When a Normal Screw-up Just Won't Do

This is Mr. Wrenchy. He has plans for your characters. Diabolical, horrible, awful, TERRIBLE plans. But there's a condition...you have to throw him.

We writers play a cruel game with our characters. We know what they want, and we know exactly how they can get it. Most of the time, it's pretty simple.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why the author has an endless supply of wrenches we can chuck into any situation.

Wrenches can be big things: Explosions, viruses, death, mayhem. 

Sometimes wrenches are small things: Forlorn look, a careless dismissal during a crisis time, selfishness. 

Wrenches can be subtle, or they can hit your characters upside the head and knock them unconscious for a few days. 

I like to use a mix of the big ones and the small ones. I have a scene in Spark where one of the MCs is trying to convince her dead hubby's spirit to "cross over" and finally be at peace (long story). When she's on the brink of getting him to cross, his attention drifts for a split-second, and his desire to cross is lost. It's a small wrench that has big implications in Book2. 

Characters have to struggle to get what they want. People don't fit into an infinite mold of "will do what you want" and "won't do what you want." There are a lot of factors that play into a person's choices--motivations, personalities, likes and dislikes, and it's up to you, the author, to play with these different aspects to craft appropriate wrenches. 

Lucky 7s

Thanks to the awesome Jackie at Bouquet of Books for choosing me as one of her Lucky 7! Jax is one of my all-time favorite people, so you guys should go visit her beautiful blog here.

Now for the rules for Lucky 7 Meme:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS. (Or a fave book)
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written.
4. Tag 7 authors.
5. Let them know.

I'm currently revising Spark, my urban fantasy crazy-fest. These are seven sentences between MC Riona and Sven, the half-demon who's been in love with her for almost 800 years. Obviously, he effed up.

“I’m going to go to my car,” she said through clenched teeth, “and get my change of clothes, dress, and leave.”

“Riona…”

“And you are going to sit here, alone, and think about what should have happened, as opposed to this…mess.” Riona shuddered with her anger at its boiling point. Sven sat like a scolded animal, eyes boring into the floor with their own heat. She slammed the door behind her for good measure.

The chill of late afternoon air cut through the terrycloth like a hundred little talons. Her back throbbed against her shivering muscles. Demon blood was highly valued in the first and second centuries for its anesthetic properties. The first Trackers hunted these demons, and Reapers like Demaris would make the kill. Reapers and Trackers always worked in teams, side-by-side, sometimes marrying and becoming one hellishly amazing track-and-kill machine. The marriages were rarely borne from love. More or less, they were the logical next step.

That’s how her mother and father were. A team, but not necessarily in love. The system worked for the most part, with or without love. Reapers and Trackers, Rippers and Psychers. Balanced.

The clothes she needed lay neatly in the backseat, a pair of jeans and a pale green button-down shirt. Her shoes had been salvageable, at least, though the dark stains on the leather would never come out. That’s what I get. A ruined $300 suit, ruined $100 shoes, ruined evening, ruined hope… She cursed herself for hoping. That was the one thing she knew never to do.

This time, she closed the door gently as she bee-lined toward the bathroom. Sven chattered lowly on his cell phone, his tone heated, though the words were a jumble. Riona disregarded him and changed, already missing the way the robe wrapped around her like lamb-wool soft wings. The shirt scratched against her wounds, pulling against scabs that would disappear by tomorrow at the earliest. What did it matter if Sven had tried to bind her? She’d been bound to him since that first afternoon so long ago.
 
I've totally already revised this, but the meme says "as is" not "as is revised." So...yeah.

Now for my Lucky 7 ^_^

Laura Diamond @ Laura Diamond Lucid Dreamer

Beckah-rah

Krysten @ The Shadow's Series

Janne @ This Week's Hobby

Landra @ Rise of the Slush

Wilkins McQueen @ Elephants Thailand and China

Jack LaBloom @ Jack LaBloom Romance Writer, Or Maybe Not

Writing a Well-Rounded Villain

You guys know I'm a nerd, so my writing a post about Mr. Freeze won't strike any of you as odd.

I've been thinking a lot about writing in general, and writing villains in particular. A lot of the time, villains end up as \pure eeeeeeevilllllll, and sometimes that works, and sometimes...well... Sometimes I find I want more from my villains.

I love knowing what makes people tick. What drives them to make the choices they make--including the choice to be a total and absolute bastard. I guess it's the psychology of villainy that really gets to me, most notably the idea of a sympathetic villain.

There are tons of versions of Mr. Freeze; that's how the comic book world tends to work for the most part. The version of Mr. Freeze I'm thinking about is the one trying to find a cure for his terminally-ill wife, Nora, whom he has cryogenically frozen until he's successful. Long story short, a stupid rich guy thwarts his plans by demanding an end to Freeze's experiments, and Nora is trapped in a state of suspended animation. An accident leaves Freeze...well, Freeze, and his life of crime begins, all in an effort to find a cure for Nora and get back at the jerkwad who ruined his plans.

