BLOG CHAIN: Making Mistakes…

Hi guys. It’s Blog Chain Time again. But first, a little housekeeping business…

I am pulling back on blogging for the rest of the month, limiting posts to two or three times a week.  Life has thrown me a series of intense curve balls of late…in all aspects of my life. So, it’s time to step back and renew…just for a moment.  

But for now…the blog topic.  This one was started by the fabulous Rebecca, who asked:

What is the best mistake you’ve made so far in your journey as a writer? How has that mistake helped you grow ?

I love this question because I think we only grow in times of chaos – in moments riddled with missteps. As many of you know, I played the viola for more than twenty years. My orchestra leaders always said, if you’re going to play the wrong notes – make a mistake – do it with everything you got!

I just love that…For me, it speaks to living each moment of life fully committed to the moment – even if it’s dead wrong.

With that, I’ll tell you of my mistakes. 

Now, I never see my mistakes as mistakes in the moment they occur. I am too busy trying to live a life committed to the moment.  I only recognize my mistakes AFTER they occur, when I reflect on the outcome of my decisions.  Sometimes this is something that takes mere seconds after the “mistake” occurs, and sometimes this is something I don’t come to see for weeks, months, or even years.

It was during on such reflection on my writing career, that I realized I had made a HUGE mistake…I sent my ms our LONG before it was ready.

In all fairness, I did not think this was true originally. The fact is, I was far too green to appropriately judge my work, really understand what it needed to be ”ready”, etc.  Furthermore, since I was so green, I did not “get” the whole Beta-reader thing. I did have a half-way decent query.  And I did manage to get some requests.

But as the rejections poured in…and time marched on…and I wrote something else…and I learned what a good story is and is not, I was able to accurately reflect on my first novel (heck, my first few novels) and know they needed to be shelved.

Now, I am not saying I know what a good story is now…I think that is something that is subjective. Something that changes as we authors grow and evolve our craft.  But I am saying that my ability to discern has changed dramatically.

And perhaps that is the point of mistakes.  They force us to learn to discern our realities more clearly. To evolve.

Check out what Kat had to say on the subject yesterday, and what Sarah has to say tomorrow.

Another Attempt at Fiction Friday

OOhhhh… I just love this particular fiction friday topic.  What? You don’t know what Fiction Friday is?  Click here and check it out…

As for the topic, here you go:

Pick a book of fiction you’d never read (e.g., if you read sci-fi, pick a romance). Open to a random page and read the last couple paragraphs of the page. DO NOT TURN THE PAGE. Now continue writing the story. Feel free to change the genre as you write.

See…totally fun!  Here is my attempt.  Remember this is completely unedited and off the cuff, as it were…(and BTW, I chose the book was Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Betrayal.  Not a book I’d normally read, though within the list of genre’s I read, cause I read them all…)

“On another screen, he brought upthe personnel file and began affixing to it a string of irrefutable artifacts, including the cipher he was using to create the virus.

This done, he made hard copies of the file, put the pages in a CI dossier, locked it away. With one fingertip, he cleared the screen, brought up the program that had been patiently awaiting its birth. Exhaling a small sigh of satisfaction, he depressed the key.

The virus was activated.”

In another part of the world,  three young men dressed in the dark brown, rough robes of Franciscan monks stole across the deserted courtyard of the church.  The church was humble, at best. There was little in the way of modern comforts, let alone the computer the three sought.

That is, except for the one in the Monsignor’s office.

The monks ascended the stairs that lead to the simple office. Two stood guard while the largest of them picked the lock and entered.  “Keep watch,” he barked. Hi voice echoed off the rotting wood that surrounded the hall.  “This shouldn’t take long.”

He closed the door behind and looked around.  The office was even more simplistic than he imagined – nothing more than a simple desk and chair, a wooden shelving unit crammed full of old books and a floor lamp.  There has to me more, he thought as he walked to the desk.  He ran is fingers across the pale walls, trying to find a niche or blemish – anything to tell im there was more to the room than he sw.

Frustrated, he continued around the room, his rage building with each step. The old monk that told him of the computer had died trying to protect the secret. Surely he wasn’t lying. He couldn’t have been.

“How’s it coming?”

The question seeped through the door, fueling his rage. He refused to answer, choosing instead to search the walls one more time.  Inch by inch, his nimbly fingers combed three of the walls surrounding him. He was about to admit defeat, when is finger latched onto something it missed the first time – a barely noticeable crack in the plaster.

