Know When to Hold 'em, Know When to Fold 'em

Okay, so we've all heard that song, am I right? I mean, even an insurance company has a pretty funny commercial about it.

But this post isn't about the commercial, or even the song, really. This post is about when to walk away.

In between edits for a certain book I've been picking at, I have been working on rewriting a YA Fantasy I had in my "unfinished projects" drawer. It's basically a drawer where I keep my projects not yet ready for the real world. I was full of hope and moxie when I pulled that pile of papers from the drawer and let the light in. And I worked on it for around six months, give or take.

I must have re-read the book six to eight times in the last few months. There are some really great scenes and character breakthroughs in it, but on my last read, I discovered I was bored. Yes, bored. With my own book. It's the greatest fear of any writer.

Note: if you, the author, is bored, imagine how the readers will feel.

Wracking my brain to come up with a solution that wouldn't take another six months, I realized I needed a pair of fresh eyes on my book. Luckily, I have the best beta reader (and friend) who took the weekend to read it over and gave me her notes.

Now, I was expecting the worst, even asking my beta friend if I should scrap the book entirely. 

The weekend was over. The email pinged in my inbox. It was as I feared. My YA Fantasy was overworked, weighed down and stale. Her recommendation was to put it aside, get some distance, work on something else, and come back to it later, if I wanted.

As much as I had been expecting my world to completely crumble with sorrow and despair, I didn't. Yes, I may have shed a tear or two, even went through the bargaining stage of grief, but in the end, I took a day to come to grips with putting my precious (said in my best Golem voice) YA Fantasy to bed. It was a long day filled with too many unhealthy snacks, an even more unhealthy dose of Sex and The City reruns (I regret nothing), and rifling through my many "promising projects" folders and notebooks. It was a hard day, emotionally, but today I woke with a renewed sense of wonder and possibilities. And a plan.

Last year I wanted to have a completed book ready to submit to agents by the beginning of 2015. Things don't always work out the way we hope. The more I grow as a person (and an author), I've come to realize that we can't always control the outcome. Lately, I've become a more "rolling with the punches" person. Which I so didn't used to be. Part of rolling with the punches is not being stagnant or living in the past. I refuse to spend the next month stewing about how my YA Fantasy didn't work out.

Today I have rekindled a new romance with a YA sci-fi idea I've had for a while. Since I'm expecting things around my house to change drastically in the next month and a half (more on that later), I've also decided not to spend a bunch of time plotting this book. Well, not really. I have ideas, but nothing concrete. So, I'm tackling sci-fi and I'm doing it by the seat of my pants.

Time is ticking. I have a new book to write. I'm hoping it will be ready for editing by the beginning of April, but who knows?

Trying something different is the best way to broaden your horizons. Really, it's the best slump-buster that I've found. What are some of your favorite ways to pull yourself out of a bad time? Have any of you ever dealt with having to put a project aside for one reason or another? You know how I love to hear from guys. :)

Why a Book Boyfriend is so Important

Hello lovelies!

In the last two weeks I wrote about writing, plotting, and the like, so I figured today would be about fun. And what's more fun than falling in love?

The heart palpataions, the nervous sweat, the trying-to-be-sexy that sometimes looks to most of the world like you're having a slow moment, and the pitter-patter of tiny bird wings as they hold up a string of roses in the shape of a heart around the face you've fallen for. There's nothing better than love, I tell ya!

Whether they lift you up or bring you down (temporarily, or course, I'm only promoting HEALTHY relationships here--even in fiction, healthy relationships are key) these boys are necessary. In real life, if your single, in a relationship, married, it doesn't matter. What happens in fiction stays in fiction. Plus, book boys are almost always better than real ones.

Here's a short list of some of my favorite book boyfriends.

-Sam (from The Wolves of Mercy Falls series). The good boy. He's sweet, yet oh-so tortured. And loyal. Don't forget loyal. This boy would never leave you...unless it got really cold. Even then, totally not his fault.



-Noah (from Pushing the Limits). I've made no secret for my love of Noah since reading Pushing the Limits. He's the quintessential tamed bad boy. But his story is about so much more than himself. He has a goal other than landing Echo. He has a huge heart and two adorable little brothers he would do anything for.

-Cassel Sharpe (from The Curse Workers series). Cassel is never what you expect. His actions surprised me around every turn. He's my wildcard. I've only recently finished this series (for some reason I tend to let the final books in trilogies sit around for a while before I read them. I must have trouble saying goodbye.) and Cassel is still fresh in my mind. Holly Black, if you're out there, Cassel is one of the most twisted, unique, enigmas out there in YA fiction and I love him. If you're tired of the cookie-cutter hero, Cassel Sharpe is for you. Bonus: he's hot. Double bonus: if you listen to the audiobooks, Jesse Eisenberg does a fantastic (read: swoony) job that will never leave you bored or tired of his spectacular voice.