Most often, people aren't born evil *unless we're going on a demonic thing here, in which case, yeah, they can be*. A LOT of factors play into crafting a well-rounded villain. Motivation, psyche, past experiences, all of these play into the reasons why your antagonist thwarts your hero at every turn. Instead of sticking a character in your novel to be The Guy who Messes with My Good Guy, try giving him or her a well-rounded backstory and think about the reasons why he's gone down this path. Why is it so important for him to keep the hero from reaching his goals?

Who are your favorite villains? Are they pure eeeeeeevil, or is there something else about them that strikes you?

Learning to tell a story

As writers, I know we're supposed to read a lot. A LOT a lot. If we don't read, we won't be good writers, and that's true. However, I think we're missing a tool that will help us as well--watching movies.

Just like there are a lot of bad books, there are a lot of bad movies. That's a given in any creative pursuit to be honest. Sometimes things work and sometimes they don't. However, while watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night, I realized how important watching movies is to writing.

When you think about it, movies (and for that matter, plays) teach writers about three things: setting a scene, the importance of dialogue and non-verbal cues, and timing. You'll need to hone these skills in order to tell a cohesive and interesting story.

Let's discuss the first one--setting a scene.

This doesn't always require telling about the scenery. A scene consists of surroundings, yes, but it also consists of people, emotions, and relationships. In setting a scene, you're setting the atmosphere. Even if one character is in the current scene, you're setting up for future events, keeping the story moving. Always moving. You're using sensory details--the brush of fabric, scent of flowers or the rain, sounds of people chattering around your character. Write with all your senses, not just what your character is seeing. I know that's been repeated again and again, but there's a reason for that. People don't just experience life by what they see. Lastly, by using relationships, you're helping the reader create a full picture. People interact on a daily basis *most of the time anyway*. Relationships help readers understand character dynamics.

You're setting the scene. You are responsible for helping your reader visualize what's going on..

The second one is probably the most difficult to get right. Dialog can make or break your manuscript because it MUST be believable. If you lose that, then you're going to lose your readers.

Some of the problems I've encountered with dialog:

• Stilted/stiff. People talk like robots. And unless they're robots, this isn't good.
   EX.  "I am going to the store today."
           "You should not go to the store today. It is going to rain."
• Tries waaaaaay too hard to be clever/hip. This ends up just being grating. One of the hardest things to pull off is a hip character, and believe me you will and should spend hours working on this dialog if you choose to use it. The most effortless writing requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
   EX. Most of the conversations on NCIS, especially if they involve DiNozzo.
• Unbelievable. Most people say to write the way you talk. This is all good and well if you're writing a monologue. But what about diverse characters? This is where research comes in, and by research I mean stalking people-watching. Unfortunately you'll have to leave the house for this one.
   EX. Tully is a street-wise ex-gang leader who's decided to get his GED. He is not going to speak like a Harvard scholar. He probably won't use correct grammar, either, not because he's unintelligent, but because that's not how people talk on the streets. There's lingo, phrasing and speech-rhythm to think about.

To craft realistic dialog you'll have to think about those things: lingo, phrasing, and speech-rhythm, ESPECIALLY if your characters are not from your country of origin. Americans don't speak the same way as...well, most Americans, but they also don't speak the same as Brits, Irish, or Germans. Thank God for the internet. You can find transcripts and videos for the style of speech you're looking for, and there's a bevy of websites devoted to lingo and regional colloquialisms.

However, there's also the issue of non-verbal cues. Shifty eyes, fidgiting, hand guestures, that sort of thing. One of my professors said: "When two people are talking, they're not just talking. They're doing other stuff, too." And this is very true. There are facial expressions, gestures, etc. that go into a conversation. And more often, people will say one thing with their voices and say something totally different with their body language. Writing from the senses includes your dialog.

Last is timing. Like comedians, our characters have to have good timing. This means talking over one another, saying that one thing at the most awkward time (especially if you're writing comedy), etc. We're not all polite, so taking turns isn't going to fly in some instances. Arguments especially tend to be heated, with one voice simply trying to overpower the other. This is where everything we've discussed comes in. Emotions, relationships (best friends, antagonist/protagonist, wife and husband, etc), dialog, and non-verbal actions all have a factor in your timing.

I hope this has been helpful, especially since it's taken me like, 3 weeks to write it ;)

In lieu of a real post...

I was cleaning today. Anyone who knows me knows I hate to clean. What they may not know is that I'm also a minor hoarder. I kept a majority of my college papers, and in looking through them, I found a paper my professor gave out in my novel writing class from an editorial intern at an unnamed agency, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Dear Aspiring Authors,

If you decide that your work is ready to be sent to a publisher, for possible publication, please pay attention to the following things. Aside from it being courteous, when you don't piss people off, they have a tendency to be more open to liking your work.

First of all, SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope.) I don't think I need to mention that you should include one -- if you are at all interested in writing and being published, you already know this .But here's a nifty trick -- before you include your SASE, put your manuscript inside it, to make sure it fits. If you send us thirty pages of your query letter and a SASE the size of a regular envelope, it is impossible for us to mail your MS back to you. It is hard and annoying and pisses us off to have to try to squeeze all that paper into an envelope that won't fit it.