He ran his fingers around the crack, tracing it.  The flaw ran the length of the wall, forming a door like shape.  He ran to the desk and rummaged through the drawers, looking for something to forge into the crack.

Finding a letter opener, he ran back to wall and rammed the crack. It broke open with little force. It must have just been made.

He worked about the mark until a hole formed. He shoved hard, bursting through the thin layer of plaster.

Well, there you go…my meager attempt.  I know, not my best…but fun none the less.

Any of you participate in Fiction Friday today?

 

Telling the Truth…

I’ve avoided doing one of these for a while – not because I have anything to hide. Or because I don’t tell the truth. Or because…of whatever. I just was never certain how I would write it…

Which leads me to my confession of the day.

I AM A FREAK PERFECTIONIST!!!

No – really; a serious perfectionist.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – “No way!  Not you. You’re posts have typos, etc. They are far from perfect.”

But, trust me – I am.

While it’s true, my posts and comments will have some grammar stuff going on from time to time, I am a true perfectionist. Not about grammar, not in the OCD, the mugs must all face the same direction kind of way either (although since we are being honest, I do alphabetize my spices, and I do color code my closet)…

I am a perfectionist when it comes down to how others perceive me…I hate disappointing someone. HATE IT!

I am also a perfectionist when it comes to my writing, at least in terms of content. No one is a harsher judge of my work than I am. So, when I get crits back – when they bleed red (which they frequently do because I have the greatest crit buds on the planet), I freak.

But not for  the normal reasons -

not because the writing “isn’t there yet”,

not because the reader “didn’t get what I was trying to say”.

My reasons are freakier (is that a word???)…

I freak out because I wasted so much of my crit partner’s time. Because it wasn’t good enough BEFORE I gave it to them.

I know, I know….

BIZARRE!

Over the last 18 months I have really had to learn what a process writing is. Even now, with a book contract in hand, I am freaking out (obsessing is probably more accurate) over what my editor is going to think next week when I send her the ms…Will it be good enough? Will I have made her work too hard as well?

It’s enough to make me hang up my pen….or at least lose sleep.

So, what are you hangups?  Lay it on me this Truthful Thursday!

And PS – Be sure to check out the Fiction Friday prompt this week…TOO MUCH FUN!  Check back tomorrow for myattempt….and trust me, given my perfectionism thing…these are HARD for me.

Awards, waiting, and other scream-worthy things.

First – the fun news. Over the weekend I received a cool award from two terrific fellow writers, NewToWritingGirl and OwlandSparrow (be sure to check out their blogs…very nice.  They both managed to give me the Prolific Blogger Award, and I am deeply honored!

     The award originally comes from this blog.  And it comes with rules:

1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!

2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to This Post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.

4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we all can get to know the other winners.

Okay – now the HARD part…who to give it to. Well, I figure, since I got it twice, I should get to name 14 other blogs…right? So, in no particular order, here are my 14 bloggers that are prolific, full of fun, wise or otherwise entertaining advice…blogs I frequent OFTEN (which is saying something, since I don’t frequent a million blogs daily like some of my closest friends)

• Elana Johnson
• Julie Butcher
• Michelle McLean
• Kat Harris
• Rebecca Knight
• Lisa and Laura
• Plot This
• Beth Revis
• Shaun Hutchinson
• Amanda Bonilla
• Shooting Stars
• Danyelle Lefty
• Abby Annis
• Nisa

Whew….that was a lot of work! 

Okay, now for the second part of this post…Waiting.

I know, I know…it is the dreaded topic. And one we, as writers, deal with a lot.

We wait to hear from our betas and crit partners.

We wait to hear from potential agents.

We wait to hear about revisions.

And the waiting doesn’t end after we find the agent, either. In fact, now we really learn the meaning of wait…because…

We wait to hear about our submissions

We wait to hear about our edits

We wait

Wait

Wait

Yeah, I know, You get the point.

So, what do you arm yourself with when you are stuck waiting.

Me – I try to be healthy – spend my time running, meditating, reading a good book ( or ten), writing something new, play Rock Band with the family, get out and live a little (so I have new stuff for new stories).

Invariable, however, no matter how hard I try, the waiting gets to be and I have to break out the chocolate and whine with my friends.

What do you do to combat the waiting??? Any tips I need to add to my list?

10-word Tuesday: Chaos and creation

Out of chaos emerges brilliance, and with it creative energy.

 

(so don’t be afraid of the chaotic moments….embrace them!)