And now I have a problem. I'm out of book boyfriends!

Here is where you readers can do me a solid. Give me a list of your favorite book boyfriends! Don't worry, I don't mind sharing. ;)

Who would you love to be stranded on a desert island with, or face your greatest fear beside? I can't wait to hear who you swoon for.

The Writing Wall Or How Plotting Is Like Cleaning Tape Off Of A Whiteboard (part one)

I'm currently in the early stages of drafting a secret project. This makes me extremely happy, because I'm way ahead of my deadline so I won't be rushing to finish it. It also freaks me out a little (read: a ton) because I've never written a third book before--or finished a series.

While trying my damnedest not to be overwhelmed, I jumped right into the book and started typing away. So far I'm a few chapters in and was doing several #1k1hr sprints on twitter with old writing friends and making new ones (score!). Here's where I'm at so far (I'm also going to try to keep the new word count meter on the right hand side of the blog up to date as well, for those interested).

          Secret project
               

7724 / 50000 words. 15% done!

Woo-hoo! Beginnings are difficult for me, so 15% is nothing to shake a stick at.

However, while writing last Sunday morning, almost all the way through my first thousand words for the day, I hit a complication. Okay, you guys, I'm not going to sweet talk you, give you some flowery writer version of why I couldn't go on, instead I'm going to give it to you straight.

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I hit The Wall. You know, that thing runners talk about when they just can't go any further--not that I'm a runner (yet), though I'd love to be. Where was I again? (And any of you are surprised I can't concentrate on one title at a time?)

Oh yeah, The Writing Wall. Now, I could have gone on, forced some gibberish that I'd have to cut later in the edits stage, but why? I've learned, from a lot of trial and error, that I tend to be a clean drafter. I'd rather take the time, maybe step away from the laptop if I have to, and figure things out in a notebook or white board before returning to Spartacus (my amazingly wonderful laptop).

Here is where I should say that I have a rough outline for this book done, but it's very brief, too brief, I've discovered, for this book. (sidenote: for me, every project is different--as I've said about a thousand times--a rough outline might work for another story, but not for this one).

Now, some of you may be hardcore pansters. You will hear no judgments from me. I do still write by the seat of my pants occasionally. This post might not be for you, and that's just fine, or you may see a technique I use while plotting that you may be able to incorporate into your work style. That's fine, too. Whether you're a pantser or a plotter, I'm not here to change your process. I'm here to shed some light on mine.

Source

Okay, back to giving the draft some distance. WARNING: Stepping away can be risky. It can open you up to so many hardships. If you unlatch yourself completely, there is a serious risk that you can let yourself get lazy. Thinking does not mean sitting on the couch eating Cheetos--though that does sound like an awesome writing reward--it means getting out, trying something new, or staying in and talking things through with yourself via a digital recorder, or jotting down notes in a notebook or on a whiteboard.

Speaking of whiteboards! You may be asking yourself where the "cleaning the tape off of a whiteboard" part of the title comes in, and you're in luck, because ... right now!

A few months ago, the fiance (then boyfriend) came home from work with a huge, beautiful, sparkly whiteboard in his hands. My eyes were like saucers when I grabbed it out of his hands and the two of us danced (awkwardly) in the middle of the living room (the whiteboard and I, not the fiance and I. He may have brought to me, but I have my priorities. Heh.)

Then I noticed something had marred my perfect new amazing whiteboard. Tape. There was gross, clear packaging tape about four inches from the borders, all the way around it. The fiance explained his work used the whiteboard to hold a monthly calendar and that they didn't need it anymore and were going to trash it, but he saved it for me. (Yes, I do already have two other whiteboards--we will discuss that in part two next week.) He said "it's yours. All you have to do is clean the tape off."

Easier said than done, I discovered. I struggled with it for days, resulting in tools and tiny ripped pieces of tape all over the house. I could only take the abuse and frustration (and yes, I'm not over exaggerating or joking here, this was a really hard road for me), I gave up, pushed the whiteboard into a corner of my office and swore to forget about it. Until the day I hit The Writing Wall on my latest project and realized I needed it.

Now I had no choice but to try and tackle both my problems, cleaning tape off my whiteboard and plotting my book. I couldn't push them aside or put them off any longer. But neither job would prove to be easy.

And, unfortunately, this is where I leave you to ponder the mysteries of the universe--or, you know, how I overcame the plot troubles and what the heck that has to do with tape on a whiteboard. It will all come together next week. I promise. (hint: it's about perseverance.)

So, until then, thanks for stopping by and see you next week, same blog time (Wednesday), same blog channel.

Pinterest, Instagram, And A Huge Surprise Or Two

Recently, I've let myself be swayed to the dark side. That's right, not only am I on twitter, facebook, and running this blog (which I swear I'm trying to update once a week), I also now have a pinterest and an instagram account.