Also, while we're on the subject of SASEs... This isn't absolutely necessary, but if YOU write a return address on the envelope, I don't have to. This isn't a major deal, but it does get annoying after mailing out thirty SASEs without return envelopes.

And, BTW? You probably already know this, but if you send more than one query letter and MS, send a SASE with each one, or you'll only get a response for one.

Which brings me to your writing resume. I don't want to see it. The editors don't want to see it. Nobody wants to see it. If you'd like us to know that you've been published in several magazines and your first novel was published by a small press and you're a long-standing member of SFWA, tell me in your query letter One page. One paragraph about you, really. I (or the editors) am not going to be more kindly disposed to your work if you include a two page writing resume detailing your accomplishments and previous jobs involving writing, being editor-in-chief at your local newspaper and teaching/taking a creative writing class at your local college. We barely look at it -- but we will read it in your query letter, if the letter is concise and to the point.

Oh, and in your query letter? I don't need an essay on why you think we should publish your work. A paragraph about your novel, and maybe a line on why you think it's good and for what age, is more than enough. If your work is good, we'll know from your writing. Including a nine page Q&A about your idea will just annoy us. And please, please, please, please, please don't misspell words in your query letter. It kind of undermines the effect you're trying for, you know?

Oh, and make sure you're sending your MS to the right place. I cannot tell you how often we get picture books. We don't not publish picture books. Please stop sending them to us! We will not pass them on to the right place. We will just reject them. The end. Do your research,

Oh, and do not try to sell us on your idea. If the writing is good, that's what counts -- if the writing is crap, I don't care how good your idea is. And please, don't name your main character after the editor you're sending it to and expect that to win points. (You think I am kidding. I am not kidding.)

I think that's all for now.

Yours truly,

[Redacted]
Editorial Intern, upon reading the slush pile

I'm alive!!!

I SURVIVED NANO!

Phew. I have to admit, I didn't think I could do it, since I suck so hard at concentration. But I crossed the finish line a day early.

Is it good? Actually, parts are, yeah. Of course, 50K has shown me that I'll either have to cut my hero's POV down significantly or remove it altogether. There will be other parts to be cut and rewritten and cut again, unless someone wants to read a 200K fantasy novel (or I find suitable places to end for a duet/trilogy). But it was worth it to get the idea bug out of my brain.

So now, I get to finish my Duality edits, finish the first draft of Spark, and while editing Spark, finish this one. I love the idea, love the characters (really love my hero), and can't wait for it all to come together.

Would I recommend NaNo? Well, yes and no. I'm a pantser by heart, but I had some groundwork done for Blade (it really needs a title, y'all) already, so I was prepared. I had mythology, background info, etc, and without it I would have crawled into a hole and rocked back and forth until the nice men in white coats came to take me away. So, if by next November (or any time, since NaNo lives in our hearts always), you have an idea you've tinkered with, laid some groundwork for, wanted to get out of your head, then what better way to see if it is workable than to try NaNo?

I had a lot of fun, a lot of frustration, and a lot of chocolate. But I loved it.

Can't wait for next year!

Oh, so very very mad

OK. This may not be a well-written post. It may not make a lot of sense, being that it's 2AM, I'm exhausted, and I just want to curl into a ball and sleep.

But you see, my loves, I'm angry. I really need to just stop reading things on the internet, but for some reason I keep going. And as a result, found this article: http://ideas.time.com/2011/11/21/the-harsh-bigotry-of-twilight-haters/?xid=gonewsedit&google_editors_picks=true

Yes, you can see it in the title of the article. This isn't a diatribe about how much I dislike Twilight. I think most of you are well aware of that by now. One of the issues I have with the article isn't even in the article itself; it's in the comments.

In defense of the writing (which I've bitched about almost as much as I've bitched about Bella), someone had the ovaries to suggest that it's okay for the writing to be awful because it's "for teens."

I will wait for you to stop throwing things. Don't throw your computer. I have more to say.

I've read a LOT of YA in the last year or so. Some of my close friends write YA. Brilliant YA. Fun YA. Romantic YA.

And they write it well. Incredibly well. There are twists and turns that keep readers guessing. There are love triangles that are fabulously well done (Aiden/Alexandra/Seth from Half-Blood is one of my faves, the other being Zenn/Vi/Jag from Possession). One of my favorite recent romances is Alexi and Percy from The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. There's fabulous writing. There's wit. There's lots of fantabulous goodness that rivals any adult book on the shelves.

So no. It's not okay to think Twlight's poorly-written prose is passable because it's written for teens. That's not okay at all. YA books should TRY HARDER because of their target audience. Teens are learning not only about themselves but about writing. Granted, I read adult-targeted books when I was a teenager. I actually wasn't aware of the YA section of the bookstore until a while back. I read the classics, and I read Anne Rice. That's actually part of where I learned to write and how I chose what I wanted my voice to be like. In the same vein, teens reading YA now (and there are a LOT of them) who look to start writing or enjoy writing are still developing their voices. They will read and absorb the authors' voices and prose and styles. Reading is how people learn to write. I personally think Tolkien was not a good writer. LOTR drags. But the characters and story are compelling enough to keep going. I hated Stoker's Dracula. To me, it was horrendously boring and a perfectly good waste of an ending.

