me on Amazon

Critiquing Pet Peeves

2012-01-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I have posted on myblog. I really have no excuse except that I amcurrently in between YA contemporary projects and haven’t pulled the trigger onmy next idea yet. So to purposefullydistract myself, I have been doing a lot of critiquing – some long standingwriting friends, most new first-three-chapters type of beta reads. So at the risk of sounding brash and a bitsnarky, let me tell you a bit about my critiquing pet peeves.

~Please, please, PLEASE I beg you to give you manuscripts a quick read before yousend it off to your critique partners, especially new ones that haven’t readfor you before. There is nothing like a myriad of spelling, punctuation, andformatting errors to pull me right out of the story and irritate the crap outof me.

~Think creatively. There are a thousand and one better ways to emotionallytag dialogue then a simple “he said.” Now don’t get me wrong, the simplisticnature of that tag is highly appreciated, just not twenty seven times on thesame page.

~Make sure theperson you ask to critique actually readsyour genre. You send me the first three chapters of your erotica story, and Iwill read it, correct your grammar and formatting, even toss in a comment ortwo. But because I am not familiar withnor do I ever read that genre for fun,my comments, thoughts, and opinions probably aren’t worth much.

~Lastly,(and I am throwing this one in for you Lindsay) Description! I love it when it pertainsto word building and drives the story forward. Wield it too heavily or inappropriately and I get peeved. For example “I sat down on my mother’s pink and greenfloral pattern couch, the small flower buds hanging delicately off the greenvines.” Okay, unless those flowersare going to come alive and strangle me then I don’t give a crap if the couchis floral, paisley or just plain butt-ass ugly. I don’t need that bit of description. I know what a couch is, no need to describe it.

So that is it, my usually snarky self is back to blogging. But before you go, I would love to hear someof your critiquing pet peeves.

How Revising is Like a Dyson

2012-01-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

I got this new vacuum for Christmas. And before you ask, no my husband did not buy it for me. I bought it for myself. He made the mistake of buying me a cleaning apparatus for me once. Suffice it to say, he will NEVER do that again.

I crack open the box, assemble it (which for those of you who have one -- am I supposed to have spare parts?) and I start cleaning. Enthralled doesn't even begin to explain my reaction. The fact that I can actually see the dirt in the canister is like instant gratification to me. I empty it and start again. That was on Christmas. I have vacuumed my house literally three times a day, every day since then -- still enthralled, still amazed at the physical reminder of my accomplishment. (aka dirt in the canister)

My husband makes some snide comment about how I should "put that much enthusiasm and effort into everything I do." I tell him he's a genius. He scowls, probably unsure of why he got a kiss instead of a tongue lashing worthy of an R rating. But he is right, the physical evidence of my progress is what I am obsessed with. It is like a drug.

So I run to my computer and hit the print button on the WIP I have been revising, re-revising, stalling on submitting for what . . . like three weeks now. I am a constant reviser, always trying to make my WIP's better, the characters stronger. But I always do it electronically. Track changes are my best friend. I read aloud, re-arrange scenes, grammar sweep, but all on my computer. And although I know the exact word count of my WIP, the chapter layout, and the rise and fall of events, it is hard to visualize your revision progress without something to look at.

So now I have a freshly printed copy of my manuscript divided into two piles -- pages completed and those I have yet to get to. I can see the progress, watch the completed pile increase by ten, twenty, fifty pages a day until boom -- I am done. Not a page overlooked, not a comma misplaced.

So thank you Dyson, for getting my rugs clean and my revising back on track.

A New Year of Writing Adventures

2011-12-31T05:55:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my amazing writing friends a fantastic 2012.

Without your encouragement and support, my 2011 would not have been so much damn fun. Here's to a whole new year of writing adventures!

Riddle me this

2011-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

Why do we, as writers, get overjoyed when we receive constructive feedback on a manuscript. We take in our critique partner's comments, pose some thoughtful questions, then dig into our revisions with renewed vitality. But when we receive the gold stamp of approval, the email that says fantastic job, voice was spot-on, pacing was perfect, and you hooked me and kept me vested throughout, that we lose it? Sit at our computers, chin on the floor wondering if they even read the damn thing because surely it can't be that good. Surely my manuscript has major flaws that need to be addressed. It is almost as if we are so conditioned to rejection, so anxious to make our manuscripts better, that we become stunned into immobility when we hear something positive.

Or maybe it’s just me. Maybe I use critique partners as my own personal form of procrastination, a way for me to continue editing, continue tweaking just a bit more rather then risk sending my manuscript off to my agent . . . to an editor . . . to an actual reader.

Outside My Comfort Zone

2011-12-11T07:51:00.001-08:00

I am in the midst of a revision to my YA Contemporary. My attempt to soften my MC has gone horribly awry, and I have accidentally transformed her from a cruel bitch into a whiny sod. It's easily fixable and can probably be accomplished with a few well-placed scene adjustments. Problem is, I can't quite pinpoint those scenes. I will, once I get some space from the piece. In attempt to do just that, I picked up a beta read this weekend, a quick critique of a novella for a long-standing writing friend of mine. Now beta reading to clear my mind is nothing new for me, nor is it outside my comfort zone.

Critiquing decidedly adult content, however, is.

What did I gain from doing this? Well, I've come to the understanding that there is a marked distinction between what some people consider adult romance and erotica. Hands done, this women is an extremely talented writer with a rather impressive list of publishing credentials, but when you take out the sex scenes, and you actually have plot . . . a well thought out, emotionally-driven plot with extensive threads. In well-written adult romance, the sex is used as a tool to enhance the connections between the characters as opposed to being the central theme of the book.

I learned that it is possible to create a fully-engaging, well-constructed story in under one-hundred pages. I couldn't do it. Don't get me wrong, I can edit the hell out of my own manuscripts, but ask me to tell any one of my characters stories in under 100 pages and I probably hurl something at you. There is not enough coffee in the world for me to even consider giving that kind of condensing a try.

Oh, and I learned at least thirty new ways to describe the male anatomy. What's that? You want me to share my new found vocabulary? Yeah . . . well . . .no.

How about you? Do you ever step outside your comfort zone when writing to critiquing? If not you should try; I guarantee it will make you a stronger, more balanced writer.

Who is the Better Writer

2011-12-07T17:57:00.001-08:00

I'm always amazed when some one asks me who is the better writer in our co-authoring pair. They don't ask what my strengths are as opposed to hers. They don't ask how our skills compliment each other. Nope, they simply, with a straight face and no sense of social propriety, want to know one of us is more talented. Okay, if they have the balls to ask, then I will cowgirl up and answer them.

ME!!! . . no so just kidding!.

The real answer is -- It depends on who you ask. You ask me, and I will say Lindsay. You ask Lindsay, she will say me.

Why is that? Simple, because like every author -- new, established, or award winning -- we all tend to be harsh on ourselves, question our choice of words, the placement of a scene, the consistency of our characters emotions. What one of us sees as useless page clutter, the other sees as literary genius.

That is not to say that we each don't have our own talents. I am good with description; Lindsay is good with emotion. I write strong dialogue but always manage to screw up the tags. Lindsay is a tag genius, knows exactly when the emotion needs to be spelled and when to pull back. She likes short, edgy sentences; I'm all about the comma :) In the end it is all good.

Oh yes . . . Almost forgot. Lindsay and I launched our co-author website yesterday!! yawriters.com I have never seem Lindsay so excited about a website in my life. She threw confetti and celebrated by tweeting everywhere about it. I had a stomach bug so I barely managed to get my head out of the toilet long enough to hit the publish live button. Check it out. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Expanding Our Social Network

2011-12-05T06:13:00.001-08:00

After much chatter this weekend, Lindsay and I have decided . . . been pushed into . . strongly advised to (you can pick the phrase you like best :) expanding out social network as co-authors. Although we both maintain active blogs and are mildly obsessed with twitter, we decided to expand on that social platform. Lindsay got tagged with developing aco-author facebook page; I got assigned website development duties. Between me, you, and I guess the entire blogging universe, I think I got the short end of that damn stick! LOL just kidding . . . not.

So while the website won't go live until sometime mid-week, Lindsay has finally gotten around to creating a Facebook page dedicated to our co-authored projects. We would love for you guys to stop by. Maybe if you're feeling benevolent (it is the holidays:), you'll "like" us and get us that much closer to being as connected as we'd like to be. The content is still being tinkered with, so be aware that there will be more and more information regarding our first co-authored novel, SILO as well as our brand-new project that has been turned into the hands of our agent, the fantastical Ginger Clark. We will be sharing quotes, snippets and more as the weeks go by, so come on over!

Trisha and Lindsay on FACEBOOK

On a side note, Happy Monday!

Knowing Your Limits

2011-12-02T10:47:00.001-08:00

I am pretty good at setting limits in my day-to-day life. I know exactly how far I can push myself before I snap and have made sure the people around me are aware of my breaking point. For example, the guy who graciously gives me my caffeine fix each morning knows to keep the chit-chat to under ten words until I am at least two lattes deep. I know never to start the laundry after 10:15 at night because there is no way in hell I will be awake long enough to switch it to the dryer. And my friends know never, never to ask me to meet them for breakfast. Suffice it to say, I don't play well with others first thing in the morning.

When it comes to writing . . well let's just say I have a tinsy problem finding my limits. I love to beta read and frequently, as I do now, have five or six beta projects going on at one time. I enjoy giving back to a writing community that has helped me achieve every small milestone in my journey to publication. Unable to limit myself to just one niche, I write cross-genre -- Sci-fi and YA contemporary. I also can't stick to one manuscript at a time. Since I started writing, I have always had two manuscripts going at once, toggling back and forth between them as my muse sees fit.

My inability to set reasonable boundaries in my writing life has been more of a blessing than a curse. It has allowed my to forge some amazing friendships, forced me to write outside my comfort zone, and given me the pleasure of being the first to read some of the most amazing manuscripts. So, in at the spirit of expanding my "no limits writing theory" into my every day life, I will engage in a twenty-word conversation with my barista tomorrow. I will start a load of laundry at exactly 10:20pm (then spend the morning swearing at my too damp to wear clothes,) and I will consider, consider meeting my girlfriends for a late, very late brunch.

Where Nano Left Me

2011-11-30T04:09:00.001-08:00

It is the Last day of NaNoWriMo. Several of my writing friends cleared their 50,000 word goals last week, some intend on squeaking out the last couple of hundred words today. Me . . . I am about 10,000 words shy. Could I pound out those words today? Probably. Would they be of any use to my current projects? Probably Not. So I will let my count stay at 41,596 and be happy with my progress.

That's not to say that the time I dedicated each day to NaNo wasn't productive. In this month alone, I have finished a YA Sci-fi manuscript, completely edited a YA Contemporary, and used my spare writing time to explore three new YA ideas. So where did NaNo leave me . . . re-reading the first two, rough chapters of each new idea, polishing them up, and making the tough decision of which WIP to focus on next.

To all of you participating in NaNo, a huge congrats to those who have completed the challenge and sending lots of encouragement to those hoping to crank out the last few words today.

Back To My First Love -- Historical Fiction

2011-11-22T04:23:00.001-08:00

I am taking a little side road away from my normal YA reading list to return to an old love of mine -- historical fiction. As a Catholic School lifer, I had the story of Jean d'Arc and the 100 years war hammered into my brain at a young age, so I went in with a vague idea of what to expect. I'm glad I did. Without a solid foundation of who this girl was, I think I would've found this book hard to follow.

The Maid is gritty and realistic, bringing the reader through all the brutality of the 100 years war. The language is crude but well used, and the battle scenes are vivid and raw. It is true, hard-core historical fiction. Be forewarned . . . those looking for romantic settings and white knights should seek their reading pleasure elsewhere. The book is as compelling and perplexing as the Joan d'Arc herself, and although fiction, it was clearly well researched and historically accurate. All and all, I have to say it was the perfect book for me to rediscover my passion for truly historical fiction.

Ass in the Chair

2011-11-10T04:38:00.000-08:00

Let me start this post by saying I am a fully-committed NaNo Writer. I love meeitng 20-30 of my fellow cohorts twice a week at Starbucks to hack out some words. I love hearing about their WIP's, watching them flesh out characters, and cheering them on when they hit a wall. What I don't get is Word Wars.

I understand that NaNo is about turning off your inner editor and letting the words pour forth. The goal -- less editing more writing. But see, editing my work as I go is an ingrained process for me, one that allows me to turn out a half-way decent first draft free of hideous grammar mistakes and massive plot inconsistencies. So setting a time clock for 30 minutes and seeing how many words I can spew out seems counterproductive to me. Sure, I can easily hammer out a crappy, 2000 word, mistake-riddled paragraph in thirty minutes. Problem is, I then need to spend the next three hours editing, deleting, and salvaging what I can (which BTW, was exactly 283 words of 1867 last night!) See . . . counterproductive.

So rather then partake in Word War exercises with my local NaNo group, I have decided to employ the same philosophy to NaNo as I do my everyday writing. It is nothing cryptic or insanely complicated. It doesn't involve massive amounts of re-organization or turning off my inner editor. It is a rather simple concept I refer to as Ass in the Chair!

On an average day, in any given month, I write 2,000-3,000 words. On a good day, when the muse is cooperating, it can take me sixty minutes. On less inspiring days, it can take me hours, a lot a coffee, and a fair amount of cursing. But at the end of the day, no matter what muse or demon I am fighting, the writing gets done (and edited as I go!)

So tell me, what is your NaNo process and how does it differ from your everyday writing life?

From Nightmare to Manuscript

2011-11-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

My blog post about the myths of co-authoring spurred a lot of great questions, so I have decided to make this a weekly segment. I thought I would start off with the one questions I get asked most often:

"Is one of you responsible for physically writing, while the other comes up with idea?"