I'm a very visual person, so to be able to post pictures, share them, and browse the huge databases for writing inspiration is really helping. I even have a writing inspiration board. Plus, a board for each of my books (though some are still secret). *wink wink*

Surprise number two is more of a personal one to me. If you're following me on twitter or facebook, then you probably already know what I'm about to say, if not, here it goes...

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That's right!

I'm engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the excessive exclamation points! I'm am so far beyond excited that it's like I've boarded a rocket ship and gone around the world. Twice.

That means The Best Boyfriend In The World is now The Best Fiancé In The World!






Thanks for sharing in my good news!

My (scary) Admission

I've been pretty busy these last few weeks working on a WIP and spending several hours a day at the hospital with my uncle. While thinking about my writing and editing and my WIP, it occurred to me that most of the time, I have no idea what I'm doing.


Okay, now some of you may be laughing, and others may be freaking out.


"What do you mean you don't know what you're doing?!"


To clarify, I've been writing seriously for several years. I've read various books on craft, writing, editing, etc. I've taken writing/editing classes. I've read more books than I care to count, in and out of my genre. I've done just about everything most established writers, publishers, and agents recommend you do if you want to succeed in this business.


All of that reading, learning, and researching has helped me develop my style, voice, plotting, and blah blah blah.


The point I'm really trying to get to here is you can read every "The Craft of Writing" book out there, take every class you can afford, and read blogs until your eyes blur. But unless you try, unless you practice, you really aren't doing yourself any favors.


Information comes and goes. Trends spike then wither. Unless you are pushing yourself, confident in your writing or not, you will not get anywhere in this industry.


Back to me knowing nothing. It's true. I write what I would want to read. I make my characters ones I can relate to. I give them flaws because it's interesting. Before I decided to try my hand at writing, I was a reader first. And the reader in me loves tension and emotion and screwed up characters. Instead of writing the way someone with a PhD tells me to, I take my own path and see where it leads.

That's right, just winging it.

I had no idea how to edit when I printed out my first completed manuscript. And let me tell you, it was a disaster.


Now I have guidelines--I read the draft over from beginning to end, making only major notes, instead of bothering with minor grammer issues--but my process almost always changes with every single book.


When I start a new project, again I have no idea what I'm doing. And to tell the truth. I kinda like it that way.


Care to share a detail of your writing/editing/plotting process? I'd love to add a new tidbit to my next project.

I LOVE this project!

I'm heading to the Giants game tonight, so this is going to be a quick post.

A post on what, you ask?

As I'm coming close to finishing a round of edits on GRACEFUL DEATH, a YA project I'm excited to talk about but not yet comfortable doing so, I'm getting that feeling again. You know, that feeling you get when the writing is done, and the story isn't perfect yet, but you're still SO excited about it. The idea is fresh. The voice is unique. And I may be tooting my own horn here, but I love this one. Each book I write, I'm honing my skill, getting closer to where I want to be. And I love it all!

There's a lot of work left to do, but I just had to share my excitement. I love every bit of the writing process and editing (even when I know so much more work is needed) is a huge part of that process.

And...GO GIANTS!

Getting to Know You

I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who stopped by to critique my first 250 words of Shimmering Angels. I feel like every piece of input helped me polish it up a little more.

In Friday news, I am currently writing my fingers to the bone. For the first time in a long time I'm trying my hand at a short story and I'm really loving my MC's voice. She's driving me forward, hinting at her personality and her flaws, but right now I'm missing her goals. I could go with something easy, like she just wants to be normal, but I'm digging deeper. There's something inside her that she doesn't even know she wants yet.

Where am I going with this, you ask?

If you're a writer, you've probably heard this combination before: Goal, Motivation, Conflict. This threesome and I are no strangers.

Goals. To truly understand your characters you have to know what they want so desperately--and what they're willing to sacrifice for it. And to write a great book, you have to test these theories, strip away everything your characters hold dear, and flip their world on its ear.

Motivation. Understand why your character wants this, and show--not tell us about--it. Why does your thirty year old villain still suck his thumb when things don't go his way? Could it hint to a tramatic childhood event? Or could he simply enjoy making his rivals think this? Use this strange action to throw your hero off, or create empathy?


Conflict. Now that you know what your character wants and why they want it, twist the knife. Your hero and heroin have a strategic plan in place. Why let everything go smoothly when it's so much more fun to throw a wrench in the cogs? Add a little conflict. The villain knows your hero and heroin are coming and has his own trap ready. Or maybe hero plans to express his feelings to heroin, but heroin (thanks to her own goals and motivations) tells hero she's been lying to him and instead of just wanting villain dead, she needs to reclaim her husband's soul which is lost somewhere inside the villain's hideout.


Now we're getting somewhere. See what I mean about conflict adding more?


Now I'm off to create my own conflict.