But Divergent? Half-Blood? Percy? Oh yes. Give me those books. They're thought-out, clever, romantic (no stalking involved), and involve female MCs who actually push the action. Not every heroine has to be a clever, witty, kick-ass heroine. Percy Parker is not any of those things. She's shy and she's quiet and I love her. I identify with her. I don't require a sassy heroine. However, I do require a main character--male or female--who tries to change things. Who pushes the action. Who doesn't just sit around and mope when something goes wrong. Who is tofu. I promise I'll post on tofu characters soon.

Regardless of your genre, regardless of your target audience, regardless of your intent, there is NO reason for your book to be poorly written. None. You are not allowed to cop out.

Facing the Blank Page

Today starts NaNoWriMo, so thousands of writers are looking at blank pages and blank documents. Some may be excited--new pages, new characters, new opportunities. Others may be anxious and a little scared; after all, the same things to be excited about are also unknowns, and we all know how often characters decide to go against what we've chosen for them (and if that happens, just go with it and adjust because nothing's worse than forcing a character to do something he doesn't want to do).

And if you're like me, you're kinda scared. Starting over is difficult. That first blank page can be intimidating. However, keep in mind your story and your goal, and NaNoWriMo will be a cinch.

My blogging may be a bit sporadic through the month. I'll update when/if I can, but this month it isn't going to be a priority. I know I'm not the only one. So, if nothing else, I'll catch up with you guys in December.

Happy NaNoing!

Feature Friday...sort of.

So... you may have noticed there's no Friday Feature post today. Unfortunately Youtube is blocked on my work computer, so I can't post any videos. I can, however, post some lyrics I heard last night that really hit home. These are from B.O.B's Airplanes pt 2, featuring Eminem and Hayley Williams from Paramore. There are expletives (oh no! *eyeroll*), but the lyrics in bold are the ones that hit me hardest, and I think it's something writers can relate to.




All right-- let's pretend Marshall Mathers never picked up a pen
Let's pretend things would have been no different
Pretend he procrastinated had no motivation
Pretend he just made excuses that were so paper thin they could blow away with the wind
Marshall you’re never gonna make it makes no sense to play the game there ain’t no way that you’ll win
Pretend he just stayed outside all day and played with his friends
Pretend he even had a friend to say was his friend
And it wasn’t time to move and schools were changing again
He wasn’t socially awkward and just strange as a kid
He had a father and his mother wasn’t crazy as sh-t
And he never dreamed he could rip stadiums and just lazy as sh*t
F*ck a talent show in a gymnasium b*tch you won’t amount to sh* quit daydreaming kid
You need to get your cranium checked you thinking like an alien it just ain’t realisticNow pretend they ain’t just make him angry with this sh*t and there was no one he could even aim when he’s pissed it
And his alarm went off to wake him off but he didn’t make it to the rap Olympics slept through his plane and he missed it
He’s gon’ have a hard time explaining to Hailey and Laney these food stamps and this WIC sh*t
Cuz he never risked sh*t he hopes and he wished it but it didn’t fall in his lap so he ain’t even here
He pretends that…
Airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now...



I think we've all been there, all felt similarly. Writing is too hard. It's almost impossible to get published, etc etc etc. We make excuses, and yet at the end of the day, it's our belief in ourselves that keeps us on this road (and also the people in our heads who will NOT shut up). We face failure after failure, but no one can do this for us. We have to believe in ourselves so we don't spend our time with our regrets and wishing on airplanes. 

World-building - Science Fiction

I'm gonna try to cover this. It's a large topic and can become incredibly intricate. So, that being typed, I'm going to share with you my experiences world-building my science fiction and fantasy ideas and *in theory* how to bring your worlds to life. Today, I'm going to cover science fiction. Next time, I'll cover fantasy.

When I started writing Duality, I had in mind this almost dystopic setting where there were 5 major cities--the locations of the 5 laboratories--and everything else had just gone to crap. For my world's purposes, science had replaced religion as the opiate of the masses, and the government invested more in the labs than in its citizens. Because the action takes place mostly in the labs, I had to include this information in spurts, but avoid "As you know, Bobs," which was especially tricky given my MC's amnesia. So a couple of things Dima asks about, and I have a few opinionated secondary characters. I try not to info-dump.

For example, there's a scene where Dima's watching the lab workers unload cargo for the next round of experiments. As the workers unload the human components, she spots a stringy-haired kid in ratty clothes, covered in dirt:
"He was a gutter-rag, a kid who lived on the outskirts, not in one of the major cities. He represented the most impoverished section of America, and now he was being led like a lamb to slaughter."