An Interview with Up and Coming Writer – Katie Anderson

I just love doing interviews with writers at every stage of their writing career.  Last time, I interviewed the amazing Michelle Zink.  This time, I am talking to up and coming author, Katie Anderson.

CF: Why did you begin writing?

KA: I have always been a movie fanatic and frequently could be heard saying (when referring to whatever I was doing at the time), “This should be in a movie.” Or, “I’m gonna write this scene down.”  And then one night while at a cocktail party with some friends, I announced that I was going to do it. I was going to write a movie. Of course no one believed it would stick – that I would actually do it.  But, Sarah Frances Hardy loved the idea and wanted to do it with me. So, I went home, bought a “how to write a screenplay” book on Amazon and started writing on a yellow legal pad. SF and I met for coffee at least once a week and laughed about our screenplay. That was the start. Novels came much later.

CF: How long have you been writing?

KA:  Six years. First came the movie, then came books. I started with a few pic books, then a graphic novel and finally, my masterpiece… a novel. The novel is the only thing besides the movie that has been able to hold my attention.

CF:  Tell me a little about your personal writing process?

KA:  Since I had never attempted a novel before KISS & MAKE UP, I didn’t have a “process” but now I can say that by God’s grace, I come up with a killer premise first. From there, I usually envision scenes like in a movie. I write whatever I wake up and feel like exploring. It might be my MC in a class at school. Or, it might be some emotion I want my MC to feel. It’s sometimes out of order and all over the place. The next day I wake up and revise what I wrote the day before, and then, attempt to add to it.  I constantly revise as I write and then after I get a good draft, my mother reads it. She’s incredible. She finds anything I’ve missed. She’s great at continuity editing and grammar. I fix her comments and then finally send to my agent. This obviously takes many, many, many, months.

CF: What is the hardest part aspect of being a writer?

KA: For me, it’s trusting the process. I don’t outline – I can’t. So I always get a little panicky when I don’t know where the story is going. But, if I commit to working on it every day, it eventually works out.

CF:  How do you manage to balance writing with other real-life things (like children, etc)?

KA: I should have said that this is the hardest part of being a writer because it’s true. THIS is the hardest part. Writing can be addictive and you really have to watch it. I am still trying to figure this out. I try to write during the day when the kids are gone. But, sometimes I have to write late at night.

CF: Where do you find your inspiration?

KA:  Everywhere. I am always inspired by other artists, chefs, writers, singers. And I know I’m on the right track with a project when I start waking up with ideas in the middle of the night. I take notes frequently in a half-asleep coma.

CF:  How did you find your agent?

KA:  In the midst of my querying for my novel, an adult agent heard about my premise and referred me to her friend – who referred me to my agent. I had never heard of her so I didn’t think much about her but as soon as we talked on the phone, I knew. She was “the one.” I was talking with several others at the time and she was the only one who really energized me. I adore her. Also, I think the query HAS to be short and sweet and have a killer hook. THAT is what ultimately got me noticed. I wasn’t getting any bites and my friend suggested that my query wasn’t strong. She was right. As soon as I changed it, I had an almost 100% request rate.  So my advice is to make sure you have a really strong query as well. I highly recommend Elana Johnson’s From the Query to the Call. It has great advice for how to pitch your project to an agent.

CF: Now that you have an agent, has anything changed?

KA: Yes. I feel validated. And strangely, it gave me a HUGE jolt of creativity. I rocked my coolest revision EVER right after she signed me. Her confidence in me really made me blossom creatively.

CF: Tell us one random fact about you.

KA: I used to want to be a Laker Girl.

CF: Is there anything else you would like my readers to know about you or your books?

KA: I can’t WAIT until they can read KISS & MAKE UP! I am so proud of this book! It took 2 1/2 years to write and looking back I am so thankful it took that long. Don’t despair if it’s taking a long time. You will get there. I promise. 

Thanks Katie for such an awesome interview. For more information on Katie Anderson and her journey towards publication, visit her blog, Plot This, or her website.

Weekend Bliss

The fabulous Elana surprised me with an award yesterday. I’m supposed to now list ten things that make me happy and spread the love…

So, here you go – ten things that make me happy:

1) My husband and children

2) A beautiful day

3) The exact right music for whatever project I am currently working on

4) Long walks on the beach

5) The smell of coconut or vanilla

6) My Muse

7) My friday-writing nights…filled with chats and writing

My faith

9) The little reminders I get everyday that I AM doing what I am supposed to be doing with my life

10) Life, in general

Okay – now…time to spread the love.  I’m going to give this one to Michelle, Julie, Lisa, Lisa and Laura, Kat, Laura and Rebecca - some of the many people that make my life happier each and every day!