As most of you know, I write both YA Contemporary and Speculative Fiction. My contemporary pieces are written all by my lonesome; my Sci-fi/ Speculative Fiction pieces, however, are co-authored. So this is how it works, up to this point anyhow . . .

I'm usually neck deep in some edgy YA Contemporary WIP, my emotions running high, my mind trying to sort through the hundred and one threads I want to add. I go to bed, my body exhausted, my mind on full throttle. Inevitably I have a dream . . . or more accurately a nightmare. You know, the kind that has you sitting up in bed, sweating, with the not so eloquent WTF thought running through your head.

Unable to get back to sleep, I get up, pace the floor and stare at the clock, waiting for the "socially acceptable" time to call Lindsay to approach. Somewhere around 6am I call her, babble on about the insanely twisted dream, and beg her not to run screaming away from me and my dark ideas. We hash it out, take my dream from the first chapter through to the end, and then get cranking. Start to finish, nightmare to manuscript -- about six weeks.

So these plots, these decrepit corners of hell to which we regulate our characters are truly a joint effort. Both of us muddle through every chapter, every paragraph, every damn word until we have something worthy of shooting off to our critique partners.

November 1st -- You Know What That Means?

2011-11-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

NaNoWriMo is upon us. "Thirty days and thirty nights of literary Abandon." I got an idea, a fully charged laptop, and a massive supply of coffee. If that doesn't keep me writing, there is always the obscene amount of Halloween candy my kids collected.

How about you guys -- any of you taking the NaNo challenge this year? If so, what's your plan of attack -- write furiously whenever or wherever you can until you reach your goal? Partake in write-ins so that you have dedicated time to put pen to paper? Or are you like me -- do you have the whole damn story planned out in your head, was just waiting for the clock to strike midnight so you could get started?

Read As You Go.

2011-10-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

First let me apologize for my silence -- lot of writing, critiquing, and revising left my blog abandoned. No longer . . . now I am back to the regularly scheduled programing.

Okay, so in my experience there are two types of critiquing -- the finish the whole damn ms and hand it out theory, and the have it critiqued as you go method. I was asked recently which one I utilize and/ or preferred. Unfortunately the answer isn't so simple. In all honesty, I prefer both.

I am a huge fan of having my work read chapter by chapter as I write, however, I only do it with certain people. I've had the same critique partners for the better part of three years. They've read everything I have ever written -- the good, the amazing, and the its-so-bad-shove-it-in-a-drawer-and-never-pull-it-out-again WIPs. They are familiar with my voice, know the inner workings of my mind, and can often predict exactly where my dark twisted mind is going before I do. Because of this, I trust them not only to be honest but catch anything that goes awry . . . even as soon as chapter 2. This trust, this level of familiarity allows me to correct horrible plotting mistakes (and yes I do make them from time to time) before my MS is finished.

I also have a different set ot crazy-talented critique partners I hand my completed manuscripts off to. They are fantastic at analyzing story arc and character consistency. They read for flow, character growth and the all important chapter/ scene transitions. Rather then the line edits my chapter-by-chapter partners provide, my "completed ms" readers give me feedback on the scope of the entire project, the consistency and believability of the characters, and the authenticity of my voice.

In the end, I employ both methods of critiquing, keeping the purpose of each in mind as I revise. So how about you -- are you the critique as you go type person or more of the big picture type of beta reader?

The Myths About Co-authoring

2011-09-30T04:20:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and I have a unique and amazing situation. We think alike, have similar writing styles, and the same affinity for edge. It is a seamless relationship that has worked pretty flawless for us so far. Because of this, I get a lot of questions about co-authoring and how it works. I thought I would address a few here.

The YA contemporary piece I want to write is too big of a project for me alone so I was considering taking on a co-authoring. Ahh . . .yeah . . . no! Co-authoring is not something you jump into because the scope of your manuscript is so broad you need a second brain to sort out the plot. Narrow your focus, get yourself a couple of good critique partners, plot, outline, erase threads if you have to, but don’t expect another writer to come in mid-way through and sort things out for you.

I was thinking of taking on a co-author because writing is such a lonely task for me. Co-author or not, writing is a lonely task. Your muse solely resides in your head; he’ll bug you in the middle of the night, in car pool line, on your Friday night date regardless of whether or not you have a co-author. Reach out, network with your fellow writers, join a critique group, but don’t take on a co-author just to have a writing buddy to talk to.

I think it would be fun to toss ideas around with a fellow writer, so I am in the hunt for a co-author. Oh, its fun alright . . . so long as you are both on the same page. Co-authoring is a melding of two minds and two writing styles. When done right the reader shouldn’t be able to tell who wrote which part. When done wrong or when one author has a completely different vision for you characters, you can end up with an emotionally charge heap of crap.

If I take on a co-author I can finish my project twice as fast. Whoa hold up there a sec. First off writing is a process not to be rushed through and writing with a co-author is no exception. Period!

So you and Lindsay are tied to each other forever. Yes and no. We have a go-author agreement that spells out the all the details regarding any joint project and we do continue to write as a team. But, we each have individual agent contracts, and we both write independently of each other as well. I, for example, write a fair amount of YA contemporary; it is my first love and one I will continue to write regardless of how successful our joint projects are.

You and Lindsay must spend a crazy amount of time together. Nope . . . never met the woman J LOL. We are not college roommates, or PTO cohorts, or even drinking buddies. I live on Cape Cod; she lives in Chicago. Physical proximity in not a requirement to the co-authoring process. We did, however, have a great deal of experience with each others writing BEFORE we became co-authors.

So there you have it. If you have a question I have not answered, feel free to ask!

Ladies and Gents...We have a Winner!

2011-09-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you all SO MUCH for entering, retweeting and blogging about the 300 followers contest that Lindsay and I hosted! We did indeed hit 300 and even surpassed it. Next up? 500 followers. Let's hope we get there sooner rather than later:)

Congratulations to ...

BESS WEATHERBY!! Yippee! Bess, shoot Lindsay an email lindsayncurrie@gmail.com and let us know your mailing address so Lindsay and I can ship off your goodies:) We can make your critique arrangements then as well. Thanks and congrats!!

Back tomorrow for a proper post. Have a great day guys!

300 Follower Contest!

2011-09-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that both myself and my writing partner, Lindsay Currie, are both incredibly close to hitting 300 followers? Yeah, I know - I was shocked too! Shocked and grateful. So, I'm going to keep this short and sweet today. Lindsay and I would like to ring in 300 followers with style. We're both still a handful away, but were hoping you guys would help AND are proposing a little contest for fun! Here's how it will work:

1. Be a follower on both our blogs and leave us a comment and let us know you want to be part of the contest.

2. Last but not least, here's the part where you help us! Use any social platform to help us achieve our goal of 300 followers. If you tweet about our blogs, great! Tweet and add it to your blog sidebar or feature our blogs in one of your posts - even better! Any way you choose to help us will get you into the contest:) Lindsay's twitter ID: @lindsayncurrie Trisha's twitter ID: @tleaver Just don't forget to comment on our blogs so we know you're in!

Now, on to the good stuff. The prize. Come Monday, Lindsay and I will go through both of our blogs and generate a random winner! (the oh-so-advanced random generator will likely be one of our children pulling a name out of a hat BTW. Yeah, we're technological like that).

The winner will receive a 3 chapter manuscript critique and a query critique...not from one of us, but from BOTH. Two sets of eyes. Two sets of comments. Also, if you'd like to get more than just our feedback, we're willing to put your query up on the blog for our daily readers to comment/give feedback on. In addition to the critique, you will receive some writing essentials swag from both of us:

Trisha survives on a combination of chocolate and caffeine and will ensure that you have a basket of those delivered to fuel all of your writing/revising needs! And, isn't that mug adorable? You need this basket of goodies:)

Lindsay relies on hordes of journals, highlighters and index cards when she's writing or editing, so she'll stock your writing area with them! And, since Fall is here tomorrow, a mango-peach candle and pumpkin shaped stress relief ball are perfect writing companions:)

So, you on board? We'd love to pass 300 and would love celebrating it with you guys even more!

A Glimpse Inside My Mind

2011-09-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

As writers, I think we all strive for the same thing -- creating a world for our readers to slip into, one that they feel a part of and never want to leave. I want my readers to scream at my MC's and get frustrated with their situation. I want them to laugh right long with them and feel the same gut-wrenching pain when they fails. To do this, it's essential that I create multi-dimensional character, one that is a product of not only their history, but of their present situation. They have lives, and friends, and families. They feel, fear, pain, joy, anger and an overwhelming sense of responsibility -- and sometimes all at once. They are truly a crazy mix of fatal flaws and beautiful hope. To create these amazing characters is not easy. It requires a lot of pre-planning, and in my case, one archaic character map better know an "my mental whiteboard"

My mental white board is a source of constant amusement for my writing partner, Lindsay. When I am playing connect the character dots or trying to add a new thread, she will often chuckle and tell me to flip the board back a week or two to see what I've missed. As irritating as her suggestion is, it is surprisingly accurate! I simply shuffle whiteboards . . . toss one to the back while bringing another forward. I have one for each of my characters, each of my manuscripts, as well as for those works I am critiquing. I don't know how I keep them all straight --probably heavy doses of caffeine and an insane need to compartmentalize!

She asked me once what my character map for our MC, Jake, actually looked like. It took some time, but I think I've created a rather accurate rendering for her to view. Here it is! It may not make any sense to you; but to me, it contains all the information I need to create a fully fleshed-out character.

An Indescribable High

2011-09-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

This past Friday I finished a set of revisions to a YA contemporary manuscript I've been working on for the past six weeks. This book has plagued me for the better part of a year. It's been tossed around to critique partners, hacked down to bare bones, and built back up, only for me to do it all over again. Even when I put it aside to work on my Spec. Fiction pieces, it festers in the back of my mind, egging me on, daring me to make the characters stronger, more flawed, more complex. And now it's done, officially revised to completion . . . for now anyway!

The best part? Saturday morning I climbed out of bed and got to write the first word, of the first sentence, in the first chapter of a brand new YA contemporary. Starting something new, knowing that I have a new set of characters leading the way is an indescribable high for me. In fact, it may just be better than coffee!

Who Are You Writing That Book For Anyway?

2011-09-13T06:40:00.001-07:00

I’ve been known to insert an expletive here and there when I am critiquing YA manuscripts. Not because their manuscripts have me slamming my head into the desk with the perpetual comma splice or flowerily prose. Nope, rather it because there are certain scenes, certain characters that call for a bit of edginess and their manuscripts fail to deliver. And God knows I love me some edge! This usually incites a conversation about why they have purposefully avoided the edge. The most common response:

“I am not opposed to it, but what if my mother, or my neighbor, or the PTO board at my preschooler’s school reads it?”

My usual response: “Who the hell are you writing your book for anyway?”

Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I have no issue with writers who, because of their own convictions and/or feelings about the edginess of some current YA books, purposefully, with masterfully crafted intent, avoid this type of content. Fantastic, ten points for you! What drives me insane is writers who hold back their characters emotions, tailor character responses out of fear of what some random parent, most who are not even in your target market, will think.

If your character needs edge, then give it too him. If he is stuck in the bowels of the earth, surrounded by ash, facing down his knife wielding, demonized best friend, then I doubt an “oh golly gee” is going to work. So write the book you want to write. Give your characters the personality they demand. And the hell with worrying what the apron-wearing mom who sells cupcakes at the school bake sale thinks about your occasionally use of the f word.

Just Breathe

2011-09-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

I have a bit of a compulsive personality. I thrive under pressure and tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. I can maintain a high-level of activity for insanely long periods of time, and then I crash. For example, I am currently revising a WIP, am 20,000 words away from completing my 2^nd co-authored work, have three critique projects going, and am fleshing out a new YA contemporary idea. I also have three kids (in three different schools), a husband who commutes bi-coastal (from California to Cape Cod), one irreverent dog, and a kitten who insists on fleeing every time I open the door. I am a soccer coach, the Vice President of the PTO, and the advancement coordinator for my son’s Boy Scout Troop. I DO NOT have a cleaning lady, I run carpool twice a week, and I have teenage daughter who thinks my sole purpose in life is to supply her with endless wads of cash. Let’s just say, every once in a while I have a melt down – full on three-year-old type temper tantrum . . . as was the case yesterday. The cause of my most recent descent into hell was not a stumbling block in my revisions or even a power surge that erased half of my documents. Nope, yesterday afternoon at exactly 3:07pm I. Ran. Out. Of. Coffee.

My husband, after wisely securing an industrial size container of my favorite brew from the local warehouse store, very sweetly suggested that I turn my computer off, not write, or email, or even check blogs for the rest of the weekend. I grumbled, rattled of all the things I had to get done, then reluctantly agreed. And instead we went out to dinner and the movies, sans kids. I slept in late and took the kids out for breakfast rather than cook. We went to the village festival and let my five year old daughter ride the pony seven times while my son learned how to juggle. I didn't complain about the lines or the three snot-nosed kids who kept cutting everybody else. I let my kids eat ice cream and fried dough and what looked a lot like a hotdog. I didn't even freak out about the lack of hand sanitizer at the petting zoo or ketchup stain on my son's white shirt. And tonight, we ate dinner from a box, no fresh vegetables, no silverware, and soda instead of milk.

And I am better for it! Why? Because my mind is now clear, my focus stronger, and my WIP's will be better because of it.

So what's the moral of this story . . . hmm, perhaps a break from writing is sometimes a good idea, gives us writers a chance to recharge our muse. Maybe, or perhaps it is just to always buy coffee in bulk!

Parental Controls -- The Conversations your MC will Never Have!