She doesn't go into a diatribe concerning which cities were the major ones (because she might not remember), but she gives you enough insight into how the people who live outside those major hubs are treated (like they don't even matter). Here's a second example:
The PTSD. The missing leg. His desert-scented fear… The Oil War. The government had thrown him into a useless battle with the Saudi nation for garbage oil that couldn’t even be refined effectively enough to pad the country’s thinning supply. Even though it had ended years ago, he looked like he was still in it.

She doesn't discuss how the War started or ended, only that it occurred and had affected the person she's thinking about.

In other parts of the story, Dima might be testing her memory, thinking about what she might or might not remember. It's possible to weave in bits of history creatively without it being overbearing. What I try to do is focus on my world as my MC knows it rather than as an outside observer. That helps to avoid info-dumps and "As you know, Bobs."

But how do you know what to explain to your audience and what not to? That primarily depends on your main character. Is your MC an alien in the world you've created? If so, then he's not going to know much about what's going on, and in informing the MC, you inform your audience. One of the best examples of this is the Syfy series Eureka, which follows Sheriff Jack Carter as he tries to maintain peace in a town of super geniuses building stuff for the government. Here's one of the more entertaining quotes showing what I mean:

Allison: Now that we are involved I had to file an IA248 with the DOD
Jack: IA??
Allison: It's the form required for our intimate alliance.
Jack: There can't be a form for that!

See what I mean? Jack doesn't know what an IA is, and Allison tells him without giving too much info, like why the form is required or when the forms first came into use. Just enough info to answer Jack's question.

The thing to remember about world-building is that, even though we as the writers need to know EVERYTHING about the world we're constructing, the readers DON'T. The information they need should be given in context with the characters and situation.

If you guys have questions, leave them in the comments, and I'll try to answer them in the next post.

Thinking outside the box

We've all been there. As writers, we're trying to find the "new" thing. The innovative thing. The super-awesome-spectacular-ZOMG IT'S THE BEST THING EVAR!!!!! We write, rewrite, write some more, add, take away, polish polish polish until the manuscript shines like the Maseratti of a man in a mid-life crisis. We slave over query and synopsis. Practice our pitches. Polish polish polish until WE shine.

And no one wants it.

But how can that be? we think. I've thought so far outside the box I can't even remember where the box is!


<-------Well, my friends, here's the painful truth.

The book world wants something fresh and new and awesome. Readers want something fresh and new and awesome. But the problem is that the Big Six aren't always ready to jump at the opportunity, and neither are agents. And no, this isn't because I've gotten rejections. And honestly, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Publishing is evolving now like the music industry did a few years ago. Smaller music houses and indie rock groups started flooding mainstream because listeners were tired of hearing the same crap all the time and actively sought out bands that weren't overexposed. They traded the Britneys of the world for bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, Sick Puppies, and Radiohead, all of whom had been flying under radar for years. All of a sudden, they're EVERYWHERE, and not just being played on HBO promos. Muse songs have been used in promos for ABC and just recently the movie Crazy, Stupid Love which comes out sometime soon. In the same way, indie presses are taking over the world.

For instance, Jennifer L. Armentrout's Half-Blood is already selling like crazy, and it doesn't even release until October. But there's already foreign rights being discussed and a lot of people buzzing on the blogsophere. And the last time I checked, Jen doesn't even have an agent yet. Jennifer is one of the Radioheads of the world. She'll build up a super-awesome, super-loyal following, and then rock everybody's socks off with her debut. And her follow-up. And the third book...and...yeah. It just keeps going. She went through Spencer Hill Press, which is a smaller publication house with a STELLAR staff who have all worked their butts off. If you want to check out more about Jennifer and Half-Blood and the awesomeness going on with her, you can check out her blog here.

And no, this isn't my way of namedropping. Jen's story is a great example of how we sometimes need to think outside the box not just with our stories, but with our approach to publication. Indie pubs are growing in force and popularity, which is great. Gives the Big Six some much-needed competition (no offense Big Six, I love you). Even self-pubbing is growing in popularity (and gaining more respectability) as pubbing through Nook, Kindle and other assorted formats becomes more accessible. A lot of people fear self-pubbing, and there's a lot of books that don't make the grade, yes. But for me, there are a lot of books published by a Big Six publisher that don't make my cut (Twilight, for one). The subjectivity of this business is far-reaching, so don't let that discourage you.

All it takes is one yes.

You can't please everybody

Working at a hotel has offered me a plethora of great insights, but the most notable, and probably writing-applicable, is this: you simply cannot please everybody.

I know this is a tried and true statement of the writing world. For instance, a lot of you reeeeeeeeeeeeally like Duality and I've gotten a lot of "I don't usually read science fiction but this sounds interesting" comments, but so far I'm up to 17 rejections out of 22 queries. That being typed, it occurred to me this morning that someone will say yes, if all the planets are in alignment and I wish upon enough stars.