How do You Write?

I know, I know…this may seem like a silly question. But, really, it’s a sincere one. I get into conversations with my crit partners all the time about the writing process.  Everything from where we get our ideas and inspiration, to how we actually go about laying out the story. Some of us research and plot, some stew on ideas and write by the seat of our pants.

When colleagues and friends find out that I write, or when I am working on creative writing/reading with teens, I am always asked about my process.

So, I thought I’d share…

My stories typically start as a sudden burst of insight – a spark that is nothing more than a very quiet (usually) voice in the depths of my soul that stirs to life. After the idea is born, I typically research the heck out of it…and stew. For months (no really, months). Then, when the story is ready to be born, scenes will begin to play out in my head. I still don’t write much at this point. But I do start boring my family or crit partners as I talk through the ideas rambling around in my head.

I also begin looking for music that matches the “feelings” I want to evoke in the storyline itself.  As many of you know, I can only write my rough drafts to soundtrack or instrumental music. I particularly LOVE soundtrack music because it is specifically written to evoke the emotions of the images playing out on the screen. This fits written stories perfectly (try listening to a great piece of soundtrack music while reading – the results will amaze you).

Eventually, as I go through this process, I am able to string a scene or two together. And eventually I can feel the MC spring to life. At that point I can write. I’ll lay out a basic structure on an outline…and start to write whatever scene is in my head. 5K into it or so, the story usually takes a life of its own and I am able to do some real plotting.

I deal with the character arc of the protagonist first – whats her goal, what gets in the way of her/him achieving it, what is the result.  Then I do something similar for the antagonist.

By then I have a sense of the story. I then look at the major turning points of the story, the subplots, the climax, the resolution. 

As you guys know, I am a freak about motivation and emotional context – so I usually weave that into the plot elements. I ask myself things like “what would make my MC do this or that?”, or “what would drive him/her to a certain path?” – those kinds of things.

Finally, after all of that I can write – really write the story (cause really, that first 5 – 10K is “practice” for the actual storyline!)

Now, my process was not always this way…it sortof developed over time. And, my process when I write YA contemp. or NF is a bit different – but that is for a different post).  With my first two, shelved stories, I wrote by the seat of my pants. The result, an amazing time writing the rough draft, and a brutal time trying to revise (partially cause I was SO GREEN, and partially because of the process by which I wrote the first draft).

With Lacrimosa, all of that changed. I got the originally idea in November 2008 – a story that dealt with angels and played off the mythology of the Watchers.  Nothing further happened until March 2009, as I was finishing up a story with my crit group. I started researching, looking for music and stewing. A lot.

In July 2009, I wrote the first scenes. And after writing and deleting more than 30K, as well as working closely with my crit group to bounce structure ideas around, I finally had a plot, some sense of characters, the emotional arc and a true starting off point.

I finished the first draft of Lacrimosa at the end of October 2009. Every single word felt like I was pulling teeth…but it was all worth it.  Edits started in mid November and were finished (for now) in Jan. 2010. 

You know, that sure looks like a faster process than it felt like…seriously.

I always get a million ideas while working on one book, so the ideas for my YA contemporary story, Broken Wings, and my YA urban fantasy, Moira’s Daughter were born in Sept and Oct.

I tried to write Broken Wings in Nov – but it wasn’t ready yet.  And Moira’s Daughter – yeah, I am just starting it.

So, that is my long-winded description of my process….what about you guys?  How does it work for you?

Blog Chain: Finding my Voice

Well…the AMAZING Sarah started this round with the following question: 

how did you discover your particular voice as a writer?

Now this is an awesome question.  Those who answered before me did a great job talking about finding their niche as a writer as they found the “voice” of the characters they like to write about.  They even joked about how difficult it sometimes is to find a YA voice when you are NOT YA yourself.

One or two talked about their author’s voice…the way they put words together on the page.

For me, finding my voice as an author is very different than finding the voice of my character.  I’ll tackle both concepts in this post.

I like to write in first or third person, present or past tense, fantasy or contemporary…all of it YA (mostly because of the pacing and natural angst inherent in YA).  When I write, I like to use a combination of choppy,staccato sentences with longer more narrative types.  I like ending chapters on cliffhangers, with the resolution occurring in the next chapter.  I love tension and a strong emotional back story. My stories deal with big emotional issues related to growing up, good versus evil, mythology and other biggies.