2011-09-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

I’ve been doing a lot of critiquing lately, primarily in the genre of YA contemporary. I am averaging three to four manuscripts a week and have started to notice a distinct pattern – PARENTS. All in heavy doses, and all extremely supportive.

You all know my sentiments on parents and the purposeful insertion of moral lessons into YA literature. If you don’t, take a look at last week’s post No Preaching Allowed. But I am not here to reiterate that post, rather speculate as to why me and my fellow CP’s are suddenly seeing the insertion of June and Ward Cleaver into nearly ½ of the books we are critiquing. For what it’s worth, here’s my take on it.

In the last couple of years, we have seen the emergence of a new phenomenon – the crossover novel. A significant portion of YA sales are being tracked to the 25+ crowd, a population that has survived the tumultuous teenage years. Add in the fact that the YA genre is seeing an explosion of new authors, a lot of whom are in that crossover age bracket, and I think we've found the problem. We, the authors, possess an unfortunate amount of hindsight.

Hindsight is fantastic when you are thirty-something and trying damn hard not to repeat the idiotic mistakes you made as a youth. It’s what makes me fill my tank every time my gas gauge goes below a quarter of a tank. It's what prompts me to drink liquor before my beer and never leave the house without makeup. What is doesn’t give me is license to inject my clear-headed, rational thoughts into the out of control life of my MC. It does not give me the go ahead to insert my opinions into the novel via supportive parents. And it sure as hell doesn’t give me the right to treat my MCs with kid gloves.

Do my Mc’s make heinous mistakes? Absolutely; in nearly every chapter. Do I want to reach out and slap them, scream at them to just stop and think? You bet. Do a make a conscious effort to rein that urge in? HELL YES! Why? Because being a teenager is messy business. Sure we all got the parental talk about sex, and drugs, and drinking and driving. I got it on both ends – parents and Catholic School. But not once did anybody ever talk to be about what to do when your boyfriend of two years gets drunk at a party and decides to play a little game of Russian roulette with his father’s police-issued pistol. I never heard the conversation about what to do when the girl who sits next to you in Chemistry class is no longer there, her brother having gotten drunk that weekend, wrapping his car around a tree and killing his only sister. And I sure as hell never got the lecture on what to do when your best friend decides to get pregnant rather risk losing her boyfriend to some college girl three thousand miles away.

These are all things your teenage mc’s have to struggle through themselves. Let them! Let them grow, and learn, and fall flat on their asses, but please, please don’t let their parents swoop in and make everything perfect!

Digital Re-cap of my Weekend Hurricane Style!

2011-08-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

I'd like to shout out a big thanks to all my new blog and twitter followers. I am slowly making my way around to all of my fellow campaigner's blogs. I am usually on top of these things, but Irene dealt me her no-power card which pummeled me into virtual darkness for the better part of the weekend. It did make for some exciting times though, especially for those of us who refused to sit home and wait it out. As promised to my friends in the mid-west who have never quite experience a hurricane, here's my digital re-cap.

Dock is fine, boat -- yeah not so much


Yes that boat is mowing down a small Boston Whaler

Took them over three hours to get this boat hoisted back into the harbor. And yes, I watched the whole thing,

This one is going to be tricky -- no way, save the water, to get a crane in to move it.

And for those of you who wanted a more interactive feel to the storm, I have posted a video here. Forgive the jiggling camera in the middle of the video. It's kind of hard to stand completely still when it'sblowing over 70mph!

No Preaching Allowed!

2011-08-26T05:42:00.000-07:00

If you are starting your YA novel with the intention of delivering some moral lesson, then STOP! I guarantee you, no matter how subtle you think you are being, any agent, any editor, even your seasoned critique partners will pick up on it instantly. The purpose of YA literature, contemporary YA lit in particular, is not to deliver some moral message or teach a valuable lesson. Let’s face it, teens aren't reading our books to learn and grow; they are reading them to escape their own lives, to live in someone else's reality for a few hundred pages.

It is equally important to remember that YA books are about our teen MCs themselves not, I repeat NOT, their parents. A couple of days ago a YA editor tweeted that “parents in YA lit should be treated like eyeliner. Use it sparingly.” I couldn’t agree more. YA contemporary books revolve around an issue, problem, or incident that propels or MCs into action. These conflicts can be external or internal, or more likely a combination of both. But it is our teen MCs who need to wade through the crap. They are the ones that need to struggle, make some heinous mistakes and eventually grow as a character. If you have a parent who is hovering, always involved, always there to guide them and intervene before things spiral out of control, then where is your MC's struggle. In other words, how is your MC going to descend into their own personal hell and resurrect themselves if a concerned parent is always there to pick them up and carry them to safety!

Am I proposing that every YA contemporary novel have a MC who is adopted, whose parents are conveniently dead, or has been shipped off to a boarding school? Hell no. In fact, I am a big proponent of parents in YA literature; I just think they need to say in the background, sprinkled in very sparingly to heighten a conflict or explain a MC’s living situation. And trust me; this doesn’t take pages or even entire chapters to accomplish.

PS I recycled this title from a previous post of mine dealing with the same issue. You can find it here!

Crusader Here!

2011-08-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

Rachael Harrie from Rach writes... is running her third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign. This is my second tour of her campaign; and, not only is it great fun, but it is a fantastic way to connect with fellow writers! Sign ups began yesterday and close on the 31^st August. She has got some fun challenges and fantastic prizes awaiting us as well. Head on over; hope to see you there!

Titles, titles, and more titles.

2011-08-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

So you write a book, have it critiqued, revise it to death, then spend countless weeks struggling to come up with the perfect title. Failing to find that perfect set of cover words, you put out a call to your critique partners, hoping they can come up with something awe inspiring. Alas they do, and you send them many thanks and ship it off, only to be faced with the sudden realization that there is another book (although nothing like yours) with the exact same title.

This is my writing curse. Does it bother me? Not so much, anymore. It's happened to me so often that I no longer become attached to any one working title, willing to toss it aside without a thought when my agent suggests something less abstract. My published friends say that my nonchalant attitude is a good one, that most books go through numerous title changes before they ever hit the shelves. I am hoping they are right!

As of now, my WIP has gone through four title changes, and I fully anticipate a few more. How about you? how many title changes do you usually go through before you settle on the perfect one?

Where are my fellow YA Contemporary Writers

2011-08-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

Where oh where are my fellow YA contemporary authors? I know you are out there; I have connected with a few of you in the past :) And now I need your keen eye and honesty.

I have hit a crossroads in my revisions and would love to find a few fellow YA contemporary writers to bounce it off of. I'll even return the favor, line edits and all if that is what you want/need! I have an amazingly talented base of critique partners who have been invaluable throughout this entire process. They write some of the best YA Fantasy and Paranormal I have had the privilege of ever critiquing. But I need the eye and creative spark of a fellow YA contemporary writer to give me one last read.

No NO NOOOOOO!

2011-08-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

I am doing a lot of critiquing lately; it keeps my creative mind in the game while giving my muse time to stew over my own revisions. The one downfall to this is pet peeves, little things that I purposely keep out of my own manuscripts because they drive me insane. I find myself pointing them out in other people's manuscripts, often swearing at my computer when I come across them. My biggest one:

"Furrowing of the brow"

Seriously, there are a thousand and one other ways to convey a boy's mood besides describing the movement of his eyebrows. I assure you, brow arching is not the universal symbol for conveying sarcasm, annoyance, worry, sexual arousal, and so forth. In fact, I have seen it so much lately, that I have ceased to point it out in the manuscripts, simply inserting a sarcastic "Edward Cullen much?" at the end of the chapter.

So my fellow writing cohorts, what is your biggest pet peeve? I will make a list and post them at the end of the week!

A Fresh Set of Eyes

2011-08-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am in the midst of revising a YA Contemporary manuscript of mine. One that I have had a love-hate relationship with for the past few months. One that I can't seem to get off my mind. With a fresh set of revision notes in hand, I tore up every chapter, then left it there to stew. My CP's have suffered through this process with me, having looked at close to eight versions of the same manuscript, all without complaining, all offering invaluable advise.

But they, like me, have eight sets of scenes, eight sets of dialogue, revisions, and character tweaks all running a muck in their heads. So, at the advise of a long standing CP, I took a giant leap of faith and sent my manuscript off to someone new, a writer who has no previous experience with the WIP or my writing.

Now I wait, see if a fresh set of eyes can pick up any inconsistencies, any bits and bobbles from the other versions that I intended to cut out. It's been a long time since I let a stranger read my work; and, dare I say, I am nervous, scared witless of what she will come back with.

Unrevise I tell you, Unrevise!

2011-08-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

I wrote a YA contemporary novel. Er . . . who am I kidding, I wrote two. Under the watchful eyes of some amazing CP's these manuscripts were revised, characters eliminated, themes altered, and threads added. My CP's struggled through this with me as I kicked and fought back before making certain changes, whining like a two-year-old --"That's not what the story is about," and "but I don't want to write bubble gum and cotton candy."

For all my complaining, I made the changes and ended up with two well-written, cohesive manuscripts that bared no resemblance to their original versions. No matter how much they shined, regardless of how many words of praise I got on the tweaks, I had this horrible feeling that these manuscripts were no longer mine. In an effort to appease the masses, I'd revised my manuscripts to the point where I'd lost my voice. Trusting everybody but myself, I buried that suspicion and sent them off to my agent, knowing she'd make the right call.

Her call came last week in the form of revision notes. I laughed when I read them, literally sat down on the floor and laughed until I had tears streaming down my face. See, she'd never seen the original versions of the manuscripts; I only given her the edited copies. Each line I read of her notes had be backing out a piece of my revisions, untweaking characters, removing entire threads, and bringing the manuscript back to its original form . . . back to my voice.

I let the revision notes simmer for a few days then got started on them yesterday. It is not as simple as just tossing her the original manuscript. There are threads in the newer versions that I want to preserve, so it is really a matter of blending the two. But that aside, its amazing to finally realize that I really, really, REALLY need to trust my own writing instincts. It's even better to know that I have an agent that truly gets my voice -- unrevised and all!

Side-note: I would be remiss if I did not say that I have the best group of CP's a writer could ever ask for. Although they weren't the ones suggesting the changes, they had the grueling and selfless task of watching me make them, cheering me on when all I wanted to do was toss the manuscript and the revisions aside. A thousand thanks to you guys.

Stop Waiting!

2011-08-03T04:44:00.000-07:00

I have a fair amount of writer friends who are immersed in the query trenches this summer. It is an exciting, anxious, and scary time for them. I know, I have been there before. They find themselves checking their email a gazillion times a day . . . at home, at work, on their phones. Every response is hyper-analyzed, Hell, even the silence is analyzed; and, in the the end, they are right back where they started . . . waiting.

My advise. Stop waiting and start living. For some that means starting another WIP. For others it means turning the computer off completely, taking the kids to the beach, or going out with friends For me, it meant checking my email only twice a day -- at lunch and before I went to bed. I started another WIP, double-dug and re-planted the garden, and caught on some long over-due reading. The offers of rep. came when they were ready, and me sitting glued to my email had nothing to do with it.

So there it is. Go forth and live. Bask in the accomplishment that you actually wrote an entire manuscript, had the fortitude to devise a query letter, and the courage to hit the send button in the first place. Then go rediscover the world around you.

Happy Wednesday!

Book Club Food

2011-07-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

The wine and fruity beverages I got covered!

It is my turn to host our monthly book club. Which reminds me, I probably ought to read the book. I host frequently, not because I am gracious or a masterfully creative cook. Let's face it, on most nights I find making mashed potatoes too much to handle. Nope, I do it 10 out of 12 times simply because my husband travels . . . A LOT and with very little notice. I have found it easier just to host our book club at my own home rather than scramble for a babysitter last minute.

Problem is, I recycle the same five recipes over, and over, and over. Easy for me, boring for my friends. So I am turning to you, my faithful writing friends. I need some recipe ideas for book club. Something tasty and pretty to look at. Please, I beg you, for the sake of my friends, help me come up with something more creative than store-bought fruit dip this time around.

Sum it Up in One Line

2011-07-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

A writer friend asked me to break down her entire ms into one line. She is preparing for a conference and trying to work on her elevator pitch. I laughed. I spent days trying to break my 65,000 word ms down into a 250 word query and she wants me to do it in 140 characters . . at eight in the morning when I am under-caffeinated nonetheless

But that got me thinking. There is one line in every book we can never seem to forget, that has such an emotional impact we find those few short words coming to the forefront of our minds at the mere mention of the title. Here are some of mine. I would love to hear yours!

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." ~ The Shining

"This is you life, and it is ending one minute at a time." ~ The Fight Club

"What a treacherous thing to believe a person is more than a person." ~ Paper Towns

"NO animal shall sleep in a bed...:WITH SHEETS" ~Animal Farm

Shh . . . I did the Unthinkable

2011-07-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

It was my friend’s birthday yesterday. She is from the South and as kind and generous as they come. You know, the type of person who brings you homemade chicken soup when you're sick and actually cares about the answer to the often rhetorical question “How have you been?” She listens intently when you talk to her and often jokes that I have “affection issues.” She right, I have a habit of deflecting compliments and the friendly gestures with sarcasm and suffer from what she lovingly refers to as “personal space issues.”

Anyhow, I was revising and old manuscript and trying to decide what to get her for her birthday. Sure I could get her a nice bottle of wine (which I did) or make her a five layer German Chocolate Cake (which I did) but I wanted something that I could actually wrap . . . with nice paper and ribbons and all. At a complete loss, I did the unthinkable – I let her in on my little secret. Yep, I told her that I am a writer complete with a copy of a mid-revision manuscript of mine – CEDAR.