No one's book is for everybody, just like no hotel is for everybody. It shouldn't be (except mine, on both accounts ;).) If you write to please everyone else, then you're not pleasing yourself. If you write to please yourself, then you'll alienate some people, but there will be others who enjoy/fall in love with/obsess over/create fanfiction for your book. And there will be those who disparage it for one reason or another, don't like it, etc. And those are the people we ignore :-D

But seriously. You can pick pretty much every book in existence from the Bible to Twilight to whatever, and I guarantee you'll find at least one person who does not like that book, even though it might be a bestseller or the greatest book ever written EVER. Like hotels, everyone's experience with a book is different. I'm not a huge fan of present tense, but I have found books that I enjoy in present tense. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary, but I cried like a baby when I read My Sister's Keeper. Experiences color our perceptions. Maybe an agent you're querying had a bad experience with a book similar to yours and didn't want to chance it. Maybe something about your writing style just didn't appeal to them. There are some people who refuse to stay in anything but Hiltons. There are people who refuse to stay in Hiltons. It's all a matter of preference.

So don't get terribly discouraged if you get a rejection. (I really need to take my own advice.) Don't give up. There may come a time when you need to trunk your novel, and you'll know it. But don't do it until you've exhausted every avenue. Trends fluctuate, minds change, attitudes matter--theirs and yours.

Every word is AWESOME.

OK. So...I'll admit it. I'm addicted to How I Met Your Mother (AKA HIMYM).  I LOVE this show. It's one of 3 I religiously DVR. I've seen almost every episode, I can tie just about anything to an episode of it, and I've decided to attempt to mold my boyfriend into a perfect Marshall/Ted combination. I haz a plan.

For those unfamiliar with the joys of HIMYM, Neil Patrick Harris plays a character named Barney Stinson--a womanizing, ridiculously hilarious, roguish character in the vein of a few 18th century fictional rakes I can think of. He's hilarious. Awesome. And Legen--wait for it--DARY.

He also blogs.

"But, Cate," you say. "How can some random fictional character help me with writing?"

Do you have to suit up? No. Although that could be awesome, too.

Here's how. See the picture? Did you read the caption? THAT'S HOW.

What I've noticed in myself, and I know occurs with countless other writers, is that we have days where we do. Not. Want. To. Write. Some days, I never want to write again. The idea of thinking about words makes me want to curl into a ball. But what I've started doing--because of the show--is deciding consciously to be awesome. To write awesome-ly. And when I decide to be awesome instead of sad or unproductive or stubborn, I get stuff done.

How about you? Anyone (real or fictional) who helps you get out of your non-writing ruts?

First Novels

*Thanks for eating the comments, Blogger. I guess I should be grateful that the post is still available...*

Everyone thinks they can write a novel.  The difference between those who think and those who do is a completed manuscript mocking you with all the love and hardship you've put into it. Novels are evil, you see. Evil. They bore into your brain, force you to obsess over them for months or years, and once you think you've gotten all of it out of your brain and you can finally move on...BAM. Rewrites. Edits. Proofing. Adding scenes. Deleting scenes. Wondering what the heck you were thinking...

Can you tell? Can you tell? Can you tell I'm in Revision Hell? Again?

Firsts are always the scariest. The most difficult. The most troublesome. First novels threaten to suck your soul into the abyss. However, they're also invaluable tools of the trade. Most first novels don't get published, not because they're no good, but because the author got so frustrated with the manuscript that she set it aflame while maniacally laughing and twirling with glee. Oh, that's not the reason? Huh. I guess it's just me then.

The point of my inane rambling is this: Firsts are learning experiences, building blocks, and scary as all get-out, but not every first has to be. And rather than give up at the first sign of trouble (which can be scary, right?), we have to persevere. If this first novel doesn't get published, then take the valuable lessons you've learned along the way and apply them to the next manuscript. Like any other craft, writing takes time to learn and requires practice to hone your skills. What better way than revising a 100,000 word monstrosity upteen billion times? You learn what to look for and what your weaknesses are. Your next manuscript starts automatically more awesome than the last. And before you know it, you've written the world's greatest novel. Or something.

Practice makes perfect, after all.

AA: Not what you think it is.

Good day, peeps.

I have a confession to make.

I have a problem. A big problem.

I...am an adverbaholic.

It's true! It's true and heartbreaking. I'm attempting to avoid use of adverbs, but...but it's so hard!

However, I've learned a valuable lesson. You see, 99% of adverbs are cop-outs. Missed opportunities. Brain farts.

Granted, every action does not need to be described in scathing detail. That's partly why we have adverbs. They're decent modifiers.

The problem is that we're writers. We write things. We create mental pictures. If readers wanted an overload of adverbs, they'd listen to any valley girl conversation, "Like totally for realz, totally, like omgah, totally." Or they'd just have conversations with me because, as I stated, I'm an addict. In every day conversation, I use way too many adverbs. Useless adverbs.

They clutter our prose. They steal moments when we could:

• Add characterization
• Add depth to a scene
• Add emotional connection
• Add description to a character/setting

And worst of all? Like passive voice, overuse of adverbs weakens our writing.

As scribes and revelers in the written word, every word we put to paper counts. So why clutter our otherwise awesome manuscripts/short stories/poems/blog posts with unnecessary adverbs? Why, I ask you! WHY????????????