All of this is my “voice” as an author. No matter what fiction I am writing, you can be sure that the things that characterize me as an author will be present within the story.  I’m not sure how these attributes developed into my “signature” style or voice…but they have.

In nonfiction, my voice as an author is easy to identify – it is the same as the voice I use when I teach, coach, counsel, etc.  It’s me.

This is not true in fiction.  While my stories are distinctively me, the “voice” you may feel in the story is related to my characters.  And if I have done my job well, each MC will sound unique, based on who he or she is.

A long time ago I did a post on writing three dimension characters. The essence was that finding the voice of the character is key to authenticity, which is key to writing a believable character.  Check it out for more of my thoughts about finding a character’s voice.

So, there you go – my long, rambling answer to finding my voice, what I think voice is, etc.

Check out Kat’s post yesterday for her terrific take on this subject.  I’m the last in this chain, so come on back in a few weeks to see what other things the chain has decided to talk about!

What is your take on voice?  And how did you find yours?

 

WOW Wednesday…

I did it…I finally started a new story!!! After finishing edits for Lacrimosa and deciding that my NaNo novel wasn’t quite ready to be born, I was beginning to think I would never find my muse and a new story.

But, I did it…I started something new last weekend.

The story, tentatively called Moira’s Daughter, draws on the mythology of the Fates and the Furies in a good versus evil battle with huge consequences for mankind.  I spent the last few weekends working on the plot arc and character arcs, fleshing out some of the details and researching…A LOT.

This past weekend I wrote shiny new words.  Like Lacrimosa, this is a slow and arduous process for me.  I don’t slam out that rough draft in a month as some are able to. It takes me a bit longer. But I do fully immerse myself in it while I am writing – thinking and dreaming about the characters until the story bubbles up and onto the page. 

My MC in this story, Chloe, is different than my other MCs - so she is taking a little bit of getting used to…her voice and demeanor. But I guess it is a good thing that she is not a carbon copy of Nesy or any of my other characters.

I thought I’d give you a tiny teaser. Remember, this is really rough draft stuff…

            The visions twine around me again. This time I hear sounds, words that begin to take meaning.

…get her out of here…too late…the baby, save the baby…mortal…don’t let them find her…

            Something grips me with fear, and although I know I’m asleep, I can’t help what I feel. My mind latches onto the words. Roots them into my memory so I can write them down later.

            My fear grows into terror and I try to pull myself out of the dream, make myself wake. Another voice, my own I think, screams at me to open my eyes. I want to comply – I’m desperate to.

            With all the strength I can forge, I force myself out of the vision and away from the voices. My eyes pop open in time to see flames engulf the train. Smoke invades my nostrils and I struggle to draw breath. Screams echo through the boxcar as I hear the district sound of metal scrapping against metal.

            The train continues forward as the car leaps from the tracks. Bodies fly through the flames and my mind can’t keep up with the scene. The only thing I can think about is getting out.

            My own body tumbles forward. I reach for something – anything – to grab onto and prevent my fall. My fingers wrap around a hand. But it doesn’t stop my fall. It isn’t attached to a person.

            Immediately my stomach flops and I fight the urge to empty its contents. I crash into the door at the end of the car as the train stops moving. Muffled screams, burning flesh and screeching metal continue to surround me.

            My brains attempts to pull the scene together.  I force myself to stand. Ignore the pain shooting up my leg. My ankle is twisted – maybe broken. The adrenaline coursing through my veins allows me to endure each step as I try to make my escape.

           Blinding smoke confuses me and I cannot find a way out. Flames lick the space around me, eating the oxygen I need and threatening to consume me. I’m almost out of time.

            I know I’m going to die but I shove that thought aside. I can’t give up so easily. So, I push through the mangled mass of bodies and debris.  Unfamiliar sounds filter through my thoughts. They rise above the sounds of the dying, cut through everything else.

            “Hello,” I scream as the smoke invades my lungs. I cough. My eyes weep. “I’m in here. Help me.”

            The sounds continue, something that sounds like footsteps. Too slow, steady, for a rescue party. Too calm for the scene of destruction around me.

           ”Who’s there,” I call again. I walk towards the footsteps. Perhaps they point the way out.

           “We are,” a trio of cold voices reply. “And we aren’t here to save you.”

There you go…a little hint. 

This week, I need to write a little more of Moira’s Daughter, as well as finish up the things I owe my agent for a new nonfiction project.

What have you guys been up to?

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