I handed off the cake and wine, but clung to that nicely wrapped package with all my might until she literally pried it from my hands with some comment about how it was her birthday and she had a right to open her presents. She opened it, stood there holding 286 pages in her hand looking confused. I sunk down into a chair, fiercely regretting my choice of presents, and whispered, “I didn’t know what to get you for your birthday, so I wrote you a book.” Her confusion turned to wonder, then to what I could only assume was happiness when she turned to me laughing, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Get ready,” she said “because I am going to hug you now.”

I survived the hug, personal space issues and all. Apparently the fact that I had given her a book, one that I wrote, one that was filled with all the intensity of emotion that I never share, was better than the insanely expensive bottle of wine I’d given her. Hmm . . . maybe she’ll change her mind after she reads the ms. Or better yet, maybe she will drink the entire bottle of wine while she is reading it – then no matter what I have written, she will think it amazing :)

Painfully Bad Timing

2011-07-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was down at the yacht club yesterday. My husband had just come in from racing his death-sled of a sailboat, and we were all sitting around talking about nothing. The kids (about 10 in all -- only one mine) were happily building sand castles on the beach and catching spider crabs off the dock. After a few rounds of beer encouragement, the adults (a mixture of friends and family) decided to launch ourselves off the dock in a juvenile debate over who had the best cannonball form. I was fourth in and had some pretty amazing competition ahead of me. My body was positioned just right, mere inches from the water when it struck me -- an idea for the ending of a manuscript that has been 3/4 written and plaguing me for the past month.

Ecstatic, relieved, and a little amazed that I had "finally figured it out" I let go of the tight hold I had on my knees and hit the water. I surfaced to a roar of laughter, sputtering and in pain from my rather ungraceful slap of skin against the water. My husband, doing everything he could to suppress his own amusement, kindly reached down and offered me his hand. He heaved me out, his hand rubbing at the red marks covering my thighs. He wrapped me in a towel and pulled me in, I presumed to whisper something insanely stupid and sarcastic. He didn't, just looked at me and whispered "you got an idea, don't you?" I nodded, and he laughed, told be his laptop was in his bag on the club's patio and that I had ten minutes to hammer it out before people started asking questions (see none of our friends or family know that I write). I did and now have a rather crude outline of an ending sitting on his laptop, just waiting for me to smooth out.

So tell me, where is the most insane place your muse decided to strike?

What Card to Play

2011-07-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

My dad was teaching me how to play Texas Hold 'em Poker yesterday. I knew the fundamentals before we started, but was sorely lacking in the finer points. After an hour of watching him patiently kick my a*% and strip me of all my cash, I gave up, told him I would stick to playing Go Fish with the kids. He laughed, gave me back my money, and imparted this advice: "Every hand is a winner, Trisha. You just got to know which card to play."

Hmm . . . he's right. In more ways then one.

I have four manuscripts sitting in front of me -- two done, one 10,000 words from completion, and one only 3,000 words deep. Each one of those has the potential to be a masterpiece, can be crafted into a literary work that I am proud to put my name to. The trick is knowing which one to attack first, which character's point of view to write it from, and which threads to toss out. I will weigh my options, look at the market, and try to gauge what the smartest move to make is. Then I'll gamble, pull one of those manuscripts to the forefront, pour my heart and soul into re-shaping it, and hope it was the right card to play.

Swallowing Your Own Advice

2011-07-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

My husband, who has very little knowledge of the publishing world, has this theory. People have been writing books about about certain themes well before I started. They well write them at the same time I am writing mine, and they will continue to write them well after I am done. He calls it simple supply and demand --readers want books about certain subjects therefore, authors supply them. Combine that with his believe that ALL books revolve around one of several emotional themes -- love, hate, death, fear, desire -- and his argument is pretty solid. He is right. Case in point -- trends. But all his sound logic dissipates when you read a blurb about a "just sold" book with the same general theme as your own.

So I sit here and reiterate the same advice I have dolled out countless time myself . . . just put your own unique twist on it, make it yours, and make it better. Now, I just have to find a way to swallow my own advice . . . one word written at at time. I will; I will hack that book up and come at it from a different angle, make sparkle like that vampire we all hate to admit we love. And at the end of the day, I will be a stronger, a better writer for it. Or, at least here's to hoping I do :)

Every Wednesday Night is Mine!

2011-07-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

Summer is crazy here on Cape Cod. School is out, the tourists outnumber us locals by three to one, and most of them seem to be directionally challenged. It's hot, the grass I spent all spring re-seeding is burnt to a crisp, and my kids think I am their personal chauffeur and ATM Machine. My black lab has taken up residence on the only AC vent near my writing desk, and I've been staring at three unfinished manuscripts for the better part of a week and haven't dug into a single one of them. So, at my husband's suggestion to "go out and doing something to get rid of your crankiness" I signed up to take a class. No, it's not a writing course or even a cooking class (much to my husband's dismay). Nope, tonight at exactly 6:45pm, me and ten other women are going to learn how to belly dance.

As any good wife in desperate need of child care would do, I sweetly informed my husband that I had plans tonight, told him he was stuck with the kids every Wednesday night for the next 6 weeks. He asked why, and I told him, laughed as he face screwed up in disbelief. His expression smoothed out, and he asked what was in it for him. My response . . . a simple "It depends how good I am!"

Ohh, and do any of you know how much food two teenagers can consume in a given day when they don't have school to keep them away from the refrigerator. Holy Crap! And yes the cost of milk, eggs, and bread is higher here in the summer . . . got to gouge the tourists and locals alike, apparently!

So enough complaining. I am off to tackle fun, non-cranky activities!

The Pitfalls of Multiple Critiques

2011-06-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a fair amount of critiquing these days. It clears my mind so that I can dive into my own manuscripts with fresh eyes. I have also noticed a lot of first page critiques up on blog posts. I read them, scan the comments, and often cringe.

First, hats off to those of you courageous enough to put your work out there for others to critique. It is a necessary and often difficult process. Let's face it, none of us want to hear that are ms is lacking in one are or overflowing with description in another. But we need to. Second, and more importantly, be careful. Sometimes we get so lost on other people's opinions of our manuscripts that we forget why we originally wrote it . . . we forget that it is our voice we are honing NOT SOMEBODY ELSE'S.

Now, what prompted this post of caution? No worries, it is not a critique we got back on SILO. That baby has left the hands of our "small group of well-seasoned" critique partners weeks ago, the revisions being read solely by Ginger. It's a couple of other things actually. I got a ms to read from a long standing CP of mine, one that was already full of comments. Content wise, I agreed with a very small percentage of the suggested edits, what I took exception to was her completely inaccurate use of grammar. My CP was stressed out, got the dreaded comment that her ms was riddled with passive voice. It wasn't, which has me thinking maybe it is time for another post on the difference between past-tense active voice and passive voice.

That afternoon I read a blog post for a fantastic author who was seeking a critique on her first 250 words. She was off to an amazing and strong start, better then three-quarters of the manuscripts I have read in the past year. She threw you right into the story, had the perfect amount of dialogue to action, and set the tense mood within a few well-crafted sentences. Ohh . . . but did she have comments. Problem was each one was telling her to switch something different up. There was no consistency in the suggested edits, just a bunch of personal taste floating around. And that is what scares the hell out of me -- that authors like myself will start changing things, start hacking up our manuscripts according the the personal taste of a few dozen beta readers.

My advice . . . DON'T. Remember that it is your voice, your story. Trust your instincts. Don't be afraid to revise, but you have to whole-heatedly agree with the suggested revision. And by all means, look for the common denominator. If three or four of your CP's are telling you the same thing, then address it. BUt please, don't ever change the way you write because some random commenter on your blog didn't like the second sentence of your third paragraph!

How do I get around it? Like I said, small, well-seasoned group of CP's who know my style, aren't interested in changing my voice, and read solely for plot and character inconsistencies. Took me a long time to find them, but they are fantastic!

Five Things Equally as Fun as Nailing a Revision!

2011-06-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

There are a few things more exhilarating than hearing from your agent that you have nailed a very tricky revisions that encompassed more than 1/3 of you manuscript. I mentioned this to a writing buddy of mine and the look on her face was one of sheer amazement. That got me thinking -- perhaps I take my writing all too seriously. I doubt it, but to play devil's advocate, here are a few material things that get me equally in a stir.

1. Chocolate covered espresso beans (eat them by the handful and are responsible for several successful edits in their own right)

2. My pocket dictionary of the "The most commonly mis-spelled words," because let's face it, there are a slew of words that our automatic grammar checkers don't catch.

3. My blender. There is nothing better then a frozen beverage on a hot summer afternoon

4. That tiny bikini hanging in my bathroom that I am still 10 lbs and 2 weeks away from daring to put on.

5. And lastly, the tow-behind to my tractor. Odd choice, yes, but that thing can cart anything around from dirt, to tree stumps, to kids.

So there you have it, a very electric look into the five material things that make me insanely happy.

No Page Untouched

2011-06-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Not a single chapter in my YA Speculative Fiction manuscript will go untouched in this final round of revisions. Are they major character and plot edits? Not entirely, but each small tweak sends ripples through the the rest of the manuscript, meaning no chapter, no scene, no page can go unrevised. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive, nervous that I will go too far in one direction or not pull back far enough on another. S'okay though. I got my revision emergency bag handy. The Contents: 5lbs of freshly ground coffee beans and Almond Joy coffee creamer, brand new toner for the laser printer, a rather large bag of M&M's, and a red pen. Oh yes . . . and a kick-ass writing partner who's head is always in the game. Not like mine :)

So for those of you who are also neck deep in revisions, tell me what gets you through the process, and I will add it to my bag of tricks.

Getting Better As I Go

2011-06-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

I pulled up a very old manuscript of mine the other day -- one that will never see the light of day, one that most of my CPs don't even know exists. I gave it a quick read through and realized just how much my writing has matured. My sentence structure is now more complex, the threads more complicated, and the themes more edgy. I understand the concept of well-placed back-story, realized there are hundred of ways to display emotion, and get that dialogue, although fun to write and essential, is only a small component of a well-written manuscript. I have learned that an kick-ass first chapter is useless if the rest of the book falls flat and that scenes and chapters need to flow together seamlessly. Am I done learning? Is my writing done maturing? Hell no! But, it has come a long way . . . from the dark, embarrassing crevices of my laptop to a manuscript I am not afraid to toss at my agent for review.

So how about you, has your writing matured over time or are you one of the lucky few born with an innate ability to just let the words flow?

Summer Reading Lists

2011-06-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

My kids came home with their summer reading lists yesterday. They opened the envelopes and sighed. (Well one sighed; the other had a few choice words I won’t repeat) Spouting off about the merits of good literature, I grabbed the list from their hands and read it, only to find myself equally disappointed. There were, of course, the required classics, which I pulled of my well stocked book shelf. The rest of the titles I’ll have to buy.

Their biggest complaint – they don’t have choices. My daughter’s list had the requisite classic, three sci-fi novels, and one historical non-fiction. No don’t get me wrong, I love sci-fi; I write Speculative fiction. But my daughter doesn’t. She hates it with a passion. Toss her “The Scarlet Letter” and she’ll be fine; make her read boy-centered sci-fi and she will fight her way through it. And she has to read three this summer, not one.

My son . . . well in his box-of-a-world, he doesn’t have time for reading, not when there are baseball games to be played and friends to hose down. Oh, he’ll read them, complaining right along side my daughter.

And thanks to an awesome tweet by agent Jennifer Laughran a few weeks back, I already know what I am going to do with both these lists. I am going share them with my local Indie bookstore, maybe pick up a read for myself while I am there!

How about you – what’s on your kid’s summer reading lists this year?

Writing from the Linen Closet

2011-06-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

Jamie Handling challenged me to come up with a metaphor describing what writing is like for me. The task was harder than I thought, but after a few hours of mulling it over, I've come up with a comparison.

Writing to me is like having a well-organized linen closet!

Makes no sense on the surface, I know; but keep reading, and I will attempt to explain. I am not an overly organized person (mental white-boards aside). I have notes scribbled here and there and stacks of mail on my counter that still need to be sorted through. I have a basket of mis-matched socks and an inch of dust on that top bookshelf that I just can't seem to reach. What I do have is an insanely organized linen closet. All the towels are folded and placed in the exact same order, the shampoo, deodorant, and soaps are all neatly arranged in individual baskets, and in the bottom right corner is a sealed plastic tote that hides all my unsightly bathroom cleaning supplies.

The above is not so dissimalar from my laptop.

When you turn it one, you'll find a slew of files, all oddly labled, some containing the exact same information minus a sentence or two. But when you open my word doc, things begin to change. Each one is carefully named, its revisions carefully labeled and contained in their own sub folders. The documents themselves are uniform -- same font, same layout, same header pages. Now open it up, and what appears to be a creative spilling of prose on the outside is actually a well thought-out plot with complete character arcs, multiple threads all complicated, all closed, and all tightly woven together.

So there you go, open the door to my kitchen or turn on my laptop and you will find a mess of crap that only I could decipher. But open the door to my linen closet or crack open one of my manuscripts and you'll find an insanely methodical, well thought-out plan.

The Title-Go-Round

2011-06-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

How is it that us writers can crank out 70,00 words of emotionally charged prose with relative ease, yet find ourselves stuttering when forced to come up with a title? Trying to encapsulate your entire book into one two words is damn hard. I am relieved to say, that after several go-arounds and a rather intimate relationship with the Thesaurus, Fatum now has a new name. Better yet, it is one that all three of us (Lindsay, Ginger, and I) love. From this point forward, our Speculative Fiction manuscript is now called: SILO

Now that we have settled that dilemma, I'm off to plot out book 2!