How Writing is like Chopped: or, my excuse to talk about food

I do a lot of thinking in the car, since that's seemingly where I spend 99% of my time. 20 minutes to work, 45 minutes to my boyfriend's, 4 hours to my parents' (not so often anymore, unfortunately). So I have a lot of time to think. And since about 43% of my tweets concern food...well anyway.

My other passion is cooking. I don't do it much *at all* anymore, which will change when I'm un-poor, but I still love things that are food-related. Blogs, recipes, Food Network...and metaphors.

Especially in light of Allison Pang's post tonight concerning a retelling of a fairy tale she was thinking about retelling, I've come to realize that the more similar things are, the more different they can be.

Best example of this: Chopped. I. Love. Chopped. For anyone unfamiliar with the show, basically it pits 4 chefs against each other. There are three rounds--appetizer, main course, desert--and something that looks like a picnic basket contains the ingredients for those rounds. There are typically two or three normal ingredients, and then one or two crazy ones to test the chefs' creativity. Sometimes the outcomes astound, sometimes they fall flat. Oh, and there are judges.

How does this pertain to writing? We all have our baskets, only ours are filled with the building blocks of writing. Subjects, verbs, adjectives, characterization, plot structure and development, character arcs, etc etc etc. Like the chefs on Chopped, we all work with the same ingredients, but it's all about how we throw them together.

We may take a standard trope like boy meets unattainable girl (AKA, the chicken of writing). We may pour some jealous boyfriend paprika into the mix. Possibly add a few steamed veggie side-kicks. Add a dash of salty humor. See where I'm going with this? Ignore the fact that I'm hungry and go with me on it.

Like Chopped, it all depends on what we do with the ingredients we have. How creative we dare to be with it. The one with the most creative and flavorful dishes typically wins.

So don't be afraid to get a little crazy with your stories. Don't be afraid to throw some steampunk in with your fantasy, or to glaze your science fiction with a murder mystery (a la Beth Revis). Fear does not belong in writing. It belongs in querying.

TWITTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All right, peeps, today I wanted to tackle my version of the joys (and oys too) that the World Wide Web can bestow upon all of us, specifically through the Twitterverse.

TWITTER IS AWESOME.

There. I said it.

I admit, I was a skeptic at first, and it took me a LONG time to succumb to Twittermania. When I signed up for it, Terrell Owens was coming to visit the Bengals, so I signed up to specifically follow him and Chad Ochocinco Johnson Whatever. And then I found some agents. And then some writers. And then some friends. And then I was addicted.

Twitter holds an interesting power, an allure that can't really be identified in 140 characters or less. Agents, authors, fellow writers, sports figures, actors, directors, musicians, they're all on it. Except for Chris Evans *dammit*. It's like Facebook, but without all the annoying games.

Here are the reasons I love Twitter. They may be few, but they are epic.

1. Twitter makes one a better writer.
   
   Believe it or not, Twitter can help you improve your writing. Why? Because it forces you to choose your words carefully. And for ramblers like me, it forces you to filter your thoughts down to the most important aspects of your message. Vaguely coherently and with mondo abbreviations... But still. It's the principle of the thing. Twitter makes you more conscious of word choice. You learn to eliminate useless words (like "very," which is the most useless word in the English language) . You focus. Your writing becomes tighter. Trust me. What I took from Twitter helped me get rid of about 4000 pesky words.
   
   
2. Twitter makes one bolder.
   
   This one is probably the more important one for me. I'm a weenie. I do not like to speak unless spoken to. But on Twitter? I'm a chatty Cathy. Agents, authors, whoever. I'll tweet you. Aaaaaand if you tweet back, that's just even more fun. I've had actual conversations with awesome authors (not just OMG I LOVE YOU *SQUEEEEEEE*) I would never have had a chance to speak to otherwise. Colleen Lindsay tweeted me back once LOL. It's fun. And it helps to get a little name recognition. One agent I follow said she'd be more likely to read pages if she recognized your name from various social networking media (mostly Twitter). So? You're not losing anything by joining Twitter. Except perhaps valuable writing time... Hmm...
   
   
3. Agents/Authors use Twitter to pass along valuable info.
   
   There are quite a few agents, like Ginger Clark, who will tell you what they're looking for via Twitter. Where they are on queries. What they're reading now that they love. And one wonderful agent even shared her story about how it feels to be rejected by a writer. Yes, agents blog. But agents tweet a lot more. And they share valuable links, as do authors. And what's cool is that a lot of them will answer questions. I had a conversation with Sara Megibow concerning what she was looking for in SF right now. Did my stuff fit? Nope. But for anyone who wrote a space opera style SF, she's totally up your alley. She even shared books that she liked. Did my stuff fit? Not even close. I write hard SF, not space opera. But if you do? QUERY HER. She's SOOOO nice. *Also, I got re-reassurance from Joanna Volpe that synopses can be boring. So, huzzah!*

If these reasons aren't enough to at least make you think about joining Twitter, then I just don't know what to tell you. However, if you're on the glorious tweeting machine.. what are your reasons for using it?

Also, we have 50 followers!!!!!!!!!!!! You know what this means, right? CONTEST.