Hello Old Friend

2011-06-04T03:02:00.000-07:00

I woke with the sun today. Not because of the glaring light pouring through my bedroom windows or the evil woodpecker who has taken up residence in the gutter on outside my room, but rather because my older children were remiss in taking the dog out last night. He was howling from his crate and oh so relieved to see me dragging my ass down the stairs.

It was quiet (still is . . . it's barely 5am). With a cup of coffee in hand, I opened up an old YA contemporary of mine. The first manuscripts I was proud to put my name to, it quickly reminded me why I write in the first place. I still love it, am still amazed I strung those sentence together and wove those thread. So thanks old friend for reminding me that there is more than one trick in this old, worn down bag of mine. I am going to make you as pretty as you make me feel and ship you off to Ginger. Hope she loves you just as much as me.

A Step Back

2011-06-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

As aspiring authors, we often measure the quality of our own work against the success of others. We see an amazing query, read a kick-ass first sentence for a CP, watch a writing friend get a request, then an offer, see a book out on submission and sold before ours, and we find ourselves flying into a tailspin, questioning our own worth. It happens to all of us, regardless of where you are in the writing journey. As generous and giving as we are to each other, there will come a time when you find yourself chocking over a heartfelt and well-deserved congratulations to a fellow author.

The question is, where do you go from there?

I go dark, both in my writing and in my virtual presence. I take a step back form my WIP's, my beta reading, even my revisions and re-group, force myself to remember why I got into this whole writing business. I trust my a co-author to keep me on task, make sure our revisions are stellar and turned in on time, then I open up a new doc. and go back to my first love -- YA Contemporary. I take all that raw emotion and pour it into a set of characters that are truely nothing more than an emotional extension of me.

So that said, I'm going to go dark for a bit, refuel my muse and recharge my mind. I am going to write something completely off the wall and totally for me. I'll lurk, leave comments, and be here for those of you who need a cheerleader . . . and yes, even a honest "congratulations." Then come next Friday, when my kids are finally out of school, I am going to pack the kids into the car and drive. Take a nice long road trip with no destination in mind, just clear, open spaces for me to think. I have three weeks before summer activities kick into gear. That's a lot of time, plenty of drive-thrus, and a massive amount of roads to travel.

Either that or I could channel all my nervous energy into my garden, perhaps grow the world's largest gourd!

Book Shops

2011-06-02T05:04:00.000-07:00

Our local Border's closed this past spring and the nearest one is now 30 miles away. Not really far on a good spring day; but in the summer, in the height of tourist season, it could take me two hours to get over the bridge alone. We have a Barnes and Nobles in the mall, but then I have to fight for a space in the mall parking lot and deal with tourists who are shopping for the multitude of "things" they forgot to pack.

I suppose I could be economical and down-load my books to my e-reader, but there is something I love about the feel of a book in my hand and the smell of the ink. So, I have discovered a handful of small bookstores here on Cape Cod, ones I am sad I hadn't discovered years ago. My Favorite:

Titcomb Bookshop was started in an abandoned barn in the late 60's. It is now three stories of new, used, and hard to find books. They host book clubs, have an active schedule of signings, and are always friendly and willing to help. I stop every time I drive by now, often leaving with a book I never would have picked up had the manager not suggeted it.

So what's your favorite bookstore or are you a digital type or reader?

Nervous Energy

2011-06-01T04:50:00.000-07:00

Revisions done, long overdue beta reading mid-process, and only three precious more weeks of school. The garden is planted, the bathrooms cleaned, and the lawn reseeded. This weekend the boat got washed and waxed and hauled out to the dock. Most of the tourists have left until Friday and my son has completed is four-day baseball game stretch.

AND NOW I'M BORED!

See this is what I do when I am in a holding pattern . . . waiting for notes and submission plans from Ginger. I suppose I could crack open one of my three WIP's or polish up my completed YA contemporary to shoot her way. But that would require me thinking creatively; and in the back of my mind, I have the unspoken need to keep all my creative energy welled up in case Fatum (aka Atlas-F) needs another round of revisions.

Any ideas on how to stay this crazy amount of nervous energy I have screaming through my system? I could start baking incessantly, but it is too hot to turn the oven on. I could clean the grout with a toothbrush, or perhaps I should start reading. Read anything good lately?

AARGH . . . Summer

2011-05-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

So we are at the start of a three day weekend. For most people that means the start of summer, some well deserved down time, maybe even some yard work. To me, and all the other people who live on Cape Cod, it means tourists and loads and loads of traffic.

It's only Thursday. Last time I checked Friday was still a work day, yet I found myself sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway, surrounded by out of state plates. It took me 25 minutes to go 1.5 miles. 1.5 flipping miles! So in advance of all the tourists waiting to invade my space, here's a little recap of the things that annoy me the most. And yes we can be snarky around here. It's not that we don't like you, we're just naturally sarcastic.

~ A round-about is just that . . . something you drive around. Do not attempt to back up should you miss your exit. Simply drive around the circle again and pay better attention.

~ Do not stop me in the supermarket to ask me where the best place to view whales is. I will, not so politely, tell you to try the ocean . . . say five miles off shore.

~ There is no tunnel to the Cape. There are two bridges or you can swim. Those fake tunnel passes you see on our cars are indeed a joke . . . at your expense.

~ If you slip your boat onto my mooring while I am out fishing, I can guarantee it won't be there when you get back.

~Following up on that note . . . the dock at the end of my yard is not, I repeat NOT for public use. Do not tie up to it, do not use my hose to wash the fish scales of your boat, and for the love of God do not disembark your vessel and knock on my back door seeking directions.

~Reident parking is just that . . . for residents. If you have New Jersey plates, I'm guessing you don't live here.

~And lastly, quahogs and clams ARE NOT the same thing.

On that note. Welcome to summer. Feel free to come play with me on Cape Cod. I really am actually a nice person . . . just ask my critique partners :)

The Hand Off

2011-05-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

My most recent creation, Fatum, was co-authored. I went into it with an open mind, fully anticipating a few creative differences along the way, never daring to imagine the ease with which the partnership has flowed. Aside from having an amazingly talented writer in my corner, I now have a constant cheerleader, a motivator, and someone to auto check your grammar (which for me is huge). There is somebody constantly pushing me to finish up a scene, someone to bounce my crazy ideas off of, and someone to reign that often dark imagination of mine in.

But today, I hit the jackpot in benefits. "REVISION MASTER"

See Lindsay and I hit revision mode, a set of minor tweaks to an already thorough pre-submission edit we accomplished last week. Editing 260 pages can seem like a daunting process, and after a few reads, everything blurs into one jumbled mess of words. That's when I hand it off with a little tracked comment about how I can't get this sentence to flow or how I am sick of looking at the same character flaw, but am at a loss at how to fix it. She picks it up, her brain in sync with mine, and polishes it, takes what I was struggling to get out and pours it onto the page with relative ease. I find myself eternally grateful, often relieved, and sometimes a tad bit jealous of her skill :)

The give and take we have is invaluable and has made the revision process not only quick, but actually enjoyable. What would have taken me weeks on my own, we have accomplished in mere days without so much as even a minor freak out.

So what about you, what do you find most valuable about your critique partners when faced with revisions?

Tunnel Vision

2011-05-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

My poor neglected blog has fallen prey to my revision-mode, tunnel vision. I used to be a great multitasker, could create lists in my head and tick the items off as I moved long. Lately it seems I like I have a mind for only one thing, which unfortunately means everything else has fallen by the wayside. Some of my writer friends think I simply need to transfer that list from my brain to a piece of paper, providing me with a visual reminder that won't go away. I disagree; I think the solution is more caffeine!

So I am off to make my third pot of the day. If that doesn't work . . well then there is always chocolate-covered espresso beans. I hear the carry quite the kick!

Filp Flop

2011-05-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

After some amazingly funny and curious emails, I thought I would address the befitting comment my writing partner, Lindsay, left on my blog regarding Flip Flop. First off, although appropriately named for my situation, Flip Flop does not refer to the stressful, yet thrillingly overwhelming decision process one is forced to wade through when dealing with multiple offers of representation. Nor does is it a reference to the grueling choice I made to switch agents. It is simply the name of the Cabernet Sauvignon I indulged in the night I finally got up the courage to query our top three dream agents.

For those who are following my new “buy the bottle because you like the name” phase in wine drinking, I have since switched to a lovely Chardonnay called “Beach House” Here’s to hoping that it’s hidden meaning will afford me a publishing contract big enough to secure said beach house. Yeah . . not holding my breath for that one.

Writing, Laundry, & Carpools

2011-05-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother’s Day to all my blogging friends out there. Here is to an entire year of juggling kids, carpools, and massive amounts of laundry all while trying to crank out the next great novel! I have three of them, and they have been my inspiration, the constant prod I need to stay on track; and, being that two of mine are teenagers, some amazing raw material for my YA characters!

When the Unimaginable Really Happens!

2011-05-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

We all pour every ounce of our creativity into our writing; spend hours second-guessing word choices, triple checking for comma splices, and reading and re-reading critiques. When we think it is perfect, we draft a query, curse the necessity of a synopsis, then hit the send key. If you are like me, you send to a handful of agents just to test the water, never daring to contemplate sending that 250 word letter to your three or four dream agents. Then some how, after a little well-deserved help from a bottle of Merlot you pull the trigger, send that bugger to the top three agents on your list, the ones you never dream about snagging.

Then you wake up five days later with a note saying, send me the full. You stare at it, wonder what the waiter slipped into your food last night, absolutely refusing to believe this could be anything more than a mistake. Still, holding out for the impossible, you send it along and pray to every know deity that she likes it.

Three days later there is a note in your inbox requesting a call, which you sweat through because you are too stunned to formulate a coherent sentence. You sign the contract, put your faith is the US postal service that it will get there unharmed, and pick up the phone, call your writing partner and scream “Holy Crap, did we just snag Ginger Clark . . . GINGER CLARK!”

Then you get in the car, drive to the store in search of that same exact bottle of Merlot that gave you the confidence to shoot that query off in the first place, and send up a virtual toast to your co-author. Wow GINGER CLARK! Still can’t quite wrap my head around that one.

An Amazing Opportunity & A Heartfelt Thank You

2011-05-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I tend to go dark, my online presence virtually non-existent from time to time. Those of you who know me well understand that this only occurs when I am faced with a decision that utterly consumes my mind. This may be related to marketability, story arch, or character revisions. In this case, it was a much bigger decision, one that had me excited and terrified all at the same time.

Early this winter, I co-authored a book with a great friend and talented writer, Lindsay Currie. It is a genre neither of us had ever played in but both quickly loved – YA Speculative Fiction. Fatum is gritty, written from the male POV, and explores how the real evil is in the way everyone loses their humanity in the face of survival. That book, the one that I feel in love with from the first chapter, is now represented by the amazing Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown.

I am excited, terrified, and a little anxious to dive into her suggested revisions. But before I do that, I owe two people a debt of gratitude. They listened to be churn this decision over in my head for the past few days, never once telling me to shut up. They were my sounding board, the impartial parties that helped me lay out all my agent choices and align the pros and cons. There were emails, and phone calls, and in the end a heartfelt “trust yourself, you know what to do.” So Mary Waibel and Becky Wallace, thank you for your support, your confidence in my writing, and a week of virtual hand holding.

Jaded

2011-04-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Another day, another A-Z challenge post.

J is for Jaded.

I have a fair amount of writer friends circling the query and submission drains, trying to read way too much into a form rejection. (Shh . . . but I am not the exception here. I live in that drain!) Publishing is a hard business to wrap your mind around, one that is filled with more set-backs and more rejections then it is acceptance.

I remember my first rejection, a simple "thanks for the look, but the project is not right for my list" kind of note. It stung like a b#%*h. The second, the third, heck the twelve rejection rolled in not long after, and I was tempted to close myself off, become impervious to the pain of rejection. It sure would have been easier for my ego, but it would have killed my writing.

How you say? How did getting all riled up about a rejection . . . how did the well of tears help my writing? Simple. I took all that emotion, the joy of getting a request to the bitter sting of the eventual "no thank-you" and poured it into my characters. I infused them with every ounce of emotion I had, letting my pain flow through them and onto the pages. It worked, and not only did I stay sane through out the entire process, but I created characters with a depth that went deeper then the black ink scribbled on the page.

So although it is easy to become jaded in this creative field, I beg you not to. Use the roller coaster of emotions to your's and your character's benefits. Channel your anger, your frustration, your joy into them and you will be amazed at what you can create.

Itchin'

2011-04-11T04:46:00.000-07:00

Monday means another round of A-Z challenge posts, starting off the week with the letter I.

I is for itchin'

Not the kind you get after you weed the strawberry patch in the garden to find out those weeds were poison ivy. Or when you wake up covered in hives because you hadn't realized the fancy restaurant put lobster in their baked stuffed shrimp topping. Nope, this is the kind of itching you get when your manuscript is near completion and you spend countless hours a day researching agents to query. Or when you type "The End" and seriously contemplate sending out just one query "to test the waters" rather then wait for your critique partners to ring in.

No matter what stage of the writing process we are in, whether we are finishing the first draft of our first novel or working on revision, we all struggle with need to just hit the send button. Call that the hopeful side of us writers! But trust me on this one, don't do it.

Hacked Up

2011-04-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

Quick A- Z Challenge Post today as it is the first relatively warm day we've had here in a while, and the outdoors is calling me.

H is for Hacked Up, which is the state my current manuscript -- Inside Out. At last revision count, I had lost two characters, added a completely new one, changed not only the time frame, but also the setting, and was in the midst of re-creating my MC.

How about you -- what stage are your WIP's in?

Green Monster

2011-04-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

A to Z challenge -- G is for the Green Monster!

As spring approaches and baseball seasons kicks into high gear, I wanted to introduce you all to one of our most revered, most treasured local landmarks. The Green Monster

Constructed in 1934, this 37-foot, two-inch high wall is 240 feet long, and continues to be a popular target for right-hand batters at Fenway Park. It is the tallest wall in all the Major League fields, and notorious for preventing home runs that would clear the walls of other ballparks. Now that is what we call home-field advantage!

photo attributed to Aidan C. Siegel.

Profanity in YA

2011-04-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

It is F- day on the A to Z Blogger Challenge, and I am, yet again, about to post about a controversial subject. Perhaps that should be my personal theme for this month long challenge -- Controversy. But if it gets us writers talking to each other . . . brainstorming about different POV's and writing styles, then I am all for it. So her it goes.

F is for F#*!

Alright, so the use of the f-bomb has been a source of a lot of discussion lately when it comes to YA writing. The opinions run the gamut from totally unacceptable in any form to if it fits with the character's situations and the general direction of the dialogue, then it is okay. I have seen published authors, agents, even editors chime in on this issue and the consensus seems to be that so long as it is not tossed into the ms merely for shock value, then it works.

I tend to agree, but I should qualify that by saying that all genres lend themselves to "language." Would I toss a crap-load of profanities into a fairy tale or even a YA romance? Probably not. Would I ever put them into a MG or Faith-based novel? Hell no! But a dark, contemporary Dystopian or an edgy YA Contemporary -- well if written right and placed appropriately, then the profanities can actually aid you in character development, give the reader a glimpse of the character's internal struggle with some insurmountable, external force.

So weigh in guys, what is your take on profanities in YA literature?

Double Hit Today

2011-04-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

Due to the crazy chaos I call life, it appears as though I have neglected to blog about the letter D in the A-Z challenge. So today is a two for one special.

D is for Decisions. Writers are faced with what often seems like an insurmountable number of creative decisions on a daily basis. Which plot road to travel, which line to cut, which character to fatally flaw, which agent to choose, which piece of beta advise to take and which to toss aside. Heck, even the names of our manuscripts and blogs can wreak havoc on our muses. So here is to the thousand and one little writing decisions that take our manuscripts from fantastic to extraordinary!

E is for Envy. That little green headed monster that rears his ugly head every now and then. Come on, you know exactly what I mean. That post from a fellow writer that says she got a request for a partial when the same agent rejected you two days ago. The announcement that your CP's book has sold in a two book deal when yours is still circling the submission drain. The one that has you questing your writing skills and swearing at your computer. It is that same devilish monster that makes us write better, faster, and with more passion then we ever thought possible. He may drive me to the brink of sanity and back on a regular basis, but I have envy to thank for pushing me harder and for making me a better writer.

Controversy

2011-04-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

Third installment of the A to Z challenge is going to be quick and easy.

C is for Controversy . . . which apparently my post on banned books caused! S'okay. I am used to it. As a YA contemporary author, I am frequently in the thick of controversy. How my profanity is too much in YA literature? Is the sex too gratuitous? Are the issues to heavy? The list goes on and on and on and on . . .

Banned Books -- Seriously?

2011-04-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here is my second, and overly heated, blog post for the A to Z challange. I apologize in advace for the tone, but I was peeved when I wrote it.

B is for banned . . . as in books.

I have blogged about this issue before, but yet again it seems to keep popping back up. My teenage daughter goes to a small parochial school that prides itself on academic excellence. There classes are structured, the expectations clearly laid out, and the teaching staff is highly credentialed. My only complaint – they censor what the kids can read.

They kids are required to carry with them a pleasure reading book at all times, a useful tool to keep the them occupied while waiting for other students to finish assignments. Without fail, I get a phone call at least twice a month questioning my daughter’s reading choices. Funny, of all the parents in the school, it is me who always gets tagged. Perhaps if I told them I was a writer . . . that half the books they have pulled out of my daughter’s hands I had beta read before they were sold, they would change their tune. Then again, probably not.

Yesterday I got a call from the front office requesting I pick up my daughter’s book. The literary offender – a popular, best-selling YA Shape Shifter novel that has a tiny bit of sex in it. So I put on a smile, walked into the office, and asked for the book back. Then I handed it back to my daughter and told her to go back to class. I then, not so eloquently, told he administration that I . . . I, not they, would determine what was appropriate reading material for my daughter.

Smart man he was slapped down what appeared to be a print out from the authors website indicating that the content (sex and language included) was geared towards the teenage audience. Fantastic, because my daughter is fourteen . . . FOURTEEN! She is a teenager. He didn’t take to kindly to my comments so I was forced to remind him that To Kill a Mockingbird (a book that I love and think all teenagers should read) was required summer reading this past year. This same book, incidentally, which has been the source of much controversy and has been banned form several school reading lists. Hmm . . ban a multi-million dollar author but give them to "To Kill a Mockingbird." Good choice!

So where do we stand . . . not sure, but you better believe I am loading my daughter up with “inappropriate” YA Vampire books for school next week!

Mother Nature's little Prank!

2011-04-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today is April 1^st and Mother Nature has delivered her own version of a prank. Snow. Frickin’ snow! In April! On a more positive note, it is the first day of the A-Z Blogger challenge. So here is the first of 26 posts, beginning with the letter A.

A is for Advise

I seem to be asking for and receiving a lot of it these days, offering little in return. I am usually the calm and steady core, the one who can look at any manuscript and see it from beginning to end, write it without hesitation or fear. But I have hit a stumbling block lately, and that steady core I rely on has come for you, my writer friends. So thanks for the advise, support, and hand-holding. I promise, if the time comes when you ever need a cheerleader, I’ll be right there, nudging you along.

Revision Wars

2011-03-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my blog silence lately and promise to make the rounds and see what all of my writing friends are up to this afternoon. My excuse -- my Muse and my highly-organized list of needed edits have been at war, neither one giving quarter. It is like a constant argument streaming through me head. My muse weeping "you can't cut that scene," while her nemesis of an editorial list laughs back "I'll do more than cut the scene, I'll kill the entire character."

So whose winning? Hmm . . . not sure yet; we are at a virtual standstill.

The Edge of the Writing Cliff

2011-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Late Tuesday afternoon, the long-awaited revisions on my YA contemporary popped into my inbox. I opened it up, read it, and let out a not so eloquent HUH? Confused and more then a bit terrified, I did the only logical thing. I restarted me email and pushed the send and receive button, convinced I had misread the suggested revision . . . that the real one was just lost out there in cyber-space. Unfortunately not!

I then proceeded to walk to the edge of that cliff us writers are so familiar with, the one that screams “you can’t do this” at us from a million miles below. I promptly hurled myself over the edge and got stuck halfway down. That someone that broke my fall – my amazingly patient and brilliant agent.

With nothing more then a calming “I have faith in you,” she led me back up the side of the mountain and away from the edge. She tossed some ideas out at me, gave me a beginning and an ending point, then told me if I got stuck anywhere along the road just to shout out. She’d come back to my elusive cliff and help me plot out that perplexing scene or figure out my characters next move. So although that cliff still looms in the distance, my agent has single handily erected a concrete wall around the edge of it and plastered a no-trespassing sign.

We have all hit that point in our writing career at on time or another . . . that place in our subconscious that has us wanting to simply give up. Who do you turn to then? Who walks you back from that ledge?

Nervous, Excited, and a Little Bit Apprehensive

2011-03-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

As writers, I think we are prone to feeling the extremes of emotions, whether in our own lives or in that of our characters. I'm not the exception, however I am not used to feeling them all at the same time. See, I am getting a second round of edits back from my agent on my YA contemporary, "Inside Out." Although I am anxious and excited to dive back in, I am a little bit . . . well . . . terrified. What did she like? What did she hate. Is she going to ask me to cut my favorite scene, the one I spent three days and hell of a lot of coffee perfecting? Round and round these questions go, the answers just a few days out of reach.

So for my followers, I apologize in advance for my lack of tantalizing posts these next few days as I pour every ounce of my creative energy into making this book Stellar. And for my trusted bet readers, here's your notice. Come Tuesday, I'm going to need you help sorting through this next batch of revisions. Without you, I couldn't have made it through the first round.

Hidden Truths

2011-03-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

I've been notoriously tight-lipped about my co-authored MS FATUM, but it's no secret that this particular project has occupied most of my thoughts since the day my writing partner and I began writing it.

Today, Lindsay and I are launching our new joint site entitled Hidden Truths and there is a blurb about FATUM as well as a tour of our MC Jake's bedroom. The site is dedicated solely to our co-authored projects, and it undoubtedly has a much darker, edgier feel to it than my everyday blog. Just consider it the site where I get to let my dark side come out and play!

The URL is http://www.veritasoccultus.blogspot.com/ - please head over there when you have the chance and take a peek around. If you really want to see me do a happy dance, leave a comment or follow. Thanks guys and have a great weekend!

Hurry Up and Wait

2011-03-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Alexandre Dumas Pere once said: "All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope."

Well writing friends, it appears as though I have the hoping part down to a science. It's the waiting that is driving me slowly insane!

The Emotional Writer

2011-03-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

I have been accused of being an emotional writer -- one who lets my everyday emotions seep into my characters lives. I totally, 100% agree. If something happens in my life to toss me off balance, then my MC gets thrown a curve ball. When I am happy, my characters succeed; when I am pissed, they get brutalized.

I am not sure this is a bad thing. It allows me to infuse my manuscript with heart-felt and intense emotion. Some of my best scenes, some of my most memorable lines have come out of a writing tear I was utilizing to vent. Conversely, so hasn’t some of my worst stuff.

So what about you? Does your writing . . . do your character’s paths mirror your emotions?

Overdue Thanks

2011-03-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

So I have been a little remiss in accepting my blog awards and thanking those amazing authors who generously bestowed them on me. I wish I had an over-the–top, earth-shattering excuse for my lateness, but alas, I don’t . . . just preoccupied with my writing. Anyhow, a giant thanks to A. Grey and Shari for presenting me with the stylish blogger award.

So now for the fun part. Seven things about me that you probably never wanted to know:

1. I am heavily addicted to caffeine, and I do mean heavily. I have got a seven cup a day plus a hand full of chocolate-covered espresso beans a day habit.

2. I always, without fail, have three manuscripts/ WIP's going at once.

3. I have a photographic memory when it comes to plots, character relationships, and settings. My CP’s joke about it, frequently referring to it as my mental white board.

4. None of my friends, save one, know that I write.

5. I can gut and fillet a fish with amazing precision and speed.

6. As the daughter of a copy editor, I have amazing grammar skills, but refuse to correct it when I beta read. Not because I am mean or cruel, I just hate grammar and anything related to it.

7. The phrase “little prick” appears in everyone of my manuscripts. In fact, my long-standing beta readers see it has a little game of hide-and-seek, often emailing me the second they find it.

Now I have the honor of passing this award on to a few great bloggers. So here they are; be sure to check out their blogs . . . they are some of the most talented, friendly, and encouraging writers I have ever met.

Lindsay Currie -- What can I say, with out you, I would have packed it in a long time ago!

Natalie Bleach -- She has had the task, or should I say the unfortunate experience, of having to sift through all my manuscripts

Sarah Ketley -- A new crusader friend whose blog and tweets have become my daily addiction.

Mary Waibel -- One of the best CP's this side of the Mississippi!

J.L. Jackson -- One of the most talented YA historical fiction writers I have had the pleasure or reading for.

Coming at it From a Completely Different Angle

2011-03-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

I am I between edits right now. That dreaded week where you are awaiting a second round of suggested revisions, but afraid to start something new for fear you won't be able to switch gears back to revision mode. Worse yet is the fear that if I give my muse too much of a hiatus, then the little bugger will go on a permanent vacation.

I expressed this fear to my agent last week and we came up with an idea, one that will keep me creatively busy while reserving my energy for the pending revisions. I have a manuscript sitting on the shelf, one that we both love, but have put aside until the timing is just right. It is written in 1st person POV from my female MC's perspective. I am going to pull it down off the shelve and play around with it, re-write the entire thing from the male protagonist's POV.

Why mess with a manuscript we both already love . . . the one that actually got me my agent? Couple of reasons. It is an in depth project, but not a completely new WIP. The plot is already laid out, the threads interwoven, and the characters fleshed out. The framework is laid, thus no complicated plotting issues to sort out. It will keep me busy and give my muse a creative arena to frolic around in. And lastly, it will be a completely different book, and as she said. "You never know, it could just actually be better!"

Super-Snoop Blogfest

2011-03-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

I love blogfests. They give me an inside peek at some very talented writers I would have otherwise never had the privilege of knowing. Today, I am partaking in Alison Stevens' blogfest . To participate, all you need to do is "describe a setting that tells us something about your character's personality. Characters can be of any age, living in any time or place. But don't tell us about the character, tell us about his or her stuff. We'll get to know the character from what you write." Hop on over to her website and take a look at some of the crazy belongings our characters collect. Oh yes . . and here is mine:

Okay, so Jake’s room is pretty bare, but I will do the best I can to describe it. It is about ten by ten, the walls made of thee-inch concrete. A steel reinforced door, that is too heavy to maneuver, blocks his room off from the hallway beyond. A double, well-worn mattress rest on the floor, no sheets just a few stained quilts protecting him from the protruding springs. Three empty milk crates double as his dresser and a storage closet for his ammunition. An old, wooden cable spool serves as a table where two mason jars of water and a half-empty can of rotten peaches sit. There is a pile of holed jeans and gray t-shirts crumpled in the corner, his rain-washed socks hanging on the wall to dry.

On his sheet-less bed lays a baseball, smudged and well worn, a matching glove, and a journal. The floor is covered with pencil shavings and old newspapers. Dead center of the room is a rusted-out half barrel, a smoldering fire just beginning to die out. Next to that fire pit are three knives, two dull, one sharp and still resting on the stone he drew it across.