SO! All you have to do is leave a comment answering my Twitter question on this post by 11:59 PM Monday the 14th. No exceptions this time since I'm not as poor right now (LOL). On Tuesday I'll pick my winner. And depending on what restaurant you choose, you might get a chicken dinner. *OK that was bad. I promise not to do anything like that again. Maybe.*

I did it.

I entered ABNA. After an editing marathon, in which I edited an entire 381 pages in two days, I submitted my project last night. And yes, after the word count updates, I started over again, combing through everything to make sure it was as polished as I could get it. I need to start bribing people to beta. Seriously. I'm sick of looking at it ;)

But I'm impressed by how far it's come. The first incarnation rounded out at around a bloated 118,000. The second was almost 115,000. The one I submitted?

110,128.

*Phew* It was a lot of hard work. And I have to thank Laura again for her help. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you should. All of her posts are great, but I'm a personal fan of her Mental Monday posts. Those are incredibly helpful.

So now, I think I'll start querying again. Just a few to test the waters. I'm proud of my query (thanks Phoenix and Disgruntled Bear!) I'm happy with my product. And I can finally put "Duality is complete at 110,000 words" in my query! W00T!

OK, that's not all I've been up to recently. I had the privilege of reading Jennifer Armentrout's debut YA novel Half-Blood. It's not out yet ;) But it's great. If this one's not on your radar, it definitely should be. The story's great, her writing is so solid and so so so good, and if you're anything like me, you'll fall in love with her characters, although one is near and dear to me (Aiden, if Alex breaks your heart, I'm right here!). HB drops September 15, 2011. Jennifer's on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, so go drop her a line and tell her how pumped you are for her book! NOW! Ok. You can wait a few minutes... At least after reading the blurb:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi--pure-bloods--have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden.

And that would kind of suck.

Hop over to www.acovenantnovel.com for more info, quotes from the book, and more info on Jennifer's projects.

Phew!

Seems the craptastic cloud over my head from the weekend has finally drifted to another victim. *Angels sing* Although I got a new novel idea from everything, and I'm hoping that even if it doesn't see the light of day, I find some closure and a way to, in a small way, show my brother that I love him and that he's always with me. Already researching for it.

And yes, the website AGirlintheWorld shared is amazing. I haven't joined yet, but I might. In a little bit of debate.

Some encouraging words from the Disgruntled Bear have given me new hope for Duality (you know, once I get the beginning settled; oh and all subsequent revisions after that...). So we'll see. I'm hoping that it finds a home.

Also, Route 66 might be the most irritating song ever. Just FYI.

untitled

Few people understand the difficulties of being a surviving twin. Fewer understand that sometimes it's hard to cope with knowing that someone who should be there isn't, and even though you've never met him, he's a massive part of your life.

I've been thinking about him all day today. A phone conversation with my mom sparked it, and the flame hasn't gone out yet. It might take the rest of the night, or even the rest of the week for my mind to settle back into the groove of being half. It's hard. It's really hard.

I have no idea how to cope. I've never known how to cope. But even with all the long talks I've had with my mother, and the therapy I kinda went through in high school (for a completely separate incident; and that, BTW, is how I found out about my brother), and the soul-searching and wondering and crying and anger...I still haven't really come to terms with the fact that this other part of me, this half that I've never even met, is still gone and isn't coming back. I've never seen his face, never heard his voice, never smelled his cologne or teased him or hugged him, and he affects everything I do every day. I finally realized that I can't live life for us both, but dammit, I'm going to try. And I try too hard, and I fail, and then I get upset. Because I can't do it for us both when I can barely do it for me.

When something weighs this heavily, maybe it's a good idea to try to get some of it out... I don't know. All I know is that it's hard. Especially when my mom brings it up so flippantly. Especially when she waited until I was 15 to tell me, and told me during a therapy session. With my therapist, whom she started seeing WITH me for some unknown (i.e. forgotten) reason. My mom and I do everything together, even therapy, apparently.

What started all this? Today, nonchalantly, she said, "Guess what your father told me today?"

With my dad, it could be any number of things. Funny things, strange things, sad things... "What?"

"He told me that one night when you were 3, he was rocking you, and you looked up at him and asked him where your brother was."

Pang of sorrow, ache of regret.

"And he said, 'Honey, you have a sister. You don't have a brother."

You don't have a brother.

"And you said, 'Yes I do. Where is he?'"

I sat in a stunned silence. How could I know at 3 and then not know until I was 15? And HOW could they not tell me about him for 12 years?!

She droned on about him while I fought back tears, making small comments to push the conversation away from him. But nothing would dull the ache that I'd no doubt carry with me throughout the rest of the day. Rest of the week. Rest of my life.

My life. His life. Even without him physically here, our lives were still as intertwined as they'd have been had he survived.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...

Two lives separated by happenstance.

And sorry I could not travel both...

Sorry I couldn't have you and life, too...

Sorry that you couldn't experience what I feel, see, hear, smell...

Love, sorrow, hope, beauty, emptiness.

I miss you.