So that about sums it up – the entire contents of my mc’s room. Any idea who this kid is or why he is there?

One Stickin' Night!!!!

2011-03-01T05:26:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read yesterday's post, you know for the first time, in what seems like forever, I have nothing on my plate. No WIP to play with, not critiques to finish up, no character plots to untangle. I was in a celebratory mood, looking forward to a few days of well-deserved creative rest.

Well, I made it one stinkin' night!

I woke up this morning, sat down at my computer, and opened up a old ms I had buried away since before Christmas. One I had shelved with no intention of ever coming back to. Guess my muse had other plans for me.

Does this ever happen to you . . . does your muse refuse to shut up at times, even when you are begging him too. And for my new followers, I have posted a picture of my muse. He sits on my desk, glaring down at me, making me write. Damn that chubby, little creep!

Finally Done!

2011-02-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here with a glass of wine in one hand and a crazy, expense brick of cheese in the other. It is a celebration of sorts for me. Tonight is the first night in nearly 13 months that I don't have a WIP to work on. No revisions, no figuring out unexpected character landmines, no untangling plots. It is a surprisingly peaceful feeling.

Last Wednesday, I turned over my Dystopian manuscript to my agent; and just this morning, I sent in the revised copy of my YA contemporary. Now I have a few days of peace before the whole revision process starts again. I toyed with starting a new WIP, but decided against it. I'm going to let my creative mind sit for a while, maybe read a couple of books and catch up on my TV watching time.

Before I do that, though, I need to thank a few people. It's been a crazy couple of writing weeks here, and I would never have gotten through it with my sanity intact had it not been for my amazing Crit. Partners. Not only were they gracious enough to read multiple revisions of the same scenes, but they were always there with a note of encouragement and a gentle nudge. So here's to Lindsay Currie, Mary Waibel, and Becky Wallace. You have made me a better, stronger, and more focused writer!

My Kill List of Words

2011-02-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

I have finished the content editing phase of my revision and have moved on to the tedious task of checking for grammar. After checking for commas, punctuation, and the elusive dangling participle, I check for over-used and unnecessary words. I call it my kill list. I post it every few months in hopes that my awesome writing friends will add to this list, let me know what other words I can safely strip from my now-completely, nicely edited, and ready to be turned back in WIP.

Here it is . . . my kill list:

that
just
like
so
very
really
good
amazing (simply because it is overused and there are so many other more exciting adjectives I could use)
well
if
when
as (although I tend to be a bit more liberal with this than some authors :))
then/than
but

Why I Keep my Dirty Little Secret

2011-02-25T06:57:00.000-08:00

Why I don't tell most people I know that I write . . . as it was poetically put to me over a cup of coffee this morning in Boston:

"Ahh . . . really. You know I am a fantastic typist. I used to be a secretary you know. Perhaps I should write a book. I mean how hard could it actually be."

My response, puncutatied with a forced but polite smile

"Best of luck with that!"

Outsmarted by a Twelve Year Old!

2011-02-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

I finally did it -- today I created a facebook page. I know, I am only what . . five, maybe ten years behind the eight ball! In fact, I had to harness the technical brain power of my twelve-year-old son to show me how to import my address book into the contact/friend request folder. At least I can say I've raised a technically savvy kid.

I understand the value of platform building and stand behind social networking as a way to do that. I blog pretty regularly and have been known to Tweet on occasion. But facebook . . . I have avoided that like the plague. I'm not quite sure were that aversion stems from. Perhaps it is rooted in the fact that there are a few high school and college friends I wish NOT to reconnect with. LOL I have been pretty good about keeping my blog ramblings and followers confined to us writers, but facebook seems to be more public, like I am opening myself up to everybody and anybody that I may have known . . . past, present, or future.

I am curious to hear whether my writer friends think a strong social network is key to platform building and what ones you use regularly.

Connecting the Dots

2011-02-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

I am in the midst of hacking-up my YA Contemporary. I received a list of suggested revisions from my agent back in December, all of which I nodded at, thinking it’d be no problem. I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I thought would be a tiny little tweak in timing and setting has sent ripples the size of tidal waves though my manuscript.

I got to page 109 (it’s 261 pages long) with no problem, then hit a wall. . . a gigantic, steel-reinforce wall that you couldn’t even scale in a video game. Last night, I got tired of staring at that same page, so I flipped to the end, figuring if I couldn’t move forwards, then I’d work my way backwards.

What do you know, by the time I went to bed I’d re-written the three ending chapters, encompassed a new thread, and closed one of the circles I had added in the beginning. Today I think I’ll peek at page 110. If I still can’t move past it, then I’ll move to the end again and start connecting the dots.

So what do you guys do when a revision has you stalled out?

Taking a Breather

2011-02-18T05:18:00.000-08:00

When the end of a WIP draws into sight, I have a habit of kicking into overdrive, spending every spare minute, thinking, writing, and tweaking my manuscript. I will stay up until two in the morning playing with the wording, checking for spelling, and trying for the umpteenth time to get that phrase "just right."

I hit the end two days ago, sent the manuscript off to my agent, and had every intention of circling back to a WIP she'd sent me revisions on. I've thought about the changes it needs, talked it out with my critique partners, even went back to my agent to makes sure I wasn’t deleting a thread she thought should stay. Then nothing! Haven’t written, tweaked, or opened the WIP in two days. In fact, this post is the first “writing orientated” thing I’ve done since hitting my email’s send button on Wednesday morning.

I say I've hit a wall, that there is only so much creativity I can drum up before my muse says ENOUGH! My husband disagrees, says that I am just taking a breather . . . a few days of non-writing activities is all I need to get my head back in the game.

I think he is right. Last night I had my laptop set up on top of the dryer, IMing while folding towels. In that brief, five-sentence interaction I figured it out, a small, not-so-insignificant scene that was holding my revisions up. I’d been staring at that WIP since December, had written an entire NEW ms rather then deal with the revision, and in a brief minute-long internet chat, I’d figured it out . . . over fabric softener and warm towels none the less!

Benard Pivot Blogfest

2011-02-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Nicole Ducleroir @ One Significant Moment at a Time came up with this fun and easy blogfest. You simply have provide your own answers to Bernard Pivot’s famous questionnaire! Thanks Nicole. I've had an amazing time seeing what makes our writing friends tick!

What is your favorite word?

Well barring words that are not suitable for little ears, I would say my favorite word has got to be haphazard.

What is your least favorite word?

Hmm . . . this is easy for me. I despise, utterly detest the word gingerly!

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Two things. Chocolate Covered Expresso Beans kick my mind into action, enabling me to harness the rapid fire of thoughts that flow through my brain on any given day. To still and focus me, I use rocks. I have two sitting on my desk at any given time that if roll through my fingers.

What turns you off?

Sugar substitutes. I got to have the real ting.

What is your favorite curse word?

"Little prick." It is used in all of my manuscripts and has become a running joke between me and my beta readers. They email me back the instant the find it.

What sound or noise do you love?

Woodpeckers -- Their rhythmical drumming is predictable and soothing,

What sound or noise do you hate?

Gunfire in video games. Unfortunately I have a 12 year old son, so I either need to invest in ear plugs or accidentally break the X-box.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I always wanted to try my hand at creating the Christmas display in the front window of Macy's. Unfortunately, I have horrible taste!

What profession would you not like to do?

Bus driver. I can't stand my own kids making a lot of noise in the car. I doubt I'd be able to handle forty of them screaming.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Where the hell have you been? Then I would sit down and hash out my life with him over a huge cup of coffee.

Finished!

2011-02-15T04:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a huge day for me. It wasn't filled with romantic gestures such as flowers and expensive bottles of champagne. I wasn't treated to a fancy dinner or swept off my feet by my adoring husband. Nope. I actually cooked a meatloaf, fed the kids, and settled in for a movie around 10pm. I vacuumed, washed the kitchen floor, even managed to grab a cup of coffee with a friend in between preschool pick-up and swim lessons. So what made this seemingly ordinary day fantastic -- I finished a WIP.

At 10:32 am I wrote the last word, of the last chapter, of my WIP Fatum. Surprisingly, it wasn't filled with regret or the feeling of it all being over. I am oddly calm about this WIP, have moved on the the Synopsis, and plan to send it over to my agent on Wednesday. It has been critiqued, and edited, and all the from/form then/than typos corrected.

Now I'm off to think up a new idea!

My Rant -- Apologizing in Advance!

2011-02-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

So I should probably preface this by saying this post relates to absolutely nobody I am currently beta reading for, nor anyone who is following my blog. You seven amazingly talented women who are awaiting pages from me have the most unique, original, and refreshing voices I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Now on with it. I love beta reading. It is a creative outlet that calms the characters constantly screaming for attention in my mind. I love getting back a revised copy to find they have employed a suggested revision – whether it be taking a long complicated sentence and breaking it into two, utilizing commas and correct punctuation, or adding another thread. What I love even more is when my beta readers call me out on the same mistakes I point out in their WIP's LOL! It is a wonderful give and take relationship with a lot of laughs and crazy emails sent back and forth.

What I hate, what absolutely has me seething, is when I see my own content come back at me – entire scenes, dialogue, and descriptive paragraphs taken from one of my manuscripts and interwoven into theirs. First I rant, slam the laptop down, and let out a string of profanities that would make even George Carlin cringe. Then I remember my mom saying that copying is the greatest from of flattery. That calming thought works for about a second before I storm off in a tear again, pouring through boxes that have been sealed up in my attic for over a decade, looking for old law school books and legal briefs I at one time thought were useless academic exercises.

I’m good now, mostly thanks to Lindsay who talked me off that pissed off ledge I was teetering on all afternoon. I took all that anger and tossed it into one of my characters, let him take the punishment for a something that was totally not his fault. It worked, I turned out a rather agessive but not half-bad chapter yesterday.

So what about you guys – ever run into this problem, or does my karma just suck?

The Rise and Fall of the Dystopian Market

2011-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of postulating amongst writers lately about the rise and eventual fall of the dystopian market. I've seen writers talking about shelving half –finished projects for fear that the dystopian market has hit a plateau, while some are just delving in, refusing to be a slave to writing trends. Others are calling for more sci-fi, less soldier-based works that walk the narrow line of possibility.

This topic is of particular interest to me as several of my writer friends are currently neck deep in dystopian projects. No doubt the publishing market is insanely competitive, and your manuscript has to be original in order to stand out from the rest of the slush pile, but that's nothing new. YA Contemporary, Dystopian, Paranormal, Sci-fi . . . no matter what your poison, your WIP needs to be utterly amazing to get the official nod.

So I guess what I am asking is do you think the dystopian market has reached it’s peak? Is the genre so inundated with one particular set of themes that editors are screaming for something original? Maybe the day of the post-war, children-revolting-against-government-control market is saturated, opening the gate for those who write more speculative based dystopian fiction.

Thoughts?

Writing Pet Peeves

2011-02-08T05:38:00.000-08:00

As writers, we all have pet peeves -- those little words, phrases, or character actions that make us cringe each time we read them. I avoid using them in my own writing and have to restrain myself from pointing them out in my critiques. I am curious to here what your writing pet peeves are because what makes one reader flinch, may not bother another at all. Here are a few of mine:

~Female MCs who bite their nails (yeah . . . just yeah.)

~Raised eyebrows and/or narrowing of the eyes (The last two combined made for some pretty tough reading of a certain vampire book for me!)

~The word gingerly . . . especially when reflecting a male's actions (Maybe I'm just hanging out with the wrong group of men, but I have never seen a guy to anything gingerly.)

~Extremely loooooooooong text sequences (I simply don't have the time or the patience to figure out what all those acronyms mean.)

~Drain pipes or trellises strategically placed next to 2nd story windows (first it's predictable; and, second, any parent who puts a structure like that near their teenage daughter's windows, deserves to have them sneak out!)

So that is my list of writing pet peeves. I would love to hear yours!

Play Nice!

2011-02-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

One of my goals this writing year was to become more active in the online writing community, to connect with and mutually support other writers. I've had a blast visiting other writer’s sites, seeing what they are working on and what their writing goals are. I particularly love when they post excerpts from their WIP’s, better yet when they post multiple revisions of the same scenes showing their growth as a writer. But, I always cringe when I hit the comment section. Without a doubt, I come across at least one blog post a day where someone has left a comment about the author's WIP that is less than encouraging.

I have writing skin like an armadillo, mostly because I grown comfortable with my style, have developed the ability to filter out unhelpful comments, and have an amazing group of writing friends to bounce those crazy comments off of. That said, it takes an enormous leap of faith to put yourself out there, open yourself up for comments on something you are writing. As writers ourselves, I think we should commend their efforts, give them a well-deserved pat on the back, and point out the positives in the scenes they have chosen to share.

Now I know a lot of people may believe otherwise, that if you post a snippet of your WIP then you should expect criticism in return. But folks, there is a huge difference between constructive criticism and discouraging remarks. Maybe it is just me, but I always ALWAYS try and find something positive to say.

So how about you? Do you think posting a scene from a WIP is an open invitation for commenters to tear down your work or do you take the point out the positives road like me? And for those of you looking to connect with other writers, head on over to Rachel Harrie’s site. She is hosting her 2^nd annual Writers' Platform-Building Crusade. It is a great way to connect and support fellow writers!

Favorite Lines

2011-02-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Horror/Science Fiction Movie Quotes Blogfest hosted by Ellie Garratt.

I am not a fan of Horror Flicks, but I came across this blogfest and couldn't help but join in! I never saw the value in half-dressed women, wearing insanely short-shorts and water-drenched, white t-shirts, running around in circles as their boyfriends get hacked to pieces. My husband however is obsessed with them. In fact, just last month, I asked him to please order me a more female friendly movie from Netflix. Yeah . . . two days later Massacre on Sorority Row appeared in my mailbox. That said, there are a few movies, mostly classics, that have permanently impacted my ability to sleep. Here are ten of my favorite horror flick quotes. What are yours?

Children of the Corn: “And He Who Walks Behind The Rows did say, "I will send outlanders amongst you: a man and a woman. These outlanders will be unbelievers and profaners of the holy. But they will sorely test you, for they have great power, even greater than that of the Blue Man!”

The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Halloween: “There's no boogey man, and if you don't stop all this, I'm gonna have to turn off the TV and send you to bed.

Jaws: "I can swim... I just can't walk or dress myself."

Nightmare on Elm Street: "I had a hard on this morning when I woke up, Tina, it had your name written all over it."

The Silence of the Lambs: “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

Poltergeist: “The questions you want to know are inside that light.”

Friday the 13^th VI: “I’ve seen enough horror movies to know any weirdo wearing a mask is never friendly.”

Scream: "Movies don't create psychos, they make psychos more creative"

Dawn of the Dead: “When there is no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.”

You've Come a Long Way Blogfest

2011-02-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

Today Christine Hardy is hosting a blogfest -- You've Come a Long Way Baby. It's a day where we get to go back and take a peek at some of our first writing attempts, see for ourselves just how far we have come as writers. Unfortunately you, my readers, have to suffer through a very poorly written scene. But fear not, I will reward you with a re-write, one that shows I too have come a long way.

So here it is, a scene for the very first manuscript I ever wrote -- Seven Shades of Crazy.

Scene one -- start of chapter 5

I don’t know how long we sat out there on the back lawn talking and I didn’t remember falling asleep. I did remember the warmth of his arms around my shoulder, the way my head fit perfectly into the crook of his neck; the scent of his soft smooth skin as I curved my body closer to his.

I also did not remember how I had gotten into my bed; my quilt tucked around me so tight it as hard to move. He must have carried me I concluded. I woke up oddly content and startled at the same time. I quickly peeked underneath the covers.

Oh thank God; fully clothed in the same attire I had on yesterday. I didn’t really expect otherwise but the visual confirmation was still a relief.

Same scene -- middle of chapter 11 (that will give you some idea of the major overhaul this ms went through lol!)

The twisting knot in my stomach was the same one from last night, and I had to swallow hard, past the point of nausea to breathe. Crawford still hadn’t kissed me, or not the way I expected or wanted anyway. His lips had found the top my head and the soft, ticklish skin at the base of my neck more than a dozen times in the past three days, but they’d never met my lips. I tried, turned my head so my cheek rested on the plane of his chest, stared up into his eyes.

I’d thought I won when he traced my lips with the pad of his thumb. I concentrated on the sound of his heart beating against my cheek and waited for the painfully tantalizing moments of anticipation to pass. I matched my breathing to his and relaxed. Too much apparently. I don’t recall him closing the distance, or his lips mingling with mine I remember his fingers teasing in the hair at the back of my neck calling to me, lulling me into sweet, blissful unconsciousness.

“Idiot,” I mumbled, stretching to free myself from the cocoon of the quilt he tucked around me.

I was up, my feet on the hard wooden floor in search of a cold shower and some insightful way to apologize to Crawford for falling asleep when I saw the note

What Happens When Two Pansters Collaborate on a Book?

2011-02-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I write across three genres – YA contemporary, Sci-fi, and Dystopian. The YA contemporary and Sci-fi manuscripts are all mine, but when it comes to writing Dystopian, I rely on the equally dark mind of my amazing writing partner, Lindsay. Problem is, we are both pansters. Either one of us could tell you where our manuscript starts and where it will end, but as for the stuff in the middle, we have no clue until we actually write it.

So how does that work – two non-plotters collaborating on a book? Surprisingly, with great ease. It's when we start drawing out our chapter maps that mayhem ensues!

Sunday night we skyped for about an hour, had the entire next chapter planned out and ready to be written. It was the first time in some 40,000 words that we actually had a solid plan, and I felt pretty good. You know what happened – nothing. We stewed and wrote, and revised, and deleted, and rewrote for the better part of two days trying to figure that darn chapter out. Why was it so hard? Because we planned it out. Both of us felt confined to the parameters we had set for the chapter, boxed in with a set beginning and end with no room for creative freedom. Once we threw the plan out, agreed to write whatever came regardless of where it led us, the words flew out and the entire chapter came into shape.

So no more plotting for us, or at least me. We are going to stick to the plan that works . . . which incidentally is no plan at all!

It's Not a Race!

2011-02-03T05:44:00.000-08:00

I recite this sentence to myself at least twice a day as I am shuffling between manuscripts, editing one while finishing up two others. I think as writer's we put these crazy, and often unnecessary, deadlines on ourselves, thinking that we HAVE to get this to the agents now or we will miss the next big trend. Publishers are buying this sub-genre now, so quick . . . finish that draft and get it out.

We don't. It's. Not. A. Race. We need to take time not only to master our craft, but to enjoy it, to savor every word we type out. So today, as I look at a completed manuscript I have hacked into an unrecognizable pile of crap, that sentence is going to become my mantra. If it takes me days, weeks, even months to re-piece the manuscript back together, then so be it, because I am going to enjoy every grueling second of it!

Oh and P.S. -- my baby girl turned 14 today!

No Excuse for Going Dark!

2011-02-02T04:50:00.000-08:00

First, I need to apologize for my long absence from blog posting. What has it been . . . two, maybe three weeks. Nothing earth shattering that has prevented me from attending to this little blog, just life. You know -- kids, carpools, in-laws, and snow, more snow, some more snow, and wait . . . today . . . today it is frickin' ice! Shoveling and snow blowing nearly constantly has my upper arms looking might toned.

Now back to the writing. I wanted to talk about those little quirks that all writers have. The ones that our beta readers always point out; but, no matter how hard we try, it still always seems to happen. Mine is form and from. I accidentally interchange them all the time. I know the difference in meaning and in fact intend to use the right word 100% of the time. My fingers just consistently, and I do mean consistently, type it wrong. It happens so often that at the end of my ms I actually do a search/ edit just for those words.

Curious as to what your little writing quirks are? We all have them;and, trust me, yours are no worse then mine :)

Where Does Your Story Begin?

2011-01-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

I was partaking in a critique group this Saturday with three other writers and the topic of where to begin your manuscript came up. They are reviewing a new Dystopian I am working on and asked why I started the book where I did, why not start the story right before the cataclysmic event to give the reader a better feel for exactly what happened. My answer:

Start your character's journey as close to the end as possible!

Sounds weird, I know. You are probably wondering how I get all the necessary events and character struggles in if I am purposefully condensing my time frame. Doesn’t that cataclysmic event define my charters actions; and, if so, how can I create a dynamic character if I start my manuscript after that poignant event? Simple. I add all that in over the course of 72,000 words.

Well placed back-story in the form of memories, dialogue, and internal reflection all play a part. Rather then what I fondly refer to as “an introductory chapter of stage setting,” toss me in to the thick of it, let me connect with your character’s raw emotion before you explain him or her away.

How Long Does It Take?

2011-01-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

I get this question a lot. How long did it take you to write your first ms? How long and how many times did you revise? How long did it take to find and agent? I usually laugh and toss out me standard, non-committal answer: It Depends.

I am currently in the thick of revisions for my YA contemporary Inside Out and now it is my turn to throw that question back at you. I have given myself 2 months to do a complete overhaul of the book. (Mind you I have specific guidelines and suggestions to employ, so the task is a tad-bit easier). That is roughly 3-4 chapters a week. That gives my amazing critique partners time to read and catch any glaring inconsistencies before I start tearing up the next chuck of chapters.

Are any of you in neck-deep in the revision process? If so, do you have specific target dates you set for yourself and is there a process you follow?

Don't Be Afraid of Me!

2011-01-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

Me or I? Choosing between these two pronouns is a struggle for some writers, including me. Too often writers insert I when the correct word is me. Why? Because the use of I sounds formal, almost stilted, therefore it must be correct, right? Sorry, but no. Formal and stilted does not equate to proper --- just ask the English Monarchy!

My personal Grammar Goddess taught me a quick trick for this one . . . simply remove the other proper noun and use what sounds natural. For example:

Can you take a picture of Sam and I?

Remove the proper noun Sam and you have: Can you take a picture of I.

Doesn’t sound right, and thus the proper phrasing should be: Can you take a picture of Sam and me?

Just one of the many simple tricks I have accumulated in my grammar files. Hope it helps, and have fun writing!

P.S. Don’t be afraid to use myself either! It is a reflexive pronoun that that should almost always be used in conjunction with the pronoun I. It is great way to express emphasis; but, be careful. Most seasoned editors will reject if used as a replacement for me.

My Mental White Board

2011-01-13T04:57:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that I have three, sometimes four, manuscripts going at once. All are written from different POV’s in completely different genres. Yesterday I was asked how I do it . . . how I can switch from one set of characters to another multiple times a day. My answer: Mental White Board.

I am insanely organized. I don’t have a date book or a wall calendar posted anywhere in my house, nor do I use my computers handy post-it reminder system. What I do have is this huge white board in my head, one that not only keeps tracks of appointments and coffee-dates, but has character maps, plot lines, and red-line editing projects clearly drawn out. It is so vivid I can actually smell my imaginary sharpie marker.

When I move from one project to the next throughout the day, I simply shuffle whiteboards . . . toss one to the back while bringing another forward. Do I get ideas for my Sci-fi while I am writing my YA contemporary – very rarely. Does editing the extraneous prose out of my Dystopian make me wonder about the word count of my YA contemporary . . . not at all. See, each one exists within the narrow confines of the box I’ve created for it; my attention solely focused on whichever box I have opened.

Is their a benefit to working on multiple manuscripts at once time? Absolutely . . . you never get stuck! When my muse refuses to cooperate on one project I open another, let her play with that one for a while.

And lastly why? Why in the world would I want to stress myself out with writing, editing, and submitting multiple projects at the same time? The answer to that question is probably the most insightful. See, I am an emotional writer. I can cycle through several moods a day, and my writing has become a reflective outlet. When I am angry and feeling unappreciated, I work on my Dystopian. When I am feeling intelligent and snarky, I open my Sci-fi. And when I feel the need to explain to my teenage daughter that life isn’t as bad as it seems, I crack open my YA contemporary.

So in essence, I work on multiple projects at one time because I have to, because if I didn’t the stress of raising two teenagers and a toddler, of having a husband who commutes from Cape Cod to San Jose, and a volunteer schedule that is unmanagable would drive me insane.

What about you? Any of my fellow writers working on multiple projects at a time?

What do you do when the power goes out?

2011-01-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

There is a snow storm barreling our way. Living out on Cape Cod, it isn't the 12+ inches of snow that will cause us problems; it's the wind and the tides. Losing power is almost a certainty out here, so I have begun my pre-storm preparations.

I didn't go to the store and buy milk and batteries. I'm not baking bread or checking our canned good previsions. Nope, I charging my laptops and washing my favorite pair of cozy pajamas. The printer is spitting out manuscripts of overdue beta reads, and I've pulled out my old dictionary and thesaurus. A major snowstorm means shoveling, traffic, and kids home from for most people. I choose to see it as the perfect opportunity to curl up on the couch with my writing, sip a cup of hot tea from water I warmed over the fire, and watch my kids re-discover board-games.

Stay warm and greetings for a soon-to-be very snowy Cape Cod!

Cutting Your Favorite Line

2011-01-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

I am not a virgin when it comes to editing, nor am I cautious about moving things around. I love my read pen nearly as much as I love my delete button, but that doesn’t mean editing is easy. It’s a grueling task filled with self-doubt, second guessing, and a whole lot of faith.

When I edited Cedar for submission it involved a major revision to one specific character. It was time-consuming, but the scope was defined, my choices narrowed down to one character’s actions and motives. That is not the case with my newest WIP Inside Out.

The revisions to Inside Out are broad sweeping. They involve not only the tweaking of characters, but changes in timing and place. I need to remove entire chapters, delete and re-insert dialogue, and introduce a completely new character. In essence, I have hacked my masterpiece down to the bare bones, massacred its characters, and left them in a weeping pile of messy prose. Now I have to piece it back together, create something even better than the original. It is daunting, scary, and has me questioning every stroke of my pen.

It is times like these that my muse pops her head out, not with astounding dialogue or imaginative ideas, but with advice. I was sitting her last night, staring at a specific phrase, my finger hovering over the delete key afraid to actually take that definitive step. Then I remembered a piece of advice offered to me months back -- “Don’t be afraid to cut your favorite line.”

A good manuscript is not defined by a one amazing sentence, but a combination of characters, and situations, and astoundingly good prose. I have to trust that my other 72,000 words will make up for the seven-word sentence I finally did delete. So how about you -- do love or hate editing?

Comment Challenge -- 2011

2011-01-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

In an effort to connect with more writers, I have signed up for Comment Challenge - 2011. It started yesterday and runs though the end of the month. The goal is to comment on five writer's blogs a day, capping out at 100 posts for the month. It can be any five blogs, new or ones you already followed. I, however, have decided that at least two of my comments a day will be on blogs that are new to me. It's a way for me to connect with more writers, share their accomplishments and setbacks, and hopefully learn a thing or two along the way.

To share my excitement, I want to introduce you to the newly re-vamped blog of an amazing writer friend of mine. Lindsay Currie. We have been critique partners for nearly a year, reading and commenting on every line of every manuscript the other churns out. She has watched me revise, submit, and revise again, offering encouragement and the extra shove I need when I just wanted to pack the whole "writing -thing" up. Go check her blog out, she has some truly inspiring ramblings going on